78 Search Results for "boulder"

• Announcing The Further and Dre Announcing The Further and Dream Factory Tour Winners

  • From: TetonGravityResearch
  • Description:

    

    The dust has finally settled from the 2012 film tour, and the grand prize winners have been drawn. Both films this year provided a whole slew of amazing giveaways, and hopefully you walked away with something fresh from our sponsors. 

    And the winners are…

    Jeremy Jones’ Further, presented by O’Neill 

    Grand Prize: John from Bellingham, WA won the trip for two to ride at Squaw Valley. We connected with John just after his trip, and it sounds like it was a pretty epic adventure.  “The bluebird conditions, variety of terrain and size of Squaw Valley were incredible!  The mountain is so large that we were having trouble keeping track of which chair went where for the first two days!  We're already planning a return trip for next year and will be bringing our friends from our home mountain, Mt. Baker.  A big thanks from Belinda and I to Squaw Valley and TGR for making this amazing trip possible!”

    Runner up: Karta from Boulder, CO is headed to Japan to shred powder courtesy of Cloudline Tours.  After seeing the Japan segments from Further, she couldn’t have been happier, and we can’t wait to see the pictures.

    Second Place: Last but far from least, the head-to-toe O’Neill outerwear and a new board from Jones Snowboards goes to Jennifer in Boston, MA. 

    The Dream Factory

    Grand Prize: A heli-skiing trip for two courtesy of Alaska Heliskiing goes to Garrett from Colorado.  Pretty sure we heard his screams of excitement all the way up in Jackson Hole.  Garrett has yet to take the trip but we look forward to his report and some pictures.

    Runner Up: Caroline from Kentucky scored the trip for two to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.  Unfortunately she is fresh off an ACL tear but Jackson Hole has been awesome in working with her to shift the prize to a summer filled with mountain biking and hiking rehab…Her dream of skiing Jackson’s legendary terrain is going to have to wait another year.

    Second Place: Ben in Colorado is getting hooked up with head-to-toe outerwear from The North Face and a pair of skis from Atomic.

    From all of us at Teton Gravity Research, THANK YOU for making the 2012 tour a memorable one.  The tours reached close to 300 cities combined across the globe, and without your amazing support every year, it simply would not be possible. Enjoy the rest of your season, and see you next fall!

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  • 1 month ago
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• Mike Hornbeck shreds Pennsylva Mike Hornbeck shreds Pennsylvania - Episode 3 - One Hot Minute

  • From: armadaskis108111
  • Description:

    Mike Hornbeck paid a visit to Pennsylvania to Big Boulder's park this past December. Big Boulder had some great features set up and a rail graveyard at the base of the mountain boasting a very impressive array of rails that Hornbeck looks forward to sessioning later in the season.
    
    Watch More Armada Videos

     

  • 3 months ago
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• Heel Piece close up The Beast Heel Piece close up The Beast 16

  • From: leelau
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    Heel Piece close up The Beast 16
  • 4 months ago
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• Dynafit The Beast heel piece Dynafit The Beast heel piece

  • From: leelau
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    Dynafit The Beast heel piece
  • 4 months ago
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• Dynafit Debuts DIN 16 Tech Bin Dynafit Debuts DIN 16 Tech Binding - The Beast

  • From: leelau
  • Description:

    

    The rumors have been flying fast and furious. It might not be one of the worst kept secrets of next year's ski gear, but it has to rank among the top failed skunkworks. A tip of the hat first to Marius Schwager for pictures that fed Internet frenzy and piqued interest of drooling Eric Hjorleifson wannabes worldwide.
    
    Perhaps Dynafit doesn't keep secrets particularly well, but they sure design pretty stuff. The Beast 16 binding is designed for aggressive downhill performance, yet still has a reasonable weight at 935 grams per binding; which compares favorably to other bindings of its class and intended use. The Beast 16 is also frameless and is supposed to retain Dynafit's touring characteristics.
    
    It's worth noting that in a pique of marketing gobbledygook consistent with with the Free Touring moniker coined for boots, the Beast 16 is targeted to “Free Tourers.” Its attractive black and green colors are sure to complement your snazzy Dynafit Vulcan boots and Huascaran skis.
    
