1 00:02:18,432 --> 00:02:20,511 You know it's funny what's happening to us. 2 00:02:21,383 --> 00:02:23,170 Our lives have become digital. 3 00:02:23,892 --> 00:02:26,023 Our friends, now, virtual. 4 00:02:27,014 --> 00:02:29,564 And everything that you could ever want to know is just a click away. 5 00:02:33,793 --> 00:02:37,564 Experiencing the world through endless second-hand information isn't enough. 6 00:02:38,319 --> 00:02:39,996 If we want authenticity, 7 00:02:40,269 --> 00:02:41,810 we have initiate it. 8 00:04:29,596 --> 00:04:33,082 We'll never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it. 9 00:04:34,545 --> 00:04:36,285 It's this self-discovery 10 00:04:36,312 --> 00:04:39,663 that inevitably takes us to the wildest places on earth. 11 00:04:39,690 --> 00:04:48,129 The Art of Flight 12 00:04:51,021 --> 00:04:52,777 It seems like every place we go 13 00:04:52,804 --> 00:04:54,689 has its own unique set of variables. 14 00:04:56,668 --> 00:04:58,202 This place in particular 15 00:04:59,662 --> 00:05:00,851 is no exception. 16 00:05:02,891 --> 00:05:03,905 Alaska. 17 00:05:04,972 --> 00:05:06,283 So far gone. 18 00:05:24,443 --> 00:05:26,997 It's so hard to grasp the sense of scale here. 19 00:05:29,335 --> 00:05:31,606 When your whole life is dedicated to travel, 20 00:05:31,619 --> 00:05:34,362 you have to learn how to adapt to your surroundings. 21 00:05:36,098 --> 00:05:38,463 It's just kind of hard to adapt when 22 00:05:39,084 --> 00:05:40,787 you feel like you are on the moon. 23 00:06:46,762 --> 00:06:49,127 All right, John, Drop in 3... 2... 1. 24 00:06:49,451 --> 00:06:50,235 Come on. 25 00:07:47,542 --> 00:07:48,730 Drop. 26 00:08:53,044 --> 00:08:54,625 Hey, Travis, are you ready? 27 00:08:55,004 --> 00:08:56,565 Yes, I'm ready. 28 00:08:56,976 --> 00:08:58,517 Let's go in quick, though. 29 00:08:58,692 --> 00:09:00,272 Let's do this. 30 00:10:54,096 --> 00:10:55,231 Yeah, Travis! 31 00:11:28,418 --> 00:11:32,472 The majority of time spent out here is 32 00:11:32,934 --> 00:11:34,545 cloudy down days. 33 00:11:38,588 --> 00:11:42,248 In order to create the great, you know, snow and glacier that we have 34 00:11:42,275 --> 00:11:43,627 means we get a lot of weather. 35 00:11:44,302 --> 00:11:46,100 Alaska's weather is hard to read. 36 00:11:46,609 --> 00:11:50,024 Everybody is trying to nitpick everything all the time, 37 00:11:50,038 --> 00:11:51,713 checking the weather constantly. 38 00:11:51,794 --> 00:11:54,391 I just kind of like to wake up in the morning and look out of the window 39 00:11:54,404 --> 00:11:56,984 'cause that's the ultimate test. 40 00:11:58,290 --> 00:11:59,619 On May 2, 41 00:12:01,158 --> 00:12:02,239 Nice cold morning. 42 00:12:02,303 --> 00:12:03,480 The weather forecast 43 00:12:03,506 --> 00:12:06,544 is for mostly cloudy with scattered rain and snow showers. 44 00:12:07,046 --> 00:12:09,799 Here in Alaska, you don't always go with the weather forecast. 45 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:12,050 You kind of go with what's going on out of the window. 46 00:12:13,544 --> 00:12:17,316 We try to create a lot of, you know, activities for down days. 47 00:12:21,025 --> 00:12:23,430 We have a crew like this, we need to up the level a little bit. 48 00:12:27,177 --> 00:12:29,342 Son of a motherless goat. 49 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:32,075 How are you doing? 50 00:12:32,076 --> 00:12:33,469 I need a ride. 51 00:12:38,380 --> 00:12:39,013 Fire. 52 00:12:43,191 --> 00:12:44,874 That almost took my face off. 53 00:12:53,254 --> 00:12:53,963 Pull! 54 00:13:06,182 --> 00:13:07,001 What is that? 55 00:13:07,026 --> 00:13:09,457 He used to dissect these in middle school. 56 00:13:09,470 --> 00:13:10,736 Are you ready? 57 00:13:34,319 --> 00:13:35,758 - There we go. - Yep. 58 00:13:37,218 --> 00:13:39,053 This is like "MythBusters," kind of. 59 00:13:45,205 --> 00:13:46,838 At the bonfire, it's gonna burn. 60 00:13:46,851 --> 00:13:49,217 It's gonna be like, "Fire burn!" 61 00:13:49,218 --> 00:13:51,812 "And we are going to burn down Babylon! 62 00:13:52,155 --> 00:13:53,940 "In Alaska Mountain!" 63 00:14:20,953 --> 00:14:23,080 We're going deep. We have a plane coming out with fuel. So... 64 00:14:24,991 --> 00:14:26,156 Firstly, use the plane to get 65 00:14:26,182 --> 00:14:28,447 everybody out there, 66 00:14:29,498 --> 00:14:31,777 allowing us to kind of go 67 00:14:31,789 --> 00:14:33,283 deeper than we ever have before. 