The CRAZIEST POV clips from Kai Jones' "Origin"

04:15 min • 21/11/2025

Take a behind the scenes look at some seen and unseen POV footage from ‪@GoProSnow‬ team rider Kai Jones' latest film "Origin." Paired with some rowdy tricks, insane wall rides, and monster drops, Kai put up a huge comeback in 2025 and this footage proves he is a force to be reckoned with. Check out the full version of "Origin" here: https://youtu.be/KDTrdxXm7-8?si=FZggoBiuT7ItJdsd -------------------------------------------------------- Products used in this video: GoPro Hero13 Black Ultra Wide Edition: https://gopro.com/en/us/shop/cameras/learn/hero13-ultra-wide-edition/CHDRB-133-master.html -------------------------------------------------------- Shot 100% on GoPro: Get stoked and subscribe: http://goo.gl/HgVXpQ Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/ For more from GoPro, follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gopro Twitter: https://twitter.com/gopro Instagram: https://instagram.com/gopro TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gopro The Current: https://gopro.com/news GoPro: https://gopro.com/channel/ #GoPro

Athletes

Kai Jones

Profile and significance

Kai Jones is an American big-mountain freeskier raised in the Tetons whose early film parts with Teton Gravity Research turned a junior freeride phenom into one of the most-watched young riders in the sport. Growing up just over Teton Pass from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, he moved quickly from IFSA junior wins to full-length segments that showcased composure on consequential terrain long before most athletes leave the park. By his mid-teens he had multiple TGR credits, a fast-growing profile, and a style built on calm approaches, clean rotations, and landings driven back to the fall line. He now anchors projects that pair high-alpine filming with mainstream storytelling—most notably the 2024 comeback documentary “Falling Into Place,” produced with Red Bull, and the 2025 TGR season slate culminating in “Pressure Drop” and the short project “ORIGIN.” Jones matters because he makes truly big skiing readable: a clear speed floor, tricks placed only where the terrain invites them, and a through-line that fans can follow at full speed.

Competitive arc and key venues

Before films, Jones established himself on the junior freeride circuit with North American titles and wins that came, fittingly, on steep Western faces. Those starts taught him to link features under pressure and to choose lines that judges and viewers can parse in real time. On camera, his home venue became the classroom. The inbounds chutes and tram laps at Jackson Hole led naturally into the adjacent backcountry, where classic features and long couloirs demanded early decisions and sluff management. As travel widened, he added high-glacier and coastal terrain to the map in Alaska and the interior Northwest, filming for TGR alongside seasoned crew members who value flow over stunt work. The recent projects broadened the canvas again, from storm-day pillows to spring spine walls, all built on the same race-like timing and simple, decisive trick placement. The result is a résumé anchored less by podium lists than by venues that define modern freeride and by segments that replay well because they are easy to understand.

How they ski: what to watch for

Jones skis with an “approach quiet, exit decisive” philosophy. Watch how flat and calm the skis stay on the run-in—bases neutral, hands relaxed, ankles doing the work—until he builds a firm platform and pops cleanly. In the air, rotations are axis-honest and chosen to fit the takeoff: deep backflips and tidy 360s appear as punctuation marks, not decoration. Landings are driven to the fall line with an immediate re-center, preserving speed into the next feature rather than bleeding it across the slope. On spines and convex roll-overs he sheds moving snow early with short cross-fall-line cuts, then recommits once the sluff runs. Pole plants are sparse and purposeful, mainly as timing cues before blind takeoffs. The overall effect is skiing that looks inevitable—a line you can storyboard, with each move advancing the sequence rather than distracting from it.

Resilience, filming, and influence

The defining chapter so far is resilience. In March 2023 Jones suffered a major crash in the Jackson backcountry, breaking both legs and ending his season. The comeback—documented in the feature “Falling Into Place” released with Red Bull and amplified across TGR channels—traces the unglamorous work behind returning to speed: surgeries, physical therapy, rebuilt confidence, and the discipline to re-learn habits under consequence. By 2024–25 he was filming full-strength again, contributing to TGR’s annual film program and dropping the short “ORIGIN,” a concentrated look at a winter spent chasing windows and stacking clean clips. The influence goes beyond the highlight reel. Because his lines are readable, coaches and progressing skiers use them to teach pacing, platform building, and risk calibration—why a trick belongs on that feature, from that speed, with that landing in mind. It is a modern template for combining ambition with process.

Geography that built the toolkit

Place explains much of Jones’s style. The lift-served steeps and sidecountry around Jackson Hole deliver maritime-influenced storms, chalky wind-buff, and spring corn within a compact radius, so platform management and sluff control become second nature. Long, consequential fall-lines force early decisions: keep bases flat until the lip, set the edge once, then commit. Travel added contrasting textures—interior chalk, coastal powder with moving surface snow, and glaciated runouts—so the same decision tree gets rehearsed on very different canvases. The throughline is transferable timing: build speed you can live with, let the terrain choose the trick, and land back to the fall line so momentum survives the air.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Jones’s kit is built for reliability. As an athlete with Red Bull and a team rider for Atomic, he favors freeride platforms with enough surface area and supportive flex to accept imperfect landings without surprise hook-ups. The tuning philosophy is simple and instructive: keep edges honest underfoot for chalk, smooth the very ends so they stay friendly in three-dimensional snow, and maintain a consistent base finish so speed is predictable into big takeoffs. Boots and bindings should prioritize support and retention over novelty—set forward pressure correctly and avoid loose, progressive setups that fold under deep landings. On the safety side, the non-negotiables remain beacon, shovel, and probe when he’s outside the ropes, plus the unglamorous habits of spacing, communication, and terrain pacing. For skiers trying to copy the feel rather than the sticker pack, the message is to pick a stable ski you can center confidently and keep the tune and intentions consistent across conditions.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Fans care about Kai Jones because his skiing tells clear stories on very big canvases. He doesn’t overload a face; he edits—set a speed floor, choose features that escalate, put the trick where the takeoff invites it, and drive the landing to the fall line so the narrative keeps moving. That clarity is why his TGR segments replay well and why his comeback film resonated beyond core audiences. For skiers looking to progress from storm-day resort laps to short backcountry missions, the takeaways are concrete and immediately useful: keep approaches quiet, pop from a clean platform, manage moving snow early, and think two features ahead. Grounded in the daily reality of Jackson Hole and sharpened on the biggest filming stages with Teton Gravity Research, Jones stands as a textbook example of contemporary big-mountain freeskiing—credible to peers, inspiring to audiences, and practical for anyone trying to turn highlight-reel habits into repeatable skills.

Brand overview and significance

GoPro is the reference name in action cameras and a cornerstone of modern ski media. Founded in 2002 by Nick Woodman, the company turned rugged, mount-anywhere cameras into a creative toolkit that reshaped how freeskiing is filmed—POV from the helmet or chesty on storm laps, pole-cam follow lines in the trees, and stabilized, edit-ready clips from lift to backcountry. For skiers, GoPro’s value isn’t just the camera; it’s an ecosystem of mounts, lens options, accessories, and the Quik app with cloud backup and automatic highlight videos. In 2024–2025 the lineup is led by HERO13 Black (single-lens POV) and MAX2 (8K 360 capture), supported by a growing family of HB-Series Lens Mods that expand field of view and creative looks. Within the ski world—from park laps in Austria to deep British Columbia tree lines—GoPro is the default device you’re most likely to see clipped to a helmet, pole, or chest harness.

Product lines and key technologies

HERO13 Black. Flagship single-lens camera with 5.3K/4K capture, advanced HyperSmooth stabilization, hydrophobic lens cover, and improved Enduro battery performance for cold days. HERO13 adds automatic lens detection for the HB-Series Lens Mods so the camera switches into the right mode without fuss. The HB collection currently includes an Ultra-Wide Lens Mod (up to 177° FOV for immersive POV), a Macro Lens Mod (close-focus with a variable focus ring), an Anamorphic Lens Mod (true 21:9 look with cinematic flares), and ND filter packs for motion control. GoPro also offers a HERO13 “Ultra Wide Edition” bundle pairing the camera with the ultra-wide mod for ski-ready POV.

MAX2 (360). Second-generation 360 camera capable of true 8K spherical video with replaceable, water-repellent lens elements, upgraded battery, and improved touch UI. Skiers can capture everything in one take, then “reframe” angles later in Quik—useful when you’re shooting a partner on unpredictable lines or want both forward and backward POV on a single run.

Quik + Subscription. GoPro’s app ties the system together: charge the camera and it can auto-upload runs to the cloud, generate a highlight cut, and let you refine it without downloading source files. Subscription adds unlimited cloud storage for GoPro footage, extra storage for non-GoPro files, and camera replacement coverage in many regions—practical for heavy winter use.

Accessories that matter for skiing. Media Mod (directional mic + I/O), Light Mod, Volta battery grip/remote/tripod, chest and helmet mounts, glove-friendly remotes, and pole/grip mounts (for “third-person” follow). The small details—glove-operable buttons, locking fingers, hydrophobic lens cover—are what make GoPro workable in blowing snow.

Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)

Think of “ride feel” as what the footage looks like. HERO13 with the Ultra-Wide Lens Mod is the classic resort POV: steep feels steep, turns feel fast, and cliff takeoffs read clearly. Macro is niche but fun for gear B-roll and snow crystals on storm days. The anamorphic mod gives your backcountry stories a cinematic flavor without post hacks. If you often swap who’s filming whom mid-lap, MAX2 shines—capture everything and pick angles later. For creative park skiing, a pole-mounted HERO13 produces stable, low-effort follow shots; for big mountain lines, a chesty mount smooths pole swings and keeps skis in frame. Night laps and flat-light days benefit from ND choices and HDR/Log profiles that grade cleanly.

Team presence, competitions, and reputation

GoPro maintains a visible snow roster and commissions seasonal projects and contests that drive progression and culture. Recent ski names tied to GoPro content and team news include Sammy Carlson, Eric “Hoji” Hjorleifson, Arianna Tricomi, Parkin Costain, Dennis Ranalter, Hedvig Wessel, and Jesper Tjäder. The company’s seasonal “Line of the Winter”–style community contests regularly surface standout edits from resorts and backcountry zones, while athlete films and POV drops keep GoPro footage at the center of ski media. Reputation among skiers is simple: reliable cameras, lots of creative options, and an ecosystem that rewards experimentation.

Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)

GoPro’s cameras show up wherever skiers lap and film: storm cycles and spring parks at Whistler Blackcomb (see our page for Whistler-Blackcomb), deep-snow pillows and long fall-line exits at Revelstoke Mountain Resort (see Revelstoke), and high-traffic pow runs in Utah’s Little Cottonwood at Alta (see Alta Ski Area). The brand’s own ski presence on Skipowd is aggregated here: GoPro (skipowd.tv).

Construction, durability, and sustainability

Housings are waterproof without a case, with hydrophobic, scratch-resistant lens covers; MAX2 adds replaceable protective lenses. Enduro batteries are tuned for better cold-weather performance (a noticeable benefit on lift days below freezing). Mods and mounts are designed for glove use and repeat abuse—buckles, adhesive bases, and locking fingers that hold up when you tomahawk or stuff the camera in a pack. On the software side, in-camera stabilization plus Quik’s cloud workflows reduce the number of takes you need, which means fewer failed shoots and less wasted travel. As with any electronics, longevity is sustainability: keep spare lens protectors, swapables like batteries and doors, and use the subscription’s repair/replacement coverage where available to extend service life.

How to choose within the lineup

Pick your capture style first. If your goal is classic POV and follow shots with the least editing overhead, choose HERO13 Black; add the Ultra-Wide Lens Mod for immersive 177° resort POV. If you often film a partner or want both forward and backward angles from one run, choose MAX2 and reframe later in Quik.

Decide on look controls. Want cinematic ski stories? Add the Anamorphic Lens Mod (21:9 look and flares). Shooting close gear details or snow textures? Macro Lens Mod earns its keep. If you prefer simple, vibrant output straight from camera, stick with standard lens and HDR modes; if you grade, enable GP-Log/10-bit for more latitude.

Power & carry. For all-day lift laps or sled days, the Volta grip extends runtime and gives one-handed control; a compact 20–26 L ski pack fits camera, Volta, a spare battery or two, and a microfiber for lens clearing. In very cold climates, keep batteries warm in an inside pocket and rotate.

Mounting basics. Helmet mount for most POV, chesty for stable pole-swing shots and steeps, pole/grip for follow-cams. Keep a 3-way pivot and extra adhesive bases in your repair kit. Check goggle clearance with helmet mounts and test chesty angle on a groomer before dropping into consequential terrain.

Why riders care

GoPro makes it easy to turn ski days into shareable stories without hauling a cinema rig. The stabilization is trustworthy on chopped exits, batteries last longer in the cold than they used to, and the new lens mods let you pick an aesthetic—from ultra-wide immersion to anamorphic drama—without complicated setups. Add Quik’s cloud backups and automatic highlight videos and you get a simple, end-to-end pipeline: shoot, charge, receive a cut, refine if you want, and post. That predictability is why GoPro stays strapped to helmets and poles across resorts and backcountry zones worldwide.

Quick reference (places & hubs)

Principal athletes & ambassadors

Sammy Carlson
Eric Hjorleifson
Arianna Tricomi
Parkin Costain
Dennis Ranalter
Hedvig Wessel
Jesper Tjäder
Note: Team rosters change seasonally; consult official GoPro channels for current lists.

The CRAZIEST POV clips from Kai Jones' "Origin"

Athletes

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Kai Jones

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