    The full set-up: Dynafit Huascaran skis, Vulcan boots, and The Beast 16 binding.
    
    The Beast 16 toepiece. Note that the toe pincers pivot out and in to clamp the boot from the side.
    
    A closer look at the toe piece. Note that the hole patterns will be different.
    
    The center piece in this shot is what you step on with your boot to engage the toe.
    
    First, I'll present some general features of the binding, then follow up with details courtesy of Drew Saunders, director of operations at Dynafit.
    
    General
    
    Some of this general information is further outlined in Dynafit's press release, while some is courtesy of Dynafit.
    
    Sales and accessories details
    
    - Expected price is $1000. Release date is Oct 2013
    
    - Brakes are provided in 105 mm, 120 mm, and 135 mm sizes
    
    - Crampons are in the works
    
    - Limited initial production run of 2,500 units
    
    General gear nerd talk
    
    - The binding mount pattern is unfortunately totally new. Basically, the binding pattern is designed to be wider underfoot. This makes sense given the intended target market that will be mounting this binding on wide skis (the minimum central width for the mount pattern is 80 mm).
    
    - The rear heel fitting is different. Boot retrofit kits can be purchased for any boot where the heel fitting is affixed with screws (I believe this means BD boots are SOL, feel free to point out in the comments any other boots that can't be retrofitted)
    
    - Frameless system – that means no frame is attached to the boot as it lifts in tour mode. This is worth mentioning, as it is a product differentiator from the competition.
    
    - Beast 16 will have 6 mm ramp angle (compared with Vertical/Comfort/Radical ST/FT 17mm ramp, Speed Radical 15mm and Speed Superlight 3mm). At 23 mm (heel) and 17 mm (toe) above the ski, the Beast is designed to have a low binding height.
    
    The Beast 16 heel piece in ski mode, brakes deployed and binding forward on track.
    
    The Beast with heel in tour mode. Such a chunk of metal should impress all the gnar bros.
    
    Close up of the boot-binding engagement point. The metal fangs should contact the boot bail (unknown if that improves retention).
    
    Closeup of the teardrop shaped heel pins.
    
    Closeup of the new heel fittings. Unknown how this will work as a retrofit. Sure hope no dremelling of fancy carbon/Grilamid is involved.
    
    Detailed gear nerd discussion:
    
    Thank you to Dynafit for patience and time answering all these questions.
    
    DIN:

    - The Beast is DIN 16. While all Dynafit binders are developed to ISO 11088 there is not an actual DIN standard for bindings past DIN 12, so that 16 measurement is from Dynafit.

    - DIN Adjustment is only via the heel. The toe release is not adjustable. As with the previous generation tech bindings, vertical and lateral release is adjusted via different screws (see picture 11 and picture above).
    
    Step-In System:
    
    Dynafit touts in the marketing material that the Beast is step-in. It's not quite what one would expect, as one might commonly view as step-in (think Marker, Fritschi or Salomon mechanisms, to cite some examples). You will step into the Beast's toe piece the same way as you step into the previous generation’s toe piece. In other words, there will still be the marrying toe fitting to toe pins fiddle factor, especially in deep snow. Where there is some purported improvement is in the heel, where less entry force is required for the heel. (see picture 5 below). The boot will contact the grey metal jaw and as it does so, depressing the gray metal jaw causes the entire heel unit to slide back on a binding track away from the boot. Once you clear the gray metal jaw, the heel unit slides back into place.
    
    
    
    Toe:
    
    The toe is on a spring mechanism, with a return to centre and rotates/pivots approx 10 -15 deg (see picture 2). While this mechanism lends to elasticity (in the sense of theoretically having some small bump absorption and return-to-center character), there is no adjustment mechanism for the toe.
    
    The toe pin attachment point is angled from the side in contrast to the previous generation Dynafits, where the toe pincers come at the boot tech fittings from the bottom and side. As you step into the center of the toe piece, the toe fittings are on two levers that swing in and engage the boot pins from the side. Theoretically, that side-loaded attachment point, coupled with the fact that the toe can rotate, should add to binding elasticity characteristics.
    
