2016 - Here, There & Everywhere

Here, There & Everywhere - 2016

1949 — that's the year Warren Miller first set out to film skiing. Over the decades, he discovered some of the sports' most unique mountains and talents, and he helped put a lot of what we consider Ski Country on the map. Some of those places have become legendary destinations; some remain obscured by the snow drifts of time, but there's almost nowhere you can click in where you're not following in Warren's tracks.

For our 67th annual ski and snowboard film, we're revisiting some of Warren's favorite places. We followed Grete Eliassen and Jess McMillan into the Swiss Alps, and Kaylin Richardson and Chris Anthony around Deer Valley to pay homage to Stein Eriksen. We chased JT Holmes, Jonny Moseley and Jeremy Jones around Squaw Valley, and Tyler Ceccanti and Collin Collins across Montana's Glacier Country. From Crested Butte, Kicking Horse and vertical lines in Alaska to pond skimming in Steamboat, these are your winter dreams, set to film.

We also managed to dream up few spots Warren himself never dreamed of filming: Olympic snowboard champion Seth Wescott and Rob Kingwill carve sea-to-sky peaks at the end of the earth in Greenland, and the best big air riders in the world takeover Boston's Fenway Park. This year, we went where our legacy — and where the snow —took us. We went Here, There, And Everywhere.

FEATURED ATHLETE: RYLAND BELL

 

Growing up in the portage town of Fairbanks, Alaska, Ryland Bell hasn’t wandered far from the small town and towering peaks that opened the door to a life of commercial fishing and big mountain riding. As a commercial fisherman in the summer months, Bell spends 20-plus hour days on his boat casting for salmon and halibut while making time to explore the backcountry terrain that is his backyard. During the winter months, he resides in Lake Tahoe and rides Squaw Valley with some of snowboarding biggest icons like Jeremy Jones. 

As a kid, Bell and his family spent their winters in Fairbanks riding, skiing, sledding, and trekking through the mountains. At age 12 Bell discovered snowboarding and knew it held his future. When not hiking with family, Bell and his friends would use hay bales to build kickers at the aptly named Moose Mountain only to find the next day that herds of moose had eaten most of their jumps. So what would they do? Get back to it building jumps and other freestyle features.

After competing in several freeriding competitions, Bell’s passion for riding big lines extended to placing on the podium at competitions like The North Face American Big Mountain, Freewide World Tour stops in California, and the Swatch Freeride World Tour in Haines, AK in 2016 with a first place finish. Most days, Bell can be found skinning uphill on his splitboard in Haines or Juneau, Alaska or the Tahoe backcountry.

 

 
 
 
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Snowboarding legend and idol to many riders, Jeremy Jones, first took to a snowboard in 1984 in a pretty peculiar place – Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Like most people who try a new sport for the first time, he didn’t excel right away. Jump ahead three years and after linking a few feel-toe turns on that same tiny hill in Cape Code, Jones found his calling. “The feeling of making those first turns was indescribable,” says Jones. “It was as if someone had just waved a magic wand and POOF!”

Known for his adventurous spirit and dedication to progression, Jones turned his passion for riding into a full-time career. When snowboarding was just a fringe sport to the masses, it was a life staple for Jones. From the time he was 9 years old and into his high school years, he found himself hiking up resort hills when snowboarders weren’t allowed to on the lifts and trekked uphill in the middle of the night to snag first ascents as soon as the sun rose.

Beyond his status of being possibly the world’s best rider, Jones is also a pioneer in the industry. He’s helped discover and tracked new lines across the globe, has won countless awards, and started a snowboard company. Since its infancy in 2009, Jones Snowboards has remained focused on backcountry safety and putting the use of sustainable manufacturing practices and healthy work environments at the forefront of the brand.

Jones is also tagged with expanding backcountry snowboarding by exposing terrain reachable with a splitboard. He says he racks up about 80 days per year on his splitboard because it opens up new possibilities in areas where there are no chairlifts to be found. He also prefers splitboarding because of the solitude it brings.

While Jones is growing older, he’s certainly not slowing down, but a rewarding day takes on a new form. These days when he’s not touring above tree line or heli-skiing, Jones prefers to carve groomers with his family at Squaw Valley.

Info gathered from jonessnowboards.com

Sun Valley, Idaho native and once again local, freeskier Collin Collins throws down in the backcounty and the park. As an athelte for K2 Skis, Smith Optics, Saga, and Full Tilt, Collins has traveled deep into the backwoods of the Intermountain west cutting fresh tracks and building kickers to showcase his unique style.

