"0-100, Here We Go" - Craig Murray | Pillow Skiing in BC with @cmh_heli
Craig Murray
Profile and significance
Craig “Weazy” Murray is a New Zealand freeride skier whose creative, high-consequence style has carried him from the Canterbury clubfields to global podiums and award-winning video parts. Raised around the rope tows and ungroomed faces of the South Island, he developed the blend of fluid line choice and trick literacy that defines modern freeski. Murray is a multiple winner on the Freeride World Tour, including victories at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Canada and at Fieberbrunn in Austria, plus a landmark runner-up finish at Verbier’s Bec des Rosses in his early Tour years. In 2025 he added a career-defining win at the inaugural YETI Natural Selection Ski in Alaska’s Tordrillo range—an event designed to fuse freeride with freestyle on a truly massive venue. Between contest results, the Arc’teryx short film “Weazy,” and steady output with like-minded creatives, Murray has become one of the clearest references for how far freeride can be pushed while staying readable to fans.
Competitive arc and key venues
Murray’s arc is shaped by two circuits that reward imagination and composure. On the Freeride World Tour he established himself with podiums and wins at some of the Tour’s most demanding stops. The steep couloirs and exposed ribs above Golden at Kicking Horse showcased his ability to carry speed through complex features, while the expansive Freeride face at Fieberbrunn set the stage for a statement victory that mixed big airs with controlled, off-axis rotation. A top-two at the finale in Verbier underscored his capacity to handle pressure where the sport is at its most unforgiving. In 2025 he won Natural Selection Ski in Alaska’s Tordrillo Mountains, beating a field that included park-and-pipe stars and veteran big-mountain specialists. The Natural Selection format—head-to-head runs on a face laced with natural and shaped takeoffs—played to Murray’s habit of linking features into a coherent story from ridge to outrun, with trademark 360s and big backflips landed deep and clean.
How they ski: what to watch for
Murray skis with a “freestyle fluent” freeride approach. The first thing to watch is how early he identifies and commits to his spine or rib line, setting a speed floor that lets him open up takeoffs without hesitation. In the air he tends to favor smooth, axis-clean spins—often threes in both directions—that read more like punctuation than punctuation marks for their own sake. Landings are deliberately driven; you’ll see him stomp slightly to the fall line and immediately re-center to preserve flow into the next feature. On heavy venues he manages sluff proactively, cutting across fall-line to dump moving snow before rolling into the next air. His pole plants are sparse and purposeful, mainly as timing cues before blind takeoffs. The impression is of a rider who can translate park timing into big-mountain consequence without losing the aesthetic that park skiers and film viewers recognize.
Resilience, filming, and influence
The resilience thread runs straight through Murray’s results. After suffering a season-ending crash at Fieberbrunn, he returned to the same venue to take the win—an uncommon, psychological turnaround at a site where memories stick. Beyond bibs, he invests in storytelling. Arc’teryx’s “Weazy” short chronicles the family roots, backcountry process, and community work behind the clips, while brand journals and podcasts have highlighted how he maps terrain, chooses tricks, and builds confidence for Alaska-scale faces. The Natural Selection victory amplified that influence, showing younger riders a pathway where refined tricks and decisive line choice coexist at the very top level. He’s also known for cross-training on the bike, a habit that shows up in balance, vision, and the ability to stay loose at speed.
Geography that built the toolkit
Murray’s foundation was poured on the rope tows of the Canterbury clubfields, where wind-buff, chalk, and variable snow force creative route-finding and strong edging on steep, technical panels. Later seasons centered on Wānaka, with lift-served laps at Cardrona and missions into the Southern Alps shaping his eye for transitions and exposure. On the world stage, venues like Kicking Horse, Fieberbrunn, and Verbier honed his competition craft against complex terrain and high-stakes judging. Alaska’s Tordrillo Mountains added the extra dimension of true big-mountain scale—spines that demand sluff management, takeoffs with significant roll-over, and landings that require total commitment. The throughline is a rider comfortable reading natural halfpipes, pillows, and convexities and turning them into linked hits that make sense to the viewer.
Equipment and partners: practical takeaways
Murray’s partners reflect a freeride kit built for reliability and feel. Outerwear from Arc’teryx gives him weatherproof simplicity on long days when wind and spindrift are part of the job. Skis from Atomic anchor a platform with enough rocker and surface area to float at speed yet remain predictable for set-and-forget takeoffs. Protection from POC underscores the reality of repeated impacts and exposure, while YETI and Pivot Cycles speak to the travel and cross-training rhythm that underpins year-round fitness. For skiers looking to copy the feel rather than the sticker pack, the takeaways are straightforward: choose a stable freeride ski you can land centered; tune edges sharp underfoot for chalk but keep tips/tails smooth for variable surfaces; carry avalanche tools and know how to use them; and prioritize a boot/binding setup that stays locked when the landing is deep and fast.
Why fans and progressing skiers care
Fans gravitate to Murray because his runs tell stories. He doesn’t just collect airs; he composes sequences that escalate and resolve, with tricks inserted where the terrain invites them. That narrative is easy to watch in contest broadcasts and even easier to rewatch in film segments, which is why his Alaska win resonated far beyond a single headline. For skiers trying to progress, he offers a template for translating park skills into freeride: keep speed consistent, set rotations early from clean edges, land to the fall line, and think two features ahead. With major wins at Kicking Horse and Fieberbrunn, a seminal victory in Alaska’s Tordrillo Mountains, and an expanding film presence with Arc’teryx, Craig Murray stands as one of the defining athletes of contemporary freeski—proof that style, strategy, and steel nerves can coexist at the very top.
Dennis Ranalter
Profile and significance
Dennis Ranalter—widely known as D-RAN—is an Austrian freeski original whose blend of backcountry fluency, park timing, and expressive style has earned him broad respect across the sport. Born and raised near Innsbruck, he grew from club-race beginnings and park laps into a rider who makes natural terrain look like a purpose-built slopestyle course. His breakthrough as a cultural voice came with “Descendance,” a short film produced with The North Face, which pairs explosive skiing with a candid exploration of identity and belonging. Recognition followed, including film-festival honors and a 2024 Sports Emmy for camera work, underscoring how his skiing and storytelling reach audiences beyond core freeski circles. As an athlete for The North Face and Atomic, he sits at the crossroads of performance and narrative—an influential reference for skiers who want style, subtlety, and substance in the same turn.
Competitive arc and key venues
Although Ranalter’s legacy is anchored in films and projects, he has periodically stepped into bibs when the venue suits his approach. In 2023 he received a Freeride World Tour event wildcard for Fieberbrunn, bringing his freestyle-literate line choice to a classic Austrian big-mountain face. The fit made sense: long before films, he cut his teeth on the glaciers and parks around Innsbruck, with mileage at the high-snow, high-lap domains of the Stubai valley and the contest-ready lanes that shape precise takeoff and landing habits. His project work then expanded to marquee backcountry stages featured by leading film crews, where he linked cliff features, spines, and wind lips as if they were rails and jumps. That arc—local parks to serious terrain to festival screens—explains why his clips are both technically credible and immediately watchable.
How they ski: what to watch for
Ranalter skis like a technician who trusts feel over force. Watch how he establishes a steady speed floor, then places rotations only where the takeoff naturally sets his body. His hallmark moves—axis-clean 360s, deep backflips, and perfectly weighted shifties—arrive as punctuation, not decoration. Approaches are quiet, with flat bases and light ankle work until a decisive pop; in the air his head and shoulders stay relaxed, keeping spins compact and readable. Landings drive to the fall line and re-center immediately, preserving rhythm into the next feature. On pillows and spines he manages moving snow with brief cross-fall-line cuts, then trims speed with subtle edge sets rather than skids. The effect is skiing that looks inevitable: terrain tells a story, and he reads it in real time.
Resilience, filming, and influence
“Descendance” marked a turning point, pairing standout action with personal context and earning high-profile recognition for its craft. Beyond that project, Ranalter’s film seasons have showcased durable decision-making in variable conditions, with segments that favor clarity over shock value. He has contributed memorable parts with established crews, and his presence in industry conversations about access and representation sharpened his influence among younger riders who see freeskiing as both expression and community. The lesson threaded through his edits is simple and repeatable: plan two features ahead, let the terrain choose the trick, and keep body language calm enough that style reads at speed.