    Heel:
    
    There is forward pressure in the heel. I couldn't see if there was an adjustment mechanism to dial in forward pressure (perhaps that's inherent to the mechanism to adjust for boot sole length?) This should aid elasticity.
    
    Heel and toe attachment points are the same as in previous generation bindings. The heel pins are spring loaded and are guided into the heel insert track, then the spring load forces them back in to the center of the heel insert track (see picture 9). The heel slots are quite a bit wider than the previous generation of Dynafit bindings. Perhaps that, too, aids elasticity in that there is more latitude for the heel to move from side to side — but that's speculation on my part.
    
    One big issue with the previous generation of bindings was over reliance on heel pin strength, in that the entire boot rested on the binding with only incidental contact on the brake pad. With the Beast, the boot now rests on both the pins, plus the brake pad (see picture 8).
    
    Another change is the ovalization of the heel pins (see pictures 3 and 4). Previous generations of Dynafits had round pins, which by their nature only contacted the heel insert at one point. The ovalized pins contact the heel inserts with more surface areas. Better mechanical contact theoretically should result in more solid contact, which should then improve strength and retention, all things being equal.
    
    

    At this point in time, there are only a few athletes on the binding in BC including Hoji, Trevor Hunt and a few of Dynafits reps and marketing people. Skiing and performance impressions accordingly will have to wait.
    
    Shop for you next pair of Dynafit bindings at Backcountry.com

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• How The Beast Works How The Beast Works

  • From: leelau
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    How The Beast Works
  • 4 months ago
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• Vulcan Boot Vulcan Boot

  • From: leelau
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    Vulcan Boot
  • 4 months ago
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• How The Beast 16 Works part 2 How The Beast 16 Works part 2

  • From: leelau
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    How The Beast 16 Works part 2
  • 4 months ago
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• The Dynafit Beast 16 heel jaws The Dynafit Beast 16 heel jaws

  • From: leelau
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    The Dynafit Beast 16 heel jaws
  • 4 months ago
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• The Beast Heel Piece In Tour M The Beast Heel Piece In Tour Mode

  • From: leelau
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    The Beast Heel Piece In Tour Mode
  • 4 months ago
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• Dynafit The Beast 16 Toe Piece Dynafit The Beast 16 Toe Piece

  • From: leelau
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    Dynafit The Beast 16 Toe Piece
  • 4 months ago
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• The Beast Hole Patterns The Beast Hole Patterns

  • From: leelau
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    The Beast Hole Patterns
  • 4 months ago
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• Dynafit The Beast Toe Piece Dynafit The Beast Toe Piece

  • From: leelau
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    Dynafit The Beast Toe Piece
  • 4 months ago
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• Dynafit vulcan huascaran Beast Dynafit vulcan huascaran Beast

  • From: leelau
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    Dynafit vulcan huascaran Beast
  • 4 months ago
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• Dynafit Beast Dynafit Beast

  • From: leelau
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    Dynafit Beast
  • 4 months ago
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• Through The Lens Of Tristan Gr Through The Lens Of Tristan Greszko

  • From: kimhavell
  • Description:

    “Through The lens” is a regular column on TetonGravity.com that highlights the work of a photographer in the ski and snowboard industries. The series exists to celebrate the photographers who bring us extraordinary imagery, to get to know who they are, and to understand their process.
    
    Tristan Greszko, a gifted athlete and photographer based in Jackson, Wyo., is known for his creation and adaptation of unique angles in photo and art imagery. Greszko enjoys working in various artistic mediums including alternate photo processes, screen-printing projects, film, and other creative outlets. His work on projects like the Tiny Jackson Hole video in 2011 catapulted him overnight into the public realm. And, as local lore goes, he is one of a handful of skiers to straight-line “Once is Enough,” a serious and steep line in the JHMR backcountry.
    