68 00:14:33,308 --> 00:14:35,270 It should be. 69 00:14:36,815 --> 00:14:39,498 I think it's "all systems go." 70 00:15:26,855 --> 00:15:28,829 Looks I'm gonna fall out the sky for a while. 71 00:15:29,665 --> 00:15:30,614 I'm ready. 72 00:16:16,058 --> 00:16:17,185 One of the things about coming to Alaska 73 00:16:17,186 --> 00:16:19,287 is there are a lot of terrain that is unridden. 74 00:16:20,249 --> 00:16:23,375 And there's a lot of first ascents that go down. 75 00:16:23,473 --> 00:16:25,387 You know, I came here four years ago with Jeremy Jones. 76 00:16:25,388 --> 00:16:27,780 We had a lot of lines we had pick out. 77 00:16:28,081 --> 00:16:29,337 He hasn't ridden them yet, 78 00:16:29,363 --> 00:16:31,426 but we had identified them with names. 79 00:16:31,900 --> 00:16:35,198 Jeremy Jones named this area "the Wizard of Oz", 80 00:16:35,199 --> 00:16:36,654 but never rode it. 81 00:16:36,680 --> 00:16:39,051 The wizard is something I saw 82 00:16:39,123 --> 00:16:41,971 early on in the Tordrillo, then we put it 83 00:16:42,118 --> 00:16:43,400 you know, on the top of our hitlist. 84 00:16:43,401 --> 00:16:46,287 But the problem is that there's a lot of exposure below. 85 00:16:46,300 --> 00:16:48,237 A ton of open crevasses which, 86 00:16:48,262 --> 00:16:50,389 to people that don't understand, 87 00:16:50,402 --> 00:16:53,579 like, those crevasses are black holes. 88 00:16:53,702 --> 00:16:56,592 If You get taken into a hole with a bunch of moving snow, 89 00:16:56,796 --> 00:16:58,149 It's not a good thing. 90 00:16:58,224 --> 00:17:01,503 The chances are pretty good that you're getting buried. 91 00:17:06,162 --> 00:17:07,529 Ready, Travis? 92 00:17:09,946 --> 00:17:12,428 Yes, ready as I'll ever be I guess. 93 00:17:46,809 --> 00:17:48,985 Nice job, Rice. 94 00:19:14,356 --> 00:19:16,888 - Are you kidding me! - Johny! 95 00:19:18,026 --> 00:19:20,799 That's what I wanted. Yeah! 96 00:20:44,473 --> 00:20:45,385 South. 97 00:20:47,238 --> 00:20:50,524 It's always a bit surreal, chasing winter down to South America. 98 00:20:53,588 --> 00:20:57,270 Geographically, Chile is one of the most amazing places on the planet 99 00:20:58,562 --> 00:21:00,714 with thousands of miles of coastline 100 00:21:01,891 --> 00:21:05,132 that reaches directly up to some of the tallest mountains in the world. 101 00:21:07,424 --> 00:21:10,221 And right in the middle, thrives a cultural-rich nation, 102 00:21:13,980 --> 00:21:16,639 yet one of the most effected by natural disaster. 103 00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:23,158 In the last a few years, they have experienced one of the largest earthquakes, 104 00:21:23,484 --> 00:21:27,133 tsunamis and volcanic eruptions in recent history. 105 00:21:37,323 --> 00:21:39,766 It's just so cool to be here to see firsthand 106 00:21:39,779 --> 00:21:43,956 a group of people that is so positive after such a dramatic series of events. 107 00:22:12,223 --> 00:22:13,944 We're in the Andes 108 00:22:13,970 --> 00:22:16,515 which is the longest mountains range in the world, 109 00:22:16,540 --> 00:22:19,358 second tallest ranges in the world to the Himalayas. 110 00:22:31,059 --> 00:22:34,009 It's crazy how much uncharted terrain is down here. 111 00:22:35,036 --> 00:22:35,742 But it seemed like 112 00:22:35,743 --> 00:22:37,237 that everywhere we looked 113 00:22:37,945 --> 00:22:39,730 had been effected by a low-snow year 114 00:22:39,756 --> 00:22:41,414 and usually high winds. 115 00:22:45,503 --> 00:22:48,731 But after spending so much time and effort just getting down here, 116 00:22:48,743 --> 00:22:50,364 we decided to see it through. 117 00:22:51,300 --> 00:22:55,478 You know, it's not the destination, it's the adventure along the way. 118 00:22:55,503 --> 00:22:58,655 It seems cliche to say that, but that's really how it is. 119 00:23:31,228 --> 00:23:32,568 All-time kicker. 120 00:24:02,721 --> 00:24:03,734 It's pretty epic. 121 00:24:03,974 --> 00:24:06,974 I'm right now on the border of Argentina and Chile. 122 00:24:07,580 --> 00:24:10,063 We got Argentina out that way. 123 00:24:11,253 --> 00:24:12,518 Chile on yonder. 124 00:24:13,265 --> 00:24:15,467 Some fingery little rocky shoots. 125 00:24:16,126 --> 00:24:16,860 Super fun. 126 00:24:17,222 --> 00:24:19,427 Snow's kind of got to shit, so... 127 00:24:20,060 --> 00:24:21,063 make the best of it. 128 00:25:13,584 --> 00:25:16,001 We were actually warned prior to coming down here, 129 00:25:16,785 --> 00:25:20,268 that there was possibility of volcanic eruption in the region we were heading. 