The shred community has to concede a temporary defeat with the realization that the dangers of backcountry riding are not understood by the youth of today. With the ski/snowboard media placing increasing value on cheating death in dangerous terrain, new methods are required to teach our youth about avalanche danger.
Finally, a group of people will employ the same medium that has pushed snowsports to where they are today—film. The Rocky Mountain Sherpas (a.k.a Dave Mossop, Eric Crosland and Malcolm Sangster)are joining forces with the Canadian Avalanche Foundation to create a revolutionary film that aims to make avalanche education more effective.
“This is a film made by young people for young people in their language,” says Chris Stethem of the CAF. “We need to reach the young, aggressive skiers and riders.”
The Sherpas’ latest creation “Yes to the No”, which documented the emerging noboarding movement, drew endless accolades at last year’s Banff Mountain Film Festival and was shown at stops along the festival’s world tour.
Biglines users might recognize the Sherpas’ style from the eclectic feature “Bulletins from a Colder Planet” which they teamed up with this website to create. But the boys have never been satisfied with the traditional shred flick, so they’ve decided to deviate from the conventional path.
“The ultimate aim of this movie is to save lives,” says the director of the film, Dave Mossop. “The backcountry is such a powerful place—it can be so awe inspiring and fun while at the same time so dark and terrifying.”
Neither the Sherpas or the CAF have any intention of scaring people out of the backcountry. Stethem says that “the message is that there is a time and a place to go for it and a time to back off, but to recognize the difference you need to develop your skills.”
Backcountry pursuits have been pushed to an astonishing level. Riders like Jeremy Jones and Seth Morrison have redefined the parameters of what’s possible in the mountains. Even snowmobile movies demand a closer look these days, because at first glance you’d swear the guys were on skis instead of 600-pound machines. Traditional movies only tell one side of the story. Viewers, especially younger ones, have no sense of the decision making process behind the most impressive shots.
“More and more kids are discovering how amazing powder is and we really need to educate them about how to ride it safely,” says Mossop. “The thing is that kids tend not to listen to Old Man Witherspoon waving his finger at them.”
To view the trailer and find out more, check out www.rockymountainsherpas.com.