Competitions like Orage Masters 8, Red Bull Cold Rush, and the FWT Canadian Freeskiing Championships have solidified Collins as a top freestyle skier. Outside of competitions Collins is somewhat of a pioneer in the Montana and Idaho backcountry with a healthy hunger for making first ascents and scouting downhill lines that others would balk at.

In January of 2014, he sustained a nasty injury (ACL, Medial and Lateral Meniscus tears and severe cartilage damage) at Big Sky, Montana sent him to the operating table. After intense rehab he was back to it at Mt. Hood in July 2016. And, it looked like he never took a day off.

When not competing, Collins' makes the most of his backyard in Sun Valley either backcountry skiing or taking his mountain bike down gritty terrain.

Featured Athlete: Grete Eliassen

 

Name a person who inspires you to be a better skier.

Marie-France Roy

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Buy a mountain or cat-skiing operation.

The most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this year? (books, podcasts, TV shows)

Learning where dairy products actually come from. Look it up!

Fictitious character you most identify with from a book, movie, etc. and why?

Trina, the rapper, but she’s real : )

Highlight memory from filming with WME for this year's film?

Just being invited onto another WME movie after having my kids was a dream come true! The crew was exceptionally awesome and being able to film at my home resort of Solitude was just unreal. It was one of the best weeks of my life.

How do you like spending your down days?

At home skiing at Solitude for myself. I love skiing through the trees there and finding my untracked stashes of snow, no matter how long I have been gone on a trip.

Fondest memory from learning to ski or ride?

Following my mom off jumps doing huge spread eagles.

Gear you are loving right now, on or off the ski slopes, and why?

I literally skied on my Armada Skis VJJ UL almost every day this year unless I was hitting rails. The name is funny, but the ski is my favorite by far.

Do you have any hidden talents?

I can hold a head-stand forever and I can do over 300 sit-ups.

What is a cause you care about that you'd love to share with the Warren Miller audience?

Getting more girls the opportunity to play sports via the Women’s Sports Foundation and supporting and becoming an ally for trans athletes.

How do you think the year 2020 will shape the future of skiing?

It was my comeback year! It started with small hand made rail in my yard to skiing over 115 days on snow.

What is your vision for the future of skiing?

Whatever Taylor Brooke Lundquist & Marie-France Roy are doing on their skis and snowboards. Getting back to being a freeskier, no coaches, no rules, just fun!

Favorite classic ski film and why?

The Game by PBP… I probably watched that movie over 100 times while I was tuning my race skis back in the day. Little did I know I was manifesting what was to come over and over again. I love a good ski movie with great music.

 
What is your biggest goal/something you hope to achieve in your ski career?

I hope to influence more young female pro skiers.

 

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Don't miss Grete in our 72nd film, Winter Starts Now, dropping Fall 2021!

 

Photos by Cam McCleod

Current favorite piece of gear? Why? 
My 2015 Summit 800 154" , because it's frigg'n awesome

How do you like spending your down days? 
Playing pond hockey, Hanging out with my girfriend and her dog. 

Fondest memory from learning to ski or ride? 
Taking road trips with my dad and listening to Tom Petty's Full Moon Fever over, and over...

Do you have any hidden talents?
I do, but I can't find them at the moment…

What would your superpower be?
I think Teleporting would be a good one. Think of how easy it would be to get to the top of lines. Not to mention getting out.

Spirit animal?
The Beaver.

What career accomplishment are you most proud of?
Competing against JP at Cold Rush was pretty memorable. Filming with Warren Miller is huge too.

Any pre-riding or skiing rituals or superstitions?
Haha yep. I have to double tap my ski tips with both poles at the same time before I get off the ski lift. Also I have this lucky sweater that I always wear on big days.

Do you have any pets? What are their names?
Yep, an Aussie Shepard. His name is Merlin.

Can you speak any other languages? What other languages would you like to learn?
I suck at French but it's the closest I get to another language. It would be great to be fluent in that.

What is your biggest goal/something you hope to achieve in your ski career?
Longevity. Being able to ski hard when I'm old. That’s the goal.

Name a person who inspires you to be a better skier/rider?
People like Johan Olofsson, Noah Salasnek, and Dave Hatchett that paved the way for big mountain riding. They had true values of what snowboarding means to me and pushed the progression in the right direction. Forever respect those guys and appreciate how much they put on the line. Huge impact

In lieu of our 70th film, what’s your most memorable or favorite Warren Miller film or segment – past or present?
Not to be biased, but I would have to say the Points North Heli segment in Alaska from the 67th "Here, There, and Everywhere" was my favorite. Two Alaskans getting to ride the vast Chugach Mountain around Cordova in their home state made for a great time and a really amazing segment. Just so fun to be back in those mountains with my best friend.

