It’s a lovely day in late January. Rays of the sun dancing on pure white snow fields make the day so bright that I hardly can see without sunglasses. As an old stick chaser I am teaching my 6-year-old the “secrets” of slalom skiing. He is clearly not interested in my “methods” and rather wants to discover his own way to learn to ski. This time he wants to collect all sticks of our little slalom course while coming down a straight line.

I’m a bit afraid. Last three times he has failed to collect them all but came down so fast that he almost forgot to look ahead and avoid crashing with other skiers.

My boy is focused. He wants to make it to prove me something. “Am I him pushing too hard?” I think. I grew up with strong entrepreneurial spirit and I have my desire to challenge and compete with others, and for some reason I expect others to behave like me. I want my kids to learn to survive on their own whatever happened, but I don’t want them to do things just to get my acceptance. I want them understand that they are good as they are, but I would love to see them grow strong and independent.

“I’m coming now, dad! Look”.

And I am watching. There he comes, fast and furious. I like his attitude. He is a fighter, but also a fragile child. This is a play he has invented and he likes it, so let’s play.

What’s the result this time? A huge smile and a number of sticks in his little hands.

“I did it!”

“Awesome! You were so fast. I knew you can do it. Now let’s enjoy some hot chocolate, ok?”

I like their philosophies

It is interesting how a small event in life can make you think about something for days and weeks. Few weeks ago my friend and lifelong skier Skipe Oivo told me about a humble Swedish dude who goes big in Chamonix.

“Why not interview Andreas Fransson who is living here with us? He is a really nice dude who skis some pretty nasty mountain faces, AND he looks at skiing from a bit different perspective”, said Skipe. “Yeah, why not. Let me call him this week”, I replied.

Easy access to a nice couloir in in L’Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

I called Andreas by Skype and spent couple of hours chatting about skiing, Chamonix and life. In fact we spoke mostly about life and philosophy. During those days I also happened to read Yvon Chouinard’s “Let My People Go Surfing”. The founder of Patagonia is a climber, surfer and kayaker who cares about people and nature. He is a reluctant businessman who wasn’t supposed to become a business man, but “suddenly” created a $230 million company that has been voted as one of the best 100 companies to work for in the world.

Just like reading Yvon Chouinard’s book Let My People Go Surfing made me stop and think about my own philosophies, also discussion with Andreas Fransson was clearly influential. I recognized that these two gentlemen have something interesting to say, and I should listen up. Both respect life and try to live to the full. They rather live rich and colorful life by doing things that can literally open your eyes instead of sticking to the “holy triangle” of work, milk shop and home. These two men offered me philosophical thoughts that made something “click” in my head.

Secret spot in the backcountry of Chamonix. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

I have been a skier all my life and in the mountains I have experienced moments that are far beyond the imagination of typical nine to five people, but during the last few years I somehow got stuck. My safe but boring 9-5 lifestyle froze my imagination and locked me inside my very own “career prison”. I wasn’t living my life to the full, and in fact I was dead bored. I threw my career goals to a thrasher already some time ago and started bringing the joy back to my life, but every now and then I need a wake up because I easily lose my focus and start working too much again. That is the guilt of a workaholic like me. This time my wake up call was the lessons I learned from Andreas Fransson and Yvon Chouinard.

Andreas Fransson goes big in Chamonix

Born in northern Sweden Andreas Fransson naturally got introduced to skiing during his early years of childhood. His family includes a number of successful cross country skiers who used to train in ski resorts in northern Finland. Andreas tried cross-country skiing but soon realized that alpine skiing was pulling him like a magnet.

Soulskier Andreas Fransson. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

By spending most of his time in ski resorts Andreas learned to ski various terrain from slopes to the backcountry. As a teenager he met Finnish colleagues Jani Johanssen, Joonas Karhumaa and Skipe Oivo, and spent a lot of time in the slopes with these “dirtbags” (a.k.a. die hard skiers).

Passionate young skier went to the Alps (St. Anton) already at the age of 16, but in 2003 he finally discovered the magnificent playground of these young mountains. Not a wonder, because in their first road trip with Joonas Karhumaa they skied resorts such as Verbier, Monte Rosa and Chamonix which are some of the best places for ski mountaineering in Europe. Now as a 26-year-old Andreas Fransson is living in Chamonix, in the headquarter of European mountaineering and backcountry skiing.

Andreas Fransson hucking in Courmayer, Italy. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

Andreas is a smart guy but not interested in MBA and successful career in international companies. He is clearly not a corporate junkie collecting work merits to his CV. Instead he prefers to conquer mountains and work enough to support his lifestyle, and in fact his long and broad experience in skiing has helped with finding perfect jobs. Andreas doesn’t need a CV or resume because to his job as a ski instructor and heli ski guide he has qualified already years ago. No wonder because his best year includes incredible 340-350 days of skiing which is even more than legendary Seth Morrison told me to ski every year. For Andreas this is possible because as soon as summer comes to northern hemisphere he used to take a plane to the southern hemisphere. Nowadays he lives full time in Chamonix, skiing the winters and climbing the summers.

Just like for any of us the road has been bumpy also for Andreas. Enthusiastic skier has been forced to rest due to numerous injuries. Six operations and months of rest during seasons have made him think about life and health. In fact he feels that getting injured might be one of the best things that has happened to him. In my humble opinion this is a good measure to make distinction between an active skier and a “Sunday skier”, because only a pro skier would come up with such a deep philosophical thought.

Just a random rappel in L’Auiguille du Midi, Chamonix. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

Today Andreas feels good and skis a lot. Unlike most of us he doesn’t have a problem to ski alone. When skiing alone he can tune in with  the rythm of the mountain and do things in his own pace following his intuition fully. There are no fears or wills from others, just him and the mountain, in many ways he feels like he learns more like that. When skiing with others he prefers skiing with his closest friends that he can trust in 100%.

I don’t have problems with dying with what I do, but I don’t want that people skiing with me face their destiny, so that’s why I enjoy skiing alone. If I decide to ski with someone I prefer skiing with people that i can trust and that can take care of themselves.. or; good young people who are humble and really want to learn and listen to my directions..

As it was mentioned in the beginning Andreas Fransson goes big in Chamonix. He has courage to ski very challenging backcountry runs where most of us would bail out. He for example solo skied the north face of L’Aiguille du Midi of Chamonix via Mallory couloir already in autumn. Nobody had done that since the 70s. Even though he skis pretty nasty mountain faces he doesn’t consider very extreme runs as any kind of highlights in his life. His highlight is more like a day during which intuition and experience have come into play.

It was actually pretty surprising that skiing the Mallory in autumn became a “big thing” here in Chamonix. I mean I like doing these sorts of things for the adventure in itself and wasn’t counting on that attention really..

Andreas has shown his capabilities also in competitions since his first telemark freeride event in Riksgränsen in 2000. He was second in Scandinavian championships of telemark skiing in 2003 and second in Engadin snow invitational in 2008, but unfortunately got injured and decided to have a break with competitions. Although getting injured forced him to rest, the biggest reason for the break is more philosophical. He just didn’t feel like racing at that time, and therefore he decided to focus on adventures and freeskiing.

Andreas Fransson freeriding in Marecottes, Switzerland. Photo by Patrik Lindqvist.

Andreas is supported by a few companies. He receives all needed clothing from Haglöfs while he skis on all the Nordica freeride skis from Girish to Jah Love and Enforcer with race bindings or Dynafits when ski mountaineering. All protection gear and goggles’ he receives from POC. In addition to skiing he also climbs rock and ice about 150 days a year, and he is currently studying to become a UIAGM mountain guide. Climbing gives him confidence to ski big mountains.

If not skiing or climbing, Andreas likes to read a lot. He is also in love with yoga and tai chi that clearly support his philosophical thinking. But he is more into their applications in to everyday then in the movements in themselves. He is curious to learn new things, and maybe that’s why he is also learning French. As a professional skier he travels a lot which is a great way to learn about life and yourself.

Skiing is my yoga

Andreas does not believe in statistics. You don’t hear him bragging about what he has done in the mountains. In fact  he is not looking for huge drops or nasty places in order to add yet another line in his never ending list of killed mountains. Instead you can hear him talking about something deeper and philosophical and the beauty of life.

Andreas Fransson charging the backcountry of Chamonix. Photo by Patrik Lindqvist.

Skiing for Andreas is his yoga and a tool to learn about life. He skis very challenging mountains in order to learn about life and himself. Surviving alone in difficult mountains gives a tremendous possibility to learn about ones strengths and weaknesses. Up there you can find your limits and even stretch them. Back in the valley you know yourself a bit better.

Hold on! Let’s have a bit more precise definition of yoga by his own words: “first of all one has to understand what a yogi is. It’s someone who never sleeps.. not physically of course, but in his mind. He or she is always awake, fully conscius. I think skiing and most action sports can drag you in to that state or level of consciousness”, says Andreas.

