Downdays Magazine, November 2016 (EN)

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If life is about taking one moment at a time, pause for a second. The next hundred are about to happen too quickly to remember.

SCOTT-SPORTS.COM © SCOTT SPORTS SA 2016 | Photo: Will Wissman

SCOTT-SPORTS.COM © SCOTT SPORTS SA 2016 | Photo: Will Wissman

SAM COHEN

The Senti-Mental Happy Place The anticipation of an upcoming winter will often have you reminiscing about the last one. And sometimes—if enough modern-day distractions are tuned out—you might find yourself delving even further into the past to remember all those epic days that came before, those once-in-a-lifetime moments that only skiing can deliver. Those submarine powder slashes that force an uncontrollable “Whooooop!” from your throat; that brief moment when your single highest priority in life is to give your friend a bone-crushing bear hug because he just stomped a trick you thought impossible to land; or that moment when, soaked in cold sweat, you reach the summit and partake of a quick drink and some scroggin1 before reaping the deep, untracked rewards. Not to mention later, when your vocal chords come close to snapping as you try to match Sting’s range while lustily singing Roxanne along with a hundred other equally inebriated folk still in their boots at the aprés bar.

Skiing simply is a catalyst for epic days, stunning moments and great memories. It’s sentimental stuff, really.

The value of skiing is far more than the act of simply doing it. The positive aspects reverberate throughout your entire life, from the people you meet to your very mental and physical well-being. Yet it’s the memories that might have the longest-lasting impact— the ones you recall when cocooned in bed recovering from the flu, the ones you escape to when you’re stuck in an office chair. Some people call these Happy Places, and skiing creates them in scores.

The following pages contain memories and reflections in various forms from Happy Places. From a crew’s kamikaze road trip through the Middle East, to a girl’s quest to conquer the urban environment, all the way to gravity-defying heights above a world-record feature, this issue’s feature stories on the Snowmads expedition, Coline Ballet-Baz’s street project and the Suzuki Nine Knights Perfect Hip offer plentiful supplements to your personal stash of skiing recollections.

A range of profiles and interviews offer additional repast, from style pioneer Jossi Wells and Swiss wunderkind Andri Ragettli, to Freeride World Tour newcomer Kristofer Turdell and prodigious park talent Alex Hall. We’re also proud to feature an interview with Greg Hill, the inspiring, hilarious and awesome human who also happens to be a multiple-world-record-holding scroggin legend. All of these individuals have Happy Places to share, and their stories will hopefully encourage you to get out and add to your own.

Of course, skiing isn’t 100% Happy Places, and to represent this reality this issue also holds a number of pages offering contemplation and insight on the things that make those Happy Places possible—and in our cover story, the tragedy and loss that may occur when a Happy Place suddenly goes bad.

If there’s any one thing that the last four-hundred-something words are trying to communicate, then it’s this: Don’t forget your Happy Places, whatever they are. You never know when you might need them.

Wishing you a safe and memorable winter !

Mark von Roy

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Scroggin: nuts and raisins, trail mix; also, the deeply rewarding behavior of being active in the nature

FOTO: FRODE SANDBECH

Welcome to tamok New line for backcountry freeriding

www.norrona.com

Like in a Video Game Photo & Text: Felix Rioux

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JF Houle was after this spot for a long, long time. He showed it to me a year before this session and I made him promise not to hit it without me. This was a video game level feature and I didn’t want to miss it. This was a huge and risky project—physical risks aside, an insane amount of work goes into a feature like this. You need a snowblower

to build the landing, which happened to be on school grounds in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Then we needed two sets of ladders simply to get onto the roof. Needless to say, the potential to get busted by the police was super high. But JF had a plan of attack.

I love shooting with JF. He is one of the most professional skiers out there

when it comes to urban features. There’s no screwing around; he scouts months ahead of time and knows exactly what he needs to do when it’s time for action.

As promised, one Friday morning JF texted me a photo of an almost-finished landing. We set a shoot time for the following day at 8:00am, which meant I had to leave Montreal by 5:00am.

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Surprisingly everyone was on time and super primed to do this thing. While JF was shooting the feature for his Real Ski segment at X Games, his buddy Franck Bourgeois was doing the same for Real Snow. Snowboarder Jason Dubois and skier Emile Bergeron were also there for support and to get a few shots as well— all in good spirit. We started shooting

around 9:45am, and two hours later all four had bagged their shots and no one was injured. We wrapped up, cleared the landing and went home happy with our productive morning.

Remembering Matilda Rapaport

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Interview: Josiah James Wells On top of his style, on top of his game

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Gear

Gallery

For the inside, outside and in between

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Unrailistic Jesper Tjäder’s private jib session

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Creative The analog photography of Fabian Lentsch

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Spray The Burden of Routine

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Introducing Alex Hall & Kristoffer Turdell

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Portrait: Andri Ragettli Switzerland’s next top freeski star

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Snowmads Six months, a dozen countries, one fire truck

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Queen Of The Streets Coline Ballet-Baz goes urban

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Anatomy Of A World-Record Hip The Suzuki Nine Knights explained with math

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Survival of the small ski area Mom and pop are closing shop

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Interview: Lea Hartl Weather forecasting for freeriders

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Tamok A Norwegian freeride secret

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Whitecarpet Crew Greetings from Engelberg

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Interview: Greg Hill More uphill equals more downhill

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Blank Canvas Enjoy the unexpected

Downdays Magazine November 2016

On The Cover

Contents

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■ / ● = Features

4frnt

Watles, South Tyrol, Italy

2016 likes 4frnt “It wasn’t a goal, but I decided to go as high as I possibly could, record or not. In the end, to take that title home is definitely an experience of a lifetime” @mrdavidwise, shaper and owner, recalls another successful day on the WISE. : @lynk_nation #hereandnow #shapingskiing

See more David in 4FRNT’s new team film this fall:

On The Cover: Matilda Rapaport * 29.01.1986 in Stockholm † 18.07.2016 in Santiago de Chile The cover photo of Matilda was from our trip to Haines in March this year. We had done the same trip the year before with the same crew, Henrik Windstedt and her, but this year we also had Matilda’s husband Mattias Hargin along. She was really excited to have Mattias there for support but also to show him one of her favorite places to ski, as it was Mattias’ first time in Alaska.

I first met Matilda when she moved down to Engelberg in 2009 to start working as hotel manager for Ski Lodge Engelberg. I didn’t know much about her or her skiing. What I did notice fast, was how very kind and welcoming she was to everyone around her, old or new faces. After a few years as hotel manager she quit to push her skiing career – that was the point when we really started working. The last 2-3 years I have done more trips with Matilda than anyone else. She was so easy to work and travel with; it was like going on a trip with a really good friend. Her motivation on the mountain was always there and she never complained about anything.

This line was on the day before she left to compete at the Freeride World Tour final in Verbier. It was a pretty intense morning; our “Plan A” was shut down by clouds rolling in and other crews in the area looking for similar mountain faces. As always, Matilda was calm and focused; then ripped the line really well. Unfortunately we won’t be going back to Haines together again.

She inspired so many with her positive attitude and view on life; it’s hard to find a more generous and caring person.

The part I will miss the most about Matilda is not when we were on the mountain shooting together but her friendship.

Matilda, I will miss, but always remember all the great pow runs we had with our friends in Engelberg, the spontaneous dinners after a great day on the mountain, the happiest day of your life when you got married to Mattias and your amazing smile.

My thoughts go out to Mattias and your family.

Oskar Enander

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Cover photo: Oskar Enander

Spot: Haines/AK, USA

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Portrait photo: Oskar Enander

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Contributors Gianmarco Allegrini

Fabian Lentsch

The man behind the lens in the Whitecarpet crew; Gianmarco Allegrini is a skier that produces wholly unique photography. By combining a journalistic style of capturing very authentic moments with a creative approach to textures and light, Gianmarco is a young photographer with a heap of potential.

As a part of the big mountain ripper scene in Engelberg, he documents the antics—both on and off of the hill—of the Whitecarpet crew.

Victoria Beattie

Mastermind behind the Snowmads roadtrip, Fabian Lentsch is a modern day adventurer to the core. Yet if you randomly met this soft-spoked young lad on the street, you’d never guess that Fabi is an accomplished alpinist, talented photographer, fearless big mountain skier that visits Iran more than most people visit their grandmother. Always planning his next big adventure, you can read all about his latest one in the Snowmads feature.

Robert Maruna

An avid freeskier since pretty much before it’s inception, Victoria Beattie was one of the best female skiers of her era and would still give most of this generation a run for their money. If you ever get the chance to meet Tori on a mountain, you’ve probably just met the raddest person on the mountain; and she might be riding her monoski! A good friend of Jossi Wells since he was a little kid, her interview gives an insightful perspective of the style master’s world.

Talented—whether with skis on his feet or with a keyboard under his fingers— Robert Maruna is the academic ski bum that’s just completed his Environmental Law master’s thesis on ski area expansion in Austria. Yet the self-proclaimed gipsy is no intellectual snob either; he’s bribed his way out of shady jails in Central America and spends most of his free days charging up a storm in and around the Dachstein area.

“The computer can't tell you the emotional story. It can give you the exact mathematical design, but what’s missing is the eyebrows.”

Frank Zappa

Imprint Publisher Distillery Concept & Creation GmbH Innsbruck, Austria

Adverts, Marketing & Distribution Simon Kegler | simon@distillery.cc Jannick Budde | jannick@distillery.cc

Editor-in-chief Mark von Roy | mark@distillery.cc

Print House F&W Druck- und Mediencenter | www.fw-medien.de

Editor Ethan Stone | ethan@distillery.cc

Photographers of this Issue Nic Alegre, Gianmarco Allegrini, Alessandro Belluscio, Jeremy Bernard, Carlos Blanchard, Jonas Blum, Rachel Bock, Vegard Breie, Adam Clark, Oskar Enander, Victor Engström, Raphael Erhart, Guy Fattal, Ruedi Flück, Mattias Fredriksson, Chris Holter, Elias Holzknecht, Reuben Krabbe, Pally Learmond, Fabian Lentsch, Bruno Long, David Malacrida, Leander Nardin, Klaus Polzer, Lorenzo Rieg, Felix Rioux, Stephan Sutton, Shay Williams, Fabrice Wittner

Photo Editor & Production Manager Klaus Polzer | klaus@distillery.cc Art Direction & Design W—THM Büro für Gestaltung | www.wthm.net Layout Floyd E. Schulze | hello@wthm.net Klaus Polzer Image Processing & Desktop Publishing Klaus Polzer English Translation & Copy Editing Ethan Stone, Mark von Roy

Writers of this Issue Markus Ascher, Victoria Beattie, Oskar Enander, Kristin Imingen Hansen, Basti Huber, Ole Kliem, Pally Learmond, Fabian Lentsch, David Malacrida, Robert Maruna, Jochen Mesle, Klaus Polzer, Felix Rioux, Roman Rohrmoser, Ethan Stone, Tobi Tritscher, Dane Tudor, Mark von Roy, Neil Williman

Publishing House & Editorial Address Distillery Concept & Creation GmbH Leopoldstrasse 9 6020 Innsbruck Austria Tel.: +43 (0)512-307 811 Fax: +43 (0)512-307 812 info@distillery.cc www.distillery.cc Do you want to get the Downdays Magazine for your shop, chalet or bar to hand out?

Please don’t hesitate to contact us!

Downdays magazine is published in English, French and German.

Downdays is also a website: www.downdays.eu Downdays Social Media: www.facebook.com/downdays www.instagram.com/downdays_eu www.downdays-eu.tumblr.com

The magazine and all contributions are subject to copyright. Duplication, publication or any other re-utilisation, in analog or digital form, as a whole or in part, is only allowed with prior written consent from the publisher.

The publisher and the editorial team accept no responsibility for text or images submitted for appraisal.

