Moments
COEN BENNIE-FAULL. HE'S "ALL WHITE"
COEN BENNIE-FAULL - INTERVIEW For years we've been witness to the super talented and creative moves thrown down by Aussie freeskier Coen Bennie-Faull. He's been chasing winters for nearly a decade and you'll find him going after big lines in the FWQ, taking out winning runs at BullerX, or hucking backflips at the prestigious showdown "Kings & Queens of Corbets". Last year he spent his time in powder-packed Wyoming and we're pumped to see the resulting edit, aptly dubbed: "ALL WHITE". Taking the high line in the Tetons. Pic @brookscurran But before we get into the clip, we had some news from Coen which made everything stop for a second as we heard of a nasty spill he'd had this January. We're pleased to say he's recovering and were glad to get a chance to have a chat with Coen, get an insight into how he is and hear about this new clip. LB: Hey Coen, we're really sorry to hear about your injury. What went down? A few weeks back skiing here in Revelstoke I had a fall (that resulted in me landing on some rocks). Unfortunately, I fractured my left scapula and some vertebrae in my neck. I got extremely lucky. Considering the fall, things should’ve been a lot worse. I was lucky to have 6 good friends skiing with me, 2 of which had EMT (emergency medical training) which made a huge difference in getting me out safely. I was long lined by helicopter to hospital where I spent the next week. I’ve since moved back home to Revelstoke and am making a pretty fast recovery considering. I’m in good spirits and this injury has only fuelled the fire for skiing more and I’m hoping to get back on snow for springtime. LB: How long do the experts say the recovery will take and what are you doing to fill the time? Bones should heal in 6-8 weeks however the biggest challenge is going to be in getting my strength back up to scratch. Following ankle surgery in October my muscle mass is fairly depleted and will take time to get back moving properly again. However, I’m pretty optimistic and have already been back in the gym with light sessions this past week so I’m moving forward already. With all this time on my hands I’ve been focussing mainly on rehab, however I’ve been working on some editing of past footage that I’ve been meaning to find time for, for a while. I’ve also been looking into potential opportunities to Australian kids training and competing in big mountain competitions overseas but it’s still early days with this project. LB: You’ve been chasing down winters for a good few years now, both as a professional and as a creative line seeker. How do you balance injury with a professional career? Well there’s not much you can really do about injury but take time to appreciate slowing down. I am finding time to work on the small things, habits and routines and plans for the future. Naturally, the main focus is to get the body back to fighting strength, building up slowly, so that when I get back on snow, I am fighting fit. However, like any profession there is also an admin side to skiing. Video editing, trip planning, project scoping and all the other fun things that keep the world revolving so injury is a good time to catch up on these kinds of tasks that get away from you when the skiing is so good. So, I guess the balance is a natural one, pushing your body to the limits is going to result in some backward steps from time to time, so it’s important to recognise that balance and embrace it. You can’t have the highs without the lows, it’s just not possible. LB: We cracked some popcorn and gave your recent edit “All White” a good watch. Damn there are some killer moves in there! Where did this all come together and where can we see more of this goodness? “All White” is a combination of shots from a few projects I’ve worked on in Jackson the past 2 winters. I was lucky enough to get to work with TGR on a small project that was instigated by Tony Harrington as a result of BullerX. I’ve been watching TGR films since I was a kid so to get the chance to work with them as a skier myself was a dream come true so to speak. You can see more of this project HERE. As well as this I got to work with my favourite film and photo combo from Australia, Hayden Griffith and Tim Clark on their passion project “The Moment” (a lot of the scenic shots come from here). On this project we travelled from Jackson, Wy to British Columbia in a sprinter van, courtesy of Van Craft, documenting the journey along the way. You can check out this and more of Hayden’s work or check out the lens magic of Tim. Finally, the drone footage comes from good friends Sawyer Thomas and Riis Weibrecht. Sawyer was the first person I got introduced to in Jackson Hole when I moved there 5 years ago and has introduced me to just about everyone I know in town, whether directly or indirectly. Going to school in Bozeman, I don’t get the opportunity to ski with these two enough but every time I do its always a fun adventure. This year I was lucky enough to ski with them both while they were working on their project “Colter”, and if you want to get inspired definitely check this one out, it will blow your mind what they put themselves through in the name of ‘fun’. You can find that HERE. All White from Taylor Bennie-Faull on Vimeo. LB: Do you have plans to get back into the mountains once you’re recovered and get the camera rolling again? Here’s hoping. I’m hoping to work with Tony Harrington in late February, early March on an assignment for Chillfactor magazine if I can get the body in order. Apart from this, I moved to Revelstoke to get up and test myself in some bigger alpine in springtime so my timeline to meet this goal isn’t thrown out to far. I don’t really have any solid plans as yet but who knows with a few weeks more of couch time. I’d definitely like to work on doing some more filming once I’m back skiing but