A usual skiing day for Candide in his home resort. Skiing so fast and not giving a F@#K. Out skiing with his friend Aziz Benkrich (red pants). You can tell Candide knows this resort really well. Best POV we’ve seen in a while.

Follow Candide:
Facebook: facebook.com/CandideTHOVEX
Twitter & Instagram: @candidethovex

http://quiksilver.com

After a rowdy eviction party, we hit the road early on April 1st with Alaska segments from old MSP and TGR movies burned in our brains. With 2500 miles in front of us, we knew we were in for a long ride, but the prospects of skiing steep blower spines kept our spirits high. Loaded with 5 snowmobiles on an old rusty trailer, we were clueless as to the hardships that would be brought on by the rough roads of Northern Alberta and the Yukon.

Bomb Snow TV Episode 4, the last of the season produced by the Bridger Brigade, is a brief account of our adventures to Alaska. From Montana, to Valdez, to Haines, and back to Montana, our journey was filled with highlights and disasters. We have gained a new understanding and appreciation for the Alaskan skiing journey. After 7 days and 6 nights in the truck, 4 blown trailer tires, and 2 broken trailer arms, our hardships were outweighed by a plane drop and an unreal 4 days spent on a glacier in Haines (Minute 10).

Needless to say, the Alaskan experience was humbling. The sick terrain and incredible challenges have revamped our ambition toward skiing. With new determination and new goals, nothing will stop us from spending our Spring’s in Alaska.

Created By: The Bridger Brigade

Directed and Produced by: Axel Peterson, Rob Raymond, Randy Evans, Henry Worobec

Videography: Axel Peterson, Henry Worobec, Randy Evans, Rob Raymond, Tyler Morton, Mark Rainery

Shredders: Randy Evans, Kyle Taylor, Henry Worobec, Axel Peterson, Rob Raymond, Mark Rainery,
Tyler Morton

Edited by: Axel Peterson and the Bridger Brigade

Photography: Travis Andersen

Special Thanks: Voke Tab, Caravan Skis, Smith Optics, Drake Olson @Fly Drake, Bill Buchbauer, Fort Seward Lodge, Mike @Mikes Bikes and Boards, The Radbots, Alaska Backcountry Outfitter, Tailgate Alaska, Alaska Brewing, Kyle Christenson and his piece of S***T trailer, Bozone Brewery, Beer and Pow, Tecnica Blizzard, Orage,

Words and Photos by: Brock Butterfield
“The thought of driving from Salt Lake City, UT to Valdez, AK has crossed my mind a few times since I first got the chance to ride in AK but it wasn’t until my homie Ryan Cruze told me he was going to do it that I decided I was going to be a part of it no matter what it took. I left SLC early and arrived in Seattle that evening where I met up with RC and camped out in his unique camping rig which consists of a Ford Bronco with a custom fit camper shell that RC got for $150 from the junk yard. Beers were consumed as we talked about how epic the trip was going to be. I went to bed tossing and turning like a kid on Christmas Eve.

The next day we picked up our buddy from the airport and made out way to Bellingham, WA. We heard that Mt. Baker was getting good snow so we made our way up to see what we could get done. With near blue bird conditions we broke out the splits and got to work on some lines right out of the upper Mt. Baker parking lot. Byron Bagwell, a local and good friend of ours, led the pack into some heavy northwest lines. After a day of shredding heavy powder we made our way to the local pub for some celebration beers and food. After getting back to Bellingham we found a note on the camper from some angry local. Allegedly we threw beer cans and trash all over but in reality the cans had been there for months judging by the rust.”

“After we left Bellingham we headed for the border. Unfortunately we didn’t make it far when RC blew a serpentine belt on ol’d “Yard Dog”. Luckily there was a Napa Auto Parts close by and we limped the Bronco over to the parking lot. RC’s got a slightly modified setup so the standard belt wouldn’t work. We had to try about 10 belts before we got the right one.