Geography that built the toolkit
Place explains a lot of Ranalter’s composure. Growing up near Innsbruck meant constant exposure to glacier laps, early-season hardpack, storm slabs, and spring corn within a short drive. The parks and glacier setups of the Stubai area—especially the high-elevation laps at Stubaier Gletscher—drilled timing and trick selection, while nearby resort terrain taught respect for rollovers and runouts you cannot see from takeoff. When he steps onto bigger freeride canvases like Fieberbrunn or films in other alpine zones, those same habits travel well: set a clean platform, manage sluff early, and land decisively so the line keeps flowing. His home geography built a toolkit for reading transitional snow and exploiting small wind features—skills that turn ordinary faces into sequences worth rewatching.
Equipment and partners: practical takeaways
Ranalter’s kit reflects reliability and feel. As a The North Face athlete, he leans on weatherproof, minimalist outerwear that breathes on approaches and seals out spindrift when filming. His ski platform with Atomic emphasizes predictable flex and sufficient surface area to land deep without surprise hook-ups; he favors a tune that keeps edges honest underfoot for chalk while staying smooth at the contact points in three-dimensional snow. None of this is gear for gear’s sake—the message for progressing skiers is to choose a stable freeride shape you can center confidently, pair it with a supportive boot/binding combo, and maintain it. In backcountry contexts, he treats beacon, shovel, and probe as non-negotiable tools and uses clear communication and spacing to keep crews in sync. The takeaway is pragmatic: intent and maintenance add more performance than chasing the newest graphic.
Why fans and progressing skiers care
Fans gravitate to D-RAN because his segments are both stylish and instructive. He doesn’t force tricks; he places them where terrain invites them, which makes lines easy to parse and satisfying to replay. For skiers looking to progress from park laps to freeride, his template is a masterclass: establish speed early, keep approaches quiet, set clean edges, and land to the fall line so the story continues. Combined with the visibility and conversation sparked by “Descendance,” his career shows how modern freeski can be inclusive, creative, and technically exacting at the same time. Grounded in the Tyrolean Alps and sharpened on venues like Fieberbrunn and the glaciers above Innsbruck, Dennis Ranalter stands as one of the clearest examples of film-driven, freestyle-fluent freeride skiing today.
Logan Pehota
Profile and significance
Logan Pehota is a Canadian big-mountain freeskier from Pemberton, British Columbia, known for fusing freeride line choice with clean, controlled freestyle execution. Raised a short drive from the lifts and backcountry zones of Whistler Blackcomb, he grew up around consequential terrain and a family legacy in the mountains. That background—paired with years of park and racing mileage—shows up in the way he reads features and sets rotations only where the terrain invites them. His résumé includes victories on the Freeride World Tour, notably Haines, Alaska in 2016 and a statement win at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in 2018 that earned one of the highest scores in Tour history. Off the start list, he is a fixture in modern ski cinema with major segments in Matchstick Productions films, and he maintains a dual identity as a capable snowmobiler who uses a sled not just for access but as an extension of how he moves in the Coast Mountains. As a result, Pehota has become a go-to reference for fans who want to understand how contemporary freeride blends fluidity, trick literacy, and risk management.
Competitive arc and key venues
Pehota’s competitive arc tracks the evolution of modern freeride. After junior racing and park starts, he shifted to the Freeride World Tour and immediately proved he could link natural hits into scores that judges and fans could read at full speed. The 2016 stop in Haines, Alaska—long, steep panels above glaciated run-outs—delivered his first Tour victory, confirming his ability to stay composed over exposure and stomp blind-roll takeoffs. Two seasons later, he returned to home soil at Kicking Horse in Golden, British Columbia and dropped a near-mythic run that earned 98/100, a benchmark score built on a decisive 360 and a deep, directional stomp off one of the venue’s biggest features. Along the way he qualified for the Xtreme Verbier finale, bringing that smooth-but-committed style to the sport’s most unforgiving stage. Even when filming takes priority over bibs, he continues to appear at select events where the venue rewards imagination more than risk for risk’s sake. The common thread is terrain that lets him tell a story from ridge to outrun—Haines spines, Kicking Horse’s ribs and noses, and the complex faces that define freeride’s showpiece stops.
How they ski: what to watch for
Pehota skis with economy and intent. Watch how early he establishes a speed floor—never rushed, never tentative—so that every air comes from a platform he’s already balanced on. His signature in the air is a clean, axis-honest backflip or 360 placed where the takeoff naturally sets him up; rotations are initiated from confident edges, not skids. Landings are driven to the fall line with a quick re-center, preserving flow into the next feature rather than bleeding speed across the slope. On spines and convexities he manages sluff proactively, using brief cross-fall-line cuts to shed moving snow before re-committing. The pole plants you’ll see are timing cues more than steering inputs, and his upper body stays quiet even as skis plane over pillows. It is “freestyle fluent” freeride—tricks as punctuation, not the headline—and it makes even very large lines look understandable to the viewer.
Resilience, filming, and influence
Two pillars support Pehota’s influence: durability in high-consequence terrain and a consistent film presence that shows process, not just end results. With Matchstick Productions he has stacked segments across multiple seasons, from the all-gas energy of Return to Send’er to the varied terrain diaries of Anywhere From Here, alongside peers who value clarity and power over gimmicks. That output has included behind-the-scenes looks at planning lines, dawn approaches, and sled logistics—useful context for fans who want to understand what it takes to ski “movie lines” safely. His work with Red Bull adds short-form projects that highlight sled-and-ski days in his home ranges, reinforcing the link between fitness, logistics, and performance. The competitive wins validate the approach; the films explain it. For younger riders, the lesson is that style endures when it’s built on deliberate decisions and repeatable habits.
Geography that built the toolkit
The Coast Mountains shaped Pehota’s toolkit long before he wore a Tour bib. Pemberton’s valley and the alpine around Whistler Blackcomb serve up heavy maritime snow that rewards strong platform management and calm commitments over rollovers you can’t see past. That environment trains skiers to anticipate sluff, to keep bases flat until the last moment before takeoff, and to land with authority so speed stays alive through deep landings. When he travels, the feedback changes but the habits hold. At Kicking Horse, chalky panels, sharky entrances, and big ribs favor precise edge sets and controlled drift; in Alaska, the broad faces outside Haines demand line vision over kilometers of relief and the discipline to avoid getting trapped by moving snow. Those miles in different snowpacks help explain why his runs look composed in so many contexts: it’s one decision-making framework applied to very different canvases.
Equipment and partners: practical takeaways
Pehota’s partnerships reflect reliability over novelty. As an athlete with Red Bull, he brings a high-performance mindset to days that often mix filming and free-riding. His ski platform is built around Rossignol freeride shapes that stay predictable when you land deep and fast, and he complements the ski program with a snowmobile program as a Polaris ambassador. For skiers looking to translate the setup into on-hill improvements, the message is simple: choose a stable freeride ski with enough surface area and supportive flex to accept imperfect landings; tune edges sharp underfoot for chalk and life the tips and tails slightly so they stay friendly in three-dimensional snow; and pair boots and bindings that won’t fold when the landing comes up hard. In backcountry contexts, he treats beacon, shovel, and probe as non-negotiable and uses communication and terrain pacing to keep crews in sync. Gear helps, but the performance gains come from preparation and clear intent.
Why fans and progressing skiers care
Fans care about Logan Pehota because his skiing is both aspirational and readable. He doesn’t just collect big features; he composes lines that escalate, resolve, and make sense even to viewers new to freeride. His best contest moments—Haines 2016 and the 98-point masterpiece at Kicking Horse—are case studies in how to mix speed, control, and a perfectly chosen trick without diluting the line. His film segments extend that lesson, contextualizing why a certain takeoff works, how much room a landing truly offers, and where to look for exit options when the slope starts moving. For skiers trying to progress, he offers a blueprint that travels well: set a deliberate speed, edge cleanly, put tricks only where the terrain supports them, and land to the fall line so the story keeps going. Grounded in Pemberton and sharpened on stages from Whistler Blackcomb to Alaska’s coastal ranges, Logan Pehota stands as one of the clearest examples of contemporary big-mountain freeskiing—proof that style and consequence can coexist when every choice serves the line.
