Keefer Lake Lodge
A journey into a powder paradise - King Snow Magazine and The North Face
This was a dream trip. Four days of cat boarding with some of my favourite riders, great snow, and the only expectation was to deliver a well rounded selection of photographs to put together an article for the upcoming volume of King Snow Magazine.
With snowboarding, you can create a basic plan, but there are so many variables from snow conditions, to fast changing weather, to the terrain you're in, that it usually is best to keep things fluid. I have a general plan of what type of imagery I want to capture, but a lot is left up until the moment. In terrain none of us knew, you need to see things before you actually know how it’s going to work.
One of the most important skills in a situation like this is being able to ride, and keep up with the crew. Since you are moving quickly, being able to make decisions on the fly in terms of how something is going to shoot so you can keep moving, and the energy flowing.
Strong communication is up there as well. Often as the photographer, you will see a feature from the bottom, and relay the information to the rider and be their eyes, and explain how it’s going to work, without them having eyes on what you are talking about. They need to be able to trust that it’s going to work, and be able to hit the right mark for the shot to come together.
On top of all the shooting, the trip needs to stay fun. Pretty much everyone I know is into snowboarding because they love it. We want to be in these places, and keeping the trip with that energy is key. The minute you aren’t having fun it quickly comes across and can bring down the entire mood. It’s not hard though when the snow is stacking, every feature we are building is working, and we are getting lap after lap of untouched snow.
A huge thank you to the entire team at Keefer Lake Lodge who welcomed us with open arms, and the crew I was with that made the trip an insane amount of fun.
ATHLETES
Ben Poechman
Mateo Massitti
Keenan Filmer
KING SNOW / PRODUCTION
Jesse Fox
CINEMATOGRAPHY