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saalbach.com

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Josiah James Wells: Style by Design Interview: Victoria Beattie

Portrait: Klaus Polzer

Jossi Wells has not just rocked skiing, but shaped it— forging a personal brand so unique and identifiable that marketing departments the world over would convulse in self-congratulatory ecstasy had they crafted something nearly as badass and edgy in as good-looking and wellspoken a package. Jossi’s stylistic evolution has been a fascinating and at times highly amusing process, from the thugged-out XXL gangster of the mid-2000s, through his Sons of Anarchy phase, to the refined fashionista that he is today. He was like a sponge back in his early days, a chameleon. He studied his heroes and copied the elements of their style that he liked best. He tried everything on for size: Tanner Hall’s gorilla steeze, Simon Dumont’s carved cork 3’s, Colby West’s double nose grab, TJ Schiller’s bow-and-arrow. It became a running joke that you couldn’t do anything new in front of Jossi, because he’d copy you immediately and do it better. But it wasn’t about biting styles—it was tribute by imitation. The kid just lived and breathed freeskiing. Now as a man, he’s full of surprises and contrasts. He’ll ride his custom chopper across the Western U.S. desert while rapping to Weezy with his violin strapped onto the back of his Harley, then suit up and go skiing. That’s just Jossi. Was his meteoric rise to fame pre-ordained? Was this all by design?

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Schiller and Jon Olsson. I loved Tanner’s style and his ability to ride anything, Simon’s drive and determination, TJ’s style and the way he grabbed (TJ still to this day has my favorite grabs). Jon’s perfection was amazing. I tried to take influence from each of them and make my skiing a combination of all my favorite parts of each of their skiing and styles.

The NZ crew had a huge influence on me too, the guys I skied with and looked up to: Tom Dunbar, Brad Prosser, Hamish Acland, Marty Jillings, Jake McCleary. Each one of those dudes was so sick and each had their own things they were amazing at. It was such a rad crew of guys to have as sort of big brothers to me. They were always showing me the way, showing me the sick new tricks to do.

Nowadays I’m influenced by a range of people. Henrik [Harlaut] & Phil [Casabon]’s skiing is so amazing, I’m their biggest fan. Max Hill has had a huge influence on my style. I watch a lot of snowboarders for inspiration too. I did a couple trips with Chris Benchetler this season and he’s had a huge influence on my growing passion for the backcountry.

Was it always skiing? Did this life choose you, or did you choose it?

I don’t think you choose it. There’s not a time I can remember when I chose to become a skier. I just skied. It wasn’t ever a conscious choice; it was intrinsic, like it’s what I was meant to do. Going skiing every day I could just seemed natural.

When did it all click? When did you realize that you’d made it?

When I was able to stop playing my violin outside New World [a New Zealand supermarket chain]? Haha! Being a “pro skier” was never a goal, so it’s hard to pinpoint that moment. I was just skiing because it ruled, and then I was standing at the top of the X Games. It all happened pretty quickly. Earning my first X medal was a pretty pivotal moment for me, though.

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How did those early years growing up in Wanaka shape you for the future that lay ahead?

I’ve thought about this a few times. If I look back on my childhood, every activity I did, every sport I did, seems like it was preparing me for the career I ended up in. The discipline I learned from swim racing, to the trial-and-error repetitive learning of skateboarding, to the mental side of pushing through the wall while racing triathlons, to the importance of working with others on a team in soccer—it all seemed to teach me the skills needed for this career.

You’ve transitioned through many styles over the years.Who were the biggest influences on your skiing, then and now?

Back in the day my favorite skiers were Tanner Hall, Simon Dumont, TJ

Jossi stylin’ at the Blank Canvas shoot.

Spot: Saalbach, Austria

Photo: Klaus Polzer

How hard is it to be unique in this day and age?

I mean, it’s 2016. Almost any style or way of doing something has been done in one form or another. I think what’s most important is doing something the way that feels good for you, and not trying to do it differently. It has to be authentic.

The coolest thing about skiing to me is that everyone skis differently. There’s room for everyone in this game. Whether you’re a pipe or slopestyle competitor, park rider, street skier, big mountain ripper—if you ski exactly how you like to, and do what feels good to you, then that’s unique. Putting your own stamp on your tricks is what makes this game so cool. Everyone I ski with, I could watch a silhouette of them skiing and instantly know who it is. I love that.

Your skiing is so refined now. Has this been a natural process, or do you think really carefully about the way you move on skis?

It’s a mixture of the two. I’m very aware of where every inch of my body is and how it’s moving when I’m on skis.

It’s not something I think about, like, “My arm should be in this position.” It’s all by feeling. If it feels good, chances are it looks good—if it feels wack, it probably looks wack. I try to make my skiing feel good, and hopefully in the process it looks good, too.

What do you draw on for influence outside of skiing?

Snowboarding, skateboarding, photography, musicians, architecture, anything that looks good and is pleasing to the eye. I’m a big fan of simplistic style, whether it’s a living space, a photograph, clothing or a ski trick.

What do you see the future holding for you as a skier?

Next season the Olympic qualifiers will start, so it will be a busy season with the build-up to the Games. I will compete as long as I feel confident and my body holds up. I used to think that at 25 [my competitive career] would be coming to an end, but after this season I feel stronger and more confident than ever. I really enjoy competition, so I will do that as long as I can.

This season my knees could finally handle a couple backcountry trips, and I linked up with Chris Benchetler. He really opened my eyes to how amazing it is out there. I feel like this year was the start of a new chapter, so I’m going to ride this wave and give it my all until it’s time to move on.

Will you be spending more time filming and in the backcountry in coming years?

Most definitely. I’ve decided I’m going to spend the majority of the NZ winter filming in the backcountry. I plan on doing a few backcountry trips next

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Flyin’ high over his home ground.

northern winter when I have time in between events. It’s really hard to balance time filming in the BC and having enough time in the park to stay competitive. That’s going to be my next challenge and I’m really excited for it.

You’ve got another project at the moment that’s really interesting. Without giving too much away, talk us through “Welcome To The Thrill” and how that came about?

I was approached by a production company out of Auckland called GFC and a director named Toa Fraser. They explained that Universal Pictures approached them to make a documentary based around action sports and the flow state. They really didn’t tell me much about it, but it sounded like a cool opportunity so I joined the program.

After experiencing what I’ve done for the film, I understand now why they kept me in the dark about what exactly we would be doing. The entire experience has been a highlight. I’ve ripped my chopper around the Hollywood hills, spent a week in Hawaii with Laird Hamilton, spent a week in Chamonix with a group of guys called The Flying Frenchies and a week in Iceland with Wim Hof the Iceman.

What can we expect from the film?

You’ll see me 100% outside my comfort zone, from SUPing with Laird at

Spot: Cardrona, New Zealand

Photo: Shay Williams

Hanalei Bay, to high-lining hundreds of meters off the ground in Chamonix, to rope-jumping 200 meters with a six-second free fall in Grenoble, to swimming around a -1ºC glacier lagoon with Wim. We haven’t finished filming yet, so I’m sure they have some more things up their sleeves. It’s been a crazy experience. I’ve been put so far outside my comfort zone that I’ve questioned why I ever signed up for this, and because of that I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve met amazing people and made great friends. The director Toa Fraser is such a rad guy, and I’ve had a great time getting to know him. He’s really the reason why I’ve pushed myself in this film. I want to help him make an amazing movie.

Your family is a huge part of who you are and how you got here. I personally love to watch the dynamic that you guys have as Team Wells. Just how unique is it, traveling around with your dad as your coach and your brothers as teammates?

It’s the greatest. My brothers are my best friends. Being able to share this lifestyle with them is a dream. We have such a good time together. Nothing better than preparing to drop in at X Games and having your boys there hyping you up, and visa versa. My parents are the best parents I could have asked for. They have sacrificed so much for us

boys to do this skiing thing, and I hope one day I can be as good of a father as Bruce has been to me.

What is the biggest piece of advice that you drum into the younger boys after all your years in the game?

It’s about the skiing. It’s easy to get caught up in competition and the byproducts of success. If you focus on acquiring the byproducts of skiing, you’ll find it very difficult to be in the position you want to be in. Make it about the skiing, put the work in, and you’ll get the work out. Staying healthy is a huge key also. You have to ski smart.

Push it when it’s time to push it, and be smart about your choices when it’s not ideal conditions. There’s always another day, another competition.

How influential have your mom and dad been in the decisions made throughout your ski life? When did it feel like you took the reigns and started owning your own career?

To be honest they’ve let me run my career from the very start. Every decision was mine at the end of the day. I really love that they gave me so much

responsibility from such a young age so I have a huge respect for my parents and really value their opinions. I still to this day talk to them about any decisions I make to get their input.

You now have a beautiful wife by your side. Have you found greater stability as a married man?

I have. Hannah is amazing and a huge support for me. Having someone to share this amazing life with has been a dream of mine since I was young. I feel as though I’m growing as a man every day. Learning how to be a husband has been such a cool experience and we’re only two years deep now so we’ve got a long and exciting road ahead of us. I’m loving it. I feel grown up!

that I am skiing better than I ever have now. I also get to take the woman I love all around the world with me to amazing places. I really love that.

One last question: In your wildest dreams as a little white-haired kid from the bottom of the world, did you ever imagine that this would be the life you’d create for yourself?

Never in a million years. I trip out daily. This life is amazing and I’m just trying to make the most of every opportunity that comes my way and live it to the fullest.

How has marriage changed your traveling and skiing life?

That has been the hardest part of our marriage so far. I travel so much, so juggling time with Hannah has been a new experience for me. I’m not skiing quite as much as I used to when I was single, but Hannah is so supportive and gives me such motivation to ski well and make the most of the time when I am on skis,

Born: 18th of May, 1990 in Dunedin, New Zealand Home Mountain: Cardrona, New Zealand Results: 1st Slopestyle, Aspen X Games 2016 1st Slopestyle, World Cup Gstaad 2014 2nd Slopestyle, Tignes X Games 2013 3rd Big Air, Aspen X Games 2012 2nd Superpipe, Aspen X Games 2010 AFP Overall World Tour Champion 2010 2nd Slopestyle, Aspen X Games 2008 Sponsors: Atomic, Monster Energy, Dragon, Air NZ, Mons Royale

I’m a big fan of simplistic style, whether it’s a living space, a photograph, clothing or a ski trick. I’m drawn to trying to make it all smooth and pleasing to look at, the best I can.

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Jossi Wells keeps it calm in a fast-changing world.

Spot: Saalbach, Austria

Photo: Klaus Polzer

GALLER Y NR.7 01/ 2016 Skier: Dane Tudor

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Photo: Adam Clark

Spot: Tordrillo Mountains/AK, USA

Skier: Henrik Windstedt

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Photo: Oskar Enander

Spot: Stellar Heliskiing/BC, Canada

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Previous double page Skier: Christian Strรถmberg

Skier: Joona Kangas

Photo: Stephan Sutton

Photo: Guy Fattal

Spot: Helsinki, Finland

Spot: B&E Invitational/Les Arcs, France

Opposite page Skier: Markus Eder

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Photo: Alessandro Belluscio

Spot: Les Arcs, France

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Skier: Dave Gheriani

Photo: Reuben Krabbe

Spot: Mt. Washington/BC, Canada

Opposite page Skier: Tatum Monod

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Photo: Felix Rioux

Spot: Niseko, Japan

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Previous double page Skier: Nick McNutt

Skier: Sam Favret

Photo: Nic Alegre

Spot: Neacola Range/AK, USA

Photo: Jeremy Bernard

Spot: Chamonix, France

Opposite page Skier: Mark von Roy

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Photo: Klaus Polzer

Spot: Saalbach, Austria

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Outerwear to keep you dry, innerwear to keep you snug, and a helmet and airbag to keep you alive!

