We woke up bright and early at 6 a.m.; our world was still cloaked in darkness. Our goal was to be out on the mountain by 7 a.m. to capture Jess with the full moon along the ridge line behind the hut. Hitting a full moon up at the Kelly Hut was a pretty rare and special occurrence (after all, a full moon only happens once a month!) and the image of Jess is beyond cool. Sure, this meant we didn’t have the sky filled with stars, but it did mean we got to play around with different perspectives as the moon set over the mountain peaks.
3
mins read
Day 2 in the snow: sending the summit
published
December 15, 2022
location
NEW ZEALAND
discipline
Skiing
Day 2 in the snow: sending the summit
Day 2 in the snow: sending the summit
published
December 15, 2022
location
NEW ZEALAND
discipline
Skiing
3
mins read
“Despite the spicy slope, she still managed to get four beautiful turns in.”
From their elevated view along the ridge, Jess and Tom could see there was a potential line just under the hut. With the sun still barely over the eastern peaks, the two skied over to assess the situation.
Situated at the base of the run, Janina and Mickey radioed up to say that the snow looked pretty decent in the morning light. Could it be? The one potential “powder” run? Once Jess went over the ridge, however, she realized quickly there was definitely no powder. Despite the spicy slope though, she still managed to get four beautiful turns in and throw some snow in the air for the cameras.
Day 2 ski carousel 1 image 2
Day 2 ski carousel 1 image 1
After breakfast, it was time to make some tough decisions: what should our plan be? By this point, it was apparent that the shoot would need to end early: the conditions were not getting any better (in fact worse), the storm was still approaching, and if we made the call to pull out early we would be able to reallocate resources. With the less-than-favorable weather and the snow conditions, we had officially met the crux of the shoot. Our hope is to inspire people around the world with Jess’ skiing; to do that, we needed the snow to come out and play.
With the tough decision out of the way, we put our focus back on getting Jess back on the mountain. Even if the snow wasn’t great, if it was safe, we wanted to take advantage of the unreal location. Climbing back up to the top of the ridge behind the Kelly Hut, we closely examined each potential line. Dan, the hut’s owner, climbed up to the “lookers left” of Mt. Larkin’s summit and said there was some decent snow up there. Everyone’s heart began beating a little faster.
Jess, Tom, Janina, and Mickey started gearing up.
Day 2 ski carousel 2
“The snow had a bit of a crust on top so you couldn't move too quickly," Jess said. "In the middle of it, there was a traverse that I needed to be quite careful on. I just took it easy across that, but as soon as I got back onto the face, where we originally spotted the snow, it was great. It opened it up a little bit and I enjoyed those last few turns.”
Drag
We had one last sequence to film (Jess mountaineering in the dark), but aside from that the rest of the project needed to be put on hold. Making this call was not easy. On one hand, we needed the weather to play ball. But on the other hand, this late in the season, there was concern that we might not get the stars to align. The experts on the team emphasized that it was only August, and the odds of a storm from the south hitting the South Island were 100% in our favor. It was a gamble worth taking.
We woke up bright and early at 6 a.m.; our world was still cloaked in darkness. Our goal was to be out on the mountain by 7 a.m. to capture Jess with the full moon along the ridge line behind the hut. Hitting a full moon up at the Kelly Hut was a pretty rare and special occurrence (after all, a full moon only happens once a month!) and the image of Jess is beyond cool. Sure, this meant we didn’t have the sky filled with stars, but it did mean we got to play around with different perspectives as the moon set over the mountain peaks.
No items found.
From their elevated view along the ridge, Jess and Tom could see there was a potential line just under the hut. With the sun still barely over the eastern peaks, the two skied over to assess the situation.
Situated at the base of the run, Janina and Mickey radioed up to say that the snow looked pretty decent in the morning light. Could it be? The one potential “powder” run? Once Jess went over the ridge, however, she realized quickly there was definitely no powder. Despite the spicy slope though, she still managed to get four beautiful turns in and throw some snow in the air for the cameras.
No items found.
No items found.
No items found.
We woke up bright and early at 6 a.m.; our world was still cloaked in darkness. Our goal was to be out on the mountain by 7 a.m. to capture Jess with the full moon along the ridge line behind the hut. Hitting a full moon up at the Kelly Hut was a pretty rare and special occurrence (after all, a full moon only happens once a month!) and the image of Jess is beyond cool. Sure, this meant we didn’t have the sky filled with stars, but it did mean we got to play around with different perspectives as the moon set over the mountain peaks.
No items found.
Previously unseen
ABOUT THE PROJECT
To highlight the connection between water and sports, we’ve brought together an internationally renowned freediver, a world champion freeskier, and professional offshore sailing team. Like water, these athletes move in unison with their mind, body, and the present moment. Together, these athletes bring to life their fullest expressions– like water, they flow.
ABOUT THE TEAM
We chose athletes who are not only the best at what they do but also align with 11th Hour Racing’s mission to protect and restore the ocean. We hired local storytelling teams who are also some of the best in the world. Each part of the production was carefully considered to come together as one holistic story.