“I ski because it brings me joy just like to anyone else, but I’m also interested in question why.. Why does it bring joy (and so much more) to me and so many others? What are the mechanics behind the joy it brings? I say its because it drags us in to this present moment, and then the next question is; why would that bring us joy? Because feeling fully present we lack nothing. We don’t need to add something, everything is like it is – we are whole, and so everything is perfect. It’s a perfect state. Try it out right now and you will see, and watch what happens to your skiing or whatever you do when you succeed in applying it to your life”, states Andreas.

“From another point of view my skiing can be related to the subject of fear which also can have to do with being in this moment, and/or about being whole as a human being, not divided. Being divided gives doubt, which is fear.. and so on. Or it can be related to skiing and society in the sense of how the ski world is just a small model of the much bigger world and how the same mechanics, action-reaction and so on are working in our ski towns in the same as in any town all over the world.. Basically you can take any subject and it all relates to the world. We just hide ourselves behind our skis and hope or think that we are different. I don’t think we are”, concludes Andreas.

According to our soulskier there are lots of people to whom skiing is a way to learn about life. No matter if people are business men, ski bums, students or even unemployed, they all get into their “special moment” when skiing. Days in the mountains make them happy. “Some people are looking for a meaning in their lives, so why not through skiing?” asks Andreas. “There are lots of unhappy people out there. They can help themselves understand more about their lives by skiing.. or of course by anything they do, but manytimes doing something one loves, that still provides fear and holds you in the grip of this moment is one of the greatest catalysts“, continues Andreas.

Climbing in order to access a nice backcountry run in Chamonix. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

I believe I got the point from our discussion. Andreas is looking for answers to philosophical questions and he is using skiing as his vehicle to find the answers. He has clearly stepped into next level of “philosophical skiing”, so that’s why we immediately called him “The Soulskier”.

My discussion with Andreas was truly an eye opening moment. I have lost my passion to discover the world and set myself physical challenges. I have drifted away from the soul of skiing and I have become part of the machine, a real “cubicle ninja”. I am not really proud of it, but I have recognized my root cause for the lack of joy. As a father of three kids I have responsibilities and certain limitations to ski the mountains like I used to, but I learned my lesson from my “Zen master of skiing”. There is more than just skiing in skiing. I will keep this in mind when chasing sticks or checking the backcountry with my son next weekend.

All photographs by Patrik Lindqvist. Remember to check out his cool shots in his website. Also don’t forget to check more Patrik’s amazing shots in Outdooria image agency.

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From these Facebook messages I got an idea to write about skiing the classic backcountry runs because many of our readers would like to ski the backcountry, but they are lacking information. So this is a kick start to a whole new article series called “Riding Classic Backcountry Runs”.

And now comes the disclaimer. Please notice that these articles are just for your information. These articles help you to spot new runs to ski, but in order to survive you need much more than just a pair of skis and these articles printed in your pocket. Skiing the backcountry is dangerous, and skiing mountain face like the north face of L’Aiguille du Midi can kill you. It is serious, so take it seriously, but have fun. Never go alone in to the mountains. Make sure you have a guide or someone who is clearly experienced.

Riding Glacier Rond of Chamonix

It was back in 1997 when I landed in Chamonix my very first time. I didn’t know anyone there, so I was a real newbie. I knew I had to find skibums who were willing to take me to the mountains with them because alone I would probably end up dying.

Soon I met other Finns, so it was pretty easy to join them after couple of wild after ski parties. These guys were helluva good skiers. They had very ambitious goals to ski pretty scary places, but they were not sure about my skills, so it took me about 2-3 weeks to convince my new friends. After that I was introduced to the Gods of powder snow and steep couloirs.

During my first season in Chamonix I met Jarkko Henttonen, one of the pioneers of the sport in Finland. We all knew him from magazines and stories (check Trey Cook’s article in which Jarkko and Ode Siivonen are part of the story), but meeting him in person was really cool. Anyhow, even “cooler” was to ski with Jarkko who back in the day was already one of the best freeriders in the world. It was a privilege to learn from an experienced mountain man.

In this article I am going to present you Glacier Rond which is one of the best known backcountry runs of Chamonix. Even though I have skied it many times, I wanted ask way more experienced Jarkko Henttonen few questions of riding Glacier Rond.

Jarkko, how would you describe Glacier Rond, one of the classic backcountry runs of Chamonix?

I wouldn’t describe it as a backcountry run actually, as it is more in the frontside of things. I mean, it´s visible from the valley and has lift access. Anyways, first of all, it’s pretty big. The top of the run is at about 3600 meters and the bottom is like 700-800 meters lower and it is fairly steep, too. Rond is quite a straightforward and rather clean line, and I think it is a quite beauty.

It’s divided into two sections: the top section is a face, basically a hanging glacier and the lower section is a big nice couloir. The face is quite airy, has a bit intimidating entry into it and it is also somewhat exposed, too, so it has a cool ambiance. The face is about 200-300 m high and it ends up in a pretty massive drop on the bottom of it. Fun place to be for sure, but also bit scary. The couloir is straight and eases out towards the bottom, so it´s bit more fun riding.

A great run, no doubt, true classic for sure.

How difficult and exposed is Glacier Rond?

I don’t know if it has any kind of sort of more official difficulty rating, but I’d say it would drop into somewhere like grade D, dificile, or difficult. Lou Dawson, the American guy who runs the Wildsnow blog, has this rating system called D-system and I feel Rond would be somewhere around D 10 or something like that.

The difficulty of the Rond has a lot to do with conditions as you can see in my photo. On this day on the face there was about 10cm of super dry sugar on top of blue ice – terrifying. Down in the couloir and below it was more of the cold dry sugar without the ice beneath – wonderful. As you know, sharp edges are always a good call for the Rond. Trey Cook from ChamonixInsider.

Photo by Trey Cook of ChamonixInsider. Skier James Morland

It has some exposure. As I said, the top part of the route is a hanging glacier that ends up in a big cliff, and if you’d go over that for some reason, for example an avalanche, chances for survival would be as close to zero as they can get.

It’s quite a popular route, and when it’s good quite a few people do it. On best, or worst depending on the point of view, there is heaps of people going there. Probably dozens, sometimes.

When did YOU discover Glacier Rond first time and what made you interested in it?

I first did it in 1993. I think I heard about it or saw it the previous year. Looking at it from across the valley from Le Brevant it looks really cool. Of course you only see the top face, as the couloir is hidden behind the rocks, but it sure looks pretty sweet. It also looks kinda crazy.

Photo by randomnificstuph

Back then not that many people did it, it wasn’t ridden frequently, and it was sort of a thing to do. It was a bit of test piece, and sort of a small adventure to go there. Kinda one step further.

Things are bit different nowadays, standards have progressed, or at least changed, and it’s not that big of a deal to do it anymore.

How challenging or risky riding is Glacier Rond?

It of course depends on how good a skier or a snowboarder you are. If you are a solid rider, can handle steeps and ride in all kinds of snow conditions, including hard snow, and have some understanding about risks and risk management in the mountains et cetera, it’s not that big of a challenge.

But sure it is a risky undertaking. Hard core guys and girls have been in big troubles there. if you screw up there, you can be toast. So, it really is not a place to fool around. For example making a fall could be fatal in some conditions. I’ve seen people fall there, and nothing happened, but I’m not gonna recommend that for anybody.

What other challenges skiers might be faced with up there?

Avalanche risk has to be considered. Getting caught in an bigger avy on the top face.. Well, I don’t even want to think about that too much. The couloir is big and long as well, it would be a pretty cool descent in itself, and if that goes things are for sure going to be bad.

The run ends up in the Glacier du Bossons, and some crevasses may have to be navigated or crossed, so some glacier skills are necessary as well.

The way back either to mid station of Midi lift is not complicated, but it’s still pretty wild mountain environment, and the ride down to the tunnel can also be hectic at times, as some guys have found out.  There are some deep holes in that glacier and it would be bad to fall in to one of those. So pay attention to the crevasses.

Big parts of the traverse back to the lift most definitely is avalanche terrain, so that has to be taken into account. Then there is one more glacier to be crossed, an some glacial moraines has to be crossed, too, and those can have some loose rocks. More less from the minute you leave the safety of the top of Aiguille du Midi till the moment you get away from the mountain you are exposed to some kind of risks, and those should never be underestimated.

Basically it has all the dangers big mountains tend to have.

How would you instruct those skiing or riding Glacier Rond first time?

Be cautious, play it safe, don’t push it too hard and have a good time!

A good day there, though, is just splendid, very good fun, and if you have the skills to go, go for it!

Copyright © freerideworldtour.com / C. Margot

Last season we had our own boy Jarkko Henttonen working as a judge, and he reported directly from the battle field such as Sochi freeride event. Also our very own freeride ladies Anni Karvinen (made it almost to the podium) and Kaisa Härkönen toured all events. This year they won’t join, but Jarkko will continue working as a judge. Naturally Homeboys will follow and report directly from the mountains..