it’s going to have to depend on how my meat’s feeling. LB: The last decade has seen a long list of people pushing the envelope in the backcountry, including your good self. What advice would you give to those who want to get out there and how they can equip themselves with the right skillset? The best advice I can give is for people to get themselves a beacon, shovel and probe and book themselves on an avalanche course, (they’re now operating in Australia as well). Your gear is useless unless you know, not only how to use it, but how to read the environment you’re in. Weather elements in the backcountry are constantly evolving; wind, sun, snow, temperature, terrain and even human traffic affect the dangers you put yourself in when you’re out in the backcountry. More important than all of this is to keep a humble and open mind, no one knows everything when it comes to the backcountry, and everything changes minute by minute so to think you know exactly what is going on is one of the biggest mistakes you can make and more often than not it is the human factor that brings groups un done and places them in harm’s way. Digging deep. Pic @timclark1 LB: It’s a very, VERY good thing that we can still sit down with you for a chat considering the recent accident. It’s a real shame to see you go thought this but ultimately, we’re just grateful you’re ok! How do you think this will this change your perspective on future endeavours? I can assure you that it won’t change my drive to push myself in the mountains, however, following this accident I am much more aware of the personal factors that influence my decision making and the consequences these factors can have. Sitting there with a broken neck out of reach of immediate help definitely puts things into perspective for you. It’s a position I hope to never place myself or my friends in ever again. Whilst the circumstances that affected this crash weren’t entirely in my control there were definitely elements that I could’ve been more understanding of, such as the time of day and condition of my body coming out of ankle surgery that could have adjusted my decision making. It’s very important to be aware of all the factors that can hinder performance and adjust decision making accordingly. One of the more prominent lessons I learnt from this accident, however, is the importance of obtaining the correct first aid knowledge and surrounding yourself with partners that have an understanding of how to deal with situations that go wrong. I am definitely more motivated to up-skill myself in this area so that I can be support for my friends if things go wrong in the future. I have a much larger appreciation for the importance of choosing the right time to push your comfort zone as well as equipping yourself with the gear, knowledge and correct backcountry partners to be more self-sufficient in the mountains. Living is learning and reflecting on experience is what helps you move forward. I just want to say a huge thank-you to everyone that helped extract me from this potential horror situation, from my friends who were with me at the time and the diligence of the Revelstoke Mountain Resort ski patrol who were extremely effective in getting me to safety efficiently. LB: Well Coen, we’ve taken enough of your time and we’ll let you get back to your recovery. We wish you a speedy recovery and hope you see you back out there in the mountains again soon. Glad to hear you're "all white" (yep, pun definitely intended).
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BOOM! WELCOME TO THE LINE UP SAMMY CARLSON
SAMMY CARLSON – WELCOME INTERVIEW Boom! Sammy Carlson or Sammy C to many has been doing crazy things on two planks for a while now. Wikipedia even has him listed as the “the first skier to execute a switch triple rodeo 1260 in July 2010 at Mt Hood.” Getting a Wikipedia page as a skier isn’t easy folks. But neither is anything Sammy C does for that matter. Now 30 years of age, the 8-time 'X Games' medallist has taken his cat like freestyle abilities into the BC for the last few years and is unquestionably one of the best riders building booters out there today. We flicked Sammy a few socks last season and couldn’t be more pumped to officially announce his addition to the team. We had a brief chat with Sammy to welcome him aboard and see what the future holds. LB: Hey Sammy, thanks for chatting with us, how’ve you been man? Hey guys, things have been good. Getting ready for another winter up here in BC, after an awesome summer. I have been spending lots of time training this fall, getting the body strong and ready to go for the season. Skiing again now, it feels good to be back on the skis! You just released your latest project OVER TIME. How was that received? We gave it a little nudge on the socials but had to keep quiet you were a new team rider, so we’re stoked to finally celebrate that epic film! Thank you, we are stoked to receive such a positive response, we put a lot of effort into the film. It was really good working with CK9 studios, the boys put so much work into it, Clay Mitchell and Simon Shave did a great job, it was our first time working together. We wanted to create something special and powerful, and inspire people in all walks of life, to live to the fullest. We really appreciate everyone’s positive response. We’re already deep in planning a new video for this upcoming season, we’re excited to get back out there and back it up. As always there were some crazy screengrabs to take from that video. What fuels your fire in skiing these days? Is it getting shots like this? For sure, I love getting those shots when we’re out filming. I love when it all lines up. Those dreamy lines and perfect airs keep me inspired. Skiing pow gets me fired up. My focus is to try and ride as much as possible and keep pushing myself. It just keeps getting better, the more confident I am on my skis, the more fun I’m having. After an epic day of filming I always find myself thinking “how can I shred more lines, or get more laps?” That’s the most challenging part. Park skiing is so fun because you can just do laps all day and session the jumps or whatever. When we’re filming or out skiing in the backcountry a majority of the day is spent either sledding or touring, to get on top of the line, or hopefully lines. That’s what I’m always trying to figure out is how to ride more pow. The last few seasons I have been really psyched to spend less time building jumps and focus more on riding lines and hitting more natural features. Surfing has been a major inspiration the last few summers and definitely influencing my skiing. I’m looking for fun lines and hits that line up and make sense. I’m not trying to get overexposed out there, I like lines that flow and make sense, so you can ride with confidence and play with it. In his element.. seeking out natural terrain. Pic cred: @bacha.photo You’ve always been involved with some big names like production company TGR and sponsors like Quiksilver who you signed with last season. How’d you hear about Le Bent and what was it about a little apparel brand from Australia you liked so much? I hadn’t heard of Le Bent until I met one of the owners at a Cat skiing lodge last season. It was completely random, we met at the top of a run called Cloud 9. The sunset was going off that night, we were filming for OVERTIME in the middle of a sick session. Stoke levels were high. We were getting ready for another lap, then one of the guest Cats rolled up and Simon (Le Bent Co-founder), had a Quiksilver jacket on so naturally I said what’s up! We talked briefly before the run, then that night at the lodge over a beer, he convinced me he makes the best socks in the industry and I was fired up to get a pair of the new Cody Townsend socks to try for myself. As soon as I tried them, I knew the guys at Le Bent weren’t messing around. Socks are often over looked, when your spending long days in the mountains, having good socks can make or ruin your day when you’re out. What Le Bent products have you particularly enjoyed? I really like Cody’s Sock, they’re next level! So much thought went into those socks. As soon as you put them on your feet, you feel it. They have all the padding in the right spots, they grip your feet like a glove. Those socks kept my feet feeling good all day! Obviously, you’re spending most of your time in the backcountry these days, perhaps not quite to the extent that fellow team member Cody Townsend is, but are you also touring a lot too or is it more sled and heli accessed skiing? Definitely. I’m not on the same mission Cody is on, I’m spending lots of time touring though. Pretty much everyday, even if we’re using the sleds, often we have to park the sleds near the zone and tour for the final approach. I ride a tech set up nearly 100% of the time so I have the option to tour if I need. I also like the lightweight feel and really enjoy walking around in the mountains, especially if we’re filming. Being on slope and walking up next to the line gives you different or extra vantage points, which can really help you dissect and understand the line and it means more once you’re up top. You get less shots so I really want to make every run count! 'Blisssss'. Pic cred: @bacha.photo In that case, do you like a little more padding in a sock or what do you tend to look for? I like a medium thick sock with padding in the right spots. If it’s too thick and bulky I often find like I’m swimming in the sock by midday. I like a medium fit with a little extra padding on the toes and around the ankle bones. We had Cody down here in Aus testing his pro model sock, is that something we could talk you into doing... We know you’ve been surfing a lot in the off-season, ever surfed or skied in Oz? 100% I have never been to Australia. I’m pretty sus on all the sharks that way, but the wildlife and waves look incredible! I’m ready to come down this next summer and check it out, let’s go! Ok, so talking Oz is one thing, but if we were to find you in your happy place, that epic spot that feeds the mind-shredding, where would we need to go? Find me on top of some Dinosaur Back Spine lines… those long dreamy, rippable, surfy spine lines! So what’s next on the agenda for the season ahead? Will we find you on some more spine lines? I hope so, I’m planning to go back up to Alaska this spring and Maybe a Japanuary. I will be working on a new film with CK9 studios most the winter and see where the snows at. I’m feeling healthy and ready to go. I’m hoping we have a good snow year and a Sunny stable spring up here in BC! Some upside-down action over Mt Hood, OR. Pic cred: @bacha.photo Well Sammy, we appreciate you taking the time to chat and sure are stoked to have you joining le team. Bring on the good times ahead. Yew! Thank you. Likewise! I’m Stoked to be part of the team and looking forward to all the good times! YEEOW! ABOUT SAMMY CARLSON Age: 30 Hometown: Revelstoke, BC Home Resort: Nationality: USA Sponsors: Quiksilver, Monster Energy Drink, Armada Skis, Oakley, Dakine, FullTilt Favourite Le Bent gear: Cody T.'s Sock - LE SEND Follow Sammy here: https://www.instagram.com/sammycarlson1/
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"THEY ARE HONESTLY THE MOST KICK-ASS SOCKS IN THE WORLD"
See what Jon Olsson says about our socks. Jon Olsson needs no introduction. He is indisputably one of the best freestyle skiers in the world. From inventing new tricks througout his career to double digit Xgames medals. He lives the life of luxury so there's no surprise that le bent socks are one of his "favourite things in the world." Click here for the full video and Jon's latest trip to Japan to find bottomless POW!
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