130 00:25:22,166 --> 00:25:23,673 But the group decision was 131 00:25:23,888 --> 00:25:25,420 that we just disregarded it. 132 00:25:28,584 --> 00:25:31,066 That could've been a bad choice. 133 00:25:40,610 --> 00:25:42,826 It was like something I'd never seen before. 134 00:25:43,153 --> 00:25:45,864 We see ash started to cover the whole road. 135 00:25:46,737 --> 00:25:49,458 It's all grey and super apocalyptic. 136 00:25:54,610 --> 00:25:57,332 It's situations like this that you just can't plan for. 137 00:26:03,953 --> 00:26:06,586 We were told that we had to leave the area immediately. 138 00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:16,751 We've tried our hardest and it's just not working. 139 00:26:17,137 --> 00:26:18,194 I'm gonna go home 140 00:26:18,295 --> 00:26:21,104 and Trav is gonna hitch up with Mark Landvik. 141 00:26:21,105 --> 00:26:23,561 And they are gonna go down south to Patagonia. 142 00:26:37,713 --> 00:26:40,979 When we first started talking about going to Patagonia, 143 00:26:41,384 --> 00:26:42,663 it's like epic. 144 00:26:43,638 --> 00:26:44,714 Sounds like a great time. 145 00:26:44,764 --> 00:26:46,751 And then, the more we started looking into it, 146 00:26:46,967 --> 00:26:48,587 especially when we got down here, 147 00:26:48,710 --> 00:26:51,195 that's when everything flipped up-side-down. 148 00:26:59,524 --> 00:27:01,600 It's a place difficult to handle. 149 00:27:01,651 --> 00:27:04,246 Mainly, here, everything is weather permitting. 150 00:27:08,411 --> 00:27:10,207 This is like... like a beast, 151 00:27:10,208 --> 00:27:13,233 like a live beast that doesn't like visitors. 152 00:27:20,323 --> 00:27:22,399 You know, it became pretty apparent 153 00:27:22,791 --> 00:27:24,943 immediately when we got down here 154 00:27:25,436 --> 00:27:29,943 just how exposed to the elements we were gonna be, and 155 00:27:30,209 --> 00:27:33,424 how we truly were at the mercy of our own decisions. 156 00:27:38,893 --> 00:27:42,576 You cannot get in and you cannot escape from this place. 157 00:27:54,204 --> 00:27:56,070 We are here in Puerto Williams, 158 00:27:56,083 --> 00:27:58,362 in Navarino Island on the Beagle Channel, 159 00:27:59,302 --> 00:28:01,830 one of the main gates to Antarctica. 160 00:28:02,413 --> 00:28:05,172 And here it's a very, very remote place. 161 00:28:05,628 --> 00:28:07,628 It's nothing, just the island. 162 00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:09,881 It's very cold, mean, bad weather. 163 00:28:10,894 --> 00:28:13,021 Sometimes you need to wait one or two months 164 00:28:13,046 --> 00:28:15,692 to have two or three good-weather days. 165 00:28:16,780 --> 00:28:17,894 When we first got down here, 166 00:28:17,919 --> 00:28:20,236 we kept hearing about this place called the Darwin Range. 167 00:28:23,601 --> 00:28:25,540 So we asked our pilot if he takes us there. 168 00:28:26,464 --> 00:28:27,692 He said, "absolutely not. 169 00:28:29,705 --> 00:28:30,932 "It's where the devil is." 170 00:28:31,198 --> 00:28:31,958 Darwin? 171 00:28:33,236 --> 00:28:34,338 Devil in the Darwin? 172 00:28:34,439 --> 00:28:37,097 - You should consider a second the other time. - No, no. 173 00:28:37,287 --> 00:28:38,591 Does the Devil live? 174 00:28:39,464 --> 00:28:40,578 Is that where he lives? 175 00:28:41,047 --> 00:28:42,984 Tell me what you think, tell us. 176 00:28:43,325 --> 00:28:46,325 He knows this area well and I respect his opinion of that. 177 00:28:46,452 --> 00:28:48,483 - You are the pilot. Bottom line. - Okay. 178 00:28:48,774 --> 00:28:50,655 You are here in charge of our safety 179 00:28:50,667 --> 00:28:51,662 - and I respect that. - Yes. 180 00:28:52,081 --> 00:28:52,857 We all respect that. 181 00:28:53,186 --> 00:28:54,655 We cannot push that. 182 00:28:54,820 --> 00:28:56,693 We could walk, we could walk this. 183 00:28:57,841 --> 00:29:01,212 I mean, I don't know, maybe there's a big river here that we cannot cross. 184 00:29:02,044 --> 00:29:03,490 - Across the glacier. - I know you don't know. 185 00:29:03,516 --> 00:29:05,630 We'd have to look at it. We'd have to look at it, of course. 186 00:29:05,692 --> 00:29:08,073 Maybe this is a very big river. I don't know, I don't know. 187 00:29:08,137 --> 00:29:12,225 The only problem is that there's absolutely no backup if some thing happens. 