Freeride Elite United for the Freeride World Tour

A unique mix of the world’s foremost freeride skiers and snowboarders have all confirmed their participation in the Freeride World Tour 2010, with the prize purse of no less than $206 200. The athletes will see a new event on the 2010 Tour calendar, the Nissan Freeride de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, with scheduled competition day on January 30.

“The fluidity in the choice of lines, the perfection of technical jumps combined with speed, has pushed freeriding into a new era. Chamonix-Mont-Blanc hosted one of the first European freeride contests in 1994, and we have decided to continue our involvement in freeriding with the second stage of the Freeride World Tour 2010,” stated Éric Fournier, Mayor of the mythical freeride mecca of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc.

Copyright © freerideworldtour.com / C. Margot

Professional athletes with a serious commitment to the sport and with different backgrounds such as freestyle, alpine skiing, boarder cross, or filming for important film productions, is pushing the sport of freeriding to even higher levels, promising an eventful season for the Freeride World Tour 2010.

A good example is snowboarder Xavier de Le Rue (FRA) – two-time Freeride World Champion (2009, 2008), and four time World Champion in boarder cross (2001-2003, 2007), competing for France at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, parallel to defending his World Champion title in freeride: “Freeride and boarder cross are really complementary; boarder cross develops technicality, speed and stability, which has meant a lot for my freeriding career, and in freeriding the depth of one’s mental capacity is probably one of the most exceptional aspects, the mind’s total focus when riding a difficult face. ”

Copyright © freerideworldtour.com / C. Margot

Riders qualified for first stage of the FWT* (with Freeride World Ranking indicated or wild card/WC) are listed below.

Ski Men (20)
1. Aurelien Ducroz FRA
2. Reine Barkered SWE
3. Sverre Liliequist SWE
4. Matthias Haunholder AUT
5. Henrik Windstedt SWE
6. Thibaud Duchosal FRA
7. Raphy Gillioz SUI
8. Seb Michaud FRA
9. Thomas Diet FRA
10. Kaj Zackrisson SWE
11. Torgrim Vole NOR
12. Griffin Post USA
WC. Stefan Hausl AUT
WC. Adrien Coirier FRA
WC. Richard Permin FRA
WC. JT Holmes USA
WC. Phil Meier SUI
WC. Cody Townsend USA
WC. Tim Dutton USA
WC. Sebastian Hannemann GER
WC. Egor Srokin RUS

Snowboard Men (10)
1. Xavier De Le Rue FRA
3. Max Zipser AUT
4. Matt Annetts USA
6. Mitch Toelderer AUT
7. Flo Orley AUT
8. Will Brommelsiek USA
WC. Eric Themel AUT
WC. Cyril Neri SUI
WC. Niklas Hollsten FIN
WC. Egor Druzhinin RUS

Ski Women (9)
1. Ane Enderud NOR
2. Marja Persson SWE
3. Jess Mc Millan USA
4. Elyse Saugstad USA
WC. Rebecka Eriksson SWE
WC. Caroline Meynet FRA
WC. Janette Hargin SWE
WC. Stina Jakobsson SWE
WC. Crystal Wright USA

Snowboard Women (4)
1. Susan Mol USA
2. Aline Bock GER
WC. Vivian Aasen NOR
WC. Maria Kuzma NZL

*The first stage of the FWT10 for male riders is Nissan Russian Adventure by Swatch in Sochi, Russia, 21 January. The first stage of the FWT10 for female riders is Nissan Freeride de Chamonix in France, 30 January

The 2010 Freeride World Tour’s four stages

1. NISSAN RUSSIAN ADVENTURE BY SWATCH – SOCHI, RUSSIA (January 21st 2010)

2. NISSAN FREERIDE OF CHAMONIX-MONT-BLANC – FRANCE (January 30th 2010)

3. NISSAN TRAM FACE – SQUAW VALLEY USA – UNITED STATES (February 27th 2010)

4. NISSAN XTREME BY SWATCH – VERBIER, SWITZERLAND (March 20th 2010)

“If there’s no risk, there’s no adventure“, says Bill Briggs who was the first to ski Grand Teton. Bill was later named as the father of backcountry skiing in United States.

“There’s nobody out there with signs, there’s no ropes, there’s no patrol men, there’s nobody taking care of you on the slopes. It’s not a ski area“, said Doug Coombs in ski movie Steep.

Extreme skiing is skiing performed on long, steep (typically from 45 to 60+ degrees, or grades of 100 to 170 percent) slopes in dangerous terrain, outside the ski area boundaries. The French coined the term ‘Le Ski Extreme’ in the 1970s. The first practitioners include Swiss skier Sylvain Saudan, who invented the “windshield wiper” turn in the mid-1960s and in 1967 made the first descents of slopes in the Swiss, French and Italian Alps that were previously considered impossible. Because of the extremely long, steep slopes, and dangerous terrain, single mistakes at the wrong moment by some extreme skiers have led to their deaths. [Wikipedia 2009]

Riding the legendary north face of l’Aiguille du Midi via Mallory-Porter

Homeboy team rider Jarkko Henttonen discovered Chamonix in the beginning of 1990s, and since those days he has ridden many of the classic extreme runs, such as the north face of l’Aiguille du Midi via Mallory-Porter couloir. Although Jarkko did Mallory some time ago already I wanted to hear more about preparing and riding probably one of the best known extreme route. Here’s my discussion with Jarkko.

Jarkko, how would you first of all define the term “classic extreme ski descent”?

Extreme descent is a ski route which is big, steep and hazardous. Extreme skiing is a game that was developed in Chamonix over the past century. Chamonix, as we all know, is the birth place of mountaineering and it was just natural that folks who were climbing all over mountains started to ski all over mountains as well. In 30s and 40s some of the pioneers of the sport skied in pretty funny places, especially considering the gear they had. The sport stared to develop faster after the WW II when modern ski gear came out, and modern extreme skiing started in the end of the 1960s when Sylvan Saudan started to explore steep faces and couloirs in the Aiguilles du Chamonix and other big peaks in the Massif du Mont Blanc. Or so the story goes, at least.

The definition of extreme skiing, or snowboarding, if that is your sport, is that if you fall, or even loose control, you can expect to die sometime very soon. This happens because the slope you are riding is so steep that you won´t be able to regain control and you´ll fall all the way down to the bottom of the slope, hitting rocks and falling over rock or ice cliffs or whatever may be on your way. Basically you are tumbling down for a long time like a rag doll, not being able to do a thing to save your sorry ass.

Classic descent, in turn, is a ski route that has usually been opened up sometime ago, say in 60s, 70s or in some cases in the 80s, and that has some qualities that make it desirable. What I mean is that the route must have somehow aesthetic, historical or other such  value that lures people to it.

How did you come up with the idea of riding the north face of l’Aiguille du Midi via Mallory-Porter?

Someone, likely my friend Marko Virtanen, showed it to me. Check it out, that´s Mallory there! And like most everybody at first I didn´t even see where it was. I was like, where? This was in the beginning of 90s, I think in 1992.

The first ski descent of the route was done in 1977, I think, and with snowboards, which was still pretty new then, in 89 0r 90. The route had bit of aura on it back then. If you had done it, you were elite, pure and simple. I´d say that despite some trends and changes in attitudes that is still true. It´s a test-piece.

Next year, in 93, I was getting into extreme riding a little bit, and kinda started looking at Mallory, too. That kinda stuff was solely domain of french extreme athletes back then, and I wondered if I´d ever be good enough. I mean, I come from Finland, and how much tradition we have in that kinda stuff? To start with we don´t even have that kinda stuff in Finland, nothing like it, our highest so called mountain is like, what, less than 1300 m and about as flat as the earth was during the middle age. Our country is like a pancake. Anyways, that year a late friend of mine, Jukka Sistonen, skied it with another late friend, Alain Moroni, a french mountain guide and a pioneer of extreme snowboarding, and another frenchie, David Ravanel, a skier and a mountain guide whom I´ve only met a couple of times. I realized that this kinda stuff is also possible for flatlanders,  and from then on I really wanted to do it.

By the way, during 93-95 or even bit later, there was some kind of a change going on in attitudes. I´d say that´s when freeride started to develop big time, and that had an effect on a lot of things that were happening up in the mountains. New school freestyle skiing started to develop then, and similar thing happened in freeride, too. It´s going to be interesting to see what happens now that the two are really starting to merge, with guys like Travis Rice and the likes really getting into back-country freeriding…

How and how long did you prepare for this endeavor?

Quite a while. From the day I realized it´s there and I can do it, it took me about 8 years to actually make the descent. Either it was in condition and I wasn´t or I wasn´t there, or if I was good to go, the route wasn´t. Gotta be patient. If I had been in Chamonix all the time, probably I would have made it much earlier. I almost did it in 95, but missed my chance by about an hour or two.

