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Hi-Fives with Thomas Vincent o Hi-Fives with Thomas Vincent of Hi-Line Films

From: TetonGravityResearch
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Hi-Fives is a new column that puts the spotlight on badass people and places that are breaking the mold. We kick things off by interviewing Thomas Vincent, a twenty-three year old passionate skier from Missoula, Montana. We caught up with Vincent at the top of Beartooth Pass, a remote backcountry mecca in Montana, during the Beartooth Summer Sessions a few weeks ago.

Vincent was shooting with Hi-Line Films—a production company based out of Missoula, Montana—for its upcoming release, "the simple side." We happened upon him as he stood drinking a beer and smiling while holding a napkin to his bloodied cheek. Despite fresh injuries, he graciously answered our questions about Hi-Line Films and what the heck they were doing in Beartooh.

Give me the run down on yourself, name, age, job?

My full name is Thomas Caywood Vincent the 5th. Let me look at my passport here, ah yes, I am 23 years of age. My parents introduced me to skiing when I was in kindergarden, so what...I was 5? I've been riding and filming with Hi-Line since the winter of 2011-2012. I'm currently studying digital film at the University of Montana and I often find myself following a bit of a fantasy more often than not. Since there aren't dragons flying around our heads, I put planks on my feet and slay snow ghosts. It's really my way of saying, "hey earth, do better....bitch." It feels good to ski.

Why did you come to Beartooth Pass?

I actually came here for redemption. Last year we came here at the exact same time of year with with Hi-Line Films. And last year, I found a way to break my jaw, so this year we decided I needed redemption-- I can't end on a bad note! So we came out here and I did what I sought to do, and I feel really, really good about it. This place is phenomenal. You drive up to the top of Beartooth Pass, your buddies drop in, you lap a couple of times, you hoot and holler and go home to your campsite and feel a lot better at the end of the day. It's incredible--it's big line skiing in June.

What has your experience in Beartooth been like?

We got here late, super late on Tuesday night at like four in the morning. So we got up a little late and ended getting up to the pass at about noon on Wednesday. We got to Gardner Headwall and literally there is a road that will swing you up to this amazing face with tons of long lines, shoots, and, couloirs. So we all rallied up and six of us hiked out to the top of our lines. When we dropped in, we rode out this bulletproof chunder and did the best we could. We basically straight-lined the chutes, rode it out, and powered our quads through it, even if it brought tears to our eyes because it hurt so much to hold. But when you know you are getting filmed, you gotta hold it through. And we did it!

What went down on your second day on Beartooth Pass?

The next day we built a massive jump on top of a cornice that Toy Solider Productions was working on last year. It's down and around from the Garder Headwall. We basically found a nice big cornice to build a jump on, to boost us up and over. We built a nice backcountry step-down. I did a starfish lincoln loop over it, which I was pretty happy with.

There was actually a carpool of British people at the base and they were ecstatic about it. They said it was the most “brilliant” thing they've ever seen in skiing--so I'm happy about that. Bringing back some old school. I like it. But a few of us were having some problems with speed on the jump. I was fortunate to stomp out some tricks, but some of the other members of the team were having a hard time and not stoked on it, but I really wanted, needed to get my redemption trick out of it. So I decided to try a cork 9 for true redemption, and I brought it to my feet a couple times, but we started seeing lightning and hearing thunder so we decided to call it, and headed back to our campsite. We got pretty rowdy at the campsite, had a raging fire, drank beers, talked about our lines and enjoyed the heck out hanging out.

Are you still seeking redemption, what happened today?

This morning I woke up, wasn't sure if I would have the energy to go for that 9, but I got convinced. The Hi-Line crew stoked me up, so I decided to go for it. I hiked up to the jump by myself. We had the Hi-Line filmers posted up on the road, watching and tracking my progress through the telephoto lens. Once the sun peeked out, I went for it. First try, cork 9, to my feet--couldn't hold it. Second time, to my feet--couldn't hold it. Third time, started getting sloppy, cork 9 to my chest. Fourth time--almost broke my jaw again! I felt the ski come up to my jaw again, real tough. I landed the nine, and my ski just got stuck in the chunder and shot up straight into my face. So after that I decided to call it. But we're on top of Beartooth Pass, looking at Garder Headwall, right now, waiting for three of our guys to get on their lines. Ben [Zeimat] is actually setting up camera now. And shit, we're drinking beers, we're chilling, and we're loving it. This is enough for me.