188 00:29:12,661 --> 00:29:13,478 The first thing, 189 00:29:13,757 --> 00:29:16,542 we follow through with our plan that the pilot has approved. 190 00:29:16,567 --> 00:29:19,985 Don't forget I am in fucking charge of what's going on here. 191 00:29:20,073 --> 00:29:22,807 Then let's go get tons of fuel and go here. 192 00:29:22,833 --> 00:29:25,188 What planet the fuck are you from? 193 00:29:31,327 --> 00:29:33,985 After a long discussion, we decided to try. 194 00:29:35,252 --> 00:29:37,505 It's 6:00 a.m. and we finally have no wind. 195 00:29:37,973 --> 00:29:40,707 This is some of the gnarliest weather that I've ever dealt with. 196 00:29:42,619 --> 00:29:43,638 We are going to... 197 00:29:44,604 --> 00:29:48,435 ..one of the sketchiest areas down in the southern tip. 198 00:29:48,568 --> 00:29:49,968 Really variable weather conditions. 199 00:29:49,995 --> 00:29:51,720 It can change like that. 200 00:29:53,711 --> 00:29:57,138 We have 40 minutes of working fuel once we are out to the Darwin Range 201 00:29:57,170 --> 00:29:58,632 and it's gonna take an hour to get there. 202 00:29:58,711 --> 00:30:01,914 But he's not gonna shut the helicopter down and It's gonna be a time crunch. 203 00:30:29,987 --> 00:30:31,458 It's a strange thing, you know, 204 00:30:31,471 --> 00:30:34,295 the first time we laid eyes on Darwin. 205 00:30:34,850 --> 00:30:37,741 It was a real just position of 206 00:30:37,742 --> 00:30:40,147 the surrounding terrain -- mountains 207 00:30:40,174 --> 00:30:43,053 to this iced-over island. 208 00:30:44,188 --> 00:30:49,058 You know, there is just this ominous feeling that hangs over the whole place. 209 00:30:52,529 --> 00:30:54,572 So when they first decided to shoot, 210 00:30:54,599 --> 00:30:57,678 I was saying: "Impossible, absolutely impossible!" 211 00:30:57,926 --> 00:30:59,699 Looks pretty gnarly right there. 212 00:30:59,953 --> 00:31:01,848 I think these clouds are moving pretty quick. 213 00:31:04,524 --> 00:31:06,266 All right, guys, we're already running low on fuel here. 214 00:31:06,267 --> 00:31:07,939 We're gonna have to get this going. 215 00:31:08,024 --> 00:31:08,793 Are you ready? 216 00:31:09,010 --> 00:31:11,225 I think we'll be ready in about... 217 00:31:11,867 --> 00:31:13,354 ..maybe 5 minutes. 218 00:31:14,232 --> 00:31:16,124 Shit, man, there goes the fucking sun. 219 00:31:18,921 --> 00:31:20,116 Keep quick. 220 00:31:49,420 --> 00:31:52,487 OK, we're just about out of fuel, here. 221 00:31:52,933 --> 00:31:54,006 All right, copy. 222 00:31:58,965 --> 00:32:01,168 Step. Can you make it to my step? 223 00:32:01,844 --> 00:32:02,979 Right here. hold on. 224 00:32:15,864 --> 00:32:17,707 And there was quite a deep river, 225 00:32:17,820 --> 00:32:19,188 where they need to swim, 226 00:32:19,215 --> 00:32:21,518 this very cold, chilly water, 227 00:32:21,856 --> 00:32:23,342 to get to the helicopter. 228 00:32:51,157 --> 00:32:52,690 Oh, good job, guys. 229 00:32:52,691 --> 00:32:54,610 That was very interesting. 230 00:32:55,043 --> 00:32:56,583 Oh, man, that was heavy. 231 00:32:57,110 --> 00:32:59,043 Feel like we just got away with murder. 232 00:33:00,597 --> 00:33:03,033 Just to ski here, to snowboard here, 233 00:33:03,238 --> 00:33:07,670 to do one line, to ski one line here in this incredible place, 234 00:33:08,265 --> 00:33:09,508 that's what we live for. 235 00:33:11,873 --> 00:33:14,121 Even sometime you are suffering and you say: 236 00:33:14,122 --> 00:33:16,608 "This is the last time I will do that." 237 00:33:16,934 --> 00:33:18,734 But after this feeling passes, 238 00:33:18,982 --> 00:33:21,422 you are wondering what will be the next. 239 00:33:48,634 --> 00:33:49,201 Home. 240 00:33:52,579 --> 00:33:53,931 It's good to be home. 241 00:33:55,323 --> 00:33:56,579 Yeah, it's powerful here. 242 00:33:57,369 --> 00:33:59,112 I've seen a thousand times, but... 243 00:33:59,504 --> 00:34:02,139 I still try to see it anew every time I come back. 244 00:34:05,894 --> 00:34:08,410 Right on the edge of the biggest volcanoes in the world, 245 00:34:08,450 --> 00:34:10,437 it's lively, it's electric. 246 00:34:16,550 --> 00:34:19,321 I've dedicated a big part of my life to riding here. 247 00:34:19,483 --> 00:34:22,456 Now this place is a part of me as much as I am a part of it. 248 00:34:35,489 --> 00:34:38,475 I don't think I've ever approached a winter like I have this year. 249 00:34:39,549 --> 00:34:42,467 You've got the time and effort to put in, the right crew, 250 00:34:44,116 --> 00:34:46,305 this is the best backcountry park in the world. 