Could you tell us about that day? How were the snow conditions, how did you feel?

I rode it with Antti Kurola, the day before Verbier Xtreme in 2001, in the beginning of April. I don´t remember anymore who it was but anyways somebody told me that it had been skied and that it is in condition. I´d been in Verbier for about 10 days or something, waiting for the Xtreme to take place, it was delayed due to weather and snow conditions, and was planning to go back home to Finland right after the contest, and since I had nothing better to do, I decided to go have a look.

So, we woke up in Verbier around 4 o´clock in the morning, drove to Chamonix, bought the lift passes to Aiguille du Midi, took the tram up and had a good look at the face from the mid-station. It looked good enough and we went up with the second lift and had a good look at the route from the lift, as well as from the top station. Even from closer it look kinda ok, so we decided to ride it.

We did not drop in from the entrance of the icy tunnel, which would have been better. The top was icy, so we opted to traverse to the ridge from top of Eperon Frendo. It was pretty cool feeling to drop in, after such a long wait. I mean, eight years is quite a long wait.

I went first and Antti came after me. We were both pretty stoked. Antti likes his big lines, he is or at least was into skiing steeps.

The traverse was ok, but the snow on the ridge was sorta hardish. Antti made the first turn and we just laughed. Whoa, here we go! Nowadays Mallory is ridden constantly if the conditions are good, but back then it was still sort of a big deal to do it, and definitely it was a big deal for us, especially for me.

Some guys have done it in like 15 minutes or something, but we wanted to take it easy and enjoy the ambiance… So, we took our time, I think it took us about 2 hours or something to go from the top to the bottom of the face.

The kinda has five or six different sections. First it goes down this broad ridge, which is mostly snow up high, then lower down it has big rocks sticking out of the snow all over. The top part was in sorta bad condition, it was not icy but the snow was quite hard so we had to take it easy. Lower down on the ridge, in this kinda shallow bowl thing it was better and we could relax a bit. Then you drop into this quite steep couloir that is above some gnarly drops. The snow was good there, so it was pretty ok doing that bit. Then you enter this sorta big diagonal ramp with at least partial double fall line with pretty big exposure above cliffs. It was bigger than it looks, so you don´t really feel the exposure that bad if you don´t go to the edge. I of course went, especially at the bottom of it I had to go look over the edge. I reckon I made my most precise turn ever there. Then you traverse to this patch of snow that is pretty damn steep, and really exposed. It was hard making turns there, the snow was bit weird. Stable and solid, sure, but not too smooth, it felt kinda grippy. From there you traverse on this little ramp to a spot from where you make a I think about 25-30 meter rappel to this steepish ramp. Once you are there, you should be fine. The ramps leads into a couloir, which opens up underneath the face. The whole thing is about 1000 m high, I´d say most of the way it´s most definitely at least 40-45 degrees steep, with long sections of about 50 degree incline and the steepest parts are about 55 degrees. It´s a radical route to ride, for sure, and the guys who opened it up in 1977 must have been super fucking stoked to do it. I mean, it´s right there, underneath the lift, and because of this, it´s unique. No other place in the world like this.

What were the highlights of riding Mallory-Porter?

The whole thing. First waiting for years and then one day waking up in Verbier, driving to Chamonix, going up, riding down, driving back… The whole thing was just such a fun thing to do.

Maybe the funniest thing was when we were about to do the rappel, and decided to call to Arto Majava, our buddy, who for sure would have wanted to be with us, but was back home instead. It was sorta early in the morning so we woke him up. I asked him how he is, he said ok, then he asked what we are up to, and I told him, trying to be as casual as possible, that we are on Mallory, about to do the rap, and then there was just a very long silence on the other end of the line.

How difficult is it to ride this classic off-piste run? To what would you compare it?

I wouldn´t really call it an off-piste run. Off-piste run is something way easier. Anyways, it is quite difficult. Not out of this world, though. I mean, I´ve done it, so more or less anybody can do if they really want it enough. And as I said, guys have done it in like 15 minutes, and if it is on, people do it a lot, it´s a mogulfield on the best, or the worst days.

As I described, it has some rather steep sections, and it is exposed all the way. In some places I´d say it is very exposed: you are riding above huge cliffs, and it feels really airy. I´d say it falls into extreme descent category, and if you do fall you have a pretty big risk to die. Then again, I´m quite sure somebody has fallen, or at least slipped there and not died, but in some sections I´d say it´s guaranteed death if you loose control, start sliding and cannot stop.

I wouldn´t compare it to normal riding at all. In some respect this kind of riding is closer to free solo climbing than anything else. Mallory is not particularly difficult extreme descent, but still, scary and difficult enough.

Would you do it again?

I would, if it´s in good condition and I´m in good condition, too. Right now I´m not.

What would you like to say to those who are planning to ride Mallory-Porter?

For those who are actually really planning it: have a great time when you get to go, it´s an awesome route! For those are thinking about it: make 100% sure you are ready for it. It´s really not a place where you go find out whether or not you are able to do what needs to be done. Test yourself somewhere else.

In the video below Fred Syversen talks about his world record jump, his feelings right before the jump and in the air, as well as the aftermath. Fred was interviewed by Retro Sunday fellows in Chamonix last March.

Remember to check also our in depth interview with Fred Syversen if you haven’t already seen it!

It was a sunny morning on 1996 when legendary backcountry skiing pioneer Trevor Petersen headed to Glacier Rond. He was alone. Trevor was an experienced skier, and Glacier Ronde was pretty easy challenge for him, but that day Trevor had bad luck. Nobody knows exactly what happened, but Trevor’s dead body was found in the end of Exit Couloir of Glacier Rond. It was a sad day. The world had lost a great icon pioneer and of the sport.

12 years later Trevor’s son Kye Petersen travels to Chamonix with legendary bad boy Glen Plake and Bill Kerig’s film crew. They are about to shoot a document movie of Kye Petersen skiing Glacier Rond in memory of his father. Despite of his young age (15) Kye Petersen is very skillful skier, but at that time he had not had much experience in the big mountains. It was not easy for Bill Kerig to bring a teenager to dangerous mountains and the whole story on how it went can now be seen in The Edge of Never ski movie.

The Edge of Never is a document, not a traditional ski movie

Just like the Steep ski movie, The Edge of Never is a document film. It’s a long story told in chronological order, starting from the early days when Trevor Petersen and Eric Pehota conquer the high mountains of Alaska, continuing to mid 1990s and the tragedy of Trevor Petersen, and finally focusing on young Kye Petersen and his trip to Chamonix.

The Edge of Never ski movie is very well written and told. It is a touching document that sometimes makes you drop a tear, sometimes shout “hell yeah!”, and sometimes feel like the owner of the world. The Edge of Never really pulls you into the world of skiing, instead it looks at things from different perspective. Although The Edge of Never shows you how tragic and fragile life can be, it also shows how you really can live your life to the fullest by traveling around the world, skiing the big mountains, hanging out with great buddies and doing what you love the most every day.

What I really like the most in The Edge of Never movie is having a change to see into the world of Kye Petersen. I heard about this young kid years ago, but I never knew he was actually THAT good already at the age of 15. First it made me feel sad to see little Kye in his father’s funeral, but watching him charging the big mountains some 15 years later made me really happy for him.  I am glad to see Kye living his life to the fullest.

Few highlights in The Edge of Never ski movie

There are few absolutely mind-blowing scenes in this ski movie, heres a list of those that you need to watch at least once in your lifetime.

• Glen Plake driving his fast boat (Oh boy, it just looks sooooooo fun. Glen rocks!)
• Trevor Petersen and Eric Pehota killing the mountains back in the early 90’s (Classic)
• 15 years old Kye Petersen riding park (Amazing. So amazingly skillful kid)
• Legendary Anselme Baud skiing Couloir Gervasutti back 1970’s (Everyone should see this)
• Fanfan riding powder (Probably the best combination of powder skiing and music. Really!)
• Anselme Baud throwing helis (Yeah, try it yourself in your sixties. Still going strong!)
• Doug Coombs talking to Key (These are the last pictures of this legendary ski mountaineer)
• Kye Petersen riding Tantalus Range (Simply stunning..)
• Eric Pehota skiing with his sons (I’ve got kids too. I love riding with my little dudes)

The Edge of Never will not leave you disappointed

So, what is the result of this ski movie review? We are not movie critics, but we know what makes a good ski movie, what makes a lousy ski movie and what makes a great ski movie. The Edge of Never is simply great. No, it’s awesome. Get yourself a copy, you won’t be disappointed.

Order The Edge of Never DVD from their webshop (price $30).

The Edge of Never homepage

Thanks Bill for giving Homeboys a chance to watch The Edge of Never among the first ones. We really appreciate it!