Editor's note, we stop the interview as the remaining three guys needled a tight, steep chute. We hooted, hollered, cheered, and got back to talking.

This place is no joke, you guys are gnarly . These lines are legit. So tell me what other projects have you been apart of?

I've been working with "The Trimming's" web series. It was produced by two Epic Planks pro riders, and the series has been fairly popular this season. And through that I have been getting a lot of practice. With Hi-Line, they have been primarily focused on backcountry. They really don't touch any resort, so you're going to see a lot of skinning, a lot of hiking, a lot of effort, a lot disappointment and a lot of excitement in our film. We're calling the movie, "the simple side" and it will be coming out next fall.

Who all is in Hi-Line Films?

Ben Zeimat, is the filmer, director, producer. He is the man behind it all. He will commission additional filmers to get different angles. But yeah, it's been really interesting and an awesome experience working with these guys. Some of the other riders you'll see are T.J. Andrews, you'd be familiar with him from, "Come Find Us," the first Toy Solider Film where he was trying the triple cork, which, actually, was right over there, right over there on that ledge. [Points to ledge.] He became a legend in Montana for that. So that guy has been pushing the hell out of me this trip. But let's see, we're also with Sam Arroues, and Garret Umphress. So those three including me are kind of the core team. But we've had a bunch of friends claiming lines and adding to it.

When do you plan to release "the simple side"?

We'd like to get it into Missoula by mid-October along with premiere season. We're going to tour it around Montana. We might go into a couple different places, but we know our market niche is in Montana. And we'll definitely have a teaser coming out soon.

What you guys are doing here is the core essences of shredding..living life, camping, waking up, hiking these huge lines, and getting shit done. It's awesome.

Ya, totally! And tonight, we're going to party in a school bus at our campsite. It broke down a few days ago en route to Beartooth, but we fixed it up, and tonight we'll be celebrating our successes out here and going for it!

Check out Thomas and the rest of the Hi-Line guys in the teaser below.

the simple side. Mid Season Teaser from Hi-Line Films on Vimeo

Riders:

T.J. Andrews

Sam Arroues

Thomas Vincent

Garrett Umphress

Joel Anderson

Brett Bacon

Danny Arnold

Luke Morris

Riley Johnson

Jake Fagrelius

and friends

Filming and Editing by:

Ben Zeimet

Produced By:

Hi-Line Films and Generation One Media

Photos: Gavin Gibson
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2013 Beartooth Summer Session 2013 Beartooth Summer Session

From: TetonGravityResearch
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The Beartooth Summer Session might just be the best idea in skiing. It’s the typical ski adventure—camping, skiing, steep terrain, an abundance of dudes and a shortage women—but with the addition of the summer’s warm sun.

Located between Red Lodge and Cooke City, Montana, Beartooth Basin Summer Ski Area consists of two pommel lifts, an ancient camper trailer that serves as the mountain’s headquarters, and 1,000 feet of steep summer snow. For the past three years they’ve been hosting the Beartooth Summer Session, a week-long ski demo/party/big mountain skiing competition put on by ON3P Skis and Booster Strap.

We caught up with this year’s winner, Sander Hadley, to hear his take on the competition and the overall event.

Teton Gravity Research: Why did you come to Beartooth Basin in the first place?

Sander Hadley: Growing up, my friend/mentor, Tanner Rosenthal, chief of Panda Poles, used to attend the All Star Ski Camp that was held at Beartooth. He always talked about the savage summer terrain.  Then back in 2011 shortly after I graduated high school, ON3P posted a story about doing a summer session at Beartooth. I figured it was the perfect time to check it out. After having a bitchin' time during that first visit, I knew I had to make it up there every summer from then on.

TGR: What makes the summer session worth coming to?

SH: Beartooth offers pommel-serviced steep/big mountain terrain that is unmatched in the North American summer ski scene. Mix that with a passionate, experienced park crew and you have yourself a versatile summer skiing experience. The dudes at ON3P, specifically Kip Kirol, Sam Caylor and Rowen Tych, know how to throw a laid back event, providing good times for everyone.  Where else can you camp and ski with fellow competitors? The summer session is the most laid back event of my year, as well as one of the rowdiest, matter of fact, the rowdiest. I skied some of the gnarliest stuff I have all year, in June!