We lined up for the border crossing and for whatever reason I was the one who had to pull over to the side, go into the big building and get asked a million more questions. Luckily the crossing border officer was also a snowboarder and gave me the heads up on avy conditions in Whistler as well as the green light into Canada.

Just before hitting Whistler we pulled off the road and up to the Seagrams trail head where we made camp for the night. Hot soup, beers and moonshine was devoured as we talked about plans for the next day.

The next morning I remembered someone saying something about needing to change the jets on your sled if you’re going from high elevations like Utah and down to lower elevations like Whistler. I was able to get the phone number of a local sled shop called Revolution and got some info from them on what to look for on my spark plugs after running it full throttle for a bit. Sure enough my sled was running too hot and I needed to make moves to get the parts and put in the right jets for the carburetor. Couple hours later in the parking lot of Revolution and I had successfully changed out the jets to match the elevation. Huge thanks to Ryan and Felix at Revolution for all the help! After we refueled we headed to the Rutherford trail head where we made camp for the night and prepared for some bluebird conditions to follow the next day.”

“I’ll start off by saying that the Whistler backcountry will literally give you a seizure if you let your brain run wild trying to take in all the lines to be ridden. We linked in with some of our good local friends and made our way back towards the Rutherford Glacier to ride some of the famous BC backcountry we see all the time in magazines and latest shred flicks.

We started out with a short hike up a fun little zone with lots of options. After digging a quick pit we strapped in and dropped into some steep, poppy lines with lots of options. Stoke was on high was we rallied to the next zone on a different aspect. After taking a few “soul pow” laps we got to work on some technical film worthy stuff.

Another crew was just down from us filming and as I glanced over I watch one of the riders make two turns and a fracture line come roaring after. I shouted “slide!” and kept my eyes on the rider as everyone pinned their sleds full throttle over to the bottom. Luckily the rider had pulled their air bag and floated on top of the small slide which ended up being about 8-12 inches deep and about 30 feet wide. All was well in the end but we decided to take that as a sign and head up to the glacier cave for some exploring and then head back to camper for some dinner and beers.

The next morning we made our way out further and maneuvered our sleds down and around some crevasses to lay our eyes on an unbelievable zone with thousands of options and an easy sled shuttle to the top. We felt out the snow and after determining it was stable we got to work on some good, deep BC pow. A productive day of filming and shredding and we made our way to Pemberton for the night to camp in the skate park parking lot.

The following day we scored a hot shower at the community center for $3 and shredded the bowl section of the skate park before heading to dinner at a local friend’s house for a night of couch surfing before hitting the road for the 1500 mile drive to Alaska.”

After leaving early from Pemberton we made our trek north through some sketchy mountain passes. One of which just before Lillooet, BC took my rear tire out after hitting a small rock coming around a corner. I zigged when I should’ve zagged. It was a real pain when we realized my spare was only accessable if we lifted the tailgate up which had the sled resting on it. Three dudes and one sled and we managed to get the tailgate up to get to the cavity that releases the spare. In all of this we also managed to roll the truck off the bottle jack and narrowly missed our feet. I soon had the spare on and made my way to the next town of Lillooet where I was able to find the best tire shop in all of BC as far as I’m concerned.

The guys at Lillooet Glass and Tire found me a used tire that was the exact same make, model and size of the one I blew out. The price was right in the cheap snowboarder budget and they had me rolling in no time.

We continued the drive only stopping for gas and sleeping on the side of the road when needed. I played a scratch ticket for the hell of it at one gas station and won. It made me want to buy more scratch tickets with my winnings. That’s how they get you.

It’s indescribable how beautiful it is up in northern BC and Yukon territory. It’s truly in the middle of nowhere and you can go for hours without seeing a town but well worth the drive. One thing you have to keep an eye out for are the ice heaves in the road as they make giant jumps for your vehicle. The bad thing is they’re only marked with a little red flag right next to the ice heave so you have no warning. At one point I decided to take my seat belt off to remove my jacket and it just so happened that before I could get my seat belt back on I saw the little red flag go past my right tire. My fully loaded Toyota Tundra caught at least 3 feet of air and I roosted my head into the ceiling of my cab as I myself caught almost the same amount of air. Watch out for ice heaves. It’s a bumpy ride to Alaska!

