Stories
LÉ BENT WELCOMES NICK RUSSELL TO THE TEAM
Nick Russell has dedicated his life to being in the moment in the mountains. With a riding style that he describes as "a blend between low stress pow riding in the forest and intentional movement into the alpine", Nick has been on our radar for many years at Lé Bent. The sock gods saw fit to intervene and after leaving his socks at home, Nick finally dipped his toes into a borrowed pair of our Signature Merino Blend... and he couldn't go back. We caught up with Nick to welcome him to the team. LB: Hey Nick, welcome to the Lé Bent pro team!!! Thank you! I’m honored and excited to be here next to some heavy hitters on the team, not to mention to be running the best socks in the game. It sounds like we have Cody Townsend to thank for getting you in our snow socks. Is it true the first pair of Lé Bent socks you wore were a ‘rental pair’ Cody had in the back of his van? Yes, this is true. I showed up to do one of the Fifty lines with him in the Eastern Sierra and realized I forgot my socks. Thankfully the guy had an extra pair. If I remember correctly, they were his pro model socks which were perfect for a long spring day. LB: A long spring day for Nick = A sufferfest of epic proportions.. Hopefully, they were a clean pair… what did you think of them? For someone that spends 8 months non-stop in their boots, socks are perhaps one of the most important elements to my overall happiness in the mountains. Everything from the merino blend that makes sure I don’t sweat, to the fluid articulation in the ankle and up to compression in the right spots, I’m honestly blown away with the performance of these socks. And, did he ask for them back? I think he knew better than to ask for them back ;) Thankfully we were able to send you your own pairs that you could actually keep… How do you find the different cushioning options and do you have a favourite pair now? I find myself bouncing between the lightweight cushion and zero cushion options for longer warmer spring days and the slightly thicker Xavier De Le Rue Pro Series Sock for colder days. Just like how you adapt your board for current conditions, it's the same with socks. It’s amazing to wear something that clearly has had so much attention to detail go into it. After a full season of heavy duty use, I think I only circulated between 3 or 4 pairs, which says a lot about their durability. You’ve been dragged along on a lot of Cody’s Fifty lines and been a fan favourite in a bunch of episodes. It looks like you always draw the short straw and get the pure sufferfests though... How has that project been for you? For the majority of those lines we did together, there was always a caveat that likely, it was going to be one of the longest days of your life and the approach would have some level of ridiculousness to it. But at the end of the day, it all lends to the elusiveness of certain lines that always makes it worth it. In addition to riding with Cody and Bjarne, what personal projects have you been working on in the past 12 months? I’ve been working on a film with Patagonia from our expedition to Papsura, India this past spring. It’s called the “Peak of Evil.” This will be likely my proudest project to date and I’m excited to release it to the world. We’re slated to start premiering it in December and the online release will be in January 25. I was also involved in a French film project called “The Octopus”, from my time in Chamonix with Pica Herry and crew. Additionally I’m a part of a short film with Austin Sweetin coming out called “Hogs on the Horizon.” I also recently signed with United Shapes snowboards which is also really exciting. Sounds like you've had plenty on the plate. What are your goals for the coming season? A magician never reveals their secrets. Haha well we look forward to the show. What about in the longer term. What are your future goals in snowboarding and how would you describe your style of riding? To continue exploring my backyard of the Sierra Nevada and beyond, stay healthy and share the love of snowboarding with others. I’d say my riding style is a blend between low stress pow riding in the forest and intentional movement into the alpine. Well Nick, we look forward to following along and seeing all the incredible places you end up this season and beyond! Thanks for taking the time to chat and we’re stoked to have you on the team! Bring on the good times ahead. Yew! Thanks guys! Can't wait. ABOUT NICK RUSSELL Age: 36 Hometown: Truckee, Ca Home Resort: Sierra Nevada backcountry Nationality: USA Sponsors: Lé Bent, Patagonia, United Shapes, Anon Optics, Backcountry Access, Deeluxe boots, Pomoca skins, Spark bindings Favourite Lé Bent gear: Any of the light cushion snow socks! Follow Nick here: @nick_russelll
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LÉ BENT WELCOMES KAI JONES TO THE TEAM
