Drink It Blue

Keegan Rice’s new co ee table book turns eeting moments into lasting memories

My time in Jackson began in 2014, just a few months after I turned 19. I was young and stoked to share my wild new experiences with my friends attending college or back on the east coast. What I was up to felt unique, and I was proud to share my adventures. Back then I mostly used my phone: posting Instagram stories and sending Snapchats. I grew up with a hobby photographer dad and I took classes in high school, so I had a background in photography. But it wasn’t about that. It was just about sharing the shit I was so hyped to be doing.

I eventually stopped caring about Snapchat videos of underage drinking and bragging about how much snow we get. I found myself picking up my camera rather than my phone to document life. Instagram stories and Snapchats felt too eeting. I hated that those good times were gone. I had brie y shared them with the world and then they disappeared. I deleted Snapchat, and my Instagram only still exists because I feel like I need it as a part of my job. I post there about as frequently as I call my grandmother. I should be doing it more, but sometimes it just feels hard. is spring, I got an invitation that led me to a new endeavor. My friend Chandler Keene–who I met a few years ago in Japan–runs a guide service on the north island of Hokkaido called Stealth Backcountry. With Japan being closed to tourism for the last two years, Chandler wanted to get some of his team back together, and a trip to Alaska had been on his bucket list for years. He decided to pull the trigger and bring along two of his guides from Japan for this North American shred trip.

JR Yamada and Yama, aka Orange Man, are both legendary Japanese snowboarders that ride for Gentemstick. Chandler graciously decided to bring me along to capture their Alaskan experience. e 10-day forecast called for snow every day. e mountains in Alaska are equally magni cent and dangerous, so snowfall usually means zero-visibility, and zerovisibility means no snowboarding. We thought we might get lucky and get one day of riding in. But the trip was

Whatever you do: stay in the boat.