    Greszko took art classes in high school and later began to develop his photo skills through on-snow work in Vermont. After moving to Jackson in 2006, Tristan co-created the Teton Artlab, developing this multi-purpose, non-profit venue to provide affordable workspace for local artists. The lab maintains a quirky and creative atmosphere in which artists congregate and collaborate.
    
    Keep an eye out: With his distinctive captures and creativity, Greszko explores new ways to share his world of photo and art from a deep well of talent.
    
    
    1. The Start.
    
    In 2005, I moved from Atlanta to Vermont for a job snow reporting at Okemo and was in charge of shooting “Photo of the Day.” I also bought my first camera and shot the now-defunct Vermont Freeskiing Open. The years between 2005 and 2010, I spent almost every waking hour immersing myself in photography, learning, failing a lot, and collecting a few decent images here and there.
    
    In 2010, after 4 years working in the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort marketing department, I left my job to devote more time and energy to being a professional photographer. By that spring, I felt I had a strong portfolio and a skill set competent enough to finally, truly call myself a photographer. And now, two years later, I feel like I'm starting to produce some great images. So, I feel like, in many ways, I'm just getting going.
    
    
    2. The Inspiration.
    
    The most obvious choice is my dad, though it comes with a big footnote. The older I get the more I realize how similar we are in so many ways. He had a rare, boundless curiosity about the world, a mischievous sense of adventure, and was obsessive about his interests, which I very clearly inherited. He was a technically perfect, beautiful skier, had a dark sense of humor, tinkered with art and photography, and had a passion for the mountains that bordered on religious fanaticism.
    
    The footnote is that both of my parents died when I was 14. I was just a naive little kid in 9th grade when it happened, so I say all this after many years of reflection, coming to terms with it all, and you know, building up a bit of a mythology about who he was.  It's hard to say if I'd be as driven or independent as I am today if I had a more normal, happy childhood, but his influence is undeniable and I couldn't imagine a better life in spite of it all. 
    
    There are a few industry people that inspire me, too, right now.
    
    Steve Casimiro of Adventure Journal has a wonderfully articulate way with words and images that explain this eternal search and the insatiable lust for adventure that we're all seeking. He does it casually and poetically, and very well.
    
    Curt Morgan of Brain Farm Cinema … Well, there's no one like Curt out there.  We went to the same high school back in New York. He has accomplished some very big things to say the least.
    
    Tahoe photographer Andy Bardon is a good friend of mine who shares a similar aesthetic and work ethic, and is a machine in the mountains. It's been awesome seeing him start to blow up.
    
    
    3. The Future.
    
    I think my goals are pretty simple. I'd like to sustain a lifetime of exploring, adventuring, and being curious about the world, and working really hard and dreaming big. I'd like to think that my work inspires people to live better, and seek out richer, more rewarding experiences too.  Hopefully, I can continue to find amazing people along the way to share the adventure with — finding and keeping interesting, passionate people around me is always an important necessity.  And, as for my dreams, well, I'll just keep those to myself for now. I like it better that way.
    
    I'm at a point where I'm confident, have some momentum, and feel like I can do some big things if I start pushing and putting my work out there.  I like to fly under the radar and evade unnecessary attention but when I think about where I've come from in the past few years — and what I'm capable of now — I'm really excited for the future. I'd like to step up into a much bigger arena and work with bigger clients: The North Faces, Patagonias, Red Bulls and National Geographics of the outdoor/adventure world.
    
    
    4. The Business.
    
    I like this quote by artist Chuck Close:
    
    “The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who’ll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself. Things occur to you. If you’re sitting around trying to dream up a great art idea, you can sit there a long time before anything happens. But if you just get to work, something will occur to you and something else will occur to you and something else that you reject will push you in another direction. Inspiration is absolutely unnecessary and somehow deceptive. You feel like you need this great idea before you can get down to work, and I find that’s almost never the case.”
    
    The most important thing I've learned is to get out and actually DO what you want to do. It’s important to go out and TAKE it instead of sitting around waffling about it.  If you pursue something long enough, you'll find an audience, and you'll definitely find a way to get by, and probably thrive.  A lot of people think giving it all up and moving to the mountains is crazy but I think the opposite is true. It’s crazy how most people live —working in an anonymous job in an anonymous city.  I work hard to stay afloat but it rarely feels like I'm truly working, at least not in the way it felt before I moved to Jackson.
    