O’Neill – Jeremy Jones 3L Jacket

Norrøna – tamok Gore-Tex Jacket LTD

Marmot – Wm’s Mikaela Jacket

↦ ↦ ↦ ↦

↦ 3 layer extra long cut Gore-Tex jacket ↦ Hand warming pockets, chest vent with mesh, hand gaiters ↦ Underarm vents, zip- and snap seal powder skirt system ↦ Leather protecting helmet compatible hood

↦ Hyper-technical 3L Gore-Tex jacket ↦ Removable soft-shell powder skirt ↦ Pit zips, helmet compatible hood, Recco Reflector ↦ Fully taped seams, water resistant zippers

O’Neill – Jeremy Jones 3L Pant

Norrøna – tamok Gore-Tex Pant

Marmot – Wm’s Cheeky Pant

↦ ↦ ↦ ↦

↦ Regular cut Gore-Tex pant ↦ Inside leg ventilation with mesh, inside reinforcement on lower leg ↦ custom-fit waist adjustment, snow gaiters ↦ Cordura armour around boot

↦ 3L Gore-Tex Pant ↦ Zip-Out short, fully taped seams, outer leg vent ↦ Recco Avalanche Rescue Reflector ↦ Inner snow gaiter, Cordura armour

O’Neill Hyperdry 3 layer shell (20k/20k) 4-way-stretch material offers flexibility Fully taped seams, pit zips, snowskirt Inner storm placket, goggle pocket

O’Neill Hyperdry 3 layer shell (20k/20k) Fully taped seams Outer leg vent, snow gaiter, waist adjuster Jacket connector

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Sweet – Igniter Field Productions ↦ All mountain performance helmet ↦ Injection molded, superlight ABS Thermoplastic shell (500g) ↦ Premium impact protection technology for unsurpassed shock absorbance ↦ Adjustable Fitpads, on-the-go temperature adjustment

Mammut – Ride Protection Airbag 30 ↦ ↦ ↦ ↦ ↦

Trauma protection, Head on Top airbag Thermoformed back for high carrying comfort Hydration system compatible, hip belt pocket Diagonal ski attachment, stowable helmet carrier READY w/out airbag; airbag component sold separately

Mons Royale – Men’s Temple Tech LS Zip Hood

Mons Royale – Wm’s Bella Coola Tech LS Zip Hood

↦ High performance merino tech ↦ Contoured mesh panels, flatlocked seams for great fit ↦ Hood provides under-the-helmet protection ↦ Raglan sleeves maximize freedom of movement ↦ Thumb loops

↦ High performance merino tech ↦ Slim fit, contoured mesh panels & flatlocked seams ↦ Raglan sleeves & thumb loops ↦ Front zip for ventilation / insulation ↦ Hood provides under-the-helmet protection

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The Völkl BMT Series Deconstructed Photos: Klaus Polzer

Freetouring appears to be unstoppable with many brands jumping on the bandwagon. Some of the tools that first helped freeriders rip down remote peaks stem from the Völkl BMT series, short for “Big Mountain Touring”. Lets find out what makes these stand-out skis so light yet so stable. ↦ Full

Carbon Jacket: a combination of unidirectional and multi-axial carbon layers for minimal weight while maximising stability and response

↦ wear

resistant steel edges constructed with increased strength as well as higher elastic properties

↦ Centre

Sidewall for direct and ideal power transmission ↦ no sidewall at tip and tail to reduce weight and centralise swing weight

↦ race-type

base layer made of sintered ultra high-density polyethylene ↦ multi-axial lower carbon layer to compliment the Full Carbon Jacket

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Unrailistic Text: Ethan Stone

Photos: Vegard Breie

It’s often said that there’s a thin line between genius and insanity, and to the casual spectator, Jesper Tjäder knows how to ski that line. Feats on skis that register as cuckooclock nuts to most everyone, including Jesper’s peers, seem like logical progressions in the mind of this one-of-akind Swedish freeskier. Already no stranger to some of the hardest tricks on the planet, Jesper stepped things up in a big way with the release of his Unrailistic edit last December.

Just ten seconds into Unrailistic, right around the time that Jesper is backflipping off a swing onto a down box, it’s already clear that this won’t be your runof-the-mill edit viewing experience. In the next shot, he’s double-flipping off a rail. Then, a double cork 1170 off—basically a double cork 1260 mute with a rail slide thrown in for kicks. And that’s all before the one-minute mark.

In today’s hyper-saturated online media feed, it’s easy for ski edits to get lost in the mix. That wasn’t even remotely a problem for Unrailistic. Far

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from being “just another edit”, these three minutes of unadulterated ski porn represented a new high-water mark in jib progression, and another notch in the belt for one of freeskiing’s most unconventional young talents.

Despite his short stature, Jesper Tjäder casts a long shadow in the freeskiing world. Over the past several years the 22-year-old from Östersund has earned the reputation of a master-class slopestyle and big-air skier with a penchant for unconventional, crowd-pleaser tricks.

That includes the occasional display of

outrageous stuntsmanship bordering on actual insanity, like his death-defying 55-meter double backflip over a massive gap over a halfpipe at the 2014 Suzuki Nine Knights. Though lesser-known than his contest and event exploits, Jesper’s film resumé is no less impressive, and includes several powerful urban segments with Norwegian ski-film heavyweights Field Productions.

“Jesper’s mindset is always about pushing the limits of what’s possible,” remarks Filip Christensen of Field Productions. “He wants to do stuff that no one else has done.”

Jesper is a well-known face on the international contest circuit, where his antics are often the topic of heated debate both within and without the judges’ booth. And it’s partly because of his experience with slopestyle contests that the young Swede decided to launch his own personal jib-progression project.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for someone to go creative on rail features,”

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reflects Jesper. “It seemed like such a natural progression for this sport. But nobody did and I got tired of waiting. So I decided to do something about it myself.”

Motivated by what he saw as a lack of progression in park skiing, Jesper took things into his own hands, enlisting legendary park builder David Ny of Scandinavian Shaper and the trusty cameramen of Field Productions to realize his vision. Throughout a one-month window in May 2015, the crew took to the slopes of Tandådalen, Sweden between bad-weather breaks to build, then shred a private superpark designed specifically for Jesper.

The result is Unrailistic: just under three minutes of outrageous tricks onto, off of, and between a wide array of different jib features. Almost every shot is either a totally new trick, a totally new feature, or both. Jesper takes cues from other jib pioneers like Real SkiFi and the Line Traveling Circus with jibs that seem more like obstacle courses than

park features—a trapeze-like swing, a trampoline, a circle rail—but the real bangers are the flip-on, flip-off variations, where Jesper pretty much crosses off most of the options on the list.

Though his tricks may seem of the loose-cannon variety, it’s worth noting that Jesper’s skiing—both in Unrailistic and elsewhere—is an amalgamation of incredible talent, precision and creative vision. To put it simply, Jesper isn’t just out there hucking his meat. Tricks and feats that, from a normal person’s perspective, seem outrageous, death-defying stunts, are to Jesper in fact calculated displays of athletic ability. His “Is that possible?” setting is just turned up a few clicks higher than anyone else’s.

When you put on the Jesper Goggles and look at the possibilities in park skiing, a double flip onto a box stops looking like a bad dare, and more like something to put into your next edit.

“He is really calculating and knows exactly what he’s capable of,” says Christensen. “He thinks through what he’s going to do and is always creative in his approach. Jesper can be described as a creative mastermind.”

Jesper hopes that the Unrailistic project will inspire more creative jib features, particularly in contests. “Skiing rails can be really exciting to watch – and even more importantly – more exciting to ski!” he said. “With more exciting features, the rails could add a lot of value to the sport, for the viewers and the athletes.”

It remains to be seen what kind of lasting influence Unrailistic will have on the freeskiing world. In certain critical circles Jesper’s unconventional approach is viewed with skepticism; his talents derided as acrobatic, his tricks too gymnastic for today’s style-sensitive scene. His frequent use of boxes rather than rails in Unrailistic was a sticking point for some in the hardcore rail skiing clique (“I guess Unboxilistic just doesn't sound as nice,” noted one online commentator).

Whether you love or hate Jesper’s style, his presence is impossible to ignore, and his unique approach is a breath of fresh air in a contest scene where standardization is an encroaching threat to creativity. With Unrailistic, he has set a new bar for terrain park jib progression. It’s a bar that’s unlikely to be touched by anyone (besides, perhaps, Jesper Tjäder) anytime soon.

Fabian Lentsch The Middle East seen through two Analogue Cameras

“Using a digital camera, I never felt the need to learn about photography since it was super easy to take photos without knowing much. Shooting with an analog Camera seemed to be the most natural and original way of taking photos and I was really keen to try it. I bought a load of books and researched the Internet like a mad man. Analog pushed me to learn the art of photography and I realized there was so much to learn.

The images improved from one roll of film to the next.

I mainly use the Nikon F3 with 24, 50 and 100mm prime lenses. Most of the color photos are shot with the Kodak Ektar 100, sometimes Portra 400 and 160. For black & white I go for the Ilford HP5 Plus 400. I also use a Minolta XD7 with a 50mm prime lens. Using two cameras allows me to shoot color and black & white on the same day, which is handy.”

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The Burden of Routine

And how to shed the excess weight of an oppressive inner-city lifestyle.

Text: Robert Maruna I haven’t been back long in my concrete roof with four walls, but before I know it, Routine has me again. There he sits on my shoulders, bending my back to his will. And he’s right! I’ve been gone long enough and was able to shake him off. But it’s not so easy to get rid of him, this obnoxious little fellow. So be it!

From now on I’ll walk around stooped over until the summer comes. Before I escape again, I’ll lock the nasty bugger in my room—I’m sure he won’t run away.

It’s not easy to describe the feeling of that extra weight on your back, pressing you into the chair. It almost feels like I’m shrinking in size with every word, and it seems only a matter of time until the wooden legs of my chair collapse and send me tumbling down, together with the fat gnome around my neck, through the ceiling of the family living below me.

How exactly should I explain that? “Oh,

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sorry! I must have, ah, gained a little weight over the winter months. Won’t happen again… good evening!” Doesn’t quite seem to work.

It’s fascinating how focused we humans are when we know exactly what we want. It’s the same story every year.

As soon as the thermometers start dropping in central Europe and the sun’s rays get weaker, many of us barely find the will to leave our concrete caves. The streets empty out, and the collective state of mind sinks proportionately to the temperature. Yet some buck the trend and take to the road, enduring countless hours of driving accompanied by miserable gas-station espressos, weather-induced traffic jams and endlessly repeating playlists, to find refuge in remote valleys. I’ll spare you further details because such musings have already been chewed up, swallowed and regurgitated often enough already.

I’m not an early riser. Whoever thinks that “the early bird gets the worm” is either on drugs or well beyond the age of thirty, when many suffer from senile insomnia. But I must admit that it paid off more than once this year to get in up in early morning’s pitch blackness to pursue a snowy white fairy-tale dream.

Apparently last winter was a bad one: “there wasn’t any snow at all!” I was told by someone, who apparently kept himself busier with weather maps and precipitation models than with simply getting his ass into gear.

But why do we do it? There are two simple reasons: because it’s awesome, and because that damn daily Routine leaves us alone up in the mountains.

He’s not allowed in! Of course in extremely high doses, even movement across snow on planks can become “routine,” but it’s still not the same overweight ballast that turns us into the Humpback of the Concrete Cube. And so it’s the escape from grim Routine that continually drives us on, transforming something that we enjoy doing into an unquenchable passion. Passion is the one that shows up in the morning to roundhouse-kick Routine out the window when the little devil tries to creep up over-night.

If you’ve managed to make it this far, you might be asking yourself where this text is actually going. Originally I wanted to write a trip report from a different perspective; in this I’ve apparently failed. But perhaps not, because the winter itself represents a kind of journey.

The distance and discrepancy between mountain and city allow us to leap between two worlds, each with their own roles to be played. We commute back and forth, adapting ourselves to the environments in which we find ourselves. And often, everything happens differently than expected. That’s what makes the journey better than an all-inclusive holiday. Regardless of what you do, it should occur of free will and from your original desire to experience something. You should never forget this piece of freedom, because its weightlessness is immune to any Routine.

Alex Hall Half Swiss, half American, born in Alaska and equipped with an Italian passport, the Andorra SLVSH Cup champ is at home on two continents.

Interview: Ole Kliem

Biggest change moving to the US? In Park City freeskiing carries a lot of weight, while in Zurich there’s almost no interest in the sport.

Schedule for the season?

I’m in a sport school that allows me to ski through the winter and go to school in the summer. Lots of travel during the winter, my coach helps me put together a travel plan, so I’ve got my mind free and can focus on riding.

Backyard Setup?

Since I’m in Europe a lot during the contest season, my old backyard park is still getting a lot of use. Hopefully I can still ski there in twenty years! In Park City I live with friends in a small apartment, a setup like this one doesn’t work

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Photo: Rachel Bock

there. I did build a little summer drop-in in the woods—but it was torn down right afterwards by a forest ranger.