In 1996, many things changed. Trevor Petersen, the extremely talented and brilliant big mountain rider, perished in an avalanche as he was skiing the Glacier du Ronde’s exit couloir on Chamonix. His body was found in a sitting position on the edge of the glacier, his spine broken, with his face toward the majestically rugged Mont Blanc. This tragic event had a clear impact on Eric Pehota’s life, but he didn’t forsake skiing and the mountains. Now, nearly 13 years after the tragedy, we called Eric to ask how his life is going.

Good Evening, Eric Pehota

It is 6:00 a.m. Finnish time, but at Whistler in British Columbia, Canada, it is 8:00 p.m. The skiing legend Eric Pehota answers his phone with a masculine and rugged voice that is simultaneously friendly and polite.

”Hello Eric, this is Marko with Homeboy Ski online ski magazine. We agreed to an interview for this evening. Is now a suitable time to talk?” I was a bit nervous in starting the conversation since Eric Pehota along with Trevor Petersen had been my role model for many years. I remember my last years of high school when I would look at pictures and videos of Eric and Trevor skiing and dream of skiing in mountains as enchantingly beautiful and challenging as the ones they skied.

”This is a very good time to talk. I just got back from a hunting trip, so this is perfect. What would you like to talk about?” asked Eric.

My nervousness subsides and I feel more relaxed once I note that Eric is in a great mood and is receptive to the idea of being interviewed. Even though I’m not calling Eric for the first time, I still feel a sort of respectful nervousness toward my role model of yesteryear.

”I have loads of questions and only a few hours of time, so I’ll try to be succinct”, I tell Eric. I know that the interview could easily stretch on for hours, as I would have millions of questions for the skiing hero whose doings I have followed closely for many years. Unfortunately we are not sitting in armchairs before the fire with beer bottles in hand, but rather we must plow through the interview systematically..  So, it’s time to talk about skiing the big mountains.

Roots on Whistler Mountain

I am a 34-year-old and I feel like an old geezer in the company of new school skiers. I can’t quite pull tricks like double flips or 720-degree spins, but I’m not alone. Eric Pehota has also aged over the years and he is no longer as active in skiing as he was in the early 1990s. As a result, there are sure to be many among us to whom Eric Pehota is an unknown great, or then there are those who haven’t heard much of him since the mid-90s.

Eric Pehota is now a 44-year-old and lives in the village of Pemberton on the north side of Whistler. Trevor Petersen’s son, Kye Petersen, who is a 19-year-old rising star, lives only a kilometer from Eric. Eric Pehota has a wife and two boys, who are 12 and 13 years of age. They, naturally enough, are active Alpine skiers. The boys enjoy back country skiing just like their dad does, but Eric wants the boys to train and compete regularly on race courses in order to maintain a certain rhythm and discipline in life.

Eric Pehota skis 80-120 in a year. He is a genuine mountain man who lives and breathes big mountain air. His skiing is based on true passion. Eric has several sponsors (Rossignol, Oakley, Arc’teryx, Leki poles, Whistler/Blackcomb) and he is still an active skier, although more selective on the projects he works on. Eric skies on his own terms and enjoys every moment in nature and on the mountain.

Eric Pehota grew up in the northern part of British Columbia on a high mountain. His family moved from Mackenzie (a small town in northern British Columbia) into the mountains when he was a small boy. They did not have television, a phone or video games in their home. As a matter of fact, they did not even have electricity, and the family survived for the most part on logging. The family had ample time to play cards and be with other family members, which is not necessarily very common in modern families.

Eric Pehota’s childhood was quite different than children’s lives today, but Eric was happy and satisfied. He had everything he needed. The daily, 140-kilometer trip to school did not even bother him because he got to ski to the highway and then back home every day.

Through cross-country skiing, Eric Pehota got interested in Alpine skiing. A nearby, 600-meter mountain in the northern Rocky Mountains in British Columbia had one ski resort called Azu ski village. There was one T-bar ski lift with which Eric began his downhill-skiing career. The small boy most likely did not realize what sorts of adventures skiing would soon draw him into.

Eric Pehota meets Trevor Petersen

In 1984, Eric Pehota met Trevor Petersen at Whistler. Trevor was a young, talented skateboarder and freeskier. The men became best friends who went on to ski dozens of first runs on high mountains. Eric and Trevor spend lots of time in the mountains hiking and skiing until skiing movies made them a well-known duo.

Eric and Trevor were a fortunate pair because, as pioneers in the field, they were drawn into the big skiing movies of that era. By appearing in skiing videos, Eric and Trevor were able to travel around the world and ski in exotic places, such as the Chugach mountains in Alaska.

Eric and Trevor lived a happy time in their lives, full of adventures in places where only few had the opportunity to go. “It was a real adventure. I enjoyed the pioneer status because I got to do what I loved the most. The time in the mountains with Trevor was very rewarding because after demanding and challenging runs I really felt alive”, says Eric Pehota.

Dream days in the mountains? For sure no helicopters and frenzied activity

Eric and Trevor skied many mountains, each more beautiful and challenging than the last. Which of those thousands of runs was the best? Or is it even possible to name any one run the best? Yes, it is. “The best single run in my life was Pontoon Peak on a mountain named Mount Meteorite. At the time it was one of my biggest runs. Pontoon Peak is about 1000 meters high, a steep, 45 or 50-degree north mountain face. Before our run there was a snowstorm, which left a layer of powder up to my chest. It was an awesome day”, says Eric Pehota.

Well, the past is past, and many of us remember awesome runs afterwards, but what kind of day is Eric Pehota’s dream day on the mountains? Would it be, for example, heliskiing in Haines, Alaska, with Seth Morrison and Seth McConkey? Not exactly, though that such a day on the mountain would of course interest Eric Pehota. Rather, his dream day would be something else entirely.

”My dream day skiing? That’s an easy question“, declares Eric Pehota. “I would wake up my two sons at 6 in the morning, check the weather forecast, and we would head to the mountain before sunrise. The boys and I would ski soft powder in the murky light of dawn”, he depicts. No helicopters, no hubbub, no frenzied hype. Only the silence of the mountain and powder skiing with his own children.

Fast jetboat ride upstream through the rapids

Eric Pehota is a self-sufficient entrepreneur. In his own words, he has all he needs, such as a house, a garden, chickens and turkeys in the backyards, the ability to keep his own vehicles running, etc. Eric does not want to be dependent on anyone, nor does he owe anything to anyone. For example, he has never borrowed money from the bank.

Eric is not from a wealthy family, but earthly treasures are not what he is after. He is satisfied with what he has, and if he needs something, he gets it by working toward his goal. He earns his livelihood by doing work and food comes from his own garden as well as from the bounty of the land, since Eric Pehota is an avid hunter.

Eric Pehota’s family business runs a white water jetboat ride service in Whistler. Eric pilots his customers in a specially built boat. While normal most boats only go downstream, Eric pilots his boat both downstream and upstream. The boat carries 6-8 passengers at a time and can travel at speeds of up to 72 kilometers an hour. The boat can even be used in unbelievably shallow water, only 10-15 cm deep. As you might expect, Eric himself maintenances his boat.

The business has a very good history and there have been no serious accidents. One of Eric’s customers praised the jetboat ride to the skies, saying it was one of the best things you could do at Whistler. So, if you ever travel to Whistler, think seriously about taking a ride in Eric Pehota’s jetboat.

Since Eric has all he needs, does for work what he wishes, and has skied the world’s mountains with another pioneer of the field, I asked him what the best thing to ever happen to him was. Eric’s answer was exactly what I as a father of four expected. “I have two boys and a wife, and I couldn’t imagine life without them. Everything else besides them is just a bonus. Nothing else means anything”.

Trevor Petersen unexpected death left a gaping hole in Eric Pehota’s heart

“There comes a time when one must risk something, or sit forever with one’s dreams”
- quote found written in one of Trevor Petersen’s notebooks.

On a February morning in 1996, Trevor Petersen went by himself to ski Chamonix’ classic off-piste run, Glacier du Ronde. Although Trevor was a very experienced and practiced mountain-goer, he met his end at the Ronde glacier’s exit couloir. A massive avalanche pulled Trevor into its cold embrace. When his friends below in the village of Chamonix became concerned, a helicopter patrol went to search for Trevor. He was found dead at the end of the exit couloir. Trevor and Eric’s path as a pair of friends ended in a way that all freeskiers fear. Eric was left with warm memories and a gaping hole in his heart.

”Trevor was like a brother to me. He was a passionate adventurer and a trustworthy partner, and he always had an admirably dedicated attitude toward free skiing and the mountains. This sport has its own risks and you just have to accept them. The same tragedy could have been my fate as well”, says Eric Pehota.

Trevor Petersen was mourned by friends as well as his wife and two children, of whom one is now at 19 years of age a very well-known freeskier, Kye Petersen. Following in his father’s footsteps, he is a very talented skier, but also a very obstinate young man.

