Carlos Garcia Knight had a rollercoaster of a season last year, and we like to think that the title to his new part serves as a bit of a double entendre. What should have been an anticipated few months in the backcountry took a back seat to the harshest reality in life: death. It's never easy to cope with, and spending six months in Spain while your dad battles brain cancer will undoubtedly derail your winter plans. So, in the case of trying to prioritize snowboarding when life hits you the hardest, now is not a good time seems like an all-too fitting response.
Even so, there's no one way to mourn a loss, and the subjectivity around these conventions lends itself to some pretty unique outlets. For Carlos, filming a tribute part for Javier Garcia Perea and Tony Brinsdon was his outlet. Heading into the New Zealand backcountry was "the first time that [he] had a freedom again after all that, and just like something that [he] could work towards in a creative way. It gave [him] the chance to put all that energy somewhere", especially at a time when he was struggling to put that energy into anything else. So, in the case of trying to prioritize snowboarding when life hits you the hardest, it seems like there was no better time to strap in.
Snowboarding served as a healthy outlet at a time when nothing else could, so we're glad the Mr. Knight teamed up with Izrayl Brinsdon to create some particularly special. Sometimes all it takes is flipping the narrative and doing what you love.
Photography by: Izrayl Brinsdon
