Sunday, July 10, 2011

Coming up for Air /// Part I


The act of forgetting is the best part about coming into a new season. You are able to fool yourself into thinking you left off well beyond your reality. Simply allowing fear to leave, instinct to take over, and that all too familiar cycle of ‘turn, turn, slash, drop’ to just fall back into place.
New season, blank canvas. Time to get paintin'
P// Adam Clark

This past season was no different, with La Nina taking all the hype, literature, and speculation surrounding her and simply backhanding it with a non-stop flurry of early, mid, and late season precip.

End of term finals were re-scheduled, papers were postponed, and doctors notes were forged; all in order to match up with the unruly nature of the winter season.

At this point reminiscing is kept strictly to photos, videos, and my own daily comments, which do the job of bringing me back to those moments in the simplest ways.

(DAY 17) Whistler Classic Pow Shred, VD gnar with Miz, Callum, and Nathe. Epic bonzo lap with former crew plus Leboe and Bibby. FUN!

-Exerpt from my Daily Journal

Day after day of hot lapping with friends new and old, quickly melds in my mind with sled missions, and filming sessions.

Dendrite Studios Winter 2011 Storm Season from Whistler Blackcomb on Vimeo.

Dendrite Studios 'Storm Season' edit. What a storm season it was

Before I know it I’m back in Utah and after 24 hours of straight driving, 0 sleep, managed to score 22 inches of fresh pow, and 1 pissed of Mom who realized I’d bypassed saying and hi and giving her a hug, as I raced up to Brighton to meet all the old friends and Surface crew.

The homies, very similar to a bag of skittles about to get dropped
P// Mike Brown

This tree broke three of my ribs two seasons ago, figured I owed it one
P// Mike Brown

A one-week trip home quickly turned into two and a half, as someone left the snow faucet running. Going dawn to dusk everyday, and shooting with the Surface boys and the perpetually stoked Adam Clark for the new catalog. Always some of the funnest days of my season as it’s no different from adventuring out around the local stomping grounds with your best friends.

Surface Catalogue 2011 from Adam Clark on Vimeo.

Surface Catalog Shoot edit, AC is the only person who can shoot a catalog and an edit at the same time

F&E// Adam Clark

Behind the scenes of making photos look extra sexy
P// Mike Schneider

If you want more than one, you've gotta work for it. Or through it

P// Mike Schneider

Going for the tree 'high-five', and feeling the love
P// Adam Clark

Coupled that with some time with on the Sweetgrass program around Alta and Brighton, where the endless young, middle-aged, and young at heart talent seem to be doubling every season I come back. Not to mention seeing those amazing friends you grow up with, start to break out and strive their own creative path wherever it may be. All you can do is toss out a high-five and a ‘hell yeah’ as you watch the potential run wild.

Vibes B (alternativevision) from Shayne Metos on Vimeo.

Grouphome December edit, look out for these boys killing it for some years to come

F&E// Shayne Metos

Onto the next one

P// Adam Clark

And so went the cycle for the first part of my season, running back and forth from Whistler to Utah, time after time, coffee after coffee. Living a double life for that wintery mistress, and loving every minute of it. Getting of taste of victory in my first comp since I was 14. This time in Whistler with Mr. Andrew Strain at the Deep Winter Photo Competition. We ripped, we roared, lughed, froze, and yelled. At the end of it all we walked out with a 3rd place finish, but more importantly we walked out as a group of friends together. Team Strain. aka Steamtrain!

Team Andrew Strain Deep Winter Wrap Up from Ryan Regehr on Vimeo.

Behind the scenes of Deep Winter with STEAMTRAIN

F&E// Ryan Reger

Homies, lunch in caves, and snowball fights. Best comp ever
P// Andrew Strain

Yeah, pretty stoked, like really pretty uber f'ing stoked!
P// Andrew Strain

But as with all good things, realities of life have to be faced, trial and tribulations dealt with, and rolling with the punches is the name of the game. Now that I look back at it, the act of forgetting is always great, but it’s the act of learning that really defines us.

And the most important thing I learned this season?

“It’s only after everything goes wrong, that the real adventure can begin.”

- Yvon Chouinard


(Continued in Part II)