    
    5.  The Source.
    
    I like shooting with the unknowns — the people who you've never heard of and who ski harder than most and keep their mouth shut about it.  Skier Andrew Whiteford and I shot a lot when we moved to Jackson and he's done really well for himself. Good friend and ripper AJ Puccia has been another favorite athlete. There are a few other shots of people you've probably never heard of that are some of my favorite photos ever. These are all athletes that can do anything you ask, happy to shoot, look good while doing it, and are super humble at the same time.
    
    I crave frequent change, stimulation, and novelty. Lately, I've been shooting a lot of random personal projects like some short videos of this summer's crazy wild fires (in Big Piney, WY and Jackson) and photos of the Northern Lights that were going off in Jackson in the early fall. I've also been road tripping all over the West for the past two years shooting a whole range of weird, amazing locations. And, I just completed an exciting Teton aerial shoot that I've wanted to do forever.
    
    
    6. The Industry.
    
    Remote control/drone platforms are definitely next in line to blow up big time.  Where the military goes, so goes civilian technology. I bought a Cinestar 8 multi-rotor helicopter this past spring. It's already allowed me to shoot some stunning photos and video, but I'm basically still operating with training wheels. When it all comes together, the cinematography and unique perspectives are really stunning.
    
    
    7. Career Highlights.
    
    -Construction of the JH Tram - I have thousands of shots of every step of building the new JH tram over the two-year construction period.  No idea what I'll ever do with them but it's awesome to have been the sole photographer on such a piece of history that's so close to the community.
    
    -Tiny Jackson Hole - I spent a ton of time, 400-plus hours making that video and the response blew me away.  It was a labor of love for sure and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.
    
    -Alpinist Spread - Alpinist 33 featured the Grand Teton as that issue's mountain profile. One of my favorite shots ever run was a double-page spread on the opening page of the article, Grand Teton: A Map of the Wild by Renny Jackson.  Given the Grand's influence on American alpinism, it was an honor to be in such legendary company.
    
    -JH Tram Heli Shoot, 2009 - We did a sunrise shoot of the new tram with Corey Gavitt of TGR. It was my first time shooting out the door of a helicopter, with patrollers throwing bombs below us, patrollers dropping into Corbet's, and the new Tram in perfect morning light.
     
    -TGR/Erik Roner ski-BASE of Cajun Couloir - Erik Roner is an amazing guy and completely nuts. So, seeing him ski base Cajun while perched up above in the old tram was a really special thing though the anxious anticipation beforehand was really intense.
    
    -Aerials in Indian Creek - the first time I shot climbing with the “Octokopter “- also completely terrifying flying the helicopter off the top of a giant boulder and trying to ease up next to a climber 80 feet off the deck but overall it was a great success and learning experience. It took me another three months before my first epic crash!
    
    
    To follow Tristan:
    
    http://www.tristangreszko.com
    http://instagram.com/tgreszko
    http://blog.tetonartlab.com

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• Interview: Nick Martini’s Bala Interview: Nick Martini’s Balancing Act

  • From: ermecatino
  • Description:

    
    
    How Martini manages his life as a pro-skier and co-founding director of Stept Productions.
    
    By Erme Catino
    
    Nick Marini is quite possibly the busiest pro-skier that you will ever meet. Growing up in Winchester, Mass., the 22-year-old has risen to the top of freeskiing in just a few years. However, it’s his impressive work ethic that has proven he is more than just a skier.  Along with his brother, Alex, dedicated friends, and business partners, Martini has taken his skills as a skier, college student, and entrepreneur to charge ahead in the ski industry.
    
    The Stept Crew at their finest.
    
    Erme Catino: Within three to four years you have gone from appearing in your first Poor Boyz film to the top of freeskiing. It doesn’t seem like long, but I’m sure it must feel like ages ago – how has the whirlwind been?
    