What would you do if you won the lottery?
First I would donate a bunch of it to nonprofits that are trying to curb global warming and try to help keep these snowflakes falling for years to come so that we can all enjoy the magic of winter. Of course, then I would have to enjoy a few years of following endless winters and storm chasing globally. The ultimate dream right?!

Best meal you can cook?
A good fresh Salmon dinner on the grill is hard to beat, but I love cooking a good lasagna or Japanese curry

Favorite chairlift and why?
Chair 6 at Crystal Mtn. If you know, you know 😜

The most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this year? (books, podcasts, TV shows)
Crude Magazine's podcast on Patreon is doing some great interviews from Alaska. Really enjoying Cody Liska's insights on current happenings and the history of the snow world up there.

Fictitious character you most identify with from a book, movie, etc. and why?
I don't know if identifying is the right word, but Iorek Byrnison from the Golden Compass is a magic bear from Svalbard that is the true king of the panserbjorne. Bears are cool, ice bears that can talk and have there own society are even more awesome! Pick up that series, it's a fun read

Highlight memory from filming with WME for this year's film?
Ryland and I hiking up some amazing Swiss terrain and looking around to glaciers everywhere. You can ski/board right into town or apres from a '5000 vertical run accessed by tram or train. Pretty cool. Such an amazing place and so beautiful!

Gear you are loving right now, on or off the ski slopes, and why?
All of the gear I use I stand behind 100% but YES. Snowboards are really stepping up the way boards should perform, and redefining the standard of shapes & quality. Also, Ombraz Sunglasses are revolutionary, peep em!

What is a cause you care about that you'd love to share with the Warren Miller audience?
Would have to go with POW. There are a lot of passionate individuals right now in the snow sports industry trying to fight for the right side of climate change issues. Thank you all for your hard work and caring enough about the state of winter to be actively trying to make a difference for the good.

Do you have any sponsors, if yes, who?
YES. Snowboards, Now Bindings, Intuition Liners, Homeschool Outerwear, Smith Optics, Ombraz Sunglasses, Van's Snow, Aurora Projekt, Boarderline Alaska

What is your number one goal in skiing/riding right now?
Win, win, win on the RMSHA hillclimb race course, and continue setting the bar backcountry riding.

Current favorite piece of gear? Why?
KLIM Lochsa One-Piece. The Lochsa is warm, dry, and comfortable, plus keeps the snow out while doing pow turns!

Best advice you were ever given?
To ride smart and smooth. Smooth is fast.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?
From winning/succeeding and mentoring others.

What is your greatest fear?
Dying

Best moment filming with WME this year?
Tyler Ceccanti and Collin Collins dropping pillows while I am side hilling below and pulling off some wicked bow ties!

 

Current favorite piece of gear? Why?
This one is really hard for me to answer. All my gear items are equally important, but I will have to say my POC Mitts are the most important. If my hands are cold, at all, then I struggle to enjoy myself skiing. My favorite non-skiing related gear is my new DJ controller to play music.

How do you like spending your down days?
If I have nothing pressing to get done then I like to be with my kids, Aksel and Devin. Playing and hanging out with them is the best, the ultimate being a ski day.

Fondest memory from learning to ski or ride?
Skiing on the Squaw Valley ski team with my two brothers, Mark and Craig. I fell in love with skiing by following them wherever they would go and try doing whatever they would do.

Do you have any hidden talents?
I don't know if I am talented, because I still have a lot to learn, but I like to DJ.

What would your superpower be?
Mental strength, the use of willpower to overcome physical problems.

Spirit animal?
Otter

What career accomplishment are you most proud of?
Being an Olympian.

Any pre-riding or skiing rituals or superstitions?
No, I have never let myself get caught up in any of that.

Do you have any pets? What are their names?
One cat and her name is Snowball. Can you guess what color she is?

Can you speak any other languages? What other languages would you like to learn?
I took German, but never really learned it. I would love to learn another language, but first need to get better at my own!

What is your biggest goal/something you hope to achieve in your ski career?
I have never been one to set goals or have aspirations of any kind. My path has always been led by instinct and my heart, followed up by, working my hardest at whatever it is I get involved in.

FEATURED ATHLETE: Marcus Caston

Name a person who inspires you to be a better skier?

The people sitting on the chair overhead.

 
Favorite classic ski film and why?

Beyond the Edge. Classic Warren Miller. 

 

What makes for the ultimate day on the mountain?

A good lunch break! I can't remember a bad day on the mountain with a good lunch.

 

 

 

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