Mark Abma
Profile and significance
Mark Abma is a Canadian freeski icon whose smooth power, composure in complex terrain and decades of influential film parts helped define modern big-mountain style. Raised on British Columbia rope tows and Coast Range storm cycles, he moved from moguls and early slopestyle starts into the backcountry, where he became a fixture in major ski films and a repeat winner at industry awards. Viewers know him for fluid pillow lines, deep landings and a “freestyle fluent” approach to natural terrain that made backflips and 360s look like logical punctuation rather than stunts. Beyond the screen, Abma has pushed sustainable habits and thoughtful gear design, establishing himself as a reference point for skiers who want to ride steeper faces with purpose and economy.
Competitive arc and key venues
While Abma’s legacy is primarily cinematic, his early competitive years mattered: he reached high-level slopestyle finals in the early 2000s before choosing a line through filming and exploratory travel. That choice synced perfectly with his home mountains. The lift network and big alpine bowls at Whistler Blackcomb gave him daily access to consequential terrain, while nearby storm zones and logging-road approaches shaped a toolkit for pillows, spines and blind-roll takeoffs. His roots go back to what is now Sasquatch Mountain Resort (formerly Hemlock), where small-scale programs produced efficient fundamentals and a taste for variable snow. As his film calendar expanded, Abma’s name became synonymous with full-value segments across seasons with long-time collaborators at Matchstick Productions, with cameo chapters alongside other leading studios. The venues that recur across his career—Sea to Sky backcountry, interior BC storm slabs, and classic heli-access faces—explain why he reads terrain quickly and links multiple features into coherent, fast runs.
How they ski: what to watch for
Abma skis with stacked posture and an economy of movement that survives speed. Watch how early he sets edges across the fall line to manage sluff before re-centering for takeoff, and how his hands stay calm as the skis plane up. His rotations are decisive but never showy: a deep, clean backflip or a left or right 360 placed exactly where terrain invites it. On pillows, he uses subtle speed checks and nose elevation to avoid wheelie landings, and he exits airs to the fall line rather than across it, preserving rhythm into the next feature. He is equally deliberate on lower-angle spines, choosing rollover points that reveal landings late but keep sightlines to escape zones. The result is skiing that looks inevitable—lines that feel pre-drawn even when they’re improvised in storm snow.
Resilience, filming, and influence
Two decades in front of the lens tell a resilience story. Abma’s segments show year-to-year adaptation to injuries, shifting snowpacks and evolving safety norms without losing fluency. That continuity earned him multiple film-performance honors and a reputation for making hard skiing look welcoming. Off-camera, he’s spoken openly about process and preparation, from fitness and visualization to conservative decision trees when hazard levels rise. His environmental advocacy—encouraging lower-impact choices for skiers and resorts—adds another layer to the influence he built through films. The combination of technical authority, durability and stewardship is why his name often surfaces when coaches explain “what good looks like” in the backcountry.
Geography that built the toolkit
Place explains the style. The Coast Mountains around Squamish and Whistler are famous for heavy maritime snow that rewards strong platform management and composure on rollovers. Storms create deep landings but also moving surface snow, so reading start zones and setting short cross-fall-line cuts before airs becomes a habit. Early laps at Sasquatch Mountain Resort fostered efficiency on modest vertical—lots of reps, lots of texture, few glamor days. As projects expanded, Abma kept returning to Whistler Blackcomb for lift-served alpine and quick access to sled roads, a repeatable crucible for film crews. That geographic feedback loop—variable snow, consequential entrances, and long transitions between hits—tuned his vision for linking terrain into a single narrative run.
Equipment and partners: practical takeaways
Abma’s modern kit reflects a preference for predictable platforms over novelty. He has collaborated with Outdoor Research on outerwear that balances breathability for long approaches with weatherproofing for storm filming, and he rides skis with the stability to land deep without punishing the pilot. Recent seasons have aligned him with RMU, emphasizing freeride shapes that stay loose in soft snow but track cleanly at speed. Earlier in his career he contributed input to ski design with established manufacturers, a background that shows in how he chooses radius, rocker and mount point for specific venues. For skiers taking cues from his setup, the real takeaways are tuning and intent: detune contact points just enough to stay forgiving in three-dimensional snow, keep edges reliable underfoot for chalk, and pair boots and bindings that won’t fold when landings are deep. On the safety side, he treats beacon, shovel and probe as non-negotiable tools and paces days around communication with partners.
Why fans and progressing skiers care
Fans gravitate to Abma because his segments are readable and replayable. He finds the middle ground where speed, trick choice and terrain scale each other; nothing feels random, and nothing is done just to tick a box. For progressing freeriders, the lesson is to manage speed early, plan two features ahead, and land to the fall line with quiet upper body. If you’re stepping from resort storm days into short backcountry missions, his footage offers a blueprint for spacing hits, shedding sluff, and choosing conservative entrances that still let style shine. Anchored in the Sea to Sky and sharpened by years with Matchstick Productions, Mark Abma remains a touchstone for big-mountain freeskiing—proof that calm decisions, strong platforms and measured creativity can carry a career across generations.
British Columbia
Overview and significance
British Columbia is one of skiing’s global reference points. From the maritime Coast Mountains to the colder, drier Interior ranges, the province delivers a rare combination of scale, storm frequency, varied snow climates and an events calendar that shapes the sport. Whistler Blackcomb anchors the Coast with North America’s largest lift-served footprint and an enduring freestyle legacy, while the “Powder Highway” corridors through Revelstoke, Golden, Nelson and Rossland add deep, tree-lined terrain and big-mountain faces that film crews and strong locals lap all winter. The province’s Olympic pedigree runs through Vancouver 2010, when alpine events ran at Whistler Creekside and freestyle/snowboard events at Cypress Mountain near Vancouver, a legacy that still influences infrastructure and culture today. Add the Canadian stop of the Freeride World Tour on Kicking Horse’s Ozone face in Golden and April’s World Ski & Snowboard Festival in Whistler, and British Columbia stands out as a complete destination for park riders, storm chasers and big-mountain skiers alike.
If you’re planning with skipowd.tv in mind, start with our regional overview at skipowd.tv/location/british-columbia/, then deep-dive into places like Whistler-Blackcomb and Revelstoke to match terrain character with your goals.
Terrain, snow, and seasons
BC skis in two broad archetypes that overlap at the edges. The Coast (Sea-to-Sky) is maritime: frequent, deep storms, dense snow that buries features and keeps landings forgiving, and big alpine bowls linked to sheltered mid-mountain trees for storm riding. The Interior (Selkirks, Monashees, Purcells, and the BC Rockies) leans colder and drier, with lighter powder that lingers in glades for days, steeper couloirs on north aspects, and ridgeline chutes that reward precise timing. Expect wind-buffed chalk on exposed faces after high pressure, and classic cedar–hemlock forests that ski beautifully during refills.
Seasonality is a strength. Coastal operations typically spin from late November into spring; Interior peaks hit their stride January through February when snowpacks are cold and reset often, then transition to long, film-friendly windows and corn cycles in March and April. Touring is world-class across the province, but nowhere more concentrated than Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park between Revelstoke and Golden, where a winter permit system manages access alongside highway avalanche control. Knowing these regional rhythms lets you plan by aspect and elevation instead of chasing a single “perfect” week.
Park infrastructure and events
Freestyle has deep roots here. Whistler’s build teams have long produced graded lines that serve everyone from progression laps to advanced jump and rail features; on the Interior circuit, Big White’s TELUS Park runs season-long setups with lighting and an active calendar, and Sun Peaks maintains a 10-acre park with multiple zones and late-hours laps at “Base Camp” under the Sundance chair (Sun Peaks Terrain Parks). SilverStar, Whitewater and RED supplement with rotating rail gardens and jump lines that flex with storms and temperature windows. The upshot is reliable repetition across multiple mountains—ideal for trick lists, filming, and team camps.
Event pedigree is equally robust. Kicking Horse in Golden hosts the Freeride World Tour on the Ozone venue each winter—a high-consequence face that has become decisive in the overall title race (FWT Kicking Horse; resort event hub). Whistler’s World Ski & Snowboard Festival each April blends on-snow competitions with film, photo and music, turning the village into a week-long end-of-season celebration (WSSF). The 2010 Olympic legacy persists, with freestyle and snowboard history at Cypress Mountain and alpine heritage at Whistler Creekside.