    Nick Martini: It has been hectic. After I started doing well in competitions everything seemed to kick off… In 2009, I was asked to host an urban trip in my hometown of Boston, for Poor Boyz’s Every Day is a Saturday. Ever since then, things got busy from filming with TGR, Stept, and Poor Boyz, skiing in the Dew Tour, and the injuries – which is how I fell in love with filming.
    
    EC: When you began filming with TGR, and signed with The North Face, the Stept movies took on a whole new level. How have you balanced running Stept while filming segments with TGR and Poor Boyz?
    
    NM: The winters have been insane and full of traveling, which is fun. However, in the summer the production side of things ties me down with editing, so I haven’t been able to spend time at Hood, etc.  There was a time actually when we got so busy, we almost stopped making Stept films, but in 2010 I hurt my knee, and got into filming while I was working on my recovery video blog… I put all of my energy into Stept and our upcoming film Network. After Network, things flew by, all of our riders began coming into the scene with TGR and Pooy Boyz such as Cam Riley and Clayton Vila. Now, things are coming full circle with a bunch of us transitioning to filming full-time again with Stept.
    
    EC: Your Stept crew of Sean Jordan, Clayton Vila, Cam Riley, Shea Flynn among others have all taken off around the same time. What’s that like, and what is a day in the life at the Stept house?
    
    NM: A lot of us grew up skiing together. My brother Alex, initially moved to Boulder to attend The University of Colorado and then we followed suit for skiing and school. Recently a lot of us have branched out to film with other companies, and now I think we are all coming into our own. If we hadn’t done that, Stept wouldn’t be what it is today. This season, we are coming back together with experiences learned from working with TGR and Poor Boyz, and can focus on making our best Stept work to date. I’m really hyped to focus on Stept this year!
    
    This season is actually the first time the whole Stept crew is under one roof – we recently moved into a house 3 months ago. There are 13 of us in one house. Prior to this, a few of us lived together – those early years were the loosest couple of years of my life. Now, we have a studio and editing suite,  but it is still typical Boulder. We are either skiing all day/night, if there is no snow we’ll party until 6:00 a.m. it’s hectic on your head especially since the college party nights are often midweek and not your typical Friday and Saturday nights… We love it, we have been doing this together for 10 years so when it dumps, everyone is ready to work and all of us can operate the lights, winch, camera, etc.
    
    EC: Your films combine a raw nature and cinematic style that I think is unique. What do you see the future holding for you as a pro-skier and continuing with Stept?
    
    NM: One of our goals is to think we have a broad perspective. Although our content is very niched — urban skiing — the film is enjoyable to watch for all ages and types of skiers.
    
    Personally, I learned so much from Todd Jones (TGR) and Johnny DeCesare (Poor Boyz Productions). Both have been huge inspirations, and they taught me so much in terms of business and marketing.
    
    With Stept we really started taking on documenting street-based skiing. You hear a lot of people saying they’re taking the park into the backcountry, with Stept we’re taking the park out of the terrain park and into the streets. The majority of snowboarding films are urban, and I think we’re filling that gap in skiing.
    
    Additionally, Cam and I have been busy with Stept Studios — commercial film projects with nonendemic media. It’s been fun to dive into the production side of Stept Studios and we’re getting recommendations from others within the industry. That side of Stept has been getting super busy. We keep things separate so it’s great. With Stept Productions, we’re still the badass kids, but we keep it professional for Stept Studios.
    
    EC: Talk about the recent injuries, are you healthy now?
    
    NM: Yes. It feels so good to be walking and skiing, it’s crazy to think back on the injuries the past four years. I’ve had six to seven surgeries and tore my ACL three times. My knee is f’ed again, and the decision was to take out my ACL for this year and ski without it, then re-evaluate in the spring. The past few years I was able to film small segments with TGR and Poor Boyz, but last season was the first year I didn’t film with Stept. This year I’m going to take it back a bit, but I’m excited to ski.
    
    EC: If you could have a dream film trip this season what would that be, and who would you bring?
    