TGR: What was special about camping?

SH: Camping with folks provides the opportunity to really get to know people. At an event like the Beartooth Summer Session, we are all looking to have a good time and share it with new friends. I'd say we were pretty successful this year. Not to mention the sheer beauty of a place like the Beartooths, we had amazingly good weather and some spectacular lightning storms that didn't drop much rain.  

TGR: What was the best moment of the entire trip?

SH: I'd say the party in the parking lot that took place after the competition on Saturday was the best moment of the entire trip. By that point in the week, we had all got to know each other relatively well. We were all sharing the stoke that summer shredding in the Beartooths provides.

TGR: How would you convince someone to go next year?

SH: I'd tell them of the pommel-serviced steep terrain that flows into one of the best park jumps that I hit all year, the free camping that the beautiful state of Montana provides, and the amount of good people there is to meet at the event. I would also mention the laid back “anti-comp” feel that the Booster Strap Big Mountain Comp provides. I am not always someone who likes to compete, however, Kip Kirol & Sam Caylor from ON3P and Austin Hart (president of operations at Beartooth Basin) made sure to keep the comp as laid back as possible while providing a unique big mountain/slopestyle hybrid contest.

TGR: Do you compete in other big mountain events?

SH: That was my first big mountain event since the 2011 summer session. (which was the first in my life) This year really opened my eyes. I feel like I can bring a unique freestyle influenced style into the big mountain arena. I plan on pursuing that side of skiing a lot more in the near future.

TGR: So you're not prone to throwing flat 3's off cliffs?

SH: Growing up skiing at Pebble Creek Ski area outside of my hometown of Pocatello, Idaho we had a 10 foot tabletop jump and a handful of rails. Therefore, park was never my focus growing up. My friends and I learned our tricks on natural features around the mountain. That side of skiing has always been much more enjoyable to me as opposed to a cookie cutter terrain park, not to take away from what people are doing in the park. Pebble Creek taught me to do my tricks off of just about anything. I have just never brought them into a competition or film format. Doing those tricks off of variable terrain puts a smile on my face.

TGR: Do the terrain and snowpack at Beartooth Basin make that sort of stuff easier to try?

SH: I'd say the terrain makes you think about things a lot more, because with a lot of the rock/cliff jump options the outruns are more rocks/cliffs. However, when it's warm out and the aches of pains of cold weather skiing are not present, it is much easier to find motivation for carcass tossing. Same goes for the snowpack, when it gets warm, the snow up at Beartooth Basin becomes soft, just what you want for fat ski hucking.

TGR: Do you think you deserved to win, or was it a judge’s conspiracy? 

SH: Conspiracy, 110%. Feed those dudes enough beer and they'll do almost anything. Almost. That's not very professional...But hey, this is the ski industry, not golf. 

TGR: That's going in for sure.

SH: Hahahah gahd damn journalists.

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Bridger Bowl Season Recap 2012 Bridger Bowl Season Recap 2012-13

From: TetonGravityResearch
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Check out our Rob and Karl's best video edits from the Daily Snow Videos shot over the course of our 2012-13 Season!

Watch More Bridger Bowl Videos
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Beartooth Basin Back Open for Beartooth Basin Back Open for Business

From: TetonGravityResearch
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RED LODGE, MT Beartooth Basin Ski Area, formerly known as Red Lodge International Ski and Snowboard Camp, started spinning its lifts this Memorial Day Weekend. Located near 11,000’ in Montana’s Beartooth Mountains, Beartooth Basin offers big mountain, racing and freestyle terrain for camps and individuals until early July, conditions permitting. The scenic Beartooth Pass Highway, accessing the ski area from Red Lodge, Montana, is scheduled to open Friday.

“The crew has been hard at work digging out the lifts and getting everything ready for the season,” says Beartooth vice president and co-owner Justin Modroo. “As always, we’ve got a great variety of terrain. We have freestyle bump lines, race lanes, a terrain park and also the big mountain aspect, so there’s really something for everyone–from the professional that wants an edge on their competition next winter to someone that just wants some June corn skiing.”