251 00:36:44,508 --> 00:36:46,884 In my short 28 years in Jackson, 252 00:36:46,898 --> 00:36:48,695 I've never seen a winter like this. 253 00:36:50,141 --> 00:36:51,438 Conditions of all-time. 254 00:36:53,452 --> 00:36:54,911 These are the days we kill for. 255 00:37:23,915 --> 00:37:24,888 Why'd he do that? 256 00:37:25,429 --> 00:37:28,469 Dude, I took a trunk down with me! 257 00:37:28,834 --> 00:37:29,456 Yeah! 258 00:37:29,756 --> 00:37:31,536 I took a piece down, I didn't... 259 00:37:31,537 --> 00:37:33,523 I thought I just bounced off it, I didn't realize I broke it. 260 00:37:38,054 --> 00:37:38,766 Yes! 261 00:38:40,647 --> 00:38:42,638 I don't even know what's going on right there, man. 262 00:38:43,139 --> 00:38:45,868 I saw him flipping, a tree snapping. 263 00:38:45,869 --> 00:38:47,310 That was chaotic. 264 00:42:45,305 --> 00:42:48,462 Let's go! 265 00:42:54,351 --> 00:42:55,081 Help! 266 00:42:55,365 --> 00:42:56,229 Help! 267 00:42:56,243 --> 00:42:57,919 Oh, guys, help! 268 00:42:59,838 --> 00:43:02,458 Travis, we need you down here. 269 00:43:02,459 --> 00:43:03,541 How does my jaw look? 270 00:43:04,871 --> 00:43:06,789 I hit my head really hard. 271 00:43:07,046 --> 00:43:10,344 Yeah, just relax for a second, bud. We'll get you out of here. 272 00:43:10,449 --> 00:43:12,235 Don't lie to me. How do I look? 273 00:43:12,236 --> 00:43:14,531 I think I broke my jaw. I bit my tongue. 274 00:43:14,566 --> 00:43:16,174 I hit my head, hit hard. 275 00:43:17,020 --> 00:43:20,444 I'm... ringing. I just want to get the fuckout of here, dude. 276 00:43:20,454 --> 00:43:21,525 I wanna go. 277 00:43:23,430 --> 00:43:26,216 Advil, Advil, I need some Advil. Do you have any Advil? 278 00:43:26,217 --> 00:43:28,419 I've got Vicodin in my bag up top. 279 00:43:28,454 --> 00:43:29,620 Can somebody go get it? 280 00:43:30,066 --> 00:43:31,090 Maybe just hold off on that. 281 00:43:31,888 --> 00:43:33,420 Let's just get the fuck out. 282 00:43:33,559 --> 00:43:35,698 Oh, it can be such a love-hate relationship. 283 00:43:35,711 --> 00:43:37,344 I need to throw up. 284 00:43:38,140 --> 00:43:40,482 You know, it's basically you against yourself. 285 00:43:41,635 --> 00:43:45,319 You know, unfortunately, injury is sometimes a part of what we do. 286 00:43:48,142 --> 00:43:51,927 So, this is the 3-D reconstruction of your CAT scao. 287 00:43:52,066 --> 00:43:53,788 You know, you're gonna take beatings. 288 00:43:53,864 --> 00:43:56,674 It's written in our DNA, you know. You go down, 289 00:43:57,775 --> 00:44:00,015 you get up. That simple. 290 00:44:53,816 --> 00:44:55,317 Gnarly. 291 00:44:58,904 --> 00:45:00,929 What the fuck are we doing? 292 00:45:25,702 --> 00:45:27,588 This is a heavy-ass fucking jump, man. 293 00:45:27,942 --> 00:45:28,791 For sure. 294 00:46:00,627 --> 00:46:01,197 North, 295 00:46:02,741 --> 00:46:04,235 every year, as the snow melts, 296 00:46:04,273 --> 00:46:06,691 we start our migration up to British Columbia. 297 00:46:16,818 --> 00:46:19,527 Everything we do is dictated by the weather and snow conditions. 298 00:46:25,426 --> 00:46:28,476 Sometimes you get it good and sometimes you don't. 299 00:46:33,401 --> 00:46:34,819 This year, we have been hearing 300 00:46:34,844 --> 00:46:37,805 that Canada was having some of the worst avalanche conditions in history. 301 00:46:41,021 --> 00:46:42,452 But conditions can change quickly 302 00:46:42,490 --> 00:46:45,122 and we knew the only way we were gonna get any real data was 303 00:46:45,190 --> 00:46:47,629 by going up and setting foot on slope ourselves. 304 00:46:48,598 --> 00:46:53,012 Nelson traffic, C-golf-Yankee-golf-kilo. 305 00:46:53,060 --> 00:46:54,617 Yeah, we're going to Gold Range, guy. 306 00:46:54,629 --> 00:46:57,844 Most of the landings up there are around 9,000 feet. 307 00:46:58,364 --> 00:47:00,110 Our fuel is a little heavy coming out of Nelson, 308 00:47:00,174 --> 00:47:02,668 but by the time we get up there, it should just work out about right. 309 00:47:05,537 --> 00:47:07,807 The fog around here and the clouds and everything 310 00:47:07,820 --> 00:47:09,579 is just very unpredictable. 311 00:47:09,604 --> 00:47:12,415 and just rolling in and out the entire time. 312 00:47:17,972 --> 00:47:18,799 It's really weird. 