I'm Right now sitting in this hotel room in anchorage. I just left Valdez this morning after a bit more than two weeks of trying to get some good riding with the standard crew. That crew included two legendary riders being Kevin Jones and Johan Olofson. Being the cameras, we had Chris ondercin for motion as well as Jeff Curley for all the still side of it. We've had quite a few windows in the last two days. We've been out three half days and one full day in these last 15 days. We've been doing some nice stuff and got the chance to discover the amazing potential that belongs to the place but I'm a tiny bit disppointed with the fact that we didn't really get it as epic as it can get.
We 've been at fist struggling with snow stability wich has made us take the whole thing really carefully and try to step it up slowly. We've also been facing the fact of having a totaly new crew with not 100 percent of full on big mountain knowledge but it's been cool especially the last day to feel that things where getting to gether on that side. It's been really encouraging until the wind basicaly shut us down and made us not being able to go any further. I've had the chance to hit that really long couloir that looked sick and a few small lines here and there that were interesting but I defently don't come back home with the feeling to have had done what I really wanted to. That's the way it worls anyways in the mountain. Filming bigmountain is definitely a mission wich can be painfull but at the same time so rewarding when things go well along.
Kevin definitely had to learn his way up. He's been freeriding a bunch this season but f and needed some time to feel comfortable up there .Filming lines is definitely a very specific type of riding especially when it's not a usual thing to ride such big and impressive terrain. Johan just there for a few runs, but we could definitely that he was looking forward to some fun and that filming was not the main priority. It was still nice to ride with these guys that really inspired me back in the days. It's too bad that we didn't get the chance to get to the point where shit is really happening... We'll be back for sure. That place is sick and I'll make sure to come earlier and the right amount of time. I'm already looking forward to put that sick segment that I've been waiting for so long. I know that I definitelt jave the potential right now, all I need is to get things right. Patience will be the key I guess. In the long term, it's not a bad thing. Definitely something that I need to work on....
16 th of april 1st day riding.
After almost a week of sitting around in the room, we woke up yesterday with the greater sunshine. Finally got up there and discovered that amazing terrain. Definitely perfect for what we're looking for.
It's been a long day out there with only 5 lines, mostly not really huge but some really cool actions. It's been kind of slower than usually with a completely new crew, and three riders (Johan Olofson, Kevin Jones and myself) with three different ways of seeing the terrain. Usa guides have definitely a different way of working meaning that you have to gain their respect before you can be really feel their confidence in you. that's something that's really hard for me but I guess I have to adapt myself and it can only go better.
Alaska has been showing its true wild and nasty side with first of all the death of a french skier that got sluffed down into some cliffs. There's been two other accident but fortunately not deadly, and two really big avalanches.
It's hard to feel really free after all that but the good thing is that we take our time, and get slowly things done. AK is definitely a great but hard experience with as much intensity on a good day as you can have unintensity on all these down days. It's definitely a rhythm that you need to catch and get used to but it's totally worth it. It's really milky today so I don't really know if we're gonna fly. I guess we'll wait for it to get better.
Premier jour de beau aujourd'hui.
Ca fait une semaine qu'on squatte dans le brouillard et le mauvais temps.
Il semble que l'on ait une bonne fenetre devant nous et c'est une bonne chose vues les mauvaises nouvelles que l'on avait eues le deuxieme jour.
Quelques groupes avaient vole et il s'averait que tout partait en plaque dans toutes les expositions et dans toutes les inclinaisons.
On va donc pouvoir y aller petit a petit en testant le manteau sachant que ca n'est pas le dernier jour de beau temps du trip.
Johan arrive aujourd'hui.. Tout le monnde est sur le qui vive.... Il faut une sacre patience pour rider l'alaska... mais ca a vraiment l'air d'en valoir la chandelle.
peace
xv