Established in 1962, Beartooth Basin has long been a destination for international skiers to hone their skills during the late spring months. While originally organized as a summer racing camp by a group of Austrians, the area has evolved to host a variety of camps, events, and competitions, as well as daily skiing and snowboarding for the general public. From its humble beginnings in racing, Beartooth now offers a unique summer skiing setting, surrounded by wilderness and national forest.

“Beartooth Basin offers a great, wilderness experience mixed in with lift access skiing for big mountain skiers, racers or whoever wants to improve their skiing skills in the off season,” says Beartooth president and operations manager Austin Hart. “These lifts were put in by a group of Austrians that were Olympic athletes and racers that trained across the world, so there’s a great historic value along with having good fun and keeping summer skiing alive.”

Prices for 2013 are as follows: $45-full day; $35-hald day; and $20-power hour, in which skiers can take as many laps as they can in an hour. For more information consult http://www.beartoothbasin.com or call (307) 250-3767.
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Laying Down Lines and Saving L Laying Down Lines and Saving Lives in Cooke City

From: TetonGravityResearch
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Words by Michael Sudmeier

Images by Sam Pope

Some things in life are subject to change. And this is especially true for those who spend time in the backcountry. While recently filming near Cooke City, Montana for Way of Life, TGR athletes and filmers had to continually adapt to new challenges—including saving a man’s life. The plans for the trip had been simple enough—film some late spring ski descents at the end of April. The start of the trip, however, was filled with pow days, cold temperatures, and assisting with a rescue.

Before heading into the backcountry, the crew convened in Cooke City and geared up for the trip.

“I thought it was going to be mainly mountaineering missions—skiing couloirs and things like that,” explained Todd Ligare. He was joined by TGR athletes John Spriggs and Griffin Post, as well as a production and support team that included Dan Gibeau, Sam Pope, Hennie van Jaarsveld, Corey Seeman, and Steve Popovich. Despite anticipating spring conditions, “It felt like a mid-winter trip in late April, which was awesome,” offered Spriggs. He and the group named the project Nightmare Camp—a play on TGR’s Fantasy Camp, which had wrapped up a few weeks prior in Alaska.

After members of the crew skied a few lines on their first day, a snowmobiler approached them, searching for assistance and a means to contact rescue and medical personnel. “You could tell he was dealing with a heavy situation, but he seemed calm and was dealing with it appropriately,” explained Ligare. “He basically asked if we had a way to contact help.”

The man’s friend had stopped breathing after his vest became tangled in his sled. “Basically, the [patient] had a protective vest on, and he was hill climbing,” explained Post. “Through an unfortunate series of events, his handlebars went through his protective vest and hung him.” The man had rushed to aid his friend, but his response time was delayed due to the steep slope on which the injured snowmobiler was perched. Initially, the snowmobiler was not breathing. Once freed from his sled, however, he resumed breathing but remained unconscious.

Whether exploring new zones or assisting with a rescue, the group relied heavily on its sleds.

Tapping into rescue and medical training they receive at the start of each season, the crew from TGR sprung into action. Ligare sought out the crew’s satellite phone and medical equipment while Pope traveled to the injured sledder. Once at site of the incident, Pope and a snowboarder who was also in the area provided initial care for the patient. According to Pope, they “created a flat spot for [the patient], cleared his airway, stabilized his head, and put some layers under and on him to provide insulation from the snow.”

After retrieving the group’s satellite phone, Ligare—now joined by Post—sought out higher ground in order to contact Park County Search and Rescue. Post remained in contact with rescuers while Ligare, Gibeau, and Spriggs brought the group’s medical kit and sked, a collapsible rescue stretcher, to the scene. The group helped Pope further stabilize the patient and initiated a high angle rescue to lower him down the slope. They also took turns traveling to Post, relaying updates to rescuers. Seeman, who had been in town servicing a snowmobile, led rescue personnel Ben Zavora and Jan Gaertner, President of the Cooke City EMS, to the patient.

By the time Gaertner and Zavora arrived, the team had not only lowered the patient down the slope, but also prepared a landing zone for a helicopter. Gaertner and the team provided additional care and readied the patient for transport. “We packaged him, got him on some oxygen, and cleared his airway,” she explained. “I also put an AED on him [in the event his heart stopped]. He had quit breathing twice.” Fortunately, the weather briefly cooperated with rescuers. “We got there and the sky opened up and the sun came out. We got a helicopter in and when the helicopter left, the clouds came over and it started snowing again,” explained Gaertner.

“I’ll tell you what, it was not his time to die,” offered Gaertner. She credits the team from TGR with ensuring this was the case. “The guys did an awesome job,” she explained. “They were so excited to use their skills and equipment. I would work with those guys any day.”

In a letter to TGR, Jan Gaertner—President of the Cooke City EMS—thanked the crew for its assistance.

For the team, the incident provided an opportunity to put into practice the skills they had cultivated through TGR’s annual safety summit, the International Pro Riders Workshop (IPRW). Although the curriculum is continually evolving, IPRW aims to help attendees successfully negotiate the challenges inevitable in backcountry travel. The course typically addresses assessing avalanche terrain, initiating first aid in a wilderness context, and leading rescue efforts.

According to Cofounder Todd Jones, TGR developed its IPRW program because “we recognized that we’re out in a really dangerous and inhospitable environment that demands high levels of training and expertise. That training can make the difference between a fairly standard rescue and a really bad situation.”

IPRW ensures TGR's team is prepared for backcountry emergencies. Luckily, no emergencies resulted from the crew killing this line.

The rescue in Cooke City served as a testament to the training’s success. In a thank you letter to TGR, Gaertner wrote, “Your skiers were the first responders on the scene, and because of their training and communications [they] saved this man’s life.” According to Spriggs, the high angle rescue that the team performed was “exactly what we learned at IPRW.” Gaertner noted that the team was especially successful in executing the skills it had developed at the workshop. “It’s one thing to get the training,” she explained. “It’s another thing to be able to act on it—and all those guys were able to act calmly and efficiently and do what they were taught to do.”

During its time in the Cooke City area, the TGR crew checked in with Gaertner to receive updates on the patient’s status. After several days in a coma, the man was released from the hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery. This, according to Ligare, “is a miracle—or at least not typical.” After all, the man had stopped breathing twice throughout the incident.

The rescue with which the team assisted provided an unusual prelude to the trip—and the adventures only continued. At the start of their filming, “it snowed two feet so we just skied pow for days,” revealed Post. “It was unseasonably cold for the first four days and we had some of the best snow of the year.”

For the ten day trip, the crew established a base camp from which they began sledding and touring each morning. “We basically had a little village out in the woods and camped there and didn’t come back to town,” explained Post. “We were really much more immersed in the mountains than trips where you just go out for the day.”

The crew was better at skiing than cooking, as evidenced by its reliance on precooked dinners.

Although the group had a large dome tent, plenty of food, and a propane stove and heater, being immersed in the mountains was not especially luxurious. Temperatures one evening hovered near twenty below. For dinner, the crew had “two different options of precooked meals that we would heat up: Mexican or Thai. The big joke every night was ‘what do you guys want for dinner?’” explained Pope. As the days progressed, the crew also established a second camp from which it could access more remote zones.

There's nothing like the smell of a campfire--especially one accompanied by the smell of wet socks and boots.

According to the team, its base camp provided quick access to terrain but was not without its challenges. “The camping adds a whole new layer of logistics to deal with—drying clothes, charging batteries, and dumping footage,” Pope explained. The group’s proximity to its target terrain helped fuel the intensity of the experience. “The trip was probably the most full throttle trip I have ever been on,” revealed Post. “We were just so busy—we would get up at six pretty much every morning, put our ski boots on by seven-thirty or eight, and we’d pretty much be skiing and in our ski boots until eight at night.”

As the temperatures warmed up towards the end of the trip, the crew was also able to ski several couloirs. After being shut down on one couloir due to rapidly softening snow and wet slides, the team was able to ski the couloir on its final day. “The snow conditions were super variable,” revealed Pope. “But to me, that’s the impressive thing about professional skiers—they make it look easy no matter what the conditions.” But this should come as no surprise. After all, they can even make saving a life look easy.

The crew kicked back in Cooke City at the trip's conclusion.
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