Access, logistics, and on-mountain flow
Gateways align to your itinerary. Vancouver (YVR) feeds Whistler via the Sea-to-Sky Highway; Kelowna (YLW) and Kamloops (YKA) position you for Big White, SilverStar and Sun Peaks; Cranbrook (YXC) and Calgary (YYC, in Alberta) are practical for Fernie, Kimberley and other southeast stations; Revelstoke and Kicking Horse typically involve a drive on the Trans-Canada from Kelowna or Calgary. Winter driving in BC crosses high passes and avalanche corridors—check DriveBC and provincial winter driving guidance before setting out, and pad schedules during storm cycles.
Flow tips by archetype help. At Whistler, storm mornings favour treeline pods and mid-mountain zones; as visibility improves, step to the alpine and stitch bowls to trees top-to-bottom. At Revelstoke, manage legs and time by pod (Gondola, Stoke, Ripper) to stack vertical efficiently and save Last Spike cruises for late-day exits. At Kicking Horse, respect ridge closures and high-consequence gullies; patient timing around patrol work unlocks the best lines. In the Kootenays (Whitewater and RED), tree spacing and aspect reading are everything—follow patrol updates and seek colder aspects after clear nights.
Local culture, safety, and etiquette
BC’s ski culture combines polished resort ops with a grounded, avalanche-aware community. Avalanche Canada publishes daily public forecasts across the province and aggregates real-time observations via the Mountain Information Network. If you plan to tour or exit resort boundaries, arrive with beacon, shovel, probe, partners who know rescue, and a current read of the regional bulletin. Rogers Pass access is governed by a Winter Permit System to coordinate with highway artillery control—review the rules before you go and pick up permits at the Discovery Centre when required (Parks Canada – Rogers Pass).
Inside the ropes, closures and “routes” matter—many marked routes are ungroomed and can involve avalanche exposure. Deep-snow tree wells are a recurring hazard in BC’s conifer forests; ski with a visible partner, carry a whistle, and refresh tree-well awareness through resort safety pages. Park etiquette follows Smart Style everywhere: call your drop, hold a predictable line, and clear the landing and knuckle immediately. On the coast and in the Interior alike, you’ll find hospitable towns and strong coffee culture; respect wildlife corridors, quiet hours, and winter driving rules so communities keep welcoming visiting crews.
Best time to go and how to plan
For storm chasing, January and February stack the odds across the province—choose coastal if you like deeper, denser resets and forgiving landings, or target the Interior if you prefer colder powder and tree skiing that holds quality for days. March is the all-rounder: more daylight, mature park builds, alpine access that improves between fronts, and a steady rhythm for filming. Event chasers can aim for early February in Golden to catch the Freeride World Tour and early-to-mid April in Whistler for WSSF (Whistler event listings).
Build itineraries by corridor to minimise transit. A Coast week based in Whistler mixes alpine bowls with park laps and easy village logistics. An Interior loop—Revelstoke, Kicking Horse, Whitewater/RED—delivers classic trees and chutes with manageable drives; book lodging early for weekend changeovers and monitor mountain passes on DriveBC. Park-focused crews can base in Kamloops or Kelowna and bounce between Sun Peaks and Big White’s TELUS Park under consistent temps. Wherever you go, start each day with resort ops pages for wind holds and staged openings, then adjust by aspect and elevation as light and weather shift.
Why freeskiers care
Because British Columbia lets you develop—and showcase—every part of modern freeskiing in one province. You can stack legit park laps on pro-built lines, drop consequential in-bounds chutes, then step into world-class touring terrain the next morning. The events calendar keeps the community sharp, the safety ecosystem is mature and accessible, and the terrain mix—from cedar pillows to alpine faces—never runs out. For progression, filming, or the trip of a lifetime, BC remains a benchmark.
CMH Heli-Skiing and Summer Adventures
Brand overview and significance
CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures is the world’s most established heli-ski and heli-hike operator, widely credited with pioneering commercial heli-skiing in 1965 under mountain guide Hans Gmoser. Today CMH runs an integrated lodge-and-guiding model across interior British Columbia with access to roughly three million acres of tenure—an area far larger than any lift-served resort network—spanning the Purcell, Selkirk, Monashee, and Cariboo ranges. The promise is simple and powerful: small groups, professional guides, and aircraft that place you on untracked slopes all day, then back to a lodge built for recovery and community.
CMH’s significance isn’t just scale; it’s continuity and craft. Decades of snow and terrain knowledge have been distilled into a guest experience that balances exciting skiing with disciplined risk management. That combination—first tracks at meaningful pitch with strong decision-making behind the scenes—has made CMH a reference point for riders planning a “powder trip of a lifetime” and for returning guests who treat the lodges as their winter home base.
Product lines and key technologies
CMH’s winter program revolves around guided heli-skiing in small groups with dedicated aircraft. Trip formats include classic multi-day “Signature” weeks, focused freeride weeks for guests who want steeper terrain when conditions allow, and private options where your party has a helicopter and guide team to itself. CMH also operates “Exclusive” programs in select lodges that give a single group the full run of the property and a helicopter at the door. For skiers seeking a sampler or a tight schedule, CMH Purcell in Golden, BC, offers single-day heli-skiing that slots easily into a resort itinerary along the Powder Highway.
Summer is its own season at CMH. The brand’s heli-access hiking and via ferrata routes—anchored at Bobbie Burns Lodge—include the famous Mount Nimbus and Conrad Glacier lines, blending ridge walking, suspension bridges, and protected climbing with professional guiding. The lodge experience is mirrored by a lighter, long-day rhythm; helicopters provide quick access to high terrain, and the guiding teams tailor routes to the group’s ability and energy.
Operationally, CMH flies proven mountain platforms—A-Star B3, Bell 212, and Bell 407—matched to group size and objective. Avalanche transceivers, probes, shovels, radios, and an airbag-capable pack are standard-issue for every guest; briefings and practice are part of day one. On the guiding side, CMH employs internationally certified professionals who manage route selection, pacing, spacing, and regroup locations so the day stays both fluid and safe.
Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)
CMH is built for confident, fit skiers who want repeatable, high-quality powder turns rather than a single “hero” line. On storm days, classic interior pillows and protected tree lanes deliver soft landings and consistent visibility; when skies clear, groups step into bigger alpine features—ramps, bowls, and long fall-line faces—at pitches that read as playful for strong intermediates and properly engaging for experts. The run pacing is a hallmark: guides choose clean entrances and exits, keep regroup points intuitive, and adjust line choice to match snowpack, light, and group energy.
If you’re coming from resort laps, expect a jump in snow quality and line length but not an abandonment of fundamentals. Good habits—quiet upper body, centered stance through transitions, speed checks ahead of rollovers—translate perfectly here. Riders with slopestyle or freeride backgrounds will recognize “feature reading” in the pillows and mini-spines; all-mountain skiers will appreciate day-after-day consistency that’s hard to find through lift gates. The single-day option at CMH Purcell is ideal if you want a first heli experience before committing to a lodge week.
Team presence, competitions, and reputation
CMH is not a competition brand; its “team” is the guide corps and the alumni community that returns year after year. The company is known for employing a large roster of ACMG/IFMGA-certified guides, and for a conservative, data-driven approach to terrain management. That reputation—solid guiding, dependable snow, thoughtful hospitality—has made CMH a frequent backdrop for film segments and media trips while keeping the core product aimed squarely at guest experience rather than podiums.
In practice this means you’ll ski with professionals who read microfeatures as fluently as they read storm tracks. Groups move efficiently without feeling rushed, and the day’s story—shaded aspects first, wind-sheltered lanes during midday gusts, bigger alpine when light stabilizes—unfolds with an internal logic that riders notice and value.
Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)
CMH’s lodges outline a map of interior British Columbia: Purcell and Selkirk granite, Monashee cedars, Cariboo glaciers. Names like Bugaboos and Bobbie Burns carry deep history—Bugaboo spires and icefields sit within Bugaboo Provincial Park, and Bobbie Burns provides a stone’s throw to famous summer routes and sheltered winter pillows. On the Powder Highway, Golden is a practical gateway to Purcell day heli, while Revelstoke anchors resort laps and travel links for several interior lodges.
A key detail for planners: interior BC’s snowpack tends to reward patience and timing. Midwinter favors trees and protected features; late winter into spring often opens alpine panels when the snow stabilizes and the light stretches. CMH’s lodge locations and tenure spread let operations pivot with those rhythms so guests consistently find the best available snow.
Construction, durability, and sustainability
For an operator, “construction” means fieldcraft and systems. From mandatory safety orientations to daily briefings and helicopter protocols, the program emphasizes predictable routines that leave energy for the skiing itself. Aircraft are staged to minimize idle time and hold groups to small, coherent units. Guides run beacon checks, radio comms, and spacing standards the same way every day; that consistency is part of CMH’s durability as a brand.