”Kye goes skiing with us every now and then since after all he lives only a kilometer from us. Kye reminds me a lot of his father. He has a strong will and personality. Kye is nice, intelligent, and learns quickly, just like Trevor. On the other hand, Kye does things exactly as he wishes, and he doesn’t have any patience for those who are not on the same page as him“, says Eric Pehota.

They say, ”time turns memories to gold”. People have a tendency to forget the bad things. I asked Eric Pehota what was his best memory of the times he and Trevor conquered the mountains together.

”Hmm, it’s hard to name one single best memory, since there were so many good times…”

After thinking for a moment, Eric recalls one of the best memories of his time with Trevor. Surprisingly, the pioneer of freeskiing tells of a memory that has nothing to do with skis and snow.

”As a matter of fact, one great memory often comes to mind, and it is from the time when Trevor and I were surfing on the west coast of North America years ago. I remember how when we paddled over the waves I looked Trevor in the eye and saw the feeling of joy and happiness that blazed in his soul. He was in his element. He lived life to the fullest and loved every moment, and you could see this in his eyes. I feel privileged to have been able to share all those moments with Trevor”.

Life continues and the sport develops

Eric Pehota has experienced the kinds of moments on the mountains that only very few people have the opportunity to experience. These include a wealth of fine times and success, but also misfortune and sorrow. He has not left the mountains for good, though, because nowadays he goes on skiing and hunting trips with his children.

Eric’s children represent the new school of skiers who, in addition to big mountains, are also interested in pipes, parks, and streets. I asked Eric how he feels about the changes in skiing over the past few years and what he thinks of the future of skiing.

”I think it’s great that the sport is developing. Everyone loves to ski powder, but for example parks and pipes are also excellent entertainment, which brings a whole new dimension to the sport. On the other hand, the competition for recognition has become fiercer, as a result of which many take huge risks. It is really sad to see talented young skiers blowing their bodies out by trying too hard. It is sad to see young people hurting themselves”, says Eric Pehota.

When a person has experienced in the mountains a great amount of joy and happiness, but also sorrow, one wonders whether they could have done something differently. I asked Eric whether there is anything in his life that he would have liked to do differently.

”Not one thing. I wouldn’t leave anything undone or change something I’ve done. I am happy and at peace with myself, and I don’t feel that anything should have been done differently. If I die tomorrow, I will die happy”.

This is the exact answer I expected. Eric Pehota’s equilibrium and ability to manage his life almost make me envious, because my own life contains at least a busload of things I could have done differently. Eric Pehota is a a man who has seen and experienced many things that the common man will unfortunately never experience.

The two-hour conversation with Eric Pehota was rewarding and memorable. My role model from many years ago has returned to my life, for I genuinely value Eric Pehota’s outlook on life. The man has his values in the right place.

All photos by Eric Pehota.

A fairly new event yet with growing notoriety drew many candidates for 2009. A tough decision had to be made by the organization in order to choose 5 teams among numerous candidatures received since the end of summer.

“For the quality of the event and to ensure competitor security (since they perform in tough mountain conditions), we have limited the number of teams to five. These 5 teams represent over 60 people for which the security will be assured by the ‘Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix’”, explains David Carlier, director of the organization. “The selection was not easy because we received candidatures from all over the world and we were obliged to narrow our selection putting aside great teams.”

“The assembly of the international elite from 5 sports proves that this event is truly what the athletes and production companies are looking for. A commitment to quality to which the public will adhere.”

5 Teams Selected

The Ride the Planets Team

puts their title up for grabs: “Invited because we won last year, we are coming to enjoy the event with no pressure. Of course, during the event, in the heat of the action, we will want to win again, but for the moment, we are only concentrated on the images and scenario,” explains Claude Adam, team leader.

This year, Ride the Planets is innovating their candidacy by opening a scenario contest to the public. In fact, thanks to this contest in partnership with Julbo, official sunglass supplier for the event, the team will welcome the winner as honorary director. When all the teams are concentrated on their story board, which often determines the winner, this is quite daring.

In the air, the ‘Soul Flyers’ will participate with athletes like Antoine Montant (France), acrobatic paragliding champion and speed riding specialist, Julian Boulle (South Africa) and Geraldine Fasnacht (Switzerland) in wingsuit flying. She is also one of the world’s best snowboarders (winner of the Nissan Xtreme de Verbier in 2004) so she might change her wingsuit and parachute for her snowboard in the film. The Spanish paraglider, Felix Rodriguez, with his brother, Raoul, have won almost everything in the discipline and invented lots of acrobatic figures, will join the group. To complete the team, Thomas Diet, the upcoming star of freestyle backcountry skiing will make the powder talk.

Team Focus: first of all friends

Aurelien Ducroz, professional freerider in the top 3 of the Freeride World Tour, has chosen to comprise his own team. “Pretty much, I wanted to bring back last year’s team. We got along so well even with all the fatigue and stress related to a week of production. Also, the athletes are exceptional and I wanted to keep this core.” So, Herman Pitocco, the Argentinean vice World Champion in paragliding, Francois Bon, (France) who did his first ever speed riding with Aurelien Ducroz on the Mont Blanc (who then was the first on the Aconcagua then Everest), base jumper Seb Collomb-Gros (France), a world reference, are coming back to the Mont Blanc for a week of insanity. In skiing, Aurelien sought out American Rachel Burks, who already has people talking over seas and should give a show in Chamonix. Leading this great team, the smiling Karina Hollekim (freerider and base jumper) will coordinate the team and keep them motivated since she has been fighting to get back on skis for the past 3 years after an injury. For the technical aspect, the Focus production company will get it all on tape.

Dream Team: international recruitment at its best

Fans are going to stalk this team and Shane McConkey in particular. He is of course a star freerider and base jumper, the first to do perform both disciplines on the Eiger. He is also known for his extreme ski images in the USA. BY his side, his friend and compatriot, JT Holmes, who is also a ski/base specialist in the big productions: another name that will attract a crowd. Austrian Eric Themel, ‘Team Leader’ and avid snowboarder with an impressive list of accomplishments, says “I am not the manager. Our decisions are taken together. We are in this together because we are friends. All the team members are really creative and a little insane. We like to laugh hard and loud… that will be our best strength at the Nissan Outdoor Games.”

Along with these 3 characters, Jamesz Stentiford, an English big mountain snowboarder, rather a rare specimen, Austrian Jens Reidesser as director, Norwegian photographer, Johan Whikhagen, more specialized in sailing yet with an Alpine touch; with several other key figures in the milieu and you get a smiling team with personality and charisma.

Team Argon: from summer to winter

At the summer Nissan Outdoor Games in Interlaken, this Germanic team came together. Encounters, emotions and the willingness to be a part of the winter edition in Chamonix made this team reinforce their team with winter sports specialists.

They have also fixed their strategy based on their first experience; “contrary to a lot of teams, we have really banked a lot on our scenario, not necessarily using the most impressive images that were shot. Our goal for this edition is to find the balance between action images and the story. We have in fact started working on this kicking back with a few beers to prepare for February!” explains Flo Orley, hang gliding specialist as well as 3rd in the Freeride World Tour 2008 ranking in snowboard.

The core of this team is Austrian with Hubert Shober and Andy Raciz (base jumpers) as well as Daniel Wolf, the editor, and Stuart Knowles, the English photographer, who will surround Flo for this event. The little blonde, Aline Bock, young German snowboarder will join the team with her passion for the mountain and her energy to motivate the team along with Roman Reiner, the Swiss freerider and Torsten Siegel, the German paraglider. The German mountaineer Daniel Gebel, ice climbing specialist just back from Patagonia, will join the team at the last minute.

Team Golgoht: Scandinavian magic

“The concept of this event that mixes high level athletic performance with visual creations is just crazy and a MUST for us. Just to participate is awesome” says Jarkko Henttonen (Finland), team leader.

“I also think that all athlete/producer dreams of participating. To be surrounded by such talent and expertise with whom you can share and exchange for one week is really cool. We are proud to have been selected to defend our film in Chamonix.”

The team is comprised of friends, which is great: “each person is good in their area” says Jarkko discretely. Golgoht is definitely the most prolific team in finding ‘out there’ ideas, which works for them thanks to the technical level of their athletes but also thanks to the Finnish production team, very pro but with a quirky side!

The headliners are Fred Syversen, the 42-year-old Norwegian freerider, who hold the record for the highest cliff jump on skis (though was not done on purpose): 107m, as well as Jarkko Henttonen, the Finnish big mountain snowboarder, team leader for this Scandinavian team. Last year, Golgoht recruited someone at the last minute, a notable figure of Chamonix: a Japanese tourist at the Aiguille du Midi! What will they do this year to surprise us?

