Within my 20-something video part resume, I’ve only filmed for a two-year project twice. The first was 10 years ago for Encore. It’s a rare opportunity not a lot of riders get, and in an era of instant gratification, seems like something that might disappear.
But last fall, we were blessed with the green light to start working on a new Salomon video with Bryden as director and main filmer. During the filming of My Clay Angel, the crew worked well together, and we loved the idea of compiling two winters’ worth of footage for our next project.
Having more time to film somewhat dissolves anxiety attached to a project with a quick turnaround. It does add a bit of pressure too; it raises others’ expectations and mine of myself.
We’re off to a very decent start, four trips in the bag. Hokkaido in January, with a healthy mix of street and sidecountry, dictated by temperature fluctuations. In February, the crew visited Bryden’s home in the Rust Belt: Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio. I had to miss that one, but Bryden came to visit Seb and I right after in Quebec City. All of a sudden, it was March, and as we scoured the global forecast, Bryden honed in on a promising corner of Kazakhstan. After Google Earth spot-hunting, and making all of the arrangements, he convinced us it was a good idea. Skeptical but hopeful, this turned out to be an insanely special trip—productive, but more than anything a cultural experience.
Now that we know what we have, we know what we’re missing. Time will tell, but if we keep going at this rate it will be a good one.
Photography By Joseph Roby and Wietse Thomas
Intro By Louif Paradis
I went full commit into this one to try and lock it FT. Unfortunately, my first attempt was a disaster. I went a little too slow to the inside and got pinballed between the rails. I think I scared everyone with that one, myself included. I went back up, quickly got a sketchy one, then a better one 10-plus tries later. That day was a national holiday in Kazakhstan, and after the session a nice lady and her daughter brought us a big pot of hot, traditional soup called Nauryz Kozhe. It’s made of seven ingredients, each symbolizing important aspects of life. This one was made with horse meat and some type of fermented milk. Actually super tasty. The soup is believed to bring good luck and prosperity for the coming year.
- Louif, backside boardslide. Kazakhstan. [Roby]
Opening Spread: I believe this was the very first thing we filmed last winter, and our trip to Hokkaido had just begun. We spotted this big pillow from the road below. I got a switch backside 180 that felt good. I was ready to move on, but I looked up and this thing was still intact. I figured I might as well smash it for a bonus clip. Fun fact: post smash, I somehow had the reflex to grab Weddle. It wasn’t planned, but I was cracking up riding away.
- Louif. Pillow smash to Weddle. Hokkaido, Japan. [Roby]
This was in Pennsylvania, near the border of New York, where Bryden grew up. The look and feeling of the architecture in the Rust Belt was so appealing because it’s different from back home in Europe. I was hyped to give this jam a go, with the rusty steel and brick backdrop.
- Gian Sutter, pole jam. Warren, PA. [Thomas]
This was a day that felt like being a kid again running around, having fun. I had never been in snow this deep, and me, Finn, Gian, Louif, and Harrison all were snowboarding on different types of barriers. I remember I couldn’t take more than two steps forward without being completely gassed since the snow was up to my chest. I’m pretty sure we got dinner at a place called Déjà Vu that night too.
- Emma Crosby. Backflip melon. Hokkaido, Japan. [Roby]
Snow this deep is unlike anything I’d ridden before, and it was incredible to just fly off shit. This was my second time in Japan, but it was the first time we really hit the goods; made me feel like a kid again. Filming in Japan, I had this desire to check off some cultural classics: avy barriers, tree pillows, and those Louif-coded powder/street-hybrid spots. Riding that kind of stuff makes you feel like you’re part of the bigger story of snowboarding, not just confined to one trip or one video.
- Finn Westbury. Pillow to stale. Hokkaido, Japan. [Roby]
I must have passed a bunch of these corners but never thought of hitting one that way. Better late than never. - Louif. Corner boardslide. Hokkaido, Japan. [Roby]
This bridge in Japan was cool to ride since it had multiple options. I always liked wire spots ever since The Bruners videos. Louif did a trick on the other side, so it was cool to share a spot with him. - Gian. Frontside lipslide 270. Hokkaido, Japan. [Roby]
The variety of terrain in Japan creates incredible opportunities. Riding powder the day before this spot, then hitting the streets was unique and motivating. After this, we went directly to the coast and watched the sunset on a pier. This trip, we really got to pause and take in moments, realizing how lucky we are.