Secret to the rail game?

Do you really think I’d give up my secrets so easily?

Goals?

Faction wants to put out a ski movie next year — I’d give everything to deliver a good film segment! That includes some travel destinations like Japan or urban in Helsinki.

Best place to ride?

That depends. Urban is definitely the best in America. But for powder, definitely Europe; in the U.S. everything gets tracked fast these days.

Spot: Timberline Lodge, Mt Hood/OR, USA

Age: 17 Hometown: Zurich, Switzerland and Park City, USA Home resort: Laax, Switzerland and Park City, USA Hobbies: Fishing, trampoline, camping, building projects Sponsors: Faction Skis, Monster Energy, Shred Optics, Slytech Protection, Panda Poles Results: 1st SLVSH Cup 2016 in Andorra 2nd Slopestyle, Youth Olympic Games 2016 in Oslo 1st Absolut Park Spring Battle 2016 1st North American Cup Calgary 2016

Kristoffer Turdell Best way to kick off your rookie season on the Freeride World Tour? Win the first stop.

Interview: Ole Kliem

First Big Mountain contest?

I hadn’t been skiing much for a while when I went to visit friends in Andermatt. We skied for a week, and then they signed me up for the Scandinavian Big Mountain Championships. After pulling out and signing back up a few times, I took part in 2011.

Qualifying?

I did well at the SBMC and wanted to test myself on the European tour. Reine Barkered was the one who encouraged me and put in a good word for me with the organizers.

Tricks still to be learned?

Yes! I definitely need to learn Fabio [Studer]’s cork 360 that he showed at the FWT stop in Chamonix.

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Photo: Victor Engström

Film projects?

I’m a perfectionist and I love to edit, on the side I’m working on a few projects far in the North—so you’ll be seeing more of me.

Life goals as a skier?

Naturally I enter contests with the goal of winning in mind. But overall, for me it’s about inspiring people, so that we all take better care of our planet.

Best/worst moment in the mountains?

Last year I was ski touring in a national park in Sweden. The days are so short that the sunrise turns directly into a sunset… it’s just incredible being out there in the middle of nowhere when the sun touches the horizon! The worst moments are when friends get injured.

Spot: Andermatt, Switzerland

Age: 26 Hometown: Gällivare, Sweden (located at the Arctic Circle) Favorite place to ski: Everywhere, as long as friends are there Hobbies: Slacklining, mountain biking, reading, sailing Sponsors: Peak Performance, Black Crows, Hestra, Poc, Alpingaraget, GoPro Results: 4th Overall FWT 2016 1st FWT Vallnord-Arcalis-Andorra 2016 1st Overall FWQ 2015 Region Europe

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Andri Ragettli The first time I heard of Andri Ragettli, he was being described as “the Tanner Hall of Switzerland;” not referring to his attitude, but rather to the natural talent of a young freeski prodigy. Andri must have been only twelve or thirteen at the time, but he was already making a name for himself. Fast forward a few years, and the wunderkind is a freshly minted eighteen years old, and on the fast track to attaining the goal he’s been working towards for most of his young life: becoming Switzerland’s next top freeski star.

Text: Ethan Stone

Andri Ragettli grew up in Flims, a picturesque village just down the road from Laax in the heights of the mountainous canton of Graubünden. From Andri’s backyard there’s a clear view of the Crap Sogn Gion, the home of Laax’s world-famous terrain parks. In the winter, Andri and his siblings can look out the back window to check conditions on the mountain. “I do that a lot,” he says.

“Look out in the morning — how is it?”

As a Flims native, skiing was a natural part of Andri’s upbringing. He grew up chasing his older brother and sister around the slopes above his home, and thanks to the proximity of Laax’s freestyle facilities, he was exposed to park

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Portrait: Raphael Erhart

skiing at an impressionably young age.

A family friend of the Ragettlis— Roman Candrian, then the Armada Skis rep in Switzerland—was impressed by young Andri’s skill on two planks. “He was the reason I got into freeskiing for sure,” remembers Andri. “He gave me some skis and showed me some videos.

That made a definite impression on me.

I went out and tried to jump or do a grab on every bump in the slope. At that point it was clear.”

Candrian got Andri hooked up with skis, some outerwear, a pair of goggles— tempting fruit for an eight-year-old.

“Just getting some free stuff, you’re so stoked, especially as such a young kid,”

says Andri. “It really swept me up and I wanted more, wanted to get better. At ten years old, I’d already had switch 7s for a while.”

It was around that time that word started getting around about the young kid tearing up the parks in Laax. Andri was in the right place in the right time: ski slopestyle and halfpipe had become Olympic sports, and the Swiss Freeski Team was just getting off the ground. At age 14 Andri joined the team, started school at the elite winter sports academy in Engelberg, and began traveling with other Swiss freeskiers for training and contests. Too young for the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Andri watched on as four of his teammates became Olympians, and marked his calendar for Pyeongchang 2018. In 2015 he posted his first solid international contest result, a fourth place in slopestyle at the Dew Tour.

“That was really important for me,” he says. “It was the first time that I showed that I was good at an international contest.”

Long hyped as a potential future champion for the Swiss team, Andri is now starting to come into his own. At his X Games debut this January, he made a splash, when as the first rider to drop in for slopestyle finals he landed back-toback left and right triple corks—a first in ski slopestyle. But a missed grab meant a middle-of-the-pack score for the run, and he ended up in sixth place.

As an ambitious young competitor might, Andri recounts the winter in terms of victories and defeats. “At first there was the SFR tour, where I got first.

Then the X Games and the Dew Tour

didn’t go like I wanted. Then in Boston I got second. That was a nice feeling, to get such an important podium at a big contest.” He finished the season with a win at the World Cup slopestyle in Corvatsch, which propelled him to the top of the FIS slopestyle leader boards for the season.

The title “World Cup Champion” has a nice ring to it; “everybody takes you more seriously,” Andri says. But his to-do list is still far from complete. Most of his companions on the Swiss Freeski Team have X Games medals to their

school in Engelberg, which he plans to finish in case he decides to go to university in the future. “The plan is to have some insurance in case something happens,” Andri says. “Once I’m done with school, I want to ski for as long as I can and see what I can achieve.”

Andri isn’t the only competition threat in the Ragettli household. His older brother Gian won the Freeride Junior World Tour overall title in 2012.

After completing an apprenticeship as a metalworker, he’s now focusing his efforts on the Freeride World Tour

names—his good friend Fabian Bösch nabbed Big Air gold in Aspen last year.

So it’s easy to see why big-contest hardware besides the World Cup is an item on Andri’s list.

What are Andri’s goals for the future?

“Stay healthy, that’s the most important,” he says. “As long as I’m skiing, I want to ski well.” To Andri, “skiing well” means X Games podiums, maybe an Olympics appearance—though as he points out, that’s still a few seasons off, with plenty of challenges along the way.

“It’ll be difficult to qualify for our team.

If I manage that, then we’ll see. If I qualify, then I want a podium. Step for step.”

And he’s also got two more years of

qualifiers, where he’s already gained some experience the past three years.

On two different paths in the world of skiing, the brothers are free to support each other’s endeavors, rather than competing, as brothers will often do.

“It’s probably a good thing that we don’t do the same sport,” Gian jokes. “There used to be some stress.”

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Andri uses the last rays of the sun at his home spot Laax.

Photo: Raphael Erhart

Born: 21st of August 1998 in Chur, Grisons, Switzerland Home Resort: Flims-Laax, Switzerland Hobbies: Tennis, mountain biking, trampoline Results: 1st Overall FIS Slopestyle World Cup 2016 1st Slopestyle World Cup Corvatsch 2016 2nd Boston Big Air 2016 4th Dew Tour Slopestyle 2015 Sponsors: Völkl, Dalbello, Marker, Protest, Giro, Laax

ANDRI R AGET TLI [ L A A X RIDER ]

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Chasing winter across the Middle East

Snowmads

Last season Austrian freerider Fabian Lentsch, joined by an eclectic ensemble of skiers, photographers and filmers, set out on an epic five-month road trip from Innsbruck to Iran and back again. In their refurbished beast of an old fire truck, the Snowmads set out to cross borders — physically, culturally and personally. Here are a few tales from the road.

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Photo: Leander Nardin

Escaping the Aquarium With the dawn of affordable air transport, traveling lost part of its fascination.

It’s now almost too easy to get from point A to point B in a plane. I have a hard time catching up with that speed— it feels like a part of me is still sitting at home.

Traveling through airports, we go from one gate to the next, but it all looks the same. We are shielded from the outside world like fish in an aquarium. I wanted to escape the aquarium and explore the ocean of hardly visited places far from any airports—going skiing along the way, of course.

A truck proved to be the perfect tool.

Traveling overland gives you a real sense of how connected the world actually is.

As the kilometers tick by, the gradual change of landscape and culture demonstrate how small and insignificant our differences are.

I firmly believe that every person would benefit from a journey like this.

You don’t need a big truck and it doesn’t matter where you go. Just load up your old VW camper, your bike or maybe just your backpack and start your adventure; a real adventure!

Fabian Lentsch

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The Snowmads crew felt very welcome in Iran.

Photos: Ruedi Flück

Building the dream The whole project was crazy! Imagine a bunch of ski bums, with only a rough idea of how to refurbish cars, trying to build the ultimate expedition camper out of an old Mercedes fire truck.

Some people said it was a stupid idea, but Fabi kept on trucking, bringing in a number of specialists to make his ultimate adventure a reality. After frustrating delays and days spent elbowdeep in machines and grease, we somehow stuck through it, and ended up with one of the most amazing campers ever made.

Our route from Innsbruck would take us through 11 countries, including regions with hardly any infrastructure and routes that barely deserve to be called roads. In other words, no safety nets; just a truck that we finished building the day we left, and a stoked crew on board!

Markus Ascher

Imagine a bunch of ski bums, with only a rough idea of how to refurbish cars, trying to build the ultimate expedition camper out of an old Mercedes fire truck.

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Maintaining the truck was sometimes hard work (top photos: Pally Learmond), but inside it was pure luxury (bottom photos: Leander Nardin).

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Fabi Lentsch enjoys fresh powder in Turkey.

Photo: Elias Holzknecht

If there is such a thing as fairy tales, we were living one.

After all the stress and anticipation, I learned that things are not always what they seem, or what the news portrays.

Defying expectations I was nervous about joining Fabi in Turkey. Friends had advised me not to go due to the terrorism of that region that’s shown daily in the news. I landed in Trabzon at 1am, and just the security in the airport put me on edge, even though it was no different than at home. After getting my bags, I stood outside looking for Fabi and the crew, feeling pretty vulnerable.

Finally a man walked up holding a Snowmads sign. He took me to a hotel and checked me in. I had no idea what was going on. The next morning I heard from Fabi, who said they were a threehour drive away. Three hours turned into eight hours, with the final leg involving snow, snowchains and two Turks with no snowchain experience.

After some trial and error, we jimmy-rigged the chains and made it to the truck.

We spent the week at the base of a dramatic mountain range that shot straight up into the alpine. The skiing

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was amazing, and a storm rolled in and dropped perfect cold-smoke powder.

We toured from the truck through a small town and into the mountains, where we’d found a dream forest: perfectly spaced trees with a nice pitch, making for some of the best skiing of the season. If there is such a thing as fairy tales, we were living one. After all the stress and anticipation, I learned that things are not always what they seem, or what the news portrays.

Dane Tudor

But we also got blower pow in Iran, which was thrilling until Tom Leitner blew his knee. He jumped 15 meters straight onto rock, then tomahawked and hit a few more rocks along the way.

That was the end of the road for Tom. It was a reality check, a reminder that you really don’t want to get seriously hurt in Iran. We decided to book the next flight home to make sure there was no compartment syndrome or any other problems. In the end it all turned out okay, except that Tom’s knee was fucked. But after a crash like that it could have been way, way worse.

Roman Rohrmoser

Romance on the road It wasn’t exactly the romantic road trip you might imagine. At first we had terrible snow conditions. I got a stomach bug in Turkey; nearly shat my pants in Georgia after some local food (or was it the alcohol?); got my neck fucked by the endless meter-deep potholes; and in Armenia I may or may not have blacked out after a schnaps party!

Winter in the Middle East can be tough, like here on the northern coast of Turkey.

Photo: Jonas Blum

Sandy spines As always, “Team Useless” was late.

Only half an hour of light was left in the Valley of Stars on Qeshm Island. With the sun about to go down, we somehow made it to our dusty peak in time. The only way back down was to ski a super sketchy sand spine. Rock-paper-scissors forced Fabi to go first. I haven’t seen him so nervous for a long time, but as always, he somehow found a way down unscathed. The first thing he shouted back up was “Watch out, it’s super sketchy!” Just the motivational speech that we needed.

We made a few other “first descents” after our experiment succeeded, and a tasty barbecue under the stars closed out a pretty damn epic day.

Jochen Mesle

I haven’t seen Fabi so nervous for a long time, but as always, he somehow found a way down unscathed.

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In southern Iran the Snowmads exchanged snow for sand.

Photos: Ruedi Flück

A mess in Mestia The drive from Bakuriani to Mestia was a 10-hour haul that felt like 20 hours, on the worst roads that I’ve ever seen. At first I sat up front with Fabi, then went into the back to sleep. That didn’t work out so well, since every ten seconds a bump would slam my head into the ceiling above the bed.

We arrived in Mestia in the middle of the night. In the morning I looked out the window to see a classy, cigarette-smoking Georgian staring at the truck parked outside of his cafe. He was irritated that we were blocking the view of his establishment. But when we explained what we were doing, he got really excited and jumped into the truck with a bottle of rum at nine in the morning—his idea of a welcome greeting.

It had dumped and the road to the ski resort wasn’t plowed at all—wet snow, cars stuck in front of us, a real shit-show.

We put on the chains, which weigh about 100 kilos for a truck this size, but still slid out just standing in place. Finally we got to the ski resort around noon and went riding.

Tobi Tritscher

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After a long dry period, the crew finally got a blessing of blower pow in Georgia.

Photos: Pally Learmond

The toasts flowed thick and fast. In short order we drank double-measure toasts to Georgia, family, being together, women and the dead.

Liquid hospitality I have some previous experience at “van life,” but there was one area where I was definitely out of practice: drinking alcohol. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but we were in Georgia, and let’s just say that Georgians like a drink (or ten), especially when it’s with interesting new acquaintances. I knew that at some point my sobriety would come to a vicious end.

It didn’t take long. In Bakuriani we met David, who owned a local guest house. With typical Georgian hospitality, he insisted that we stay at his place that evening, and mentioned that he would invite some friends for a celebration. My liver grumbled at the very thought.

That evening, after everyone had arrived, the toasting ritual—a key part of Georgian culture—began. With David directing the proceedings, the toasts flowed thick and fast. In short order we drank double-measure toasts to Georgia, family, being together, women and the dead. Our glasses kept refilling, the other guests began to offer their toasts

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and it became increasingly hard to navigate the themes as the alcohol coursed through my veins.

Sometime during the night my stomach decided to reject its contents. As I looked up from talking to God on the big white porcelain phone, I saw it was snowing outside. The month-long drought that had preceded our arrival in the Caucusus was finally over. So really, two droughts had ended that evening.

The snow didn’t really stop for any lengthy period over the next three weeks.

Swedish pilot, “Mad Matts”. Flory said he knew some nice-looking steep lines, but after years of people misunderstanding what terrain makes good freeride movie lines, we were hesitant. It turned out that as a former freeride pro, Flory knew exactly what he was talking about, and flew us to some zones that absolutely blew my mind.

Neil Williman

Pally Learmond

To see more of the whole Snowmads adventure head to: www.redbull.com/snowmads to watch the webisodes, and stay tuned for the full Snowmads movie.

Potholes to paradise The road to the helicopter pickup was almost comically potholed, which neither Fabi nor Jonas seemed to notice or slow down for. Apparently, the further east they drove, the less they cared about the roads – and Georgia is pretty far east from Austria.

Fabi had been in touch with German heli-skiing guide Flory and a badass

Fabi Lentsch finds a fantastic line in the Caucasus mountains of Georgia.

Photo: Carlos Blanchard

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Speed and airtime are Fabi’s reward for a steep hike.

Photo: Carlos Blanchard

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Queen of the Streets “I’m in the emergency room with Erwan, I split my knee open a bit ^^ but nothing too serious,” reads Coline’s text.

The term “a little bit” and the “^^” are classic Coline: nonchalant, positive, no fear, upbeat. Never one to follow the crowd, last season Coline Ballet-Baz was intent on pushing women’s urban skiing, teaming up with photographer David Malacrida and filmer Erwan Pelisset to bring this goal to fruition. Both difficult and dangerous, skiing the features of the city is only for the daring few, as Coline and crew discovered.

But they also learned that when persistence pays off, the rewards are well worth the struggle.

Text & Photos: David Malacrida

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A red car is moving slowly and carefully across the snow. Les Arcs has received enough snow this pre-season that the roads are constantly paved in white. On this trip Coline Ballet-Baz is the queen, Erwan Pelisset and I are her loyal servants, and Agathe Janni is her lady-inwaiting. Our fully loaded carriage pulls to the side of the road and we disembark after the two-hour drive from Annecy to check the spots that Erwan has scouted for us.

The first is a sweet rail down to a bench in front of a tour operator’s office, a challenge for the first urban hit of the season, while the second spot is small and treacherous, but truly interesting.

Our choice made, we begin with the kicker build, where Coline’s urban inexperience appears as quickly as her

says Coline. “I was immediately drawn to the project, even if at first I was a little scared of not having enough time during the season. I didn’t want to do things halfway.”

“Once the decision was made, we used October and November to prepare the project in advance. We established a plan, got Monster, Picture Clothing, and Völkl on as sponsors and decided on the production team: Erwan Pelisset from EP Medias as the filmer, David Malacrida as the photographer, and Mathieu Mazuel from 2M Media as the editor.”

Possibly the first female urban skiing project ever, this is an awesome step in the right direction for freeskiing, as a sport and an industry. But even so, there’s still a lot more ground to gain.

Coline, like many pioneers of her kind, is used to working alone. Although we are there and a couple friends stop by, Coline often skis by herself, influenced only by her two producers, who are as loving as they are unsympathetic as they fight for the images to be perfect.

We only want the best for her, but we also want to get the best shots. The complicated but heroic sessions follow in close order as Coline skis until exhaustion.

Saint Nicolas La Chapelle, Savoy; the spot is by a church above a calm cemetery and in front of skeptical students.

For three hours we’ve been on-site, in a snowfall that eventually turned to rain.

Totally drenched, Coline has attempted the feature some 30-odd times already, and keeps pressing on with

Coline often skis by herself, influenced only by her two producers, who are as loving as they are unsympathetic as they fight for the images to be perfect. trademark grin. Erwan and I, more accustomed to such projects, take pleasure in giving tips. Soon Coline is impressing us with her ease on the rails, gathering the first images while Agathe almost takes a hard slam on her first ever urban hit. We get kicked out of the next spot, so we head to the third, with the sun almost setting as the shovels get loaded into the car. With two spots in the bag, we finish the first day proud of our productivity.

It quickly becomes apparent that this project is worth it. “The idea came to me last September at the High Five Festival with Raf Regazzoni and Monster,”

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The production team and even the sponsors of this project were all men, and it’s a shame.

“So Coline, why work with guys?” I ask. “Wouldn’t it have been possible with girls?” “Yes, of course it could have been possible,” she replies. “The principal criteria here is a person’s availability for the entire season, in addition to each person’s technical skills, and it just so happened that Erwan, David and Mathieu are the first people that I thought of, and the first to step up. So I didn’t look much further, and I’m stoked to have been able to develop this project with them!”

determination reminiscent of urban skiing innovator Cam Riley. She won’t give up and of course, long after we’ve all given up on the spot, she finally nails it.

I’ve already put the camera away due to the weather and am busy balancing a shovel over my head as a makeshift umbrella. Erwan, meanwhile, has put a protective bag around his camera, and continues to film. Finally we yell, jump for joy and show Coline the video. We have a chat with the school principal and introduce ourselves to the students who have come out to encourage Coline. The kids are all skiers, and will never look at their playground the same way again. We

leave the little ones and head back to the car, and are even invited to tea by the neighbors, who’ve also been watching our activities with curiosity. Teacups warming our hands and cake in our mouths, we rest and try to explain our particular and peculiar universe to our hosts.

Yes, she is a classy one, that Coco, and even more importantly, there are not many like her. Certainly some girls ski urban; but how many dedicate a half of a winter to it, embarking on the precarious voyage of a personal project?

“Most girls that I know in the skiing world do a lot of competitions, and it’s true that filming street parts is hard to fit into the winter schedule,” says Coline.

“It demands organization, a real production team, and a lot of time: scouring for spots, shaping, filming and recovering from a crash.”

“There are a lot of girls though that ski urban,” she continues. “I’m thinking of the Diamond Annies in the U.S., the

Canadians Kim Lamarre, Nikki Blackall, and Anouk Purnell-Faniel, even Lisa Zimmermann from Germany, and most likely, many others.”

I don’t need to tell you, but last winter’s snowfall was frustrating at best.

When it is finally snowing again, it usually ends in rain. Slightly downcast, we wait, talk on the phone, cancel plans, confirm other plans, and somehow manage to organize sessions one way or another.

“As for the difficulties in filming a part this winter, the lack of snow at lower altitudes in February really created issues for us,” says Coline. “We sometimes had to cancel days of filming because of that, and spent a lot of time looking for snowy spots that weren’t in resorts.”

Nevertheless Coline often arrives with enthusiasm: “Hey, it’s going to snow.” So we respond quickly with spots, objections, times, car trips, offers to stay at one another’s house, and finally, a specific place to meet. One advantage of working with a girl is that a huge spot isn’t necessary, but it also means that the bigger spots are impossible to use. So we choose

spots that we know, not too big and not too small, because all of this is new to Coline, and experience in the park isn’t going to help much in the streets.

Towed in by a bungee on a thin layer of snow, she puts in a turn, hits a roughly shaped lip towards a handrail that she doesn’t know, and often, it doesn’t work out. We take on the logistics, do the shoveling and try to coach her. She is glad for the help; after almost every attempt, she watches the video and we, her coaching team, offer tips.

“When it comes to the level of skiing, nothing ever happens like you think it will on the streets, at least for me anyway,” says Coline. “I can’t count the number of times that I left a spot disappointed because I wasn’t able to do what I imagined at first.”

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This spot is really famous, but it was hard to find a way to hit it without a winch or a lot of snow. In the end we used the stairs to get speed.

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Even if this rail was fairly standard, the unique location, colors and the chance to shoot from a friend's window made this one of my favorite shootings of last season.

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“Riding those spots alone was probably the most difficult, even though Marion [Haerty] and Max [Meunier] met up with us for multiple sessions, and it was a pleasure to ride with them,” she adds.

“We often talk about the difficulties in urban skiing, but it also includes so many good times,” says Coline. “Of course, there are the positive feelings

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you get when you finally nail a spot or a trick, when you see the results of the day on photos and videos, not to mention simply laughing and joking with the group.”

“The fact that it’s a group project adds a lot of flavor to it all. In street skiing you can’t do much alone. Each person plays an important role, and the final result is always a group effort.”

The days when we sacrificed productivity were some of the most fun: Max Meunier pushing Coline to the point of injuring herself (it’s clearly not our fault), Marion helping Coco to feel less alone and sharing the challenges and the frustrations with her. The sessions when people join are enjoyable for Erwan and I; we have multiple people to capture on film, more opportunities to have good images as well as more hands to carry the shovels and haul the winch and my flash case.

The season ends late for Coline, thanks to the hole in her knee and the emergency room trip with Erwan. Nothing serious, as she says, except that it proves how she gave it her all for three minutes of moving images and a new experience on her resumé.

“I knew that the streets could be hard sometimes, and take time, so yes, I was expecting that,” says Coline. “But at the same time, the challenge and the reward when you film in the street is so much bigger than in the park, and I am really happy to have committed myself to this project. I’ve learned so much!”

Will she repeat it next year? That depends on the French team, on the friends she will find to accompany her,

Coline stomped this rail after only a few tries, but she crashed for a few hours trying to get a 270 out, to no avail. This spot has been hit by many before, including JP Auclair.

Coline's year in the streets was all about first times. This day's lesson: how to ride a wall with style.

whole load of smiles, plenty of inappropriate jokes and more than a handful of rewarding moments. So, for those daring few that would venture into the streets, I can recommend it. But more than all that, I would recommend learning a thing or two from Coline’s never-ending positive attitude. As is only appropriate, the final words go to the lady with the ceaseless smile.

“I am always so impressed by today’s level in both skiing and snowboarding, even though it would be awesome to see more edits and women’s movie projects in addition to competitions! And as long as we keep our motivation, the fun, and the pleasure at the heart of it all, it’ll all work out! :D ”

because one thing is certain: she won’t be doing it alone again next year.

“If there’s a new French team with a new coach, I would be thrilled to be a part of the adventure with the other riders,” Coline says. “If not, it’ll be early enough to put new projects in place, and no matter what, I’ll still try to get a maximum of images throughout the season!

If we start again with a street project

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next year, ideally I’d prefer a collective project, with two or three riders, and why not other girls?”

Well said, Coline! Having more ladies busting moves on urban features can only be a good thing. At least from my personal perspective I can report (mostly) only positive things about sharing this unique season with Coline and the crew. This project brought about a

Anatomy Of A World-Record Hip Text & Photos: Klaus Polzer

An impressive new world record was set at Suzuki Nine Knights last April: a 14.2 meter high hit on a hip! But that wasn’t the only highlight. Here’s a look back at the spectacle in Watles from a different angle.

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Joffrey Pollet-Villard sent it massively from the get go, here we see him lofting a stunning safety on day one.

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The world-record air from David Wise: 14.2 meters above the takeoff! By the way, the deck of the hip landing was a meter higher than the takeoff, so the air was actually higher than it looks in the image. David traveled a distance of almost 30 meters and was in the air for 3.5 seconds—possibly a record-worthy value in and of itself. This all was made possible by the ultimate hip build, a goodly 18 meters high and 60 meters long—dimensions that are even more impressive in person than in the pictures. At the first look, more than just a few people were wondering who would even hit this monster at all… a question that was quickly answered.

The height of the airs was measured by a camera that was positioned exactly at the height of the pike’s point—10 meters above the edge of the takeoff—on a tripod on the hillside exactly 149 meters away from the hip. The measured height was adjusted for the angular error resulting from the position of the rider outside of the hip’s axis (the direct line through the middle of the inrun and landing, upon which the axe was positioned) and for the view plane (the horizontal level between the camera and the axe’s point); the resulting measurement inaccuracy was less than 0.1m.

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On the fourth day David Wise set the new world record—as seen in this picture—with a beautifully tweaked mute grab.

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The hip takeoff was 10 meters high, around 60° steep at the end (Schneestern and F-Tech don’t want to give away the exact angle) with a transition radius of about 15 meters. In order to launch into the air, kinetic energy is converted into potential energy. The correlation v2=2∙g∙h applies, in which v represents an object’s speed, h the achieved height and g the acceleration of Earth’s gravity, 9.81 m/s2. Therefore required takeoff speed for the world-record air can be fairly precisely gauged at 60km/h vertically upwards. That means that accounting for the angle of the takeoff, David Wise was traveling at around 70 km/h off the end of the lip.

However, this speed alone isn’t enough on the inrun; the rider has to get across the flats and up to the top of the takeoff, too. This requires additional kinetic energy on the approach. In the transition this energy is translated one-to-one into height, but at such high speeds wind resistance is constantly sapping energy reserves. All these factors considered, David Wise was traveling over 90 km/h at the lowest point of the transition for his world-record jump. With a radius of 15 meters and a speed of about 80km/h, the force of compression in the crux of the transition is equal to almost three and a half times the Earth’s gravity—as much as on an intense roller coaster.

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The Norwegian Felix Usterud pushed the limits all week, and stomped this double flat spin bow and arrow to perfection.

The landing of the hip was over 60° steep and 8 meters high, less than 4 meters wide from the rider’s perspective above. In order to avoid the chance of landing on the deck, most riders aimed for the middle of the landing. On his world-record hit, David Wise landed about three meters below the coping, which from his perspective was one meter higher than the takeoff. In total, David fell from a height of 16 meters to the landing. That calculates to a speed of 64km/h straight down at the point of impact.

The angle of the landing determines how hard the impact is. Corrected by the speed that the rider carries in the direction of the landing—perpendicular to the inrun—this angle was around 66°. Components of the descent working perpendicular to this landing angle had to be counteracted by the rider’s muscle strength, while components parallel to the angle were converted into speed of travel. For his world record David Wise had to absorb an impact of around 26km/h, equivalent to a fall from a height of 2.7 meters to flat ground. What remained was a speed of travel around 60km/h, producing another powerful compression in the transition of the landing. Even with ideal shaping, airs like this on a monster hip—unlike on big kickers—are therefore a tremendous athletic challenge on every single hit.

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Alex Beaulieu-Marchand was the only skier to send doubles over both sides of the hip, this time with a double cork 630 safety.

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After its relocation from Livigno to Watles, the 2016 Suzuki Nine Knights was actually supposed to be a smaller affair. In the end, it drew more attention than any previous edition—and not just because of world records. As usual, a perfectly shaped obstacle awaited a handful of the world’s best transition and big air riders—all this in front of the spectacular backdrop of the Ortler Massiv.

The world-record air was recorded— one would like to say: logically—by Olympic halfpipe champion David Wise, although Christof Schenk gave him a close contest. The South Tyrolean local hero flew even higher than the official record jump once, but couldn’t stick the landing. In the end, Christof ’s highest (landed) jump was just barely below the record height.

Through his tireless exertion—not to mention his triple backflip transfer to the backside of the hip—Christof Schenk earned himself the title of “Ruler of the Hip.”

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That Joffrey Pollet-Villard (currently the world-record holder in halfpipe highest air) wasn’t able to set the best mark was perhaps due to the fact that his preferred side of the hip only received sunlight to soften the landing in the afternoon, when the inrun was no longer the fastest. Nevertheless, the Frenchman impressed with breaktaking airtime and sensational alley-oop hits that were without question the highest tricks of the whole week. As a bonus, he dropped what’s probably the highest switch trick in history with a switch cork 450 tail! All this, delivered in his signature heavy-metal fashion, rightfully earned Joffrey the award for “Best Style.”

Of course, the other Knights didn’t fail to contribute their part to a spectacular week. Alex Beau-lieu-Marchand, Felix Usterud and Alex Ferreira showed off doubles at the 10-meter level—ABM with double cork 630s to both sides of the hip! Meanwhile Jules Bonnaire and Taylor Seaton jumped

almost as high as the best on the one hand, while showing off fresh tricks on the other. On the last day Jules brought out a surprise transfer that no one was expecting — with a bio 1080 to boot!

And Bene Mayr and Nicky Keefer demonstrated that riders whose preferences lie in other fields can still rock a hip right.

Will the new record hold the test of time? The previous mark from Andreas Håtveit dates from the year 2006—evidence that a world record is no coincidence, and in fact demands meticulous planning even for a try at one. David Wise improved upon the old record by a stunning three meters, which speaks to the perfection of the world-record hip conjured from the snow in a col-laborative effort by the shape artists of Schneestern and F-Tech. This is one record that won’t be easy to break. It’ll be exciting to see when someone decides to take a new shot at it.

The only person to hit the biggest gap of the feature, Jules Bonnaire sent this huge bio 1080 tail grab on the final day.

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The Survival of the Small Ski Area Text: Ethan Stone

In an era of changing climate and “expand or die� mentality, the pressure is on for small ski areas to survive.

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Nowadays in North America, friendly little ski areas like Lost Trail Powder Mountain in Montana have become a rarity.

Photo: Adam Clark

Business isn’t easy these days for small ski areas, those little mom-and-pop shops where many of us spent our first days on skis. From tiny one-lift beginner slopes in the hills outside of town, to the modest two- or three-lift operation on a nearby mountain, these bastions of authentic ski culture are slowly disappearing from the landscape due to a near-perfect storm of climactic changes, stagnating skier numbers, and an increasingly competitive and saturated market. When the last of the “little guys” disappear from the scene, it will be a harsh blow to the European ski scene with unpleasant implications for the future.

Many of Europe’s ski areas, big and small alike, are currently locked in a struggle for survival. Decreasing snowfall trends, linked to global warming, mean that many resorts under 2000 meters of elevation can no longer guarantee openings in time for the holiday season, when resorts generate the majority of their revenue.

At the same time, larger and better-positioned resorts higher in the mountains are commanding an increasing share of the market, additionally benefitted by investment in snowmaking and other infrastructure, new lift connections to nearby resorts that boost piste-kilometer statistics, and increasing marketing clout to attract customers. As “expand or die” conditions continue to change the landscape of the ski resort industry, many of the smaller players are being maneuvered out of the game.

According to Martin Falk’s 2013 study of Austrian ski resorts (“A survival analysis of ski area companies” in Tourism Management), roughly 20 percent of resorts with three or more lifts went bankrupt or closed during the period 1995-2011. Worldwide, the figures are more drastic: in the United States, the number of resorts has dropped by over 30 percent since the 1980s.

This may seem to be the inevitable result of what economic researchers call a “mature” industry, defined by few new entries into the market (seen any new resorts open recently near you?) and consolidation of existing properties (lift connections between neighboring resorts, shared ski passes). But as Hannes Rechenauer, spokesman for the Union of German Cablecars (Verband Deutscher Seilbahnen, a national ski-lift organization) points out—these developments are about more than just market logic playing out. Instead, he sees the decline of these small resorts as an existential threat to the future of the European ski industry.

“A entire tier of small lifts in the countryside has disappeared,” Rechenauer

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says of the current situation in Europe.

“At low elevations, the snow first comes in January or February, if it comes at all.

It’s very unfortunate—these lifts are where the next generation of skiers learn the sport.”

Rechenauer says these small areas are crucial to the continuing growth of the sport, because they are locations where beginners can get started without extensive travel and prohibitive lift-ticket costs. “It doesn’t have to be Ischgl or the Arlberg” for these new skiers, says Rechenauer. “They don’t need 500 piste-kilometers. They just need a small lift, a rental shop and a ski school.”

In order for these small resorts to survive, they have to invest—in snowmaking equipment to combat declining snow coverage, in new infrastructure like modernized lifts, and also in expanded offers for customers, like sledding hills and ski schools. Yet partially as a result of the other challenges they face, it’s become increasingly difficult for these areas to find the investment needed to cover the costs of modernizing. “Banks won’t give loans to these ski areas anymore,” says Rechenauer, describing the ski-area investment market as “considerably declining.”

Without private investment to shore up their books, small ski areas are turning to local communities, regional governments, and European Union development funds to find support. In Germany, the state of Bavaria recently renewed a small-ski-area support program that contributes up to 35 percent of the costs of new investment in small ski areas in the region.

Nevertheless, the overarching problems facing these small resorts still remain. Investment in snowmaking infrastructure is of little help if temperatures are too warm to create snow, and new lifts aren’t much use if skier numbers continue their slow downward trend. “I’m very cautious about the future,” says Rechenauer. We all should be—for when mega-resorts and hundred-euro lift tickets become the norm in the ski resort industry, something essential and vital about our sport will have died.

Lea Hartl Interview: Klaus Polzer

Photo: Lorenzo Rieg

She studied meteorology, is an accomplished freerider and writes a weather blog for powderguide.com that’s worth following. In our interview, this Innsbruck transplant explains—among other things—the proper use of weather forecasts.

Born: 13th of May 1987 in Munich, Germany Residence: Innsbruck, Austria Favorite Mountain: depends on snow and weather Hobby: PhD thesis Occupation: Research associate at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research (ÖAW) Sponsors: Down Skis, Pieps

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You’re a certified meteorologist. Does that have its advantages for a freerider?

Not particularly, unfortunately we meteorologists can’t alter the weather for our purposes. I’m able to put together a weather report myself, but here in the Alps there are already very good, easily accessible forecasts that provide everything you need to know. Of course, in other parts of the world it’s often different. I probably have a better overview of where to find particular information, but it’s still all publicly accessible, for example weather maps or station data. You don’t need a meteorology degree to use this stuff as a freerider.

the more complex the calculations. Even in highly specific regional models, the measurement grid spans a few kilometers, and in global models the grid is much coarser. The model simply can’t account for every mountain.

However, a meteorologist familiar with a particular area can look at the results of the model and know, “…it looks something like this, but here in my valley I need to take this or that effect into consideration.” And that then contributes to a prognosis. Of course, that doesn’t work always and everywhere, and fully automatic prognoses are often overstretched by local variables.

How many powder days did you have last winter?

I gave up counting a long time ago.

In your opinion how reliable are weather prognoses, and how great are the differences between various predictions?

How well you can predict the weather, depends on the weather. Sometimes there’s a stable situation where nothing happens for a while, and sometimes everything changes three times within the course of several hours. For this reason, a good weather report also includes information about the certainty of the prognosis. Predictions 2-3 days in advance are usually accurate, but the quality of the prognosis decreases rapidly the farther you look into the future.

The overall developments can be guessed for 4-5 days in advance, but without much detail.

Model-produced prognoses often create an illusion of accuracy that doesn’t actually exist. If I can type in the name of my hometown somewhere and a sunny symbol appears for next weekend, then it should be clear that this is of limited use. Written prognoses are decidedly more useful and portray the situation more accurately, normally including the uncertainties. When reading, you should always take note of the information about uncertainty. For activities in the mountains I recommend the special mountain weather prognoses that are available from various weather services. If you want to have the situation explained even more thoroughly, you can use telephone hotlines, for example from ÖAV, and speak directly with a knowledgeable meteorologist.

How do you stay informed about weather and snow?

I’m usually underway in Tyrol—there the website of the Tyrolean Avalanche Warning Service (Tiroler Lawinenwarndienst) is the first place to go. In addition to their reports there’s a lot of other useful information, from snow maps to direct weather-station values and all the way to snowpack profiles. For everyday weather reports I usually go to the ZAMG (official Austrian weather service) as well as powderguide.com, whose information also comes from the ZAMG. In addition I look at various weather maps depending on what the weather’s doing at the moment.

Is climate change also influencing the science of weather prediction, for example because earlier empirical values are no longer accurate?

No. Climate prognoses and the weather reports are two very different things, and operate independently of each other, on very different scales.

Then as now, weather prediction is improving thanks to new technical developments.

Particularly in the mountains, weather predictions are sometimes quite inaccurate.What are the special problems there?

First off, to pay due tribute to the meteorologists, I don’t really think the prognoses in the Alps are bad. In the mountains there are many localized, topographically influenced effects like orographic lifting, shadowing effects or particular wind systems. These can have a lot of influence locally, particularly in regards to the amount of precipitation, but aren’t always included in the weather models. The models already require a lot of calculations, and the larger the area,

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And how is it with snow forecasting?

Similar. Snow predictions are precipitation predictions in which the water is converted to snow depth. This conversion isn’t so simple, so there’s an additional uncertainty factor.

How is a good weather forecast actually created?

The forecaster has access to all relevant weather models. The results of the

models are compared and translated into a prognosis text with the help of empirical values concerning regional particularities, the overall weather situation and the model performance. The text contains the most probable possibility, but ideally also provides the range of variation in the model.

What would you recommend to powder junkies on the search for the best snow?

Stay mobile and flexible.

With some research or background knowledge, can someone be smarter than the standard weather forecast, particularly locally?

Over time, you can learn in which conditions and areas the snowfall tends to be over- or underreported, and adapt accordingly. Special mountain weather forecasts can do that too. You should also consider that forecasts are always produced for a particular audience. The standard forecast on the radio or TV is made for you to decide whether or not to bring an umbrella on the way to work.

Whether it’s snowing more on mountain X or mountain Y isn’t relevant for this forecast. For particular inquires like that, I recommend using the special forecasts that are available.

The last few winters weren’t all that exciting for us.Would you see a trend here or a normal statistical variation?

You need a time period of 20 or 30 years to talk seriously about climate trends. Individual winters can be compared with each other or with a longterm average, but you can’t deduce any trends from that.

What do you expect from the coming winter?

I’m expecting the statistical mean and hoping for a powder-friendly outlier.

Tamok In Norway, high up north and removed from the coast, lies a secret freeride gem tucked away in a dark, deep valley.

Text: Kristin Imingen Hansen Photos: Chris Holter

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Have you ever heard the expression, “To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world”?

Well, the same goes for places. Real pearls are never found hanging in a row on a necklace; they are spread around in unfamiliar places, where only a limited number of people set foot. Finding these rare beads is not always as easy as it seems. Patience is crucial, as is the ability to adapt to unfamiliar terrain. The Tamok Valley is one of these rare pearls: an out-of-the-way freeride gem in the dark heights of northern Norway.

Arriving in Nordkjosbotn, you park your car, call the local guide and enjoy a black coffee while waiting for the reindeer taxi, which of course you’ve booked

you can be sure to rest your eyes on… absolutely nothing, because it’s pitch dark outside.

The living room in Olsrud Adventure is covered in pine panelling and the atmosphere is good. Frode Sandbech and Andreas Wiig have just discovered the newest animation effects on Snapchat, and in between a roar of laughter, the chief himself arrives—his head kept warm by some kind of enormous fur hat, his upper body is swathed in Gore-Tex, his precious parts covered by a less waterproof material: a towel. His cheeks are rosy after some well-spent time in the sauna down the road. He is our local guide and his name is Aadne, one of the 5,720 residents in Balsfjord municipality

It’s early in the morning. A bluish, flat light rises over the valley. Finally we can see what this area has to offer. At first glance it looks like birch trees have invaded the area (which incidentally is true), but look again and you’ll see what’s in between: a plethora of pillows, gullies, rocks that form jumps, and that’s all before you see the limitless potential above the tree line. The only thing standing between you and the scenery is your own creativity, but the hours are limited.

Although we came for the dark, scouting for the right location needs to be done before the light fades out. “Did everyone remember to bring their headlamps?” photographer Chris Holter asks to the group. Andreas looks guilty: he forgot,

in advance. Then you put a big fat line through the previous sentence and learn the first northern Norwegian lesson: stories up north should be taken with a grain of salt.

From Nordkjosbotn, you need to make sure you take off in the right direction. Don’t be misled by the place’s reputation as the largest intersection in northern Norway; there are really only three directions to pick from, and if you don’t count the way you came from, you’ve got just two options. Make sure to consult your directions or GPS, because if you think there will be a large sign reading “Tamok Valley,” you’re wrong. When you finally arrive in Tamok,

where the Tamok Valley is located. He is a contractor with quite a lot on his plate, but no matter what he fills it with, you can be sure it has a taste of Tamok. “It is all about resources,” he says. “The resources we have are long winters, lots of snow and big mountains.” A lot of time has been invested by many people—including snowboard legend Jarkko Henttonen—to put Tamok on the map.

By arranging several freeride competitions, they are slowly but steady moving towards success, with a ski lift on the two-year agenda. “People in Tamok are 99.9% positive to change, as long as you don’t park your car in the wrong place,” Aadne laughs.

and we turn the car around to get him some light..

Darkness creeps up on us and so does the cold, but in the north you can’t really complain about that. None of the riders have ever done runs in the dark before.

“I am not afraid of the dark,” Tobi Tritscher asserts. “I heard something about the wolves, but no, I am not afraid of the dark.” Christine Hargin also denies being afraid: “The challenge of riding in the dark is that you only see the things that are directly in front of you.

You really don´t know what’s coming ahead.”

The riders hike up a hillside while we wait to film them coming down. The

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time spend waiting on shoots like this might be compared with the equally torturous wait for the polar nights to be over in the north. However, years with experience have taught our photographers Chris and Frode quite a few tricks on how to stay warm and entertained when the wait draws out. Amongst their repertoire you’ll find: play fighting with each other, countless failed attempts to do summersaults, pushups and speed checks where they basically just run back and forth. Suddenly Tobi, Andreas and Christine approach the edge of the ridge. In this moment, Tamok decides to show us an entirely new perspective.

A few meters before the riders reach the ridgeline, the moon descends meet them halfway. For one magical moment, we get the honor of shaking hands with the moon.

“One, two, three, dropping!” Andreas’ voice sounds a bit distorted in the walkie-talkie. It feels as if we are in the middle of a Star Wars movie as three balls of light—aka the riders’ headlamps—come hurtling down through the woods.

Heavy powder is thrown around like confetti, smooth turns leave deep tracks in the snow and just when we thought everything was over, a boom from someone crashing into a tree can be heard.

Norrøna ambassador and cinematographer Nikolai Schirmer, who has a tripod for poles and no permission to use a headlamp, comes stumbling out of the dark. “It’s alright, the only thing hurt is my pride,” he assures us.

“30 minutes to takeoff,” Chris shouts.

A hint of military strategy isn’t a bad idea when making snow-lovers leave a snowy place. Nikolai and Tobi are still out getting some last shots while Chris multitasks, somehow packing and doing yoga at the same time. Frode has a variety of different photo equipment in his hands and a piece of the northern Norwegian snack of choice, stockfish, in his mouth. The smell of the stockfish (salted and dried trout) produces different reactions from the gang; luckily Andreas has taken it upon himself to learn the applicable local curse words. Right after we all proudly shout “ballkuk” (direct translation: “balls cock”) out to the open valley, the sun appears for the very first time in Tamok this year. Its warmth rushes through our bodies while we take our places in the car and in this moment, we know it won’t be long until we’re back here again.

The Tamok Valley: A 30 km long valley in Ballsfjord municipality in northern Norway, the namesake of Nørrona’s backcountry freeride line. The valley is about 200m above sea level, and the highest mountain is 1600m above sea level.

How to get there and where to stay: Fly to Tromsø (TOS) and rent a car.

Follow the E8 road past Nordkjosbotn. When you get to Overgård, take a right turn and switch on your GPS. Go to Olsrud Adventure or call Aadne: +47 48 17 47 00.

The drive from Tromsø to Tamok takes about 1.5 hours.

Time to go: 27. November to 15. January if you want to challenge the darkness, but we liked it best in February.

Tip: Buy your food and drinks in Tromsø as there is a major lack of grocery stores in Tamok.

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Whitecarpet Crew This young Swiss crew based in the Canton of Obwalden can thank their lucky stars to call the renowned freeride paradise of Engelberg their home. Less focused on park or urban, the Whitecarpet crew prefers to shred gnarly lines and create stunning freeride photos along the way.

Text: Ole Kliem

When you share a classroom with the Swiss Freeski Team, the likelihood of other ski talent lurking behind textbooks appears to be quite high. And when that classroom happens to be in close vicinity to the 3,238 m high Mt. Titlis, chances are many of your classmates are dreaming of shredding lines while gazing out of the classroom window. With photos and edits from locals like Lars and Kevin Windlin leading the way, a group of mates called the Whitecarpet Crew began to form in Engelberg. Some are still in school, some are starting apprenticeships and one is out there winning X Games gold medals.

Over four years ago, Gianmarco started capturing their on- and offhill antics with his simple SLR camera (these days he is a fully trained professional photographer). Every Whitecarpet member brings something else to the table. Martina has a racing background and Yannis, the youngest member of the

Photos: Gianmarco Allegrini

group, just started competing on the Junior Freeride World Tour. And don’t forget former racing prodigy turned park dominator, Fabian Bösch. When you look at the terrain around Engelberg, there is little doubt why so much talent lives in this small town.

“When there is finally enough powder for the sketchy cliffs, you have to be super quick,” says Gianmarco. “Thanks to the huge freeride tourism boom here, the best spots are often skied out within three hours.” When this happens, the Whitecarpet Crew heads to hidden zones that the freeride tourists miss, or they build a jump in the backcountry. If Joel Bleyer and Moses Bissig don’t feel like creating bomb holes under the many sizable cliffs, then Yannis Schleiss, Jonas Rüegger and the rest of the crew are happy to rip into fresh lines before the tourists arrive.

The crew coalesced around their efforts to get resorts in their region to

Founded: 2013 Location: Engelberg, Switzerland Home Mountain: Titlis Members: Joel Bleyer, Moses Bissig, Fabian Bösch, Yannis Schleiss, Jonas Rüegger, Gianluca Britschgi, Martina Müller, Gianmarco Allegrini

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build parks, requests that fell on deaf ears—which is pretty ridiculous when you consider that a large part of Swiss freeski talent appears to hail from this area. It makes you wonder how much more undiscovered talent is lurking in that corner of the world.

Nevertheless, the crew quickly discovered that jumping and skiing natural features is just as fun, if not more fun than park kickers – particularly in a place like Engelberg. “We adjusted our skiing style,” says Gianmarco. “We have more than enough fun shredding natural terrain, we don’t need a park anymore.”

His photos reflect this mentality – just getting out there to have a fun time with friends, exploring their own sense of adventure and capturing these escapades with still photography.

Although all of them are either working or studying, making days on the mountain together somewhat of a rarity, the members of the crew still chase their shared passion together as much as possible. This season Joel and Moses will test their mettle at a few freeride events, while Gianmarco plans to discover the Land of the Rising Sun. Fabian Bösch, aka the Böschman, will do what he does best, seeking to collect a few more honors at high-profile big air and slopestyle contests. But during those rare times that they’re all at home together, you’ll find the Whitecarpet crew up to their usual antics, beating the tourists to the best spots in Engelberg.

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The Whitecarpet Crew heads to hidden zones that the freeride tourists miss, or they build a jump in the backcountry.

Greg Hill Every now and then you meet someone who emanates a certain aura of accomplishment. Greg Hill is undoubtedly one of those people. But when you have the honour of touring with him for a few days, it becomes obvious that Greg emanates a whole lot more: friendliness, humor, respect and a good helping of wisdom.

Interview: Mark von Roy & Basti Huber

Portrait: Bruno Long

The total vertical meters you have collected in your life is impressive to say the least—but compared to the typical European ski mountaineer you seem to have a strong focus on the descent as well. Can we call you an extremely fit freerider after all?

If being a freerider involves hucking big cliffs, that's not me. If being a freerider means you do backflips, that is not me either. But if a freerider is someone who loves exploring mountains, who understands that fitness means more great lines in a day; if it involves going fast down mountain faces, that's me.

Early on I understood that fitness equalled more adventure in the mountains, more powder turns, more summits and more amazing moments. When I lived in Whistler in ’99 I started to train myself to be faster. At the time I was fit but not efficient, and I had absolutely no mountain sense. I yearned to become in tune with the mountains and to develop a fitness that could make me a good partner. 1500 vertical meters was a huge day for me and I was exposing myself to far more risk than I needed to.

I enrolled into a week-long avalanche course, proceeded to take guide courses and search out mentors to teach me the ways of the mountains. Meanwhile I was also running up and down mountains with these new tools, developing my own mountain sense.

To me the major draw of the mountains is what I call “mountain sense”: a development of understanding, a way to

me a big thing that shaped me was the 20-centimeter rule, where I would skip school and go skiing with my mom or dad whenever there was more than 20 cm of fresh snow. It was awesome to go skiing with my family, but skiing also turned into this special thing for me, where even today it has the extra special feeling of skipping school. Skiing is so incredible and whenever I am out there I get this special feeling like: “I shouldn’t be doing this, I should be doing something productive,” but it’s just too good.

It still feels like I am skipping school to hang out with family and friends to have a good time.

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walk around in the mountains. It’s a lifelong goal and one that keeps me enthralled with mountain travel. This mental aspect combined with the pure freedom of skiing down untracked slopes makes backcountry skiing extremely addictive.

Do you have a training routine or is there a secret behind your performance?

I keep as active as possible, getting out at least five days a week. Stretching at home is a key to keeping myself limber as well. I try to eat well as much as possible but don’t restrain myself, since fitness is the best excuse for eating a lot.

Did your alpine adventures change after you had kids?

Having kids changed me a little, but I have always been truthful to myself about the reality of mistakes in the mountains. An error in the mountains would affect a lot more than just my own well-being, and I take mistakes very seriously. Sadly I got caught in my first major slide after having kids, so they had to hear of my misadventure and watch me healing a broken leg. It’s a very tough one and I feel that as we get older we do become more cautious, but caution is warranted in the mountains.

Apart from the endurance aspect, what shaped you as a skier?

I was a classic Canadian kid that started skiing at two, sliding down the hill with ropes attached to my mom. For

At what point did the endurance aspect come into your life and meld into the skiing and adventuring element?

I always ran, played rugby and other sports in high school and I was definitely good at it. When I finished school I worked my butt off planting trees in the summer to afford a winter of only skiing.

I quickly came to realise that I could do way more than everyone else if I really just focused on planting all day. Then when I went skiing in the winter I applied the same work ethic and started realizing that if I just kept going and focused on the next pitch, the next peak and the next mountain I could do so much more. It was the exploration as well—to go to that next mountain range and see what was on the other side. So it was the combination of the sporting aspect, the focus and the sense of exploration that

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lead me here. Basically I realized that if I had enough food and water I could stay excited and do another run instead of just going home and still having energy.

Did you always have this ceaseless amount of energy?

I think so. Playing soccer in high school I was never the most talented player, but I was always the most reliable because I didn’t tire. It’s mostly just enthusiasm though: knowing how lucky we are to do these things—that’s what keeps me going. I am energetic because I know how privileged I am to be able to do this. Another reason I wanted to develop this fitness was the safety aspect; I wanted to be that guy that everyone could rely on. So if something went wrong, my group could be like, “Greg, we need you to go over three mountain ranges and get that first aid kit!” I wanted to always be the strong partner—not bringing the team down but adding to it. That was always super important to me from the start. I wanted to be super dialed in so that if shit went wrong I could be relied upon. Luckily I still haven’t had to do that 20,000-meter heroic saviour move, and hopefully it will never come.

Talking about when shit goes wrong, you had a pretty major incident in Pakistan a few seasons ago.What happened?

Well, that is an interesting story. I mean, I’d had over 20 years in the mountains, years of developing my mountain sense; taking guiding courses and seeking out mentors—I’ve always taken little bits of knowledge from everyone to develop my own mountain sense and rules. It worked really well for a really long time. I had triggered a lot of avalanches but always from from above, and then stopping to let them go. I think in Pakistan I was starting to get a little complacent, thinking I had a circle of safety around me. Which, I guess if you use all the appropriate rules, you kind of do. But this time—I don’t know why, maybe it was because I was up at 5,500 meters, or because I was tired, or because there was a film crew there— when I skied into the slope I ski-cut the top of the main convexity where most avalanches start, but I kept skiing instead of stopping. Perhaps it was the filming, or because I was complacent since I hadn’t had an incident in years— I’m not sure. Had I followed my rules, I would have done that ski cut and stopped. When you look at the footage, about three turns in you can see it all collapse, and it started right where my

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first ski cut was. As a consequence I had to endure a huge crash: I tumbled 500 meters with the avalanche, broke my leg, and then there was the 24-hour rescue and sleeping in a snow cave. It was a huge ordeal.

A part of me was always interested in how I would react to such an incident, whether I would be calm enough to endure a broken leg with no painkillers.

Maybe that was what I had been training

for this whole time. But all that aside, the big takeaway is that all the rules that I have used forever and that have kept me safe don’t help if I don’t stick to them; you have to always abide by them.

Who cares if someone is filming? When you ski into a slope that doesn’t have a safe exit or safe spots, you have to ski cut and slowly work your way into it.

That day I was loose and I didn’t, and that’s how accidents happen.

You can learn a ton from successes, but failures are really where you learn a lot about yourself and how to avoid mistakes in the future.

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The vast wilderness of the Selkirk Range, that’s where Greg Hill finds his playground.

Spot: Rogers Pass/BC, Canada

Photo: Bruno Long

It seems like this is something that happens to a surprising amount of experienced skiers. Just one mistake, one instance of not following the rules can lead to dire consequences.

For sure! So many things can lead to a mistake, like who you are skiing with.

One partner that I used to ski with all the time was always the naysayer. He always made me justify why we were doing things, and perhaps if he’d been there that day and had questioned me like he always does, then I may have thought out my plan more. But it’s human to err and it’s human to become overconfident, so it’s important to somehow always have a safety net in place.

That day I didn’t have a net.

What was the aftermath of that day?

Although initially I thought maybe it wasn’t that broken, when I moved I realized I had broken my tibula and fibula.

We slept in a snow cave at 4,500 meters and then the crew had to toboggan me down for six hours, until eventually the helicopter came in and picked me up. I was flown to a Pakistani hospital where they immediately X-rayed me and told me that they didn’t have the ability to do anything but splint me. Knowing that I was in the middle of nowhere in Pakistan, I emailed one of my doctor friends.

He told me not to get anything done in Pakistan and suggested that I grin and bear it until I got back home. So I had to wait three days in Pakistan, then travel home for three days, and finally, six days after the accident, I had surgery. Luckily everything went well and now its almost 100% fine. In the end, I think it’s been a really good thing. You can learn a ton from successes, but failures are really where you learn a lot about yourself and how to avoid mistakes in the future. I think I have become a better mountaineer

because of this accident and hopefully others can learn from my mistake.

Born: 19th of December 1975 in Cowansville/QC, Canada Home Mountain: Revelstoke/BC, Canada Achievements: 100,000 vertical meters ascended in one month; 2 million vertical feet within one year; 50,000 vertical feet in 24 hours.

Sponsors: Gore-Tex, Arc’teryx, Salomon, Suunto, Clif Bar, Skookum Cycle & Ski Revelstoke

As probably one of the biggest growing trends in skiing, what direction do you think free touring and ski mountaineering are heading?

I think it’s great, it’s so exploratory.

That’s what people are realising. Skiing itself is so amazing, but after a while if you are just skiing the same old runs at resorts it get a little boring, at least for me. So I think many people are getting into it for the exploration and the adventure. I love it. As long as you can always go find a new place to explore and nice people are out there, I am stoked on the trend. Yes, there are more hazards now with more people in the backcountry, and there are certain lines that I don’t ski anymore because there could be someone 1000 meters below you that you have no idea about. But generally I think it’s great that there are more people tapping into this sport that can offer so much. I think the diversity of people that are getting into touring is also exciting and that there are so many different ways to do it: split-boarding, free-touring, tele, and so on. I haven’t seen snowblade-touring yet, but I bet it’s coming.

Actually, Basti “The Scroggmeister” Huber already has a Bigfoot touring set up he is planning on christening this season, so yes, they are coming! Thanks for your time Greg! Do you have any final words?

I think it is important to live life a little differently. If you look at the normal path that most people take in life, it’s not really exciting. I know that it’s not always easy to avoid, but if you live a “normal life”, at least use your weekends well. I think people need some excitement and a good dose of fear is also essential.

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Greg Hill also knows how to rip powder.

Spot: Rogers Pass/BC, Canada

Photos: Mattias Fredriksson

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Skier: Nicky Keefer

Spot: Saalbach, Austria

Photo: Klaus Polzer

Some may ask: “Where the hell is Nicky Keefer coming from and where is he flying to?”

Others will ask: “Why is there a buoy attached to a pole?” And many will ask: “What exactly is going on here?” The answers, while not entirely simple, explain a lot. Nicky is flying from right to left with a text book bio 900 blunt grab over table top with a bowl cut out of it. There is a maritime buoy attached to a pole, because it’s a bonk. One which Gus Kenworthy stomped a sweet switch 720 tail bonk on and Jossi Wells of course zero spin nose bonked. As to what exactly is going on? This photo was taken during the filming of Blank Canvas 2.0, a video project filmed for an Atomic webisode that brought together a bunch of talented skiers, great shapers and an awesome crew of photographers and filmers. It was a week of shaping, partying, shooting a unique creative feature and even shredding a bit of powder in the largest ski area in Austria: Skicircus Saalbach, Hinterglemm, Leogang, Fieberbrunn. It was a shoot exactly the way it should be.

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It’s a matter of perspective: On any slope you find yourself, there’s always a line to be had.

Go and get it!

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Skier: Leo Taillefer

Spot: Bariloche, Argentina

Photo: Fabrice Wittner

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