Julbo, an amazing contest

Ride the Planets along with their partner Julbo have launched a Scenario Contest. The idea: write a scenario that if it wins, will be produced by last year’s winning team, Ride the Planets, during the newt Nissan Outdoor Games 2009 in Chamonix. Of course this initiative is backed by Julbo, the brand of outdoor sunglasses created in the heart of the mountains, “The World needs your vision“.

“Ever since the first edition, we were impressed by the format of this event that doesn’t seek to award performance yet the way the images tell a story, evoke emotions” explains Benjamin Thaller, marketing director for Julbo. “We have naturally become partner to this event for the past 2 years and with the Ride the Planets team in 2009 with this scenario contest, as well as several athletes within the team.”

This contest on the Julbo website represents a unique opportunity for all those fans of movies, creative minds, writers to have access to a selection of notable actors in the majestic surroundings of the Mont Blanc mountain range, with a professional productions company, winner in 2008. The winner will become the VIP Director of the Ride the Planets film in competition!

For all you amateurs, dig deep in your imagination and write an innovative, original, creative, awesome, simply the best scenario… only one spot available!

Find out more at www.julbo-eyewear.com or www.ridetheplanets.com

Nissan are proud to be the founding partner of the Nissan Outdoor Games, forming a key pillar in Nissan’s Sports Adventure programme which aims to support and promote adventure sports and an active outdoor lifestyle through world class events, media properties and integrated communications. The Nissan Sports Adventure programme encompasses the Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, UCI World Championships, the Freeride World Tour and the Nissan Qashqai Challenge. Nissan Sports Adventure combines the spirit of adventure with the controlled elements and skills of more traditional sports within the context of challenging and ever evolving environments. This sports adventure ethos reflects Nissan’s passion for adventure, independence and continuous achievement.

For more information on Nissan’s Sports Adventure programme please visit www.nissan-sportsadventure.com.

The concept is to create a 5-minute film combining 5 outdoor sports activities: Mountaineering, Skiing, Snowboarding, Paragliding & Hang gliding, BASE Jumping & Wingsuit flying. The world’s best specialists in each discipline will utilize their creativity and sense of adaptation to present their sport and their level of performance to enrich the scenario.

In 2008 many well-known athletes, such as Karine Ruby, Liv Sansoz, Julian Boulle and Eric Themel participated in the Nissan Outdoor Games.

The teams will have 7 days–from Saturday, February 14th, to Friday, February 20th, 6pm–to film and edit a short 5-minute film: a definite challenge. All teams will be working on the same playground, the massive Mont Blanc mountain range.

Only the best in each discipline are chosen: the cast brings together 5 teams comprised of athletes, production companies, professional cameramen and photographers from all over Europe and North America.

Comprised of professional movie makers, photographers and sports personalities, the jury will deliberate on Saturday February 21, 2009 to elect the winner of the ‘Golden Peak’ award.

The ‘Golden Peak’ Trophy will be awarded Saturday evening in the center of Chamonix after the public has seen the films live on a giant movie screen. Three other awards will be given: Jury’s Special Award, Best Sports Sequence, Best Photographer.

Although Nissan Outdoor Games in Chamonix is for professional athletes, there will be a lot of things to see and experience for tourists both on the slopes and in the village of Chamonix. It will be a wonderful weekend, so be there!

Pictures by osbornb, alainwibert, phileole

Before we get into the subject, one side note: we just had a VERY bad day here in Finland. Another school shooting/massacre happened today. I am not going to write more on that subject though (Google and you will find all the news) – just condolences to all the families, relatives and friends. Something like this is really hard to understand.

On a more positive note, sad events like that make you appreciate the good, often small and simple things of life even more. So, we try to be positive (it is hard on a day like this for sure!) here and continue on our schedule: we are posting our first-ever interview. Meet Jarkko Henttonen, the most experienced and successful big mountain snowboarder in Finland.

Jarkko Henttonen interview – Introduction

I could go on with the riding achievements and lines of Jarkko Henttonen, but I’ll let Jarkko tell more about that himself. I just want to share my best riding/skiing memory with Jarkko here. Funnily, I wasn’t actually even involved. It was spring 2001 and I was on a road trip from LaGrave to Chamonix, visiting some friends. I went skiing with some of my skier friends while couple of (relatively inexperienced) snowboarder friends went riding with Jarkko Henttonen. One guy was having a birthday and Jarkko wanted to offer some “guiding” as a present. It was couple of days from the previous storm and there was some leftover pow to be ridden but probably nothing too exiting for a seasoner. Still, after the day when I asked about how the day was, Jarkko answered: “Clearly the best day of the season because the guys and girls were so stoked and having so much fun“. In my opinion that says it all.  (And oh yeah, I guess he has some nice competition results too, like 2nd place in the infamous Verbier Xtreme competition in 2001).

Big mountain rider Jarkko Henttonen today

1. What’s up? What have you been up to lately? I heard you have climbed quite a lot, tell us a bit about your recent projects.

I´m doing well, thanks for asking. This summer was quite fun. In June I was in France, climbing a bit, and it was good to spend some time higher up. Due to a few injuries I´ve kinda been laying low past couple of years, but now I´m getting back into shape little by little. After that I´ve mostly stayed here in southern Finland, climbing and training and basically just hanging out. In August I joined my friend Johannes Kärkkäinen on his mission to open up a new aid-climbing route on the north face of Stora Blåmannen in northern Norway. It was a really good trip, even if a bit scary at times.

I´ve also been trying to get into skydiving, but haven´t really found too much time for it, so I´ve only managed to make two jumps this summer. Falling from the sky is a funny feeling, and I really hope I´ll get to do more of it, but we´ll see.

As for work I haven´t really done too much. I´ve instructed a few rock climbing courses, I helped out my friends who work for World Rally Championships event in Jyväskylä, I´ve been helping out in Camu, a climbing store here in Helsinki, I´ve been doing some work for Slammer, which is nro 1 Finnish snowboard mag and of course there´s been some work for HDP Films, a production company that me and my friends own,  and so forth, but I don´t have a regular job, which is exactly the way I want it.

This summer I did the alpine course, but even if I had trained a fair bit I was still not in good enough shape, and I also got ill during the course, I got some kind of infection to my windpipe, so I could not finish it. Anyways, I was quite stoked that I was able to do fairly long days without too bad pain in my foot. I mean two and a half years ago I was barely able to walk for a few hundred meters, a year ago I still had really hard times walking for more than 4 hours and 8 hour day rock climbing totally did me in for a few days. This summer I could already walk for quite a few hours, like 8 or even 10, and climbing has actually felt almost good, meaning not that much pain. So, now I´m doing my best, training as much as I can, trying to get into shape so I can continue the education after another two years.

Well, yes… I was a ski bum for quite a while, and still consider myself as such…

I first went to Chamonix in September 1991, I think, and kept going back and forth between Chamonix and Finland for 9 years. Usually I spent about 4 months there, from the beginning of the year till end of April or so. It depended a bit. Some years I went up north, northern Norway already in the beginning of April, though. After those years I sort of got over it in a way. I mean, I always loved Chamonix, but I did not like the way things went on the hill. With all this hype around freeriding there was a lot more people getting into riding off-piste and this had a certain effect on the behavior of people that I did not quite like. People started taking too many risks, I think, with snow. Actually, the first time I remember thinking that the place is getting crowded was already in 95. I was going to do an afternoon run on the Couloir des Cosmiques and when I got there, there was like 10 or 15 dudes in line, waiting for their turn to rap in. While I was walking past the line and dropping in and riding past the rappel rope I was thinking of finding another place with less people.

So, I ended up going to LaGrave for two winters. Now LaGrave has not exactly been a secret anymore for a very long time either, and it is fairly crowded too, especially considering the capacity of the lift, but at least people there followed certain safety rules that I have always respected as well. In 2002 I went back to Chamonix for a season again. After that I have not spent a full season anywhere, but I´ve done a lot of shorter trips. In 2005 I broke my heel and haven´t been able to do much, but now I´m getting back on my feet and hopefully this winter be some sort of comeback to snow for me.

I love snowboarding as much as anything, and it has been really hard not being able to do it. It was super bad, right after my accident, when I was told that it is highly likely that I cannot keep doing the stuff that I´ve done most of my adult life. I´ve definitely had a lot of good days up on the hill, as well as bad ones, but I sort of has this mentality that, well, good or bad, it´s all good. Ha ha!

Best things are all the good friends that I´ve made!

Jarkko competing in Verbier Extreme a few years ago - gnarly, huh?

Right on! There were so many super nice people in Chamonix back then (like probably today too, we just don’t happen to hang out there as much anymore…)

Taking it seriously – Jarkko Henttonen becomes a big mountain rider

4. You had also some longer expedition type of trips – any best memories type stories or such…single best moments etc.?

I´ve been to Denali, which is also known as Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in north America, twice, and want to go back and will go back. I would have wanted to do more big mountain expeditions but apart from these two, the trips that I planned did not work out for various reasons.