Sustainability shows up in route efficiency, consolidation of travel (you fly once to a lodge and ski locally all week), and ongoing investment in guide training, snow science, and partnerships with parks and communities. The company’s long history inside sensitive mountain environments has created a culture of “leave it better than you found it” practices—simple, scalable steps that matter cumulatively over decades of operation.
How to choose within the lineup
Match the trip to your goals and calendar. If you want a classic first week with a steady progression of terrain, choose a Signature lodge program during your preferred window and arrive fit enough for multiple long runs per day. If your group wants a higher tempo or complete control of pace and objectives, step up to a Private or Exclusive format. If time is tight—or you want to taste heli before booking a week—plug a day at CMH Purcell into a resort itinerary around Golden and Kicking Horse.
Season matters. Trees and pillows shine midwinter; expansive alpine comes into its own as days lengthen. Communicate honestly about ability and fitness during booking so you’re placed in the right group; it keeps days smooth and fun for everyone. In summer, choose Bobbie Burns Lodge if hiking plus via ferrata is your focus, or browse CMH’s broader summer overview to align routes and activity levels with your crew. For trip logistics, Golden’s official tourism hub at Golden is helpful for stitching together lodging, dining, and non-ski days around Purcell programs.
Why riders care
CMH blends the romance of untracked powder with professional execution. You wake to a clear plan, fly efficiently, and ski terrain that feels both exciting and manageable because the guiding and logistics work is handled by experts. Even better, the experience extends beyond the skiing: meals that refuel without slowing you down, common rooms where stories from the day turn into friendships, and lodges that feel remote yet comfortable. In summer, the same mountains become an aerial hiking playground, with ridge walks and via ferrata routes that convert helicopter minutes into hours on high ground. If your goal is to trade uncertainty for maximum time on great snow—or great stone—CMH remains the benchmark for doing so in style and with care.
Ikon pass
Brand overview and significance
Ikon Pass is a multi-resort season pass created by Alterra Mountain Company to connect skiers and riders with a global network of iconic destinations. Introduced for the 2018–19 season, the pass quickly became a pillar of modern ski travel, offering access across North America, Europe, Oceania, and, beginning winter 25/26, expanded options in Asia via new partner resorts announced by Alterra Mountain Company. For freeskiers and all-mountain riders, Ikon Pass matters because it consolidates travel planning, unlocks reliable access at high-profile venues, and adds community perks that make big trips and everyday laps more attainable.
Today the program is structured around three products: Ikon Pass (broadest access with no blackout dates at most destinations), Ikon Base Pass (wider affordability with some blackout dates), and Ikon Session Pass (2–4 total days for targeted trips). Beyond lift access, holders see tangible benefits—First Tracks mornings at select mountains, Friends & Family discounted day tickets, seasonal bike-park days, and travel support—designed to pair well with how skiers actually use resorts over a full year.
Product lines and key technologies
The current lineup is straightforward. The flagship Ikon Pass lists “most days and destinations, no blackouts,” while the Ikon Base Pass carries limited blackouts but still spans dozens of mountains; Ikon Session Passes offer 2, 3, or 4-day access bundles for focused trips. Ikon’s official comparison page details perks like up to 12 Friends & Family tickets at up to 50% off window rate, monthly First Tracks (January–March) at participating destinations, up to two complimentary bike-park tickets at select venues, and new “Bonus Mountains” days for Ikon Pass holders (compare benefits; First Tracks).
On the service side, “Confidence to Buy” allows an unused 25/26 pass to be deferred for full credit toward 26/27 (deadline and terms apply), and integrated coverage through Spot Insurance adds optional pass protection and injury insurance (deferral & protection). Ikon Pass Travel centralizes lodging and flights across partner mountains, which simplifies itineraries spanning multiple regions (Ikon Pass Travel).
Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)
Ikon Pass is built for variety. Destination chasers who plan one or two marquee trips a year can stack days at Western flagships like Palisades Tahoe and Mammoth Mountain, then add an Eastern lap at Mont-Tremblant. Park-centric crews can target resorts with deep freestyle infrastructure and consistent shaping—think Steamboat, plus long-season options at Mammoth—while freeriders mix storm-day trees, hike-to bowls, and in-bounds big-mountain faces at select destinations.
Weekenders with a home hill benefit from the Base Pass model: ride locally most of the season, then use included partner days to sample new terrain on shoulder weeks. Families can lean on First Tracks windows for calmer early laps and Friends & Family discounts for visiting relatives. Spring and summer cross-over matters too; the bike-park ticket perk gives lift-served laps when snow transitions to dirt, keeping skills and stoke rolling year-round.
Team presence, competitions, and reputation
Ikon Pass is not an athlete-endorsement brand; its cultural footprint comes through the mountains themselves. Many Ikon destinations host televised events, FIS World Cups, and high-profile freeride or park contests throughout the season, while Ikon’s own community programming—Stoke Events and similar activations—keeps pass holders engaged between trips. The cumulative effect is a reputation for breadth: reliable access to venues where high-end terrain, snowmaking, lift capacity, and freestyle programs are part of the daily cadence.
Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)
North America anchors the network with Alterra-owned pillars such as Deer Valley, Winter Park, Mammoth, Palisades Tahoe, and Steamboat (official resort hubs: Deer Valley; Winter Park). Canada includes Québec’s Tremblant and Ontario’s Blue Mountain, giving Eastern riders consistent options. In Europe, marquee partnerships extend access to multi-area systems—including the Dolomites and Switzerland’s Engadin valley—ideal for itinerary-style trips with big vertical and varied snowpacks (Dolomiti Superski; St. Moritz/Engadin).
Southern Hemisphere access adds real-seasonality: Australia’s Thredbo and New Zealand mainstays like Cardrona Alpine Resort let Ikon holders chase winter in June–October when North America is on bikes and glaciers. For 25/26, Alterra also highlighted an Asia expansion—additional destinations across Japan, China, and South Korea—broadening powder options during January–February prime time and diversifying trip styles from lift-served tree runs to wind-affected alpine bowls.
Construction, durability, and sustainability
While Ikon Pass is a service rather than a physical product, its “build” shows up in reliability features that matter to skiers. Direct-to-lift RFID access at many destinations reduces line time; centralized benefit management and digital account tools keep buddy tickets and First Tracks organized. The deferral program provides a safety valve for life changes, while optional Spot Insurance layers financial protection onto a season of plans (Confidence to Buy).
Community and responsibility sit alongside the fun. Ikon Pass aligns with industry organizations and environmental advocacy; benefits have included membership opportunities with Protect Our Winters and discounts with national governing bodies, tying the pass community to broader efforts around climate and athlete development (benefits detail). The practical sustainability angle for riders is simple: one pass can concentrate travel into longer, better-planned trips with higher lift-time efficiency and fewer single-use ticket purchases.
How to choose within the lineup
Start with your home base and blackout tolerance. If you want maximum freedom to chase storms and holidays, the Ikon Pass is the cleanest choice. If your season revolves around weekend windows and a consistent home hill, the Ikon Base Pass often hits the value sweet spot—just scan blackout calendars before committing. If you only plan one concise trip or you’re testing the waters, an Ikon Session Pass (2–4 days total) keeps costs tight while preserving access to headline terrain.
Next, map your destinations. Western U.S. trips that combine Palisades Tahoe with Mammoth or Winter Park with Steamboat are easy wins; Eastern plans might anchor on Tremblant with regional add-ons. Considering Europe? Look for multi-area systems like Dolomiti Superski and the Engadin valley to maximize vertical over a week. For a June–October hit, stitch together Thredbo and New Zealand to keep progression rolling during the Northern Hemisphere off-season (Ikon Pass Travel is handy for packaging flights and lodging). Finally, mine the perks: time First Tracks mornings for snow quality, earmark Friends & Family discounts for visiting days, and use the bike-park tickets to bookend your winter.
Why riders care
Ikon Pass turns the idea of “every kind of skiing in one season” into a practical plan. It brings marquee all-mountain, freeride, big-mountain, and park destinations under one umbrella; it folds in early-lap access, travel tools, and shareable discounts; and it keeps options open across hemispheres so you can stay on snow longer. Whether your calendar revolves around storm chasing at Mammoth, progression laps at Palisades Tahoe, a family week at Tremblant, or a Southern Hemisphere adventure before school starts, the pass streamlines logistics and amplifies the days that matter most.
Matchstick Productions
Brand overview and significance
Matchstick Productions is one of skiing’s defining film studios. Founded in the early 1990s by Steve Winter and Murray Wais and based around Crested Butte in Colorado, the company has released an annual feature-length ski film for decades, from the “Ski Movie” trilogy era to recent titles such as “The Stomping Grounds” (2021), “Anywhere From Here” (2022), “The Land of Giants” (2023), “Calm Beneath Castles” (2024) and “After the Snowfall” (2025). Its signature is clear: big-mountain lines filmed with narrative intention, park and backcountry segments that showcase modern trick vocabulary without losing flow, and athlete-driven stories that leave a lasting imprint on ski culture. MSP’s tours bring premieres to resort towns and cities each fall, giving communities a reason to gather, celebrate the season ahead, and meet the skiers who shape the sport.
MSP is widely recognized for pairing progressive skiing with polished cinematography and precise editing. The films are equally comfortable in marquee destinations and in “backyard” zones, and the casts have long featured household names and rising talents—X Games champions, World Cup winners, Olympic medalists, and cult favorites alike. If you want a single brand that tracks the arc of freeskiing—park, street, all-mountain, and big-mountain—Matchstick remains a reference point.
Product lines and key technologies
Matchstick’s core product is the annual feature film, supported by a fall film tour, digital shorts, remastered classics from the archive, and athlete minis that extend each year’s story. The features typically mix helicopter and lift-served big-mountain segments, sled-access missions, and resort or park shoots; pacing and music selection aim for clarity rather than spectacle for its own sake. Cameras, aerial platforms, and stabilizers evolve with the industry, but the company’s hallmark is how those tools serve readable skiing—long-lens shots that show speed and exposure, drone and heli angles that keep the line’s shape intact, and cut timing that lets tricks breathe.
Beyond cinema, MSP collaborates with festivals and venues to stage high-energy premieres, then sustains interest through the season with athlete edits, bonus cuts, and behind-the-scenes pieces. The result functions like a product family: the feature for the big screen, the tour for community, the shorts for ongoing stoke, and the archive for context.
Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)
While MSP doesn’t manufacture skis, its films speak directly to how modern skiing feels in different environments. Viewers who favor big lines, exposure, and snowpack problem-solving will gravitate to Alaska spines and interior faces; park and slopestyle fans will find clean trick grammar and progressive jumps in resort builds; all-mountain riders see everyday terrain—storm-day tree laps, windbuffed bowls, chalky ridgelines—ridden at a level that’s aspirational but still recognizable. If you want a film that makes you plan dawn patrols, wax for storm cycles, or practice a grab that stabilizes rotation, MSP’s pacing and shot selection make the “how” visible on first watch.
For families and newer skiers, the brand’s recent storytelling (including kid-narrated perspectives and segments that foreground why we ski) softens the barrier to entry without diluting the action. Veterans still get the heavy lines and technical tricks; newer riders get a map for what to practice next.
Team presence, competitions, and reputation
MSP casts read like snapshots of the sport’s top shelf. Across eras you’ll encounter style leaders and contest winners in the same timeline—big-mountain chargers, freestyle innovators, and versatile all-terrain skiers. That blend is part of the brand’s authority: the films don’t treat competition and film as separate worlds, but as complementary arenas that shape how we all ski. Athletes featured across recent titles include names synonymous with Alaskan spines, British Columbia pillows, and resort-park precision; their segment choices keep the films grounded in real terrain rather than studio effects.
The reputation that follows is twofold. Within skiing, MSP remains a benchmark for “movie of the year” conversation and a known launchpad for breakout athletes. Outside the bubble, it’s one of the labels non-skiers recognize when they ask what modern skiing looks like now.
Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)
MSP’s geographic backbone stretches from its Colorado roots to the Pacific Northwest and across the North. Crews return often to British Columbia for storm cycles, deep forests, and alpine windows, and to Alaska for spring spines and long fall-line panels that define big-mountain skiing. Resort and sidecountry segments frequently draw on Whistler Blackcomb, while Norway’s Lyngen Alps provide summit-to-sea canvases that reward patient snow reading. In Alaska, Alyeska Resort anchors storm-day laps and tour stops; in Colorado, Crested Butte Mountain Resort sits close to the company’s base and often features in tour chatter and athlete migrations.
This repeating map matters for viewers: if you ride these places, the films feel like field notes; if you dream of them, the films double as an honest preview.
Construction, durability, and sustainability
For a film studio, “construction” means fieldcraft. MSP’s output is built on experienced producers, cinematographers, editors, and avalanche-literate athletes working with permitted guide operations and resorts. The safety framework—forecasting, terrain management, contingency planning, and the discipline to walk away—underwrites the big shots you see on screen. Environmental impact is naturally part of the conversation in mountain media; MSP’s model leans on concentrated shooting windows, small crews, and local partners, plus a film-tour format that keeps premieres close to ski communities rather than far-flung red carpets.
Durability shows up in another way: the films are made to last. Rewatches reward attention to line choice, snow texture, and trick timing—the same details skiers take back to their home mountains.
How to choose within the lineup
If you want modern, everything-in-one-place skiing—park, all-mountain, and big-mountain—start with “The Stomping Grounds” for its “home-zone” lens and with “Anywhere From Here” for an accessible, kid-narrated tour of what’s possible. If you’re chasing heavy terrain and stacked casts, “The Land of Giants” delivers marquee faces, while “Calm Beneath Castles” leans into world-tour storytelling rhythm. For a right-now snapshot, catch “After the Snowfall” on the fall tour. History dive? Cue up the original “Ski Movie” releases to see how tricks, filming, and speed have evolved; the contrast with current work is part of the fun.
Think of this like picking lines on a storm day: match the film to your mood. Want progression cues for park laps? Choose a title with deep resort features. Want to study sluff management, speed checks, and exposure? Pick an Alaska-heavy year and watch how athletes protect momentum and exits. Planning a trip to British Columbia or Alaska for the first time? Use those segments to set expectations about terrain spacing, tree density, and weather windows, then compare against our location primers for British Columbia and Alaska.
Why riders care
Matchstick matters because it has spent three decades making skiing legible. The films showcase the sport’s top end without hiding the mechanics that get you there—how to line up a spine with speed in reserve, where to put the grab so a spin reads cleanly, why a particular face asks for a certain entry. They celebrate the culture where it actually lives: on storm-day chairs, in boot rooms, and on the long drives between zones. If your winter starts when the premiere tour hits your town and your goals for the season come from a sequence you can’t stop replaying, this is the label that keeps you hungry for the next dawn. And if you’re new to ski films, there’s no easier on-ramp: watch one title, pick a favorite segment, and you’ll know exactly what you want to ski tomorrow.
Stanley
Brand overview and significance
Stanley 1913 is an iconic drinkware and food-gear brand best known for durable, vacuum-insulated stainless-steel bottles, mugs, and thermoses. Founded in 1913 around the invention of the all-steel vacuum bottle, Stanley became a staple for cold workplaces and expeditions—gear that skiers later adopted for early-morning drives, parking-lot tailgates, chairlift days, and backcountry transitions. While Stanley does not make skis or outerwear, its insulated bottles and flasks are part of the modern ski kit because they solve a real problem: keeping liquids hot or cold for long hours in sub-zero environments without leaks or fragile parts.
For the ski community, the brand’s significance is practical and cultural. Practical, because a reliable, leakproof bottle that stays warm in the cold makes resort and freeride days more comfortable, safer, and more efficient. Cultural, because Stanley’s classic hammertone-green thermos and newer commuter formats show up everywhere from patrol shacks and guide packs to rail-jam bleachers—gear you recognize instantly and expect to last for years.
Product lines and key technologies
Stanley’s lineup centers on double-wall, vacuum-insulated, 18/8 stainless steel vessels built for temperature retention and impact resistance. The Classic Vacuum Bottle remains the benchmark—a high-capacity thermos with a cup-lid that thrives in base-area lots and hut kitchens. For resort laps and commuting, the trigger-action and flip-straw bottles offer one-hand operation and spill resistance. Larger-capacity jugs and growlers handle group hot-chocolate duty in the parking lot or keep water cold for spring slush laps. The brand also offers food jars, stacking tumblers, and cook sets that fit neatly into duffels or sleds.
