Cover Photo: Jonathan Finch. Words: Erica Aarons.

By now, most of you will know of Parkin Costain. It took a while, but the ski industry has caught on. 2020 certainly wasn’t everyone’s year, but Costain took the title of King of Corbet’s, landed a segment in TGR’s latest film ‘Make Believe’, and dropped ‘Dollar Short’, a film by Benshi Creative. Not bad. I caught up with Costain between storm cycles to chat about his year and the new project he’s working on with Benshi.

Parkin sends with the peace of mind of Sweet Protection's new 2Vi Helmet Technology // Photo: Jonathan Finch

Dollar Short was refreshingly different from the traditional ski movie. The narrative-driven film follows Costain and Jake Hopfinger around, having robbed a bank and used their newfound wealth to buy new trucks, new snowmobiles, and chase powder across the Rockies. “The whole narrative idea of Dollar Short was Benshi, as far as a production company wanting to put their own twist on it. They are skiers themselves, so they know the core audience is there to watch ski porn, so they wanted to incorporate as much of that as possible but also to make it so that your everyday skier finds it a bit more interesting than just guys going after it as hard as they can.” Costain told me. It’s rare that a storyline in a ski flick works out, but in this one, it did.

Last February, I watched both Costain and Hopfinger throw massive double backflips at Jackson Hole’s annual Kings & Queens of Corbet’s event. It was also their first year filming and traveling together, “I had heard [Hopfinger’s] name a couple of years back but we had never linked up really until last season. I’d always heard that we would do well together so it’s been fun to get to know him. He’s a super rad mountain biker as well so we’ve been able to get after it year-round and pursue our dream together.”

Costain is working with Benshi Creative once again to produce a second film presented by Sweet Protection // Photo: Jonathan Finch

Costain and Hopfinger are back at it with Benshi Creative– working on a new film in collaboration with Sweet Protection. While you can expect more innovative skiing and creative storytelling, in this year’s project they will be incorporating athletes, and waiting for the snow to turn on in Montana zones they’ve been eyeing up (at least until they’re allowed back into Canada). “We’re stoked to have Sweet Protection on board as presenting sponsor for our new project! The team is on a mission to create a unique story that captivates an audience. We couldn’t have picked a better brand to help make this possible,” Costain told Newschoolers.

If you’re looking to catch more of Costain, he’ll be working on another TGR segment along with the new project with the Dollar Short team. And while he didn't take the crown at Kings & Queens of Corbet's, Costain says he’ll be back and looks forward to making it a yearly thing.

_

For more about Sweet Protection's new 2VI MIPS technology and their new outerwear: Click Here.