    NM: To be honest, I would love to go to Japan or Alaska, but a dream trip for me would be to go to Boston. The East Coast is so good for urban. Our friends and family are there, and it’s really supportive. Boston is one of my favorite cities to film regarding the architecture — the landscape is very atheistically pleasing for urban. Two winters ago we were there for two months, the shots turned out so well, and to go back with the whole Stept crew would be a dream.
    
    

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• claytonvila

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• camriley

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• Interview: Tempting Fear With Interview: Tempting Fear With Andreas Fransson And Mike Douglas

  • From: kimhavell
  • Description:

    It is a human condition to seek adventure and challenge. The temptation to test both possibilities and limits is strong in some — Swedish ski-mountaineer Andreas Fransson pursues this temptation.
    
    On Friday, Oct, 5, at the Adventure Film Festival in Boulder, Colo., Mike Douglas and the team at Switchback Entertainment will premiere a film that traces an astounding few years of global ski adventures in Fransson’s life — “Tempting Fear.” It will show at film festivals worldwide and will release online as part of Season 6 of Salomon Freeski TV in 2013.
    
    Fransson is from the north of Sweden and grew up skiing in the Finnish mountains as well as in Riksgränsen, on the border with Norway at the extreme north of Sweden. From the age of 14 he quit other sports to focus completely on skiing. Finishing school, he did back-to-back seasons in Riksgränsen, the Alps, and Mount Hotham, Australia, earning a living by teaching and guiding skiing. But, it was through the exploration of the Norwegian mountains that he found his passion for steep and wild lines. The next obvious step for him was to move to Chamonix.
    
    I spoke with Douglas, who is in Whistler, Canada, getting films ready for the ski season as well as with Fransson, who is ticking off a few impressive first descents around the magical towers of Patagonia, a region generally known as an alpinist mecca.
    
    Andreas Fransson and Mike Douglas. Photo courtesy Switchback Entertainment.
    
    Part 1: Interview with Mike Douglas
    
    Teton Gravity Research: You dealt with heavy and serious subject matter in a sport that tempts more than just fear- did it scare you making this film?
    
    Mike Douglas: Well, luckily for me, Bjarne Sahlen did all the heavy lifting. He was out there filming Andreas in all the crazy spots, so physically, I had the easy job.  After 'The Freedom Chair', I wanted to do something different. I find Andreas' story and thoughts intriguing. Early on I asked myself if this was the type of project I wanted to take on. The decision wasn't easy. I've lost a lot of friends this year and this film provokes the question of whether or not it's all worth it. It's a question I find myself often asking.
    
    TGR: Why did you feel it was important to tell this story? Why did you decide to do this?
    
    MD: Andreas couldn't be further away from the stereotypical American view of what an 'extreme skier' is. He's calm, thoughtful, intelligent and doing things that nobody else is. I met him after he joined the Salomon team last winter.  At that point we were looking at doing a 5 minute episode of Salomon Freeski TV about him. After reading his blog, I realized that he shared so much insight and information that it would be impossible to do his story justice in a short format.
     
    TGR: What was it like working with Andreas? Did you walk away with a better understanding or respect (or not) of ski mountaineering?
    
    MD: Andreas has been great to work with. He completely put his trust in me. I have full respect for the person he is and what he does, but I don't necessarily agree with all his opinions. After watching the film over and over, I am not really sure what I think. I share a lot of his opinions, but at the same time I think we have different views of risk.
    
    As a filmmaker, I'm just looking for interesting stories. I find the world of alpinism and ski mountaineering interesting and sometimes harsh.  It makes me laugh how uptight people are about the details of how a climb or descent was done. There are people out there who refuse to give Andreas credit for his first descent of the south face of Denali because he had to down climb some sections to stay alive. The nice thing about Andreas is that he doesn't let the haters get to him. He's very comfortable with who he is and what he does.
    
    TGR: What do you admire most about Andreas?
    
    MD: He's a really nice guy! While we were working on the film he came to stay with my family for a week in Whistler.  My wife was impressed with how great of a house-guest he was. She'd have no problem if he wanted to move in with us [haha]. Aside from that, it's his intellect. He's a very smart guy.