313 00:47:18,813 --> 00:47:21,975 I've never really seen this type of fog that we encountered. 314 00:47:21,988 --> 00:47:24,288 We're up pretty high on a ridge 315 00:47:24,643 --> 00:47:27,009 and we were just scoping out some lines. 316 00:47:27,010 --> 00:47:30,567 You know, the bad spirit coming in, you know, like those movies, like... 317 00:47:30,745 --> 00:47:33,314 That stuff is coming straight up valley. 318 00:47:34,365 --> 00:47:38,352 We decided to pull off because the fog was coming in and coming in higher. 319 00:47:54,357 --> 00:47:55,830 It wasn't a shut-down location. 320 00:47:55,898 --> 00:47:58,289 I was worried about going over backwards above a huge cliff. 321 00:47:58,316 --> 00:48:01,606 I don't know what that drop off would've been, probably maybe 400 feet. 322 00:48:01,619 --> 00:48:03,262 Sheer rock. There was no snow on it. 323 00:48:04,090 --> 00:48:06,172 I want four guys sitting on the front skids here. 324 00:48:06,342 --> 00:48:08,207 I'm pretty scared shitless sitting down here. 325 00:48:09,116 --> 00:48:11,186 Here we are in this ice fog 326 00:48:11,187 --> 00:48:14,544 laying on the heli, keeping the thing from slipping off the ridge. 327 00:48:14,433 --> 00:48:16,264 Okay, I want you guys to tie this thing down, too, 328 00:48:16,435 --> 00:48:18,562 as soon as he's finished up. 329 00:48:19,741 --> 00:48:21,363 He climbed on top of his helicopter 330 00:48:21,468 --> 00:48:22,842 with a shovel handle. 331 00:48:23,409 --> 00:48:27,565 I've never seen ice like this, man. 332 00:48:27,625 --> 00:48:29,706 Just banging on his blades. 333 00:48:29,882 --> 00:48:32,449 It was a scary moment. We didn't know if Ken was going to make it. 334 00:48:32,450 --> 00:48:34,772 I'm gonna be almost straight up and turning it out. 335 00:48:34,842 --> 00:48:36,367 Everybody untie the machine. 336 00:48:36,380 --> 00:48:37,414 Get this thing rolling. 337 00:48:37,415 --> 00:48:39,712 Once I'm at 100%, let go of the machine. 338 00:48:39,726 --> 00:48:41,760 Roger. I'm doing this solo. 339 00:48:41,294 --> 00:48:42,500 Do you need some spot? 340 00:48:43,185 --> 00:48:45,722 You know what, close the door for me and we'll totally get ready. 341 00:48:47,988 --> 00:48:50,244 And he was supposed to give us a nod or something 342 00:48:50,245 --> 00:48:51,735 if it was good to go? 343 00:48:55,029 --> 00:48:56,799 There was no nod at all. 344 00:49:02,495 --> 00:49:04,495 Ken made it out and so did we. 345 00:49:04,520 --> 00:49:07,359 He picked us up 20 minutes later like nothing happened. 346 00:49:07,875 --> 00:49:09,697 We all have our boards ready to go 347 00:49:09,710 --> 00:49:11,963 and the helicopter just comes in, 348 00:49:16,021 --> 00:49:18,797 blades are spinning a couple of feet away from the slope. 349 00:49:19,148 --> 00:49:21,824 The whole basket, the whole door is just in the air. 350 00:49:22,192 --> 00:49:24,078 And below us are those cliffs. 351 00:49:24,483 --> 00:49:27,851 Just the nose barely touching to the slope. 352 00:49:28,189 --> 00:49:30,297 You get that helicopter go kuh-kuh, 353 00:49:30,648 --> 00:49:32,192 you know, you are dead. 354 00:49:36,033 --> 00:49:38,217 We didn't realize what we were on top of 355 00:49:38,343 --> 00:49:40,167 until we actually lifted off. 356 00:49:41,127 --> 00:49:44,452 It was a bad situation that could get a lot worse. 357 00:49:50,155 --> 00:49:51,116 In the mountains, 358 00:49:51,117 --> 00:49:53,065 learning from your mistakes can be 359 00:49:53,228 --> 00:49:54,636 extremely costly. 360 00:49:56,092 --> 00:49:57,965 You just never know when it's gonna happen. 361 00:49:58,166 --> 00:49:59,965 But the danger is always there. 362 00:50:00,796 --> 00:50:02,558 We are in an environment that has 363 00:50:02,896 --> 00:50:05,085 snow, steep slopes, 364 00:50:06,086 --> 00:50:09,409 and if that's all we had, there'd be no problem. 365 00:50:09,855 --> 00:50:11,558 But as soon as we introduce 366 00:50:11,915 --> 00:50:13,685 man and his toys 367 00:50:13,745 --> 00:50:16,105 into that avalanche triangle, 368 00:50:16,361 --> 00:50:18,193 then we have the avalanche hazard. 369 00:50:27,206 --> 00:50:29,191 That would've been us, dude. 370 00:50:34,826 --> 00:50:37,791 Avalanches were just popping, popping, popping, popping! 371 00:50:37,805 --> 00:50:40,170 Everything that we are touching is avving. 372 00:50:40,994 --> 00:50:43,832 You need to know that it's not just snowboarding. 