The Simple Life
- Ski-in, Ski-outVeteran Warren Miller cameraman Tom Day follows Øystein Aasheim, Kaylin Richardson, Marcus Caston, and tour guide Brennan Lagasse out of camp for another day in the mecca of big-mountain skiing: Alaska. The crew spent two weeks camping and touring with Points North Heli-Adventures in the Chugach Mountains, experiencing Alaska in a totally fresh way. “It’s ski-in, ski-out lodging here,” Caston says. “You walk outside your tent and skin up and you’re ready to go.”
- The Mighty ChugachThe Chugach Mountains are in southeast Alaska, visible from Anchorage and accessible from Cordova, where Points North Heli-Adventures is based. The highest mountain hits just over 13,000 feet, and the range has some of the biggest snowfalls in the world—by some estimates, more than 600 inches a year—making for some truly epic skiing.
- Big AirAasheim lives it up his first time in Alaska. “Being upside down, that’s cool,” the freeskier says. “That’s cool in all the ways that cool can be.” And for Aasheim, that’s enough. As long as skiing is fun, he’s in. “There’s no simpler reason [for skiing] than that.”
- Lagasse leads the crew on a run
Spending two weeks together allowed plenty of time for bonding. “Skiing’s better when you’re with friends,” says Aasheim, who reunited with Richardson for Chasing Shadows. The two had toured in Norway for No Turning Back.
- This trip was as human-powered as it gets“The scale is unbelievable,” Caston says. “When you’re touring, you feel a lot smaller. You really feel the scale of the place.”
- Caston had one of the greatest runs of his life on this trip“I got to the bottom and started screaming for like 10 minutes,” he says. “I couldn’t even control myself. It was so cool.”
- Richardson, a former alpine ski racer, appears to have no fear when she’s slamming down a mountain.“She is very fast,” Caston says. “She’s tough to keep up with. For every one turn that she makes, I probably make three or four.” But Richardson balances her aggressive style with a good strong dose of reality. “Fear is good. It’s there for a reason,” she says. “When you are skiing something that big, that steep, that deep, you really are focused on only getting down and getting down safely.”
- Eat, ski, sleep, repeat."To get to go here and ski is a dream for every freeskier, so, you know, it’s a dream come true,” Aasheim says.
- The three athletes quickly discovered one benefit of touringCaston (pictured), Richardson, and Aasheim could head up even in conditions that might have kept helicopters from flying. One day, the three went out sans cameras for a run in weather that quickly turned to blue skies. When they returned to camp, the sun was setting and the northern lights appeared.
- The Simple Life“It’s pretty cool seeing the mountain lit up at night, and just a ring of green around it,” Caston says.
- The CrewPoints North pilot Cooper Carothers, Aasheim, PNH owner Kevin Quinn, Richardson, cameraman Tom Day, and Caston.
- Caston blowing it up at camp.
Richardson loved the simple life that was camping. “To completely unplug is so cool. When we’re done skiing, it’s not like I feel like I have to scurry to do my social media, or I need to go write an e-mail or write a blog.” The skiers depended on the Points North Heli-Adventures team, who kept the Warren Miller team warm, well fed, and having a good time.
- Photo Credit: Sverre Hjornevik
- Photo Credit: Sverre Hjornevik
- Photo Credit: Sverre Hjornevik
- Photo Credit: Sverre Hjornevik
- Photo Credit: Sverre Hjornevik
- Photo Credit: Sverre Hjornevik
- Photo Credit: Sverre Hjornevik
- Photo Credit: Sverre Hjornevik
- Photo Credit: Sverre Hjornevik
- Photo Credit: Sverre Hjornevik