We crossed the border into AK after a few days and witnessed an awesome sunset with the Wrangell Mountain Range in the background. It was almost as though Alaska was saying, “Welcome. Come shred!”. We continued the push with excitement and made it to Thompson Pass after a long 19 hour day of driving.”

Even after the long drive to get to Thompson Pass we didn’t sleep much due to the excitement in the morning from sleds being started and hearing people talk about “code blue”. We could tell that it was time to get up and take advantage of supreme conditions on the pass.

The next few days were filled with non stop hiking, sled necking and shredding the hell out of the fresh snow and blue bird days. From my experience two years ago I’ve learned it’s hard to get a “code blue” day so we took the opportunity and rode from dawn till dusk till we couldn’t see our lines anymore.

Some lines to note that we were able to attack was the Berlin Wall, Python and The Books. Out of all of those so far I have to say that The Books are the most memorable. Endless lines and fairly easy boot packs to the top.

We spent another day out on the HooDoo Glacier and hung a hammock with ice screws. The glacier had a pretty unique wall that Moss Halladay got a rad wall ride on.

We’ve got a few days of blue left before the storm rolls in to give a refresh. Hoping to get out in the heli for a couple bumps with Alaska Snowboard Guides!”

Throwback Photo Week 

Recently, several local artists had the pleasure of hosting a slide show at Bomb Snow HQ for one of the godfathers of modern ski culture and photography, Ace Kvale.  We assembled a small group of enthusiastic locals the first night and Ace did not disappoint.  I left the show and after-party feeling inspired, and somehow strangely rejuvenated.  A couple of days later, Bernie and Ace invited me to Canada with them to attend The Gathering at Red Mountain in Rossland B.C.  With the end of the season rapidly approaching, I had to make the obvious choice and join them on what would become a legendary trip.

While the girls were distracting most of the old-farts, Bruno Long caught this shot of local Rossland ripper, Trace Cooke, throwing the only invert of the day. Notice… I was paying attention and throwing out the rocker horns in an awesome sweater, eh!

It seems that lately there’s been a ton of respect being thrown out for fun, funky, 80’s ski culture.  American extreme skiing was created in the 80’s and has undoubtedly had a profound influence on a whole generation of skiers.  I’m one of those skiers that fall slightly at the older end of the X generation spectrum.  I was born in 1970 and was a complete ski addict by the 80’s.  I’m a true product of 80’s ski culture.

We watched “Hot Dog…The Movie” at least 200 times in my high school years.  We skied our asses off every weekend and thought that Greg Stump was a genius.  Pictures and posters torn from the pages of Powder Magazine lined our bedroom walls.  We were fired up about skiing!  So it’s of no surprise that I jumped at the chance to attend The Gathering.  The line-up included ski photographer legends: Ace Kvale, Mark Shapiro, Hank DeVre, and long-time Powder photo editor, Dave Reddick.  I grew up admiring these guys and have followed a life undeniably influenced by them.  It has been an awesome time!

Ten cameras...18 breasts

Did you get the shot? Did you get it!

Shapiro was going for the closeups! So Busted!

There were also two nights of inspiring photo presentations from the legends, as well as a talented lineup of rising photographers from all around the Canadian ski world.  There was a roast to celebrate Dave’s 20 years at Powder, an 80’s Rocker & Groupie party at the infamous Rafters Bar, and a bikini bbq and photo shoot organized by Ace and Marko at the Start Shack on the hill.  There had to be at least 500 shots taken that afternoon.  The weekend was capped-off with the slush cup pond skim in front of the lodge (costumes highly encouraged) followed with vivacious drinking and dancing by everyone.  This is a must see event for any true beer drinking, ski junkie.  It was phenomenally awesome and I loved it.  Travis Andersen – Keeping the dream alive.

The first night presenters

Ace gets dragged up on stage by the dancers

Hank signs the shot ski at the Phaat Cabin

Light reading on top of Roberts

Ace and Travis in his awesome US Ski Team sweater

I didn’t check out any of the competition this year, but I can’t imagine it was anywhere near as great as this edit by the Bridger Brigade. Wow. Another amazing edit indeed. Is that Tom Jungst’ long lost son? I overheard that Mr. Jungst himself has challenged Randy Evans to a skiing duel on the last day at Big Sky this year. Until then: Peace, powder and regression. - Todd Heath

Taken from Grassroots Powdersurfing’s vimeo page. For more pow love and to check out the handcrafted pow boards go here: www.powsurf.com

There’s something about blasting through freshly fallen powder when it’s only a few minutes old. It is so light, so dry and unsettled. These are the days when you get a facefull of it with every turn. The occasional gasp for air and brief glimpse of the terrain ahead keeps you flowing down the mountain and the powder-caked smiles at the bottom are ear to ear. Here’s to huge powder plumes and free refills!

Minus the product placement for Nike, this film is awesome.  Read below to find out what it takes to be a paper shredder. - Bomb Snow.

The RadBots have been getting after it all winter thanks to a real beaut of a snow season down in Shook Kitty. Here’s part one of their three-part Eskimo adventure.

Riders Pat Cowan, Sean Fithian, Mark Rainery, Steven Popovich, Tyler Morton, Micah Hoogeveen, Todd Kirby, Kyle Miller, and Shane Stalling shred everything that the town of Shook Kitty had to offer this early season. Can I hit that bro?

The Bomb Snow Brigade sent it up North to Revelstoke, British Columbia for the month of January to chase deep pow and explore new zones. Upon arrival, 40-60 + cm of fresh made for unbelievable shredding. Stop number one of the Freeride World Tour was set to take place early the first week, but was delayed due to consistent snow. After a week of freeskiing the resort, the comp went down and did not disappoint. Huge airs and burly lines were thrown down on ‘Mac Daddy’ face, and it was the smooth, fluid lines that came out on top.

After the competition, we fueled the sleds and explored the endless terrain surrounding Revy. We met up with a few locals and friends, and got after it while the conditions were prime. A huge wind event took place upon the skies breaking blue, leaving the alpine scoured or loaded. However, the tree/pillow skiing remained all time.

The wind spell did not last long, and soon enough the skies were puking powder once again. Rogers Pass was our calling for a solid week of touring. Rogers is a unique area, sketchy and rewarding. Around every corner is another corner, and another, full of chutes, faces, pillows, and glaciers. It was mind-blowing to become more familiar with the terrain and see the potential the Pass holds.

We were extremely fortunate to spend time with such amazing people in Revelstoke and to be able to explore and ski such sick terrain. There were countless ‘zones’ added to the check list for next year.

Hope you enjoy our second episode, and hope you get REVELSTUCK!

Directed & Produced by Bridger Brigade

Edited by Axel Peterson / Bridger Brigade

Voice Over by the one and only Rob Raymond

SHOOTERS: Axel Peterson, Randy Evans, Kyle Taylor, Ryan Walters, Henry Worobec

CHUTERS: Randy Evans, Kyle Taylor, Axel Peterson, Colston VB, Ryan Walters, Connor Gliege, John Carpenter, Hazal Ural, Lars Chickering-Ayers, Silas Chickering-Ayers, Brodie Evans, Luke Nelson,

Special thanks to Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Canada, Coloston VB, Brodie Evans, Leah Evans, Sabina Spahman and roomates, The Last Drop, Caravan Skis, Cast Touring System, Voke Tab.

MUSIC:

Band: Ghoul
“Into the Catacombs”
www.tankcrimes.com

Band: Holograms
“ABC City”

Band: Hells Fire Sinners
“Hangin”

Band: Kitchen Dwellers
“EchoNiner”

Band: Scotch Greens
“GR”