I´d say that the first Denali trip was something that stands out for me in a way, as one of the coolest things I´ve done. I managed to climb to the top and ride down, and back then it was a really big thing for me.

The line I did is called Messner Couloir, after Reinhold Messner, who is one of the greatest climbers of all time. It was first skied down by Sylvan Saudan, who is a super legendary extreme skier, the guy who more or less invented the whole sport. Actually the couloir was called Saudan couloir earlier, but it was re-named. So, the route has some history behind it in a way.

I don´t know how many times it has been skied after monsieur Saudan, but it has not been snowboarded that often. I´m not sure but I think the first person to snowboard it was Stephen Koch, an American big mountain rider. Then there was some japanese dude, who fell down it with his board strapped to his feet, and was hurt pretty bad, but I think he lived. Then it was my turn. It was in 1997. I went there with my buddy Jukka Räsänen, who is a skier, and three other guys, who were just climbing the mountain. Me and Jukka spend 11 days on the mountain and we rode three different runs, one of which was Messner. Jukka did not make it to the summit, but he had a good time laying first tracks on Messner in knee deep pow.

Messner is pretty impressive run, it is about a mile high and consistently about 40 degrees steep with short steeper pitches, I think it´s max about 48 or something, so it is not that steep but a pretty good incline anyways. The top part is this thing that is couple of hundred meters wide and maybe about 1000 meters high, then it narrows down to maybe about 20-30 meters. The narrow part is steepest. After the narrower bit it opens up to this wide open glacial snowfield, which is less steep, around 35 to 40 or so.

I took me something like 12 hours to walk from our camp at 14 000 ft to to the summit, which is about 6000 ft higher. It was quite hard work to get up there, as it was cold and as the air at that altitude is not that thick anymore. I was actually really really tired, and even if I didn´t really think of giving up more than maybe twice, the last couple of hundred yards to the top were super tough, and I was really hoping that it would end.

Ride down was easier of course. It took me like 20 minutes to get to from the summit into the couloir, I had to walk a bit over this flat part, but once I dropped in, it was just pure fun riding down. As the snow was quite good I rode quite fast, I think it took me less than ten minutes to do the whole thing. Higher up, before the narrow part I was taking it a bit easier, but once it opened up so did I, and I rode the bottom section, which is like 400-500 meters in vertical with 7 big turns, just screaming down, hundred k´s an hour.

I slept 18 hours straight after that, and then we went home.

The big thing about the whole deal for me that I was able to ride the line the way I like to ride, which is fast and fluid but in control. It is not that difficult to ride like that if you go up with a lift, but after 12 hours of hard hiking it is not easy anymore. Usually after hard hike it´s more like a turn and a rest, a turn and a rest, but I was able to really charge it hard, and was quite proud of it, as I don´t think too many people have done something like that.

As I said since three years ago I haven´t ridden too much. For a while I was actually contemplating the possibility that I may not be able to ride ever again. I can tell you it was not a fun thought. I´m not gonna go detailed about it, but it was depressing and I sort of had to fight it not to let it take over me.

Now, as of late I´ve been getting better little by little, and last winter I was already doing sort of ok, and think I´m going to be like maybe 75% this winter.

As you said, I am father also, I´ve got a 3,5 years old kid, who does limit my comings and goings a bit of course. But it´s the best limit there is. Having a kid is way better than an sport.

Most of the little riding that I´ve been able to do past couple of years I´ve done in northern Norway. There are super nice mountains there, it´s a lot like Alaska, but there is no people. Of course there´s no people in Alaska, either, but AK is much further. From here it´s quite easy to get to Lyngen or Tamok or any other area up there, all one needs to do is to drive a day and there you are, in the middle of nicest mountains anywhere. Everybody knows about Lyngen, a few about Tamok, and some people have even been in those places, but still there are no rap lines on tops of couloirs there. It´s still intact, empty, untouched, immaculate… And there is a lot, and I mean a whole lot, of room for everybody there. And Lyngen, which is the most famous and probably also the best part, is just a tiny part of the whole area, even if it already is way bigger than all of Mount Blanc massif. You know the whole thing is about as big as the Alps, and 99,99% of all the possible super beautiful extreme lines there are still waiting to be done, and the best thing is that they are in condition most of the time, every winter, and not just once in a decade.

An example of riding/skiing in Tamokdalen, Norway, see video below

Very interesting views. It surely is beautiful in the Northern Norway. And, yes, kids are the most important thing in our life too. Skiing is just a hobby, after all! But back to the actual topic.

Future plans – What is coming up with Jarkko Henttonen?

6. Do you have any other plans for the upcoming 2008-2009 season?

This winter I plan on doing a fair bit of riding. I will work for Freeride World Tour. Nicolas Hale-Woods, the organizer of Verbier Xtreme and the whole tour, recruited me, and I´m super stoked on working for him. I get to work in quite a few cool freeride events, visit many resorts that I have not been to before, and hopefully I´ll manage to do a few runs while I´m there, too. Later in spring I plan on going to north again, I´ve got some lines I´d want to do there. And I plan on going back to Denali as well.

I actually started skiing in 1973 already, and only got into snowboarding in 1987, so I´ve skied longer than snowboarded. Of course snowboarding is the king of all snow sports, there is no doubt about that, but skiing is sometimes quite fun, too. When the fat skis first started to come to market I figured I´d give them a try. In 2000 I actually skied more than snowboarded. It took me like almost a half a day to learn how to do it. Too easy. Ha ha. After my accident I haven´t really skied at all, but this winter I intend on getting my skiing legs back, too.

I think it is good that there are all kinds of “new” things coming to market. All these rockers and reverse sidecuts are not really new ideas, they´ve been around for a quite a while, but anyways it´s good that there is now lot of options. Different things work in different conditions. I´d just like to try out a certain kind of super fat and quite short ski, which I think would be a nice toy for tight trees. I like riding in trees more than any other type of terrain, I think treeriding while it is snowing a lot is as good as it gets. Snowboarding in tight trees is challenging enough, but it is, at least for me, much easier than skiing, and I´d want to try to make a ski that would make treeskiing as easy as possible.

It seems like the nineties had more snow than the latest years? At least there was definately less takers for all that snow, as was seen in the first part of this series, “Snow is Only Frozen Water”. Snowboarders stayed on their jumps and jibs, and your avarage skier wasn’t able to shred much pow at all before he/she fatigued, maybe? Or maybe all this freeriding and off piste skiing stuff just got so much popular at some point in the late 1990’s/early 2000’s?

Besides all the great snow and quality riding/skiing, one thing that makes you want to go back to the mountains is just the scenery and feeling up there. In this post we show some nice shots of the moments in the mountains. We surely miss those moments.

These photos were taken when we were young and stupid – so don’t try all this if you don’t know what you are doing…heh

A questionable line? Made for a nice picture though...

Janne and mute, note the flying Orangina bottle...do'h

Going to "Les Pisteur" route, Grand Montets, Chamonix

Somewhere in Brevant backcountry

Big Mountain rider Jarkko Henttonen drops a cliff in Flegere, in white-out conditions...

This is something I'd call posing...

Ok, that was it for now. We’ll post more retro stuff soon again. We are also trying to get some more bikes to the test ride next week…stay tuned!

If you enjoyed this post, then make sure you subscribe to our RSS Feed or Email Newsletter. This article was written by Janne Niini and it’s original location is in HomeboySki.Com skiing blog. For more great skiing articles, please visit HomeboySki.Com!

But that is just speculation. If we had made it that way (started to blog and/or upload photos in the internet way back already), we had probably lost “the right touch” of doing things at the same time. And missed that feeling of freedom you have when you are just “ski bumming” with your good friends. And probably a few good parties / drunken debauchery too…

Anyway, I am the firm believer in all things “long tail”  regarding internet. So, this is our humble try to open up our archives a bit. These pics posted today are just cheap paper film scans though. Nice pics but low quality (I have to admit that).

But Marko has a lot better quality pics on slides too – he even sold a few to couple of magazines and image banks etc., and I a pushing him to scan those as soon as possbile (=there is very good stuff). Stay tuned for some more “Blast from the Past” stuff in the near future! At least you get to see the 1990’s in all their glory…

Just another quality turn in Brevant, Chamonix

This time’s theme: Say what you say about snowboarding but you just can’t beat surfing the earth and that legendary O’Neil Slogan from the 80’s/90’s “Snow is Only Frozen Water” Pretty hard to get (just) the similar feeling on skis, no matter what new gimmick planks you have on your feet.

The Wave!

That IS some fine snow!

Was there more snow back in the 1990's?

Laid back pow turns are what snowboarding is all about

If you enjoyed this post, then make sure you subscribe to our RSS Feed or Email Newsletter. This article was written by Janne Niini and it’s original location is in HomeboySki.Com skiing blog. For more great skiing articles, please visit HomeboySki.Com!