- Emma, frontside 5050. Sapporo, Japan. [Roby]
There are still some rare new spots to be found in and around Quebec City. We always keep an eye out for them, but there’s also a bunch of established ones that can be revisited. I recently re-opened my mind to these second-hand spots. This one, Phil Jacques hit a few years ago, and Seb and I saw some potential with different tricks. I went first, and Seb backed me up in only a few tries. It was a satisfying session.
- Lou, gap to doubleslide.
Seb Picard, gap to frontside nosepress. Quebec City. [Roby Photos]
I’m always excited for the opportunity to film in my hometown. I have the pins, the NBD/ABD list, the restaurants, and the best pre-spot coffee stops. I know the nooks and crannies. Many snowboarders feel this way about home—we’ve driven the backroads our whole lives.
I have a personal attachment here, and I’m passionate about the aesthetic the Rust Belt brings. I’ve had opportunities to shoot here, but this trip felt different because we had nothing to lose. While checking boxes from our spot list, we found new ones. Many other crews were elsewhere, but we were isolated in Amish Country.
- Bryden
This was a fun experience to have with Bryden. He grew up looking at this his whole life—he told me he’d walk up these same stairs after leaving the skatepark down the street and imagine how he would film it one day. Sharing that with him was special and inspiring. There was a cap on this too, but we smoothed it out with SteelStik. Stole that one from Bookclub after we tried to Bondo it for two days straight.
- Emma. Front board. Warren, PA. [Thomas]
This spot doesn’t get any closer to home. It is literally on the street where I grew up. If Finn kept his speed for one block, he could’ve taken his boots off, kicked his feet up to the gas stove, and sipped homemade hot cocoa. I have memories of waiting for the bus to school and looking up at this spot, imagining my favorite snowboarders coming down this line. A special spot to me.
- Bryden, on Finn’s 5050 to ollie. Warren, PA. [Thomas]
When Bryden showed us his first folder with spots I was drawn to this kink. It turned out to be a bit of a mission since the security in the area was taking their job seriously. After getting kicked out, then giving it a couple tries as the sun was setting, I didn’t think it was going to happen. On the last day of the trip, we got done with a spot for Finn quite fast and decided to give it another go. This time, I got lucky.
- Gian, backside 5050. Jamestown, NY. [Thomas]
This was the most memorable trip of my life. We called this spot the Spaghetti Rail because of how skinny and multicolored it was. We arrived to Kazakhstan in full meltdown mode. This spot definitely had some dog poop in the lip.
- Emma. Frontside 5050. Kazakhstan. [Roby]
There’s something about the combination of rails to ledges for me. When Finn and I walked up and the bottom ledge slowly revealed itself, we were kind of freaking out on what we found. This one needed some extra effort from the whole crew. It was too warm to ice over, so thanks to our construction team we put concrete on the surface, which was a mission to get our hands on in Kazakhstan. I’m glad we pulled it off.
- Gian. Boardslide transfer. Kazakhstan. [Roby]
There’s something about the combination of rails to ledges for me. When Finn and I walked up and the bottom ledge slowly revealed itself, we were kind of freaking out on what we found. This one needed some extra effort from the whole crew. It was too warm to ice over, so thanks to our construction team we put concrete on the surface, which was a mission to get our hands on in Kazakhstan. I’m glad we pulled it off.
- Gian. Boardslide transfer. Kazakhstan. [Roby]
When we first scoped out this apartment complex in Kazakhstan, it was a collective oh my god moment. The apartments stood on a gradual hill, with a slew of proper green steel rails cascading down between the buildings; spots galore. This zone kinda saved the trip, as it was north-facing, so it held the last remaining pockets of snow. We affectionately started calling this zone Salomon Daycare because of the 20+ kids who’d end up at each session. By the end of the trip, we’d won over the hearts of the community and were granted a key to snowboard on seemingly whatever we wanted. We had nicknames with some of the local kids, and parents would bring traditional snacks, soups, and drinks for us. One family insisted on taking us out for dinner, which turned out to be one of the most extravagant meals of my life. Anyway, this spot was central in the complex and had a couple options. Emma had already gotten down on the double downrail line. Light was fleeting, so I thought I’d give the 5050 transfer a go. The flat is long and bends inward to the transfer, so it was freaky committing to the inside. With a quick pep talk from Lou, it all worked out, and we said goodbye to our local friends for the night.
- Finn, backside 5050 transfer 5050. Kazakhstan. [Roby]