When Kai was 11 years old his segment for TGR went viral and racked up 6 million views. That year he also won the North American Junior Freeride Series. He was nominated for Rider of the Year at IF3 Film Festival at 14 years old, and again a year later. Now at age 17, Kai has been a mainstay in TGR’s last five films, and earned the right to be called a legitimate “prodigy”. Kai is leading the charge for the next generation of groms that jump off things, while also managing to be a favorite amongst the older guard. We caught up with Kai in between cork 7’s and massive cliff drops, to welcome him to the team and find out what makes him tick. LB: Hey Kai, welcome to the Lé Bent pro team!!! How has your season been going so far? My season has been good. Little slower than normal because of my injury. Super stoked to be back on snow and progressing. So, you’re 17 years old — and probably sick of people mentioning how young you are — what are your goals for the next few years and where do you want to take your skiing? I am super hyped to keep pushing my limits and bringing more freestyle into the big mountains. You’ve been described as a “skiing prodigy”, “Mayor of Stomptown” and “grom pied piper” how’s that feel and what’s it like inspiring the next generation of groms your age and younger? One of my biggest goals in skiing is to inspire people and it makes me so stoked to see the next generation taking inspo from me. For those who don’t know, you sustained a season-ending injury, breaking both your tibia tubercle’s in March last year. We followed your rehab and were super impressed by how much work you were putting in to getting your body right. How was that recovery experience and how was your return to snow this season? My recovery has been going super good. I spent the last 9 months training hard to get back to my sport. As I am writing this I still have work to go but every day I am getting closer and closer to being 100 percent. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kai Jones (@kaijonesski) You’ve been in 5 Teton Gravity Research Films already. Who are some of the skiers you grew up watching and looking up to? Some skier's that I grew up watching are Tim D, Sammy C, Nick McNutt, Shane M, Eric Roner, Thall, Sage C, Ian Mac, Candied Thovex, Henrrik, and way more ahah! Have you got a favourite movie part of theirs or a favourite TGR film that you always go back to? My favorite movie part is Tim Durtschi's My Way of Life segment or Nick McNutts' Almost Ablaze segment. A lot of young skiers and snowboarders start off in freestyle and transition into the backcountry after years of competition and events. What motivated you to make backcountry skiing your main focus from the get-go? We dont have alot of parks back home so I grew up learning tricks and skiing in the backcountry. It was natural for me to move into freeride because of the mountain I grew up skiing on (JHMR). Any interest in taking your skills to the Freeride World Tour — you’d probably have to forgo some powder days though! Only time will tell... We have both Cody Townsend and Sammy Carlson on the team holding it down in the BC, how would you compare your style of riding to these guys and have you followed their careers at all? Cody and Sammy are some of my favorite skiers. My style is more similar to sammy but I love to get out in the big mountains like Cody and ski mountaineer. So, are you reaching for the Cody Pro Series or the Sammy Pro Series in your sock drawer? I personally like Sammy's socks with their light padding which suits my riding. SAMMY CARLSON PRO SERIES SNOW SOCK SHOP SAMMY SOCK What features would you include in your own Pro Series Snow Sock? Just in case we’re cooking something up over here ;) I want to include padding to protect from shin bang - something I experience in my style of riding with big landings. Lé Bent already does such a good job innovating new technology in socks to help prevent issues like this, so i’m looking forward to providing my own feedback. GET EARLY ACCESS TO THE KAI SOCK! What other Lé Bent gear have you been enjoying this season? I have been loving the Pramecou Wool Insulated Hooded Jacket! What’s the plan for the rest of the season? I hope to keep skiing good snow in Jackson, go to AK, and ski mountaineer back home. Well Kai, we look forward to following along and seeing all the incredible content you put out! Thanks for taking the time to chat and we’re stoked to have you on the team! Bring on the good times ahead. Yew! Cheers guys, can’t wait! ABOUT KAI JONES Age: 17 Hometown: Victor ID Home Resort: Jackson Hole Nationality: USA Sponsors: Red Bull, Dakine, Atomic, Teton Gravity Research, Lé Bent Favourite Lé Bent gear: Sammy Carlson Pro Series Snow Sock Follow Kai here: @kaijonesski
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LÉ BENT WELCOMES MICHELE GRAGLIA TO THE TEAM