Key technologies include vacuum insulation between steel walls to limit heat transfer, robust powder-coated or hammertone finishes to resist abrasion, and a family of lids—stoppers, chug caps, flip straws, and leakproof trigger mechanisms—to match different skiing scenarios. The materials are BPA-free, and many lids disassemble for cleaning, which matters when you’re rotating coffee, tea, soup, and electrolyte mixes through the same bottle all season. Stanley backs most core items with a lifetime warranty, underscoring the “buy once, use for years” philosophy that skiers value.
Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)
Resort skiers who post up for full days appreciate bigger Classic Bottles for hot drinks between laps and at lunch. Park and slopestyle riders who lap rope tows often prefer compact, easy-sip bottles that fit in a jacket pocket or small pack without sloshing. Freeride and big-mountain skiers who bootpack or skin to lines typically choose lighter, slimmer bottles that disappear in a side pocket yet won’t crack in a crash or freeze open. For spring and glacier sessions, high-capacity cold-drink solutions keep hydration dialed when the sun beats down and salt is flying in the lanes.
Families and travel crews benefit from the brand’s stackable tumblers and food jars: warm soup for kids at the mid-mountain lodge, espresso that stays hot until the afternoon, or ice water that survives a full day in the car. Guides, patrollers, and filmers gravitate toward tough, leakproof formats that live in a pack, on a snowmobile tunnel, or in a truck bed without fuss. If your winter mixes resort, sidecountry, and road miles, Stanley’s modular tops and sizes let you swap lids and capacities to match the day.
Team presence, competitions, and reputation
Stanley is not a ski hardgoods or outerwear sponsor and doesn’t maintain a freeski competition team. Its presence in skiing is grassroots and practical: you see the bottles in lift shacks, in filmer kits, and on guide benches. That earned reputation—simple, durable, dependable—comes from decades of use in cold environments rather than podium visibility. For many skiers, the brand occupies the same mental category as a reliable multitool or headlamp: essential support gear that quietly improves every day on snow.
Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)
With century-old roots in North American industry and expedition culture, Stanley products naturally migrated into ski towns and alpine venues where temperature swings and rough handling are the norm. From powder days in the Rockies and Interior Northwest to storm cycles in the Alps, the bottles ride in guide packs, on patrol sleds, and in the back of vans chasing snow. The gear’s appeal is universal: anywhere skiers face long chairlift rides, remote hut nights, or windy ridgelines, a rugged, vacuum-insulated bottle earns its space.
Construction, durability, and sustainability
Stanley vessels use thick-gauge stainless steel bodies, steel liners, and vacuum insulation, with gaskets and seals designed to be user-replaceable on many models. The hard-wearing exterior finishes resist dings from lift lines, tailgates, and cargo boxes. Stainless steel is inherently long-lived and recyclable, and the brand’s lifetime warranty encourages repair over replacement. For skiers thinking about sustainability, this matters: a single bottle that lasts multiple seasons reduces single-use waste at lodges and parking lots and avoids the cycle of replacing fragile plastics every year.
How to choose within the lineup
Start with capacity. Solo resort days pair well with 16–24 oz bottles you can stash in a pack or locker; family days and tailgates call for 1–1.5 L thermoses or jugs. Next, choose the lid for your routine. One-hand trigger-action and flip-straw tops shine on chairlift laps and quick sips in the lift line; classic stoppers and cup-lids excel for sharing hot drinks. If you tour or hike to terrain, look for slimmer, lighter formats that won’t upset your pack’s balance. If you primarily ride park and pipe, prioritize lids that seal securely and resist freezing open after repeated snow contact.
Consider cleaning and crossover use. If you alternate coffee, tea, and soup, pick lids that disassemble easily and bottles with wider mouths. If you want one system for winter and summer, choose a size that fits cup holders and bike cages, then add a straw-cap for warm months. Finally, think about durability in your environment: powder-coated or hammertone finishes handle lift racks and truck beds better than bare metal when the day turns rowdy.
Why riders care
Stanley 1913 matters to skiers because it delivers consistent, trustworthy performance in the cold without demanding attention. The bottles and thermoses keep heat where it belongs, shrug off abuse, and offer lid systems that match how different skiers move through a day—whether that’s back-to-back groomer laps, park sessions, hut trips, or dawn patrols. Backed by a long service life and repair-friendly parts, they’re the quiet utility players in a ski kit, helping you stay warm, hydrated, and ready for the next run.
The North Face
Brand overview and significance
The North Face is one of the most visible outerwear and equipment brands in skiing, with a heritage dating to 1966 and a mission built around technical apparel for harsh mountain environments. While the company does not manufacture skis, it has shaped modern freeskiing through performance outerwear, insulated midlayers and expedition-grade shells that show up from early-season rail jams to high-consequence big-mountain filming. As part of VF Corporation, the brand pairs global distribution with athlete-led product development, keeping its ski-focused collections relevant for resort laps, freeride touring and competition travel alike.
For skiers, The North Face matters because its snow collections are specific. The Summit Series Snow line is built for steep, stormy days and pro-level needs; resort-focused pieces target warmth and all-day abrasion resistance; and insulated workhorse layers hold up to chairlift seasons. The brand’s waterproof-breathable platform (marketed as FUTURELIGHT) sits alongside GORE-TEX options, giving skiers clear choices in membrane feel and weather protection without losing durability.
Product lines and key technologies
The North Face’s snow range centers on articulated, helmet-compatible shells and bibs with purposeful pocketing for beacon/shovel/probe carry, powder skirts, and robust cuff and hem reinforcements. Top shells in the Summit Series Snow family use three-layer constructions with fully sealed seams and low-bulk linings to manage moisture on long storm days or high-output backcountry climbs. The brand also maintains resort-oriented shells and insulated jackets that trade a few grams for extra warmth and quieter face fabrics—useful for cold, windy lift rides and repeated groomer laps.
Two technical pillars define the experience. First, The North Face’s proprietary nanospun waterproof-breathable membrane is designed to balance storm protection with high vapor transfer for aerobic skiing; second, classic GORE-TEX offerings deliver the familiar “storm armor” feel that many big-mountain skiers prefer for abrasive snow and frequent contact with rock or ice. Around those shells, the brand layers synthetic insulations and high-loft down (certified to animal-welfare standards) plus purpose-built fleeces that slide cleanly under shell fabrics without binding.
Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)
If you spend most days in the trees and bowls, skin across ridgelines for sidecountry shots, or chase chalky spines after a storm, The North Face’s three-layer shells and bibs feel purpose-built: light enough to move, quiet enough for filming, and protective when wind and spindrift kick up. Park and slopestyle riders who grind rails and lap jump lines will appreciate the brand’s tougher two-layer pieces with reinforced hems and cuffs; they take repeated hits on rope tows and metal without fraying early. On cold interior or continental days, insulated resort jackets keep the “all-day warm” promise for chairlift-heavy sessions, while breathable midlayers keep you from blowing out a sweat-soaked base on sunny hikes to in-bounds lines.
Tourers and big-mountain riders who prize mobility and temperature control generally gravitate to the Summit Series Snow shells and bibs, pairing them with minimal midlayers. All-mountain skiers who split time between groomers, trees and the occasional hike-to bowl can pick slightly heavier shells or insulated options that smooth out wind, lift rides and late-afternoon chop.
Team presence, competitions, and reputation
The North Face runs a broad athlete program across disciplines; for freeskiers, a reference point is the pro-to-film pipeline shaped by athletes such as Markus Eder (see the team hub via The North Face). On the competitive side, the brand’s apparel has appeared on national-team uniforms and in major qualifier circuits. A long-running example is The North Face Frontier freeride event in Queenstown, staged within Winter Games NZ and sanctioned on the Freeride World Tour Qualifier ladder (Winter Games NZ; Freeride World Tour). Historical partnerships have also included U.S. Freeskiing uniform programs around Olympic cycles (U.S. Ski & Snowboard), reinforcing the brand’s visibility at the highest levels of park and pipe.
Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)
The North Face outerwear shows up everywhere skiers congregate to progress. In Canada, Whistler Blackcomb functions as a proving ground for long storm cycles, big vertical and a park program that scales to pro lines. In the Southern Hemisphere, Cardrona Alpine Resort anchors park/pipe training while The Remarkables provides freeride faces for The North Face Frontier. At a national scale, New Zealand flips the calendar for Northern Hemisphere pros, enabling late-winter filming and contest preparation. In North America’s Interior Northwest and Rockies, broad-acre venues across British Columbia and the U.S. West create the “every condition” testing that informs durability and weatherproofing choices.
Construction, durability, and sustainability
Ski pieces are cut with a skier’s stance in mind—helmet-compatible hoods that pivot with your head, drop seats or side-zips on bibs, and pocket maps that keep avalanche tools accessible without bunching under a pack. High-wear zones (cuffs, hems, inner ankles) use beefed-up weaves and overlays to resist edge nicks and lift-line scuffs. Zipper garages, laminated storm flaps and low-bulk seam taping reduce water ingress and keep the garment quiet on camera.
The North Face also foregrounds product responsibility. The brand helped launch the Responsible Down Standard and commits to certified down in new products, then extends product life through trade-in and refurbishment via its Renewed program and broader circularity initiatives hosted on official brand channels. Warranty support and regional repair services backstop the gear; policies vary by market (for example, a limited-lifetime defect warranty in the U.S. and a two-year defect warranty common in parts of Europe), underscoring the emphasis on long service life rather than single-season use.
How to choose within the lineup
Start with terrain and effort. If your skiing includes long traverses, bootpacks and touring, prioritize three-layer shells and bibs from the brand’s alpine/snow performance tier—look for articulated patterns, venting options and a helmet-friendly hood. If you’re a resort-everyday skier who values warmth on the chair and durability in the park, lean toward insulated or burly two-layer shells with reinforced cuffs and less crackly face fabrics. Backcountry and film crews chasing storm cycles typically pick the lightest shells that still feel substantial against rock, ice and tree bark, then regulate warmth with active midlayers and breathable baselayers.
Pocketing and fit are the tiebreakers. Dedicated beacon pockets and mesh dump pockets are worth it if you carry tools every lap; if you ride park, a simpler pocket map and a cleaner hem reduce snags on rails and boxes. Slimmer fits move well when you’re side-stepping landings and hiking takeoffs; roomier cuts favor cold resort days with heavyweight layers. Finally, match membrane feel to your conditions: the brand’s nanospun waterproof-breathable fabric aims for high output comfort, while GORE-TEX delivers a slightly stiffer, highly bombproof vibe that some big-mountain skiers prefer when the weather goes sideways.
Why riders care
The North Face sits at the intersection of access, performance and culture. The gear is widely available, but still built with the specificity that athletes demand. It’s dependable in the storm, articulate enough for park moves and camera work, and backed by responsible material choices and end-of-life pathways that extend a jacket’s usefulness well beyond a single season. Whether your winter is lapping jumps at Cardrona, grinding through variable days at Whistler, or hiking into a wind-buffed couloir after patrol drops the rope, the brand’s snow line offers clear, durable tools to match how—and where—you ski.
Toyota
Brand overview and significance
Toyota’s footprint in ski films is as a presenting sponsor and enabling partner for marquee releases and tours. In recent seasons, Matchstick Productions’ annual features—most recently After the Snowfall (2025)—have been billed as “Toyota Presents,” with premieres and regional events highlighting the partnership from the stage to the lobby. Venue listings and tour stops, including at Palisades Tahoe and the Tower Theatre in Bend, reinforce that visibility across the fall cinema circuit. The result is simple but consequential for skiers: Toyota’s support helps keep big-screen ski storytelling annual, ambitious, and accessible to local communities.
Although Toyota is not a ski manufacturer, the brand has become a familiar name in the credits and on the posters that launch each winter’s stoke cycle. Beyond the headline “presents” role, Toyota-branded road segments and athlete travel pieces appear periodically—Matchstick’s Colorado skijoring road trip being a recent example—showing how vehicles and mountain travel culture intertwine in the modern ski-film ecosystem.
Product lines and key technologies
In the film context, Toyota’s “products” are campaign formats rather than skis: presenting sponsorship of feature-length movies and film tours; co-branded athlete road stories; and on-site premiere activations with giveaways and athlete meet-and-greets. The presenting role on After the Snowfall appears across official film pages and venue announcements (for example at Palisades Tahoe and Bend’s Tower Theatre), making the brand visible at the exact moments core audiences gather to watch. In parallel, Toyota’s broader wintersports portfolio includes title roles in elite competition (e.g., the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix), which keeps the logo in front of the same viewers who attend ski movies each fall.
Crucially, the film partnerships don’t override creative control; they underwrite it. Production companies still choose lines, locations, and edits. Toyota’s part is to help fund helicopters, permits, snow safety personnel, and the tour infrastructure that brings the film to hundreds of towns—a behind-the-scenes contribution that viewers feel when the season’s movie is well shot, well traveled, and easy to see on a big screen.
Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)
Toyota’s contribution is about audience experience more than on-snow “feel.” If you’re the kind of skier who plans winter around the premiere calendar, this partnership is for you: consistent tour schedules, athlete Q&As, and prize-packed intermissions keep the communal ritual alive. The films themselves span all-mountain, freeride, backcountry, and park segments, often filmed in classic zones like the pillows and storm trees of British Columbia, the spine walls of Alaska, and the night-lap culture in Japan. Toyota’s presence helps ensure those segments make it from field notes to final cut to your local theater.
For viewers, the practical benefit is reliability: a presenting sponsor with national reach makes it more likely your town gets a show date, your crew can meet athletes, and the film quality stays high year after year.
Team presence, competitions, and reputation
In ski culture, Toyota is recognized less as a “team” brand and more as a backbone sponsor whose logos thread through athlete rosters, premiere tours, and federation partnerships. The company’s naming and title roles with U.S. Ski & Snowboard—visible on the official Toyota U.S. Grand Prix series—support the same athletes who often appear in the films each fall. Within the film world specifically, recent Matchstick productions have carried “Toyota Presents” billing, establishing the brand as a stable, high-profile backer without overshadowing the filmmakers’ voice.
That posture—fund, enable, and let the skiing speak—has earned Toyota a reputation as a constructive partner whose involvement strengthens the culture rather than steering it.
Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)
Ski films live and breathe through geography, and Toyota-backed releases have traveled the modern greatest hits. You’ll routinely see heli and sled missions in interior British Columbia, alpine windows on big faces in Alaska, and storm-chasing arcs that add urban moments and park builds for variety. Resort-hosted premieres at places like Palisades Tahoe knit the story back to lift-served communities, while the national film-tour grid—mirrored by staples like the Warren Miller Film Tour—keeps the traveling cinema vibe strong. Seasonal snow patterns and logistics dictate where crews go; a presenting partner helps convert those windows into polished segments and well-attended premieres.
Construction, durability, and sustainability
For a sponsor, “construction” shows up as fieldcraft support: budgets that allow skilled guide teams, safe pacing, and camera platforms that make skiing legible on screen. When tours roll through cities and mountain towns, the footprint is relatively light—one theater, one night, local partners—and brand activations emphasize interaction over waste. The most durable outcome is cultural, not material: films people rewatch for line-reading, trick timing, and the personality of each zone.
On the production side, Toyota-branded road segments (like Matchstick’s Colorado skijoring road trip) underline a reality of ski media—ground travel links the dots between storm cycles and venues. Thoughtful itineraries and concentrated shooting windows are how film crews balance ambition with impact; a presenting sponsor’s support makes those choices feasible.
How to choose within the lineup
If you want the right-now snapshot, start with Matchstick’s After the Snowfall (2025) and find a premiere near you via resort and venue calendars such as Palisades Tahoe or the Tower Theatre in Bend. For a broader seasonal habit, pair fall feature films with the winter competition rhythm anchored by the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, then keep an eye on multi-day mountain events like Snowvana Portland, which also runs film blocks and is presented by Toyota. Those touchpoints stitch together a full-year narrative from cinema nights to live contests to spring park sessions.
Planning a destination around what you watch? Map film segments to real places: British Columbia pillows, Alaska spines, or spring laps at Whistler Blackcomb (see our own place primers for British Columbia and Alaska) so the inspiration translates to terrain you can actually ride.
Why riders care
Because great ski films don’t happen by accident. They require money, time, logistics, and the freedom for athletes and directors to chase storms and lines. Toyota’s participation helps secure those ingredients while keeping the experience communal: packed theaters, athlete intros, prize tables, and a film good enough that you plan tomorrow’s laps differently after the credits. It’s not about a car in the foreground; it’s about movies worth rewatching and a tour that still feels like the real start of winter.
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