Press Room - Segment Notes

If you got a last-minute invite to go on a free heli-trip, what lengths would you take to ensure that you made it before takeoff? Jess McMillan would speed on snow-covered roads to the heli-hanger in Regan Smith’s race car. Don’t worry…it’s equipped with studded snow tires. Jess makes it to Telluride just in time for takeoff, where she is welcomed by big-mountain legend Chris Davenport, ski-racing icon Daron Rahlves and Canadian big-mountain skier Josh Bibby. Watch as this team of backcountry experts takes on Telluride and lays tracks all across the San Juans. This area is home to 14 peaks that reach over 14,000 feet, and last season’s wild weather made it a target for avalanche danger. While these pros make navigating this terrain look like a breeze, they carefully calculate each turn and assess the risks before every descent. “I think one of the things that’s most attractive for me about the sport of skiing is the mental focus that you need when you’re out in the mountains,” says Davenport. “It’s such a dangerous environment.”

After retiring from World Cup downhill racing, Tommy Moe wasn’t ready to turn in his boots, so he headed to Alaska to spend his days carving and casting. Carving and casting? Yep—that’s right. Chugach Powder Guides offers a summer action-adventure experience that combines King Salmon fishing, corn-snow heli-skiing and whitewater rafting in the heart of the Tordrillo Mountains. From the looks of it, Moe is pretty content in his summer home: “We’ve been pioneering the range for 15 years, and there’s still another lifetime of ski runs to enjoy.” With a floatplane, helicopter and slew of fishing boats, Tommy takes World Cup Champions Daron Rahlves and Marco Sullivan to the top of Tordillo’s volcanic peaks and ancient glaciers, terrain that is accessible only by helicopter. After years of grueling training and continuous practice, they’re champing at the bit to ski Alaska’s untracked peaks and troll its pristine rivers. “There’s some runs I wish would never end,” says Rahlves. “You go down the mountain, and life escapes you as you’re in the moment looking ahead.” Join these racers-turned-freeskiers as they escape the lower-48 to carve endless acres of fresh Alaskan corn and catch some big fish

“Sometimes to learn about the present you have to step back to the past.” Go back in time with Warren Miller legend Chris Anthony as he explores the roots of American ski culture and celebrates our country’s renowned 10^th Mountain Division. You will find yourself entranced as veterans from the famed 10^th Mountain Division explain what it was like be a part of the United States’ first mountain infantry. These “original ski bums,” as Scott Kennett describes them, pioneered the way for today’s ski culture. Relocated to Camp Hale near Vail, Colorado, only five months before Pearl Harbor, the 10^th Mountain Division learned how to fight, travel by ski and survive in negative 30-degree temperatures. The 10^th was later deployed to fight in Italy, where they fought heroically and overtook the famed Riva Ridge. Watch vintage footage of the veterans attempting to navigate The Rockies’ unforgiving terrain with 7-foot hickory skis and 90-pound packs. And have a laugh as Anthony, Seibert and Kennett take an unsuccessful stab at skiing on this now antique equipment. Most of these men will admit that serving in the 10^th, high in the mountains, was miserable at times. But, they’ll also admit that the skiing was the best part of their unique experience. After serving in the 10^th and developing a deep passion for skiing, many of these veterans moved on to shape innovation in ski technology and resort development across the United States. It’s been 71 years since the creation of the 10^th, but their common love of the mountains “has held [them] together for a lifetime,” shares 10^th veteran Earl Clark.

At first glance, Mürren, Switzerland, looks surreal. Perched on the side of a cliff and only accessible by cable car or train, Mürren is a “classic European ski town,” as big-mountain skier Hugo Harrisson describes it. With snow-covered chalets and panoramic views of Breithorn Mountain, it’s no surprise that the first FIS Alpine World Championships were held here in 1931. The absence of cars guarantees that the only traffic jam you’ll face is too many skiers racing to the gondola. “It’s like a skier’s island,” says local sensation Sascha Schmid. After exploring the village on skis, climb another 7,000 feet to the summit of the Eiger and watch Hugo and Sascha lay fresh tracks between jagged chutes. Things may seem harsh on the Eiger—all snow and exposed rock—but to these powder-thirsty skiers, it’s paradise. “It gives a lot of options for base jumpers, speed flyers, climbers, mountaineers, freeskiers—it’s the top of Europe,” says Hugo. After conquering the summit, they dip into the clouds for a game of follow-the-leader through the forest, weaving between powder fields and trees in scenery that’s nothing short of a skier’s dreamland.

Is it really true that today’s freeskiing stems from ski ballet? That’s at least what Bob Howard claims. Flashback with Moseley as he digs up his neon one-piece and takes us back in time for a little ski ballet. Back when ski ballet was a legitimate sport, it gave skiers the chance to gain mad street-cred. “We got points for good hair, cool clothes, pyrotechnical things,” says freestyle legend Bob Howard. You’re probably laughing, but these skiers take their pliés and pirouettes very seriously as they hotdog through the Lake Tahoe area.

Join X Games Champion Colby James West as he travels to the foot of Europe’s Kitzsteinhorn Glacier to introduce the art of freeskiing to the Austrian village of Kaprun…or so he thinks. Colby gears up in a tall-tee and his park skis, hoping to share the gospel of mute grabs and rail slides with this isolated population. Little does he know, he’s preaching to the choir.