    Andreas Fransson. Photo courtesy Switchback Entertainment.
    
    Part 2: Interview with Andreas Fransson
    
    TGR: Did skiing the South Face of Denali put you on the map? And, was it a turning point or a stepping stone?

    Andreas Fransson: On who’s map? I guess it did in the media, but I had done far more difficult things in Chamonix before I went to Alaska to do something I felt that with my experience I could and should pull off. But of course once I had done this better-known line, things got easier with sponsors and the media.  The funny thing is I had no idea of the impact it would have – I just wanted to ski this line.

    TGR: How do you make decisions about risk and routes?
    
    AF: I think it is a very open dialogue in the game of mountain decisions. It usually comes down to how much you want something and how much risk you are willing to take. Then you get to put your values on top of that. Whatever you do other people will judge you. I simply want to do things I define as fun that will give me something, maybe wisdom, in return and at the same time stay alive. There is no law book in the mountains, and one has to meet reality at every instant.
    
    TGR: How did you feel making this film? What do you hope audiences get out of this? Why were you willing to share your journal entries?
    
    AF: It was fun. I learned so much and I got to work with really talented people like Mike and Bjarne. It gave me a medium through which to share my thoughts with others. I made the decision to be open a few years back and I don’t think it would make sense to say no to doing so with an even bigger audience. I hope that people will enjoy listening. I don’t claim to say anything wise or with value in any other sense than it’s fun to ponder the mysteries of life and existence.
    
    TGR: What are your hopes and your future in pushing the limits of skiing?
    
    AF: I can’t promise anyone I will push anything. That’s one of the reasons why I keep quiet about my objectives. I simply don’t know what I will do next year or how my life will change. I feel steep skiing is a very intuitive thing to do. If the mountains, the weather and I are ready at the same moment then something fun can be done, but there might be periods when the combination of these three do not match.
    
    TGR: What is the significance of temptation and risk to you? What scares you?
    
    AF: I don’t fear death, but sometimes I fear not being able to realize the dreams I have. The temptation is to realize dreams before one is ready – the risk is we won’t get the perfection in the match.
    
    TGR: How do you set your mark for risk versus reward?
    
    AF: My gut feeling does it for me. If something feels worth it, I’ll do it. If it doesn’t, I’ll back off!
    
    TGR: How do you decide on your next projects? What are your parameters?
    
    AF: First of all I don’t like to talk about specific projects, but I think there has to be a general challenge involved. It can be difficult, have a rare beauty, be remote, or involve a physical or psychological challenge – any of these can turn on my inspiration.
    
    TGR: What was it like to work on a film of your life as a skier to date? Does it feel like a risk?
    
    AF: It’s great in many ways. And, now I can leave that behind me. The risk I see is that I get to talk more and more about skiing and have less and less time to actually do things. But I think it is part of my journey. First I have to have something to later be able to renounce it. It’s easy talking about renouncing things that are not your reality.
    
    TGR: You are currently doing some exciting descents in Patagonia. Tell us more.
    
    AF: We have two weeks left here. I got help from my friend Colin Haley, who knows this area well. He pointed out the Whillans ramp for me and said it would be one of the greatest ski descents to do in the world. [Note: Fransson did the first descent of this last week.] Once we are here we assess objectives and then go and try to do them. It’s really hard though. No one has ever tried to do the things we are looking at and there is no information. There are really long approaches. But that’s part of the game rules which makes it all much more interesting and fun.
    
    TGR: Tell us about a few of the other things going on that help balance your expeditions.
    
    AF: Yes, I have much to juggle, but I like challenges. I have a wonderful girlfriend with whom I want to spend time. I am working a lot for my sponsors, doing the Swedish mountain guide program, and I’m a ski editor for Epictv.com. I also try to run and climb, and I do yoga every day.
    
    TGR: What do you admire most about Douglas in getting to know him on this project?
    
    AF: Professionalism, creativity, the importance of detail and storytelling - it all comes from Mike so you could definitely say I admire him for that. Also, I’m very impressed with how nice, kind and generous of a person he is.

    

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