Michele Graglia competes in the gnarliest running races on the planet. When he’s not competing against others, he’s setting records and racing himself. To that end, he’s set Guinness World Records for running across the Atacama Desert in Chile (600 miles in 8 days) and after that, the Gobi Desert in Mongolia (1100 miles in 23 days). Mickey won the Yukon Arctic Ultra in temperatures below -40°C (-40°F), and he won the Badwater 135 in Death Valley, with temperatures above 54°C (130°F), making him the first person in history to win both the hottest and coldest foot races on the planet. It would be an incredible feat for someone who had cut their teeth — or rather, their feet — on trails from a young age. So it’s even more impressive given the fact Mickey was more familiar with runways than running as a former top fashion model and only took up trail running at 27 years old. We caught up with Mickey to officially welcome him to the Lé Bent team and figure out how he keeps putting one foot in front of the other. LB: Hey Michele, what’s up! We’re stoked to finally be able to share with the world that you’ve joined the Lé Bent trail team. Welcome!! MG: I really appreciate and super excited to join the Team! I'm looking forward to see what we can achieve together! We almost didn’t know where to stop when it came to listing your achievements above. We reckon you’d be hard pressed to find a more impressive ultramarathon resume than yours. There are so many to choose from but can you tell us which race or races in particular have left a lasting impression on you? I always found the most extreme races to be the most memorable. It's never really about the results for me and I love the challenge of course though the one thing that truly keeps me going back for more is the opportunity to connect with the most pristine, untouched and raw side of Nature. The senses are heightened and when I feel the most alive. Following these thoughts, and to answer your question, Tor des Geants, this September!! It is the hardest ultra trail race in the world: 330km through the most rugged trails in the Italian Alps. In addition to the many races you’ve competed in, you’ve also achieved a number of solo world records and FKT’s. How do these projects come about and how do they differ from racing for you? I love both racing and explorations as they all allow to stretch our boundaries and grow, although I found personal expeditions to offer a much deeper and personal experience. When the competition is removed they become unique opportunities to truly connect with oneself, to feel completely submerged in the experienced and fully present in the moment. Now, help us settle an office bet. Was it harder to run across the Atacama Desert or the Gobi Desert? Not just by distance but the Gobi was a way greater challenge than the Atacama.The Mongolian desert is ruthless and only gave hard blows. Facing strong, gutsy, incessant winds for days on end through a seemingly endless vast steppe.We went from desert dunes to high mountain passes and temperatures that could range daily between -10C to +40C. It was by far the hardest challenge I have faced up until then. We’ve got a fair few deserts here in Australia. Maybe we’ll have to get you down under to see how they stack up! It is a life dream of mine to cross Australia! I have always been fascinated and cannot quite honestly wait to start planning the crossing! Now running across deserts is a far cry from strolling down a runway. What drew you to trail running and made you leave what we can only imagine was a pretty cushy lifestyle as a top fashion model? Modelling began as my American Dream though the perks of that fast lifestyle soon showed their ugly side. While being at the top I had fallen to the bottom. I felt disconnected, lost and alone. During the most critical time in my life, I discovered trail and ultra running. Running through Nature showed me a new way of life. A new perspective. As cliche as it may sound, running did save my life and became an opportunity to reconnect with myself at the deepest level. You’ve developed a reputation as someone who can handle any environment, terrain and temperature. Did this happen naturally or did you seek out events with completely opposite temperatures like the Yukon Arctic Ultra and Badwater? I was drawn to them in a very primal and simple way. I wanted to feel for myself the power of the most extreme sides of Nature. There are some similarities with Lé Bent there as far as, cold and hot, snow and sand. What attracted you to Le Bent? The outstanding quality of the products! How have you enjoyed running in our Signature Merino Blend socks? I certainly love how comfy and soft they are! Also, I felt like the "wrap around" perfectly fits and supports the arch and the ankle too. I love them and keep them on all day, running or chilling. The