Apologies if you now have Tom Petty’s song stuck in your head but it seemed to be the theme song for the month as we waited for our powder day – the day we needed to make sure the ski section of our film had that “chef’s kiss.” And nearly a month after we wrapped the shoot at Mt. Larkins, the stars aligned and a large storm from the south brought 20-25cm (almost a foot!) of fresh snow to New Zealand. Finally, the local team had the green light for our shoot’s powder day.
On this shoot, we worked with a smaller team. Freeride World Tour champion and Protect our Winters ambassador Jess Hotter was still the main athlete. She was joined by the director of photography, Jase Hancox, and his second cameraman, Danny Warley. Rounding out the team was legendary photographer, Miles Holden. Miles originally planned to join us on the first shoot at Mt. Larkins but had to pull out at the last minute because of the flu.
The team met shortly after sunrise at the heliport. For both shoots, we did our best to minimize helicopter use. Fortunately, after this storm, the fresh powder was relatively close to the heliport, so the team did not have to travel too far to get there.
“It was the best snow I skied all season. It was such a good time with some amazing people – it was an absolutely stunning day,” Jess said.
The stoke level was high when the team wrapped up the shoot in the afternoon and headed back to Wanaka.
And with that, the snow season ended and spring has officially sprung in New Zealand!
Apologies if you now have Tom Petty’s song stuck in your head but it seemed to be the theme song for the month as we waited for our powder day – the day we needed to make sure the ski section of our film had that “chef’s kiss.” And nearly a month after we wrapped the shoot at Mt. Larkins, the stars aligned and a large storm from the south brought 20-25cm (almost a foot!) of fresh snow to New Zealand. Finally, the local team had the green light for our shoot’s powder day.
Apologies if you now have Tom Petty’s song stuck in your head but it seemed to be the theme song for the month as we waited for our powder day – the day we needed to make sure the ski section of our film had that “chef’s kiss.” And nearly a month after we wrapped the shoot at Mt. Larkins, the stars aligned and a large storm from the south brought 20-25cm (almost a foot!) of fresh snow to New Zealand. Finally, the local team had the green light for our shoot’s powder day.
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.
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.