373 00:50:43,926 --> 00:50:46,245 You learn to ride some fun stuff, some good stuff 374 00:50:46,283 --> 00:50:49,675 and push yourself, but at the same time you're gonna risk the mountain. 375 00:51:36,436 --> 00:51:39,152 It's always this border line 376 00:51:39,249 --> 00:51:42,395 respect relationship that you have to have with the mountain 377 00:51:42,422 --> 00:51:45,706 because the minute you stop respecting the mountains, 378 00:51:45,720 --> 00:51:47,895 that's when things just go bad. 379 00:51:55,509 --> 00:51:57,158 Some of these avalanche accidents 380 00:51:57,190 --> 00:51:59,799 are not these magnificent, large slopes 381 00:51:59,826 --> 00:52:01,988 that have these great powder clouds and 382 00:52:02,245 --> 00:52:05,258 overwhelm everybody, but they are very small slopes. 383 00:52:07,500 --> 00:52:08,956 Ready for this, Marcus? 384 00:52:10,109 --> 00:52:11,337 We are good to go. 385 00:52:13,677 --> 00:52:14,969 You're excited for your run, 386 00:52:14,970 --> 00:52:17,764 but at the same time, those conditions, it's like, "All right, 387 00:52:17,859 --> 00:52:20,286 "well, have a good one, I hope I see you at the bottom." 388 00:52:20,780 --> 00:52:23,021 - Dude, have fun. - All right, I'm ready. 389 00:52:23,724 --> 00:52:25,680 Go ahead, buds. 390 00:52:34,351 --> 00:52:37,113 Mark's down, Mark's down. Eyes on him, eyes on him. 391 00:52:38,030 --> 00:52:40,021 I got him. 392 00:52:42,616 --> 00:52:44,106 Oh, shit. 393 00:52:45,073 --> 00:52:46,451 Mark, are you good? 394 00:52:58,282 --> 00:53:00,079 I don't know what's going on down there. Scott? 395 00:53:00,106 --> 00:53:01,552 Yeah, this is stupid. 396 00:53:01,863 --> 00:53:03,668 We can't fucking push this shit. 397 00:53:03,693 --> 00:53:05,680 We know everything is fucking popping. 398 00:53:06,606 --> 00:53:08,579 Well, dude, I'm glad you're all right. 399 00:53:09,062 --> 00:53:11,084 Kind of how it goes out there sometimes. 400 00:53:11,193 --> 00:53:13,557 Always trying to be as careful as we can 401 00:53:13,814 --> 00:53:15,314 and, at the same time, push it 402 00:53:15,339 --> 00:53:18,747 which is how you find yourself in these situations sometimes. 403 00:53:20,985 --> 00:53:24,048 We'd pushed our luck quite a bit on the trip as it was. 404 00:53:24,580 --> 00:53:27,307 I think that was the final piece where we decided to call it. 405 00:53:27,739 --> 00:53:29,104 Glad to hear you are okay, buddy. 406 00:53:29,144 --> 00:53:30,979 Yes, glad to see you, too, Ken. 407 00:53:31,208 --> 00:53:32,448 Nasty, eh? 408 00:53:32,626 --> 00:53:34,366 Yeah, it could have been a little worse. 409 00:53:43,125 --> 00:53:46,245 That's what snowboarding is. It's just a constant search 410 00:53:46,272 --> 00:53:49,664 and it's a constant struggle to find the best pow, the best lines. 411 00:53:49,805 --> 00:53:52,453 That's what keeps us coming back year after year. 412 00:53:55,534 --> 00:53:59,021 As it always goes, not completely satisfied with... 413 00:53:59,153 --> 00:54:00,724 the snowboarding we were able to do 414 00:54:00,751 --> 00:54:03,872 but something's got leave you hungry for the next time. 415 00:56:00,482 --> 00:56:04,191 3... 2... 1. 416 00:56:15,330 --> 00:56:16,365 That felt good. 417 00:58:54,472 --> 00:58:58,648 You could say that snowboarding is like church to me, 418 00:58:59,121 --> 00:59:01,972 like church is what it is for other people. 419 00:59:02,270 --> 00:59:03,689 Snowboarding down the mountain 420 00:59:03,945 --> 00:59:04,972 is like flying. 421 00:59:05,965 --> 00:59:07,329 It feels like... 422 00:59:08,113 --> 00:59:10,857 ..there is no friction, I actually feel like... 423 00:59:11,870 --> 00:59:13,100 It feels like flying. 424 00:59:39,003 --> 00:59:42,783 Despite riding through one the most aggressive avalanche circles we have ever seen, 425 00:59:43,314 --> 00:59:45,747 we decided to head back north to Canada. 426 00:59:49,969 --> 00:59:51,969 With time, the mountains can heal themselves. 427 00:59:53,698 --> 00:59:55,144 That's what we were hoping for. 428 00:59:59,766 --> 01:00:01,455 I think the reason you never give up 429 01:00:01,474 --> 01:00:02,907 is because you know... 430 01:00:04,529 --> 01:00:06,407 we dedicate enough time, eventually, 431 01:00:06,515 --> 01:00:07,569 you're gonna get it good. 432 01:00:14,833 --> 01:00:16,858 And I guess that's where we find our passion 433 01:00:19,075 --> 01:00:21,913 in this never ending gamble of this so-called sport, 434 01:00:22,577 --> 01:00:24,683 Snowboarding is more than just a sport. 435 01:00:26,088 --> 01:00:28,426 There's the mountain, there's you, 436 01:00:28,657 --> 01:00:30,621 and you pick your own line. 437 01:00:30,987 --> 01:00:32,121 It's your soul 438 01:00:32,148 --> 01:00:34,067 that... that does that and... 439 01:00:34,783 --> 01:00:36,499 that always feels good. 440 01:00:38,189 --> 01:00:39,918 When a human being can be creative, 441 01:00:39,938 --> 01:00:41,248 it's... that's... 442 01:00:42,154 --> 01:00:44,221 ..when really anything is possible. 443 01:00:45,586 --> 01:00:46,789 Yeah, Nico! 444 01:02:08,975 --> 01:02:10,135 Yeah! 445 01:02:10,394 --> 01:02:11,634 Wild man. 446 01:02:59,526 --> 01:03:01,482 All right, Nico, ready?. 447 01:03:01,967 --> 01:03:02,550 Ready. 448 01:03:19,449 --> 01:03:20,633 Oh, my god. 449 01:04:28,489 --> 01:04:30,198 All right, Travis. dropping in... 450 01:04:30,223 --> 01:04:32,528 ..three, two, one. 451 01:07:11,178 --> 01:07:14,039 - Yeah, good. - Holy shit! 452 01:08:57,625 --> 01:09:00,056 So what you think you would've done if you didn't become a snowboarder? 453 01:09:01,372 --> 01:09:03,473 Did your career path lined up before you were pro? 454 01:09:04,157 --> 01:09:08,686 Well, I was on this super intense career path to be a... 455 01:09:09,446 --> 01:09:11,284 ..a world-class dirtbag. 456 01:09:13,740 --> 01:09:14,942 I hated school. 457 01:09:15,996 --> 01:09:20,360 I mean, I knew like so early on, by, like 12 years old, 458 01:09:20,373 --> 01:09:24,302 for sure, I was like, "I'm living in the snow and I'm gonna be riding everyday." 459 01:09:31,778 --> 01:09:34,436 That's a pretty worthy little spine wall back there. 460 01:09:34,462 --> 01:09:36,044 Yeah, you like that? Cool. 461 01:09:36,361 --> 01:09:39,120 I mean, spines is what we do backflips for. 462 01:09:43,437 --> 01:09:45,678 It just continues to blow me away that 463 01:09:45,884 --> 01:09:48,589 you know, 25 years in, I'm... 464 01:09:49,007 --> 01:09:50,944 amping as ever to go snowboard. 465 01:10:03,420 --> 01:10:05,147 The mountains are serious 466 01:10:05,172 --> 01:10:07,615 and they are serious for anyone getting into the backcountry. 467 01:10:07,750 --> 01:10:10,678 And I have seen that, over the years, you learn. 468 01:10:10,729 --> 01:10:13,387 It's not just going and riding and crazy stuff, 469 01:10:13,413 --> 01:10:14,856 It's not just with film crews, 470 01:10:14,881 --> 01:10:17,894 it's like you are in mountains, you're in the backcountry, 471 01:10:17,907 --> 01:10:19,350 you are putting yourself at risk 472 01:10:19,375 --> 01:10:20,963 and no one is above the law. 473 01:10:24,729 --> 01:10:27,350 Blind rollers, here we go again. 474 01:10:31,644 --> 01:10:34,681 Good jump. Keep your tips up. 475 01:11:09,478 --> 01:11:12,047 Yeah, Jeremy, it's beautiful. 476 01:11:12,731 --> 01:11:17,453 Yeah, Rice, snow's rippable, slash's pretty manageable. 477 01:11:50,201 --> 01:11:51,986 Get out of town! 478 01:11:53,670 --> 01:11:55,745 Dude, you've got be kidding me. 479 01:11:58,505 --> 01:12:01,214 That is the future and the future is now. 480 01:12:01,619 --> 01:12:03,581 Ridiculous. 481 01:12:05,632 --> 01:12:08,758 It was really cool being out there this morning with Travis. 482 01:12:09,050 --> 01:12:10,999 He's better every time I ride with him. 483 01:12:11,024 --> 01:12:12,189 Every time I ride with him, 484 01:12:12,214 --> 01:12:15,822 he's doing stuff that I've never seen anyone else in the world do. 485 01:12:15,878 --> 01:12:18,784 And it's pretty much the best snowboarding I've ever seen. 486 01:12:18,908 --> 01:12:19,974 And that's... 487 01:12:21,980 --> 01:12:23,289 ..every day with Travis Rice. 488 01:13:06,495 --> 01:13:07,406 Nice. 489 01:13:09,469 --> 01:13:11,993 All right, Let's slip. bump up, warm-up run. 490 01:13:14,374 --> 01:13:15,506 Hit it. 491 01:14:10,484 --> 01:14:11,641 When it comes down to it, 492 01:14:12,193 --> 01:14:13,434 it's pretty simple. 493 01:14:14,522 --> 01:14:16,497 Adventure is what you make it. 494 01:14:18,524 --> 01:14:19,854 And whether it's the travel, 495 01:14:20,877 --> 01:14:21,890 the discovery, 496 01:14:22,763 --> 01:14:24,257 or just the feeling of letting go, 497 01:14:26,310 --> 01:14:27,865 the only way we will ever find out 498 01:14:29,687 --> 01:14:31,093 is to get out there and do it. 499 01:14:35,181 --> 01:14:36,232 Enjoy the ride.