breathability is an outstanding asset too as I can go for hours on end with perfectly dry feet! How valuable is something like a fresh pair of socks when you’re running for over three weeks straight as you did in Mongolia? Keeping the feet happy in long traverses is fundamental and a fresh pair always rewards you with a sense of renewed energy and light feel! Most valuable! So, if there was ever to be a Mickey Pro Series sock, what would it look like? Some cushion on the heel and a tight wrap around the plantar (mid foot). Definitely mid/low calf and with a tight fit on the ankle. The colours would need to be very natural, yet powerful. We think that could be arranged... Leave it with us! Let's GOOO!! While we get to work on the Mickey sock, what else can we look forward to from you this year? I am going to run the Lavaredo Ultra Trail at the end of June, part of the UTMB circuit. In September I am going to face the Tor des Geants, in Valle D'Aosta, in the heart of the Italian Alps. I am then running the Gran Sasso, OneHundred World Series Final in October. I also have a couple of expedition options for the end of the year, but that's still a secret. ;) ABOUT MICHELE Age: 38 Hometown: Sanremo, Italy Nationality: Italian / American Sponsors: Le Bent, TransPerfect, LaSportiva, Garmin, SaltStick, ShPlus, Vespa, NW Curve Favourite Le Bent gear: the Terra Ultra Light 3/4 Crew Trail Socks or the shorter Ultra Light Mini Trail Socks. Follow Michele here: Instagram
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WHAT'S COOKING WITH LUCY BARTHOLOMEW? - Q&A
What does an ultrarunner do when only allowed outside for 1 hour of exercise per day? That’s barely enough time to get a light warm-up in, let alone delete a few dozen kilometres of trail! But team member Lucy Bartholomew put this not-so hypothetical to the test these last few months under a Covid lockdown in Australia. What did she discover? Well, when life gives Lucy lemons, she makes lemonade! …and a bunch of other tasty treats, all of which can be found in her brand-new cookbook! Wait what?! Lucy in the kitchen of the athlete house before the Western States 100mile run, 2019. Photo: Max Romey/Salomon Running Hey Luc! It’s been a wild few months since we last caught up for a chat. How have you been managing life in Victoria (AUS) with all the restrictions due to Covid? Hello! Time seems to be going slowly yet also speedy this year! Lockdown life feels like déjà vu but it’s not all that bad with my dad and puppy as company, small projects to keep me entertained and training it feels like rise, run, rinse, refuel, repeat is my days and i have enjoyed the simplicity of that. Have you found that you’ve been able to adapt your routine considering the amount of time you normally spend on the trail? I have, and at first I tried to fight it and didn’t like being ‘stuck’ somewhere and told what I can and can’t do but once I embraced it, it has added a new flavour to training and another surge of motivation which is really cool. The change in pace seems to have paid off with you being able to focus energy on your awesome new cookbook. Congratulations on the release! Did the extra time at home help you add the title ‘author’ to your already impressive CV? Thank you! Yes! This cookbook has been 4-5 years in the making as I have always had a bank of recipes and been asked so many times to put them all together but with the less training and lots of time in one place and with a kitchen I made it my focus. I was very lucky to have it keeping me busy (and full!) There are too many delicious plates to pick from in here and it’s hard not to drool on my notepad as I write this question… I’m sure you find it just as hard to pick, but do you have any favourites or regular go-to recipes? I feel quite the same but for me the simple recipes of smoothie bowls and granola have always been in my life and made me smile. What I like most about the recipes in the book is that one recipe can turn into 3-4 others with leftovers. That was something I really wanted was to give life to recipes time and time again. Our crew is always inspired by the efforts you put into healthy living and eating. What would you say your motivations are to maintain a healthy diet? I know that I feel best when i eat well and for sure it affects my training and lifestyle I try to lead as an athlete. It doesn’t really feel like effort to me and I think when people see the recipes, they start to understand that it really can be quite simple! A cross-section of the healthy delicacies you can expect to find in Lucy's book. Did this help inspire you to share your delicious creations with the world? Certainly. I feel very lucky to have spare time in my day to slice my apples finely and fan them around the edge of my smoothie bowl but I wanted to share that that’s not the important thing and you can share the same meals simple, sustainably and also quite cheaply! We’re loving the new cookbook and it’s stepped up the game from our ‘dummies guide to cooking’. Where can one pick up the new book? At the moment is available as an ebook on my website HERE The plan is to try and have some hard copies for Christmas but there is no guarantees! As the life’s become more localised and events have been cancelled or postponed, have you any new goals you’re working towards? Any more new titles you’ll be adding to your resume? (Don’t feel you need to answer this if you don’t want to) This time has definitely opened my eyes to learning more and expanding more on the things that make me passionate. I want to work more on the environment and spreading understanding and awareness of this! I also have some fun projects that will capture my home land of Australia rather than just pinning to get on metal bird so quickly. Thanks a bunch for taking the time to catch up and share your journey over the past few months. Can’t wait to catch you out on the trails once the boarders open back up! Thanks team. It’s been quite the ride but I know that it’s just getting started and controlling the things you can control is what I chose to focus on- like what you eat! Lucy getting out of the kitchen for her allotted exercise. With meals and trails like hers you'll also be feeling excellent. Photo: Lucy Bartholomew Download Lucy's E-Book HERE Check out the collaborative designed Le Lucy sock HERE
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BEHIND THE SCENES OF #LESENDDOWNUNDER WITH CODY TOWNSEND
This time last year we were getting ready to welcome Cody Townsend and Elyse Saugstad on the tarmac at Sydney Airport. Since we're a far cry away from that happening this year, we thought we'd look back on what ended up being one of the best weeks of snow Australia has seen in years. Particularly our day riding with the resident groms of Thredbo resort. Why rider's of such esteem as Cody Townsend (2019 Powder Poll male skier of the year) and Elyse Saugstad (2019 Powder Poll female skier of the year (second place)) would grace the Australian alps was a question on a lot of peoples minds. Well, we invited - or rather goaded - Cody and Elyse to come down under and sample some 'real skiing'. The 'best mountains in the world' we said, and they took the bait. Cody Townsend finding a home among the gum trees out the back of Thredbo Resort. While best mountains in the world may have been a stretch, they sure got the best powder of anywhere in the world during their week here. Photo: Matt Wiseman Cody dipping his toe into his signature Le Send sock, the catalyst for his trip down under. Photo: Jake McBride From skinning over sheet ice up to the top of Kozi on the first day of #lesenddownunder to 120cm falling in the next three days, the duo sampled all Australia had to offer, and then some, while putting the world's first backcountry sock - the Le Send - through its final round of product testing. "I figured it would be a bit like the East Coast, US." said Cody. "Small mountains, a little bit of snow here and there. But we don't see many photos of Australian skiing in the US , so I didn't really know. We showed up, and were like 'yeah, smaller mountains, not that much snow...' And then, when we got so much snow, I was blown away by how fun the mountain was. There's little terrain hits everywhere. We ended up skiing with the Thredbo Mountain Academy kids, and blasting off every little thing in sight. I was like, "this is honestly more fun than some of the places I've skied back East because of the terrain and playful features. It was a blast." Thredbo Mountain Academy meeting Cody and Elyse. Photo: Matt Wiseman Scoping out some hits. Safe to say froth levels were through the roof and one of the biggest culprits was Cody himself. Photo: Matt Wiseman Post pole whack, pre team send. Photo: Jake McBride Cody and Elyse gave a Q&A and talked about the perks and perils of pro skiing after the Mountain Academy kids showed them the ins and outs of Thredbo. A hot topic was avalanche safety in Oz and upskilling in the mountains. Photo: Matt Wiseman After shredding with the groms all day, Cody then sat down with longtime Thredbo local and editor of Chillfactor Magazine Reggae Elliss to talk all things skiing, socks and what he thought of the terrain down under. When asked by Reggae how he had come to join the Le Bent bandwagon, he said, "It was funny, I got an email out of the blue from Simon (Le Bent co-founder) and I've gotten tonnes of emails from small companies... It's hard for them to ask and it's hard for me because product doesn't pay my bills. But I liked something about what they were doing. So I said hey, I will join the team if you make this particular sock. "I've got this idea for the sock. I've had it in my head for a number of years and no one will make it." I had been telling people, telling other companies, please make this ski touring specific sock. So Le Bent did. I was in." Since then, Le Bent's been working on a second generation Le Send sock with Cody. Elyse has also officially joined the program and has a women's specific Le Send sock set to hit stores and the skin track later this year... so keep your eyes peeled. You can catch the full interview between Cody and Reggae below! To read it in print head to https://www.chillfactor.com Chillfactor Podcast · Cody Townsend Podcast
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LE BENT WELCOMES DARCY KELLER TO THE FAMILY
DARCY KELLER – WELCOME INTERVIEW Darcy Keller has been on the scene for a while now, starring in some of the best independent snowboarding webisodes in the biz. It’s no mean feat to throw down such impressive lines and produce the footage to match on a relative shoe string budget in the far reaches of British Columbia, so naturally we wanted to be involved. Darcy’s our first snowboard addition to the Le Bent CA Team, and about as core as they come, so we sat down with Darcy from Donald to pick his brains and see what he has cooking. LB: Hey Darcy, thanks for chatting with us, how’ve you been man? No sweat. Thanks for bringing me on board! I’ve been really good. I’m just coming off a really good winter season here at home in BC. We had what seemed like endless snowfall and I felt strong and healthy all winter. LB: Is BC where you're hunkering down right now? Yeah, I’m just at home in Donald, BC, which is roughly 25 kms outside of Golden to the North West. I usually spend a lot of time around the house at this time of year, generally just waiting for sunny days, so this hasn’t been all that different from my normal. LB: Heck of a season in BC where you call home these days, not to mention the more than abrupt ending to the snow season in light of Covid-19. What had you been up to before the pandemic came and rained on everyone’s pow parade? This year I had an opportunity to film with a bigger budget project than I had been in the past. My friend Dustin Craven is arguably one of the best pillow riders in the world and last fall he asked me to be a part of the production that he was putting together. We spent January through I guess half of March back and forth between my place in Donald here and his place in Revelstoke. Our main focus was riding pillows and natural terrain. Definitely a bummer that our season was cut short but everyone is in the same position. I feel like we’ll still have an enjoyable movie to watch. It’ll be coming out in the fall. We’re calling it Oh Boy. I hope that people like it. I feel like I had one of the best winters of my life, regardless of missing out on potentially a month of filming time due to this pandemic. Darcy atop a pretty juicy looking pillow line. Pic cred: Dustin Craven LB: Epic! We'll be stinging to watch some pillow shredding after so long in lockdown. Will we predominantly find you in the backcountry then? What sort of terrain really tickles your fancy out there? I prefer the backcountry yeah. Come to think of it, I think I clocked less than 5 ski hill days this year. I like riding pillows a lot, anything natural really. Just more time strapped in and actually boarding. I feel like we only built a couple jumps this winter. In my opinion if it takes more than 20 minutes to set up for a shot it takes too much time away from the riding. LB: For sure! Are you a split board or sled guy then? Word on the street is you put more than a few days per year on the latter… I’m not opposed to either, but I genuinely love sledding and I sled a lot, quite often upwards of 80 days a winter. That said, I sled to snowboard. I always take my snowboard when I go out and very seldom do I go and not end up riding. It does happen sometimes, you get skunked on your objective or plans, or sometimes it is so deep out there you end up sledding all day just to put the trails in so you can then snowboard the following day. I understand that there’s a big battle between sled access versus touring access. I’ve had lots of people give me a hard time about how much time and how many days I spend on the sled regarding my carbon footprint and all. I try to justify it by not flying anywhere. I don’t go on exotic trips anywhere, nor do I have any plans or interest in it. I’ve also only spent 2 days ever heli skiing. Maybe sledding isn’t sustainable. But for now thats what I do and it seems like my best option to do what I want to accomplish in the back country. I would love to purchase an electric sled some day but the technology is just not there yet for them to be reliable and/or have the range that we need to access where we want to go. The view from the steeds. Pic cred: Darcy LB: Is snowboarding a full-time thing for you then or do you supplement all the shredding with some, dare we say, ‘real’ work during the off-season? In the winter snowboarding has always been my full-time passion and commitment. I’ve always worked in the summer, sometimes as little as a few months, sometimes I’ll do six months. I usually quit work no later than December 1st. I operate heavy equipment. Lately I’ve been doing highway construction in the summers. I was fortunate enough to work for a guy when I was younger who gave me a chance to learn how to run all different kinds of machines. I prefer excavators but I’m proficient in dozers, skid steers, graders…almost anything you’d see on a highway or mining job. LB: Right on. We can't imagine the excitement come December 1st! Since getting into some, what Le Bent products have you particularly enjoyed? I’ve been really impressed with everything I’ve received so far! If I had to narrow it down to one item though I’d have to say I like how soft Le Balaclava is on my face. LB: So, what can we – and the folks reading along – expect next from you? I personally don’t know what any of us can expect at the moment… I wish I had a better answer for you. I do know that you’ll be able to see our work from this winter in Oh Boy coming out online next fall. Hopefully by then the world will be back on it’s feet and we can potentially get after making a follow up video. Pillows, pillows and more pillows. Pic cred: Timmy Nelson ABOUT DARCY KELLER Age: Let's say old enough to have experience, young enough to give'r hell. Hometown: Grew up in Battleford, Saskatchewan. Now call Donald, BC home. Home Resort: The backcountry of the Purcell and Selkirk Mountain ranges. Nationality: Canadian Sponsors: Le Bent, Nitro, Country Eyewear, RudeBoys Shop Favourite Le Bent gear: Le Balaclava 200 Lightweight Follow Darcy here: Instagram
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RIDER PROFILE – EMMA PATTERSON – GOING FULL SEND ON THE FREERIDE WORLD TOUR
EMMA PATTERSON - INTERVIEW Emma Patterson emerged onto our radar when she won the 2019 ISFA FWQ North American Championship in Kirkwood, after dominating events in Revelstoke, Crested Butte, Taos Ski Valley and Kirkwood. Her next stop was of course the Freeride World Tour, the pinnacle of competitive freeride skiing and a dream of hers since she began jumping of rocks with skis strapped to her feet at the age of four. Now at just 23 years of age and with a season competing on the FWT under her belt, we caught up with Emma to review what was both a tumultuous season for her – as well as everyone else on the tour in light of Covid-19. Emma pointing em straight on the FWT. Pic cred: Freeride World Tour LB: Hey Emma, thanks for taking the time to speak with us – although if you’re anything like us with all the lockdown craziness happening – time inside is not in short supply! Absolutely! Glad to talk with you all. It’s a good time to stay connected… from a distance of course. :) LB: So where in the world are you right now? I’m currently with my family in my hometown of Taos, New Mexico. I was lucky enough to get back from Europe before things got too crazy, but I’ve been in self-quarantine now for two weeks. We live on farm here, so we’ve been preparing to plant as soon as the weather warms up. I’m also a competitive ultramarathon runner, so running in circles around our property has been key to maintaining a sort of sanity. Even with all of my spring races being cancelled and ski season coming to an abrupt halt I think it’s super important to keep moving, even if it’s only 15 minutes of stretching on my living room floor. Reading and music have been some key activities too, all while daydreaming of creamy powder days! LB: It must be a shock to have gone from constant travel throughout the season to such a sudden standstill! How did you find all the international FWT travel? Absolutely! It’s been tough going from scrambling all over the world for two months with a big crew of people to a complete stand-still in 24 hours. I’ve travelled a ton prior to the tour, but it was completely different travelling for it. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to do it with, though. This season was nothing less than radical, despite it being so short. LB: It was your first year on the FWT – coming off the back of a stellar qualifying year – what did you expect going into the world tour? Honestly, I was simply happy to have made it as far as I did. I was afraid going into Hakuba, Japan (the first stop) that my skiing wouldn’t be up to par with everyone. I definitely perform better when I don’t have any expectations of myself, so I decided I would go ski a line I was really excited for. The one expectation I had for the season was to just be me: ski the way I ski, ski what I want to ski, and smile the entire time. LB: How did those expectations compare to the real deal? Expectations were exceeded, by a lot. