Every time Rory Bushfield puts his mind to something, he wants to do it better and bigger the next time.
The Squamolian has already built quite a career. Freestyle skiing? Check. Backcountry skiing? Check. World Cups and X Games appearances? You bet.
Bushfield is also a prolific adventure sports filmmaker and on-screen celebrity. He's featured in dozens of major ski movies, and in 2013 he won the American reality high-diving show Splash! over Baywatch actress Nicole Eggert, singer-songwriter Drake Bell, NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and others.
Did I also mention that on July 17, 2023, Bushfield became the first individual to barefoot water-ski out of a wheeled fixed-wing plane and exit without assistance—no parachute, nothing? We probably shouldn't overlook that minor detail.
It's a feat most would consider insane and oddly specific in equal measure, but for Bushfield it's a rousing intersection of two favoured hobbies. The man has flown for 15 years and considers the Seagull Feather, his 1953 Cessna 180, to be the best aircraft ever built. He's also a lifelong waterskier.
"I have always loved riding on water: lakes, rivers, puddles, the ocean," Bushfield explained. "Some of my earliest childhood memories are of my dad pulling me waterskiing. Another huge factor was when I started skimming my airplane on water—my first thought was that I could be barefooting behind it!"
Bushfield documented his record-setting day in Barefoot Pilot, a short film that will play on Nov. 20 at Squamish's Howe Sound Brewing as part of the current Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF) lineup.
A calculated risk
One can be forgiven for typecasting Bushfield as a reckless daredevil. He's put his body on the line time and again in search of adrenaline, and three of his four limbs have metal in them as a result. Yet his partner, Stacey Paradine, remarks during Barefoot Pilot that "he's actually super calculated."
Bushfield knows full well that many of his pursuits, including aviation, must be taken seriously. Errors in judgment or execution are rarely met with second chances. Yet he also reasoned that an act like barefooting out of a plane can be done—at a certain speed, water becomes a perfectly smooth and solid landing strip.
He elaborates: "I’ve got a solid crew with me. Barefooting behind my airplane wasn’t about pushing the limit in a reckless way; it was just another goal I wanted to accomplish … being able to exit my plane onto any calm lake. People skydive into parties all the time, imagine being able to slide into one from a skimming airplane?"
An experienced pilot with the steady hands of a surgeon would be required to help Bushfield pull it off. That man was Lambert Bourgeois: the one who initially taught Bushfield how to skim an aircraft's wheels across a river or lake surface while in flight.
"It was important to have all my close friends involved on this project because it meant so much to me, but also because I have the most talented friends," said Bushfield. "It was an easy call who would be involved once everything started coming together. I’m so stoked that everyone could be a part of it."
If Paradine harbours reservations about her partner's thrill-seeking ways, she hasn't voiced them openly.
"Rory always has ideas," she said in the film. "I've never been one to ever doubt his abilities."
Making life more beautiful
Bushfield hasn't made it through his high-flying existence unscathed. He's absorbed not only myriad injuries, but also deep grief.
Sarah Burke, Bushfield's late wife, died on Jan. 19, 2012 after falling on her head in Park City, Utah. She was one of Canada's original freestyle skiing greats: a five-time X Games halfpipe champ and the first woman to land a 720, 900 and 1080 in competition. After her tragic passing at age 29, Bushfield founded the Sarah Burke Foundation in her honour.
"The foundation will preserve Sarah’s goodwill and her actions, by supporting and inspiring current and future generations," he wrote on the group's website in a joint statement also signed by Anna Phelan, Berkley Brown, Haynes Gallagher, Tim Schuetz and Tory Gossage.
The statement goes on: "Regardless of her status as an athlete superstar, [Sarah] was always a kind, humble and generous person, full of integrity. This was what endeared her to all, and made the worldwide reaction to her loss so dramatic … all the hearts she deeply touched in her life. She made life more beautiful."
Burke's unforgettable memory helps drive Bushfield on to make the most of his remaining years on Earth.
"I've lost a lot of good people in my life, and they taught me to enjoy every single moment," he said. "You've got to celebrate every chance you get. Don't take life for granted.
"I think everyone should live to the fullest whenever you can, because it is so precious. That's what drives my creative process—to channel those emotions and experiences into something meaningful."
Check out more details about Barefoot Pilot and the 2024 VIMFF at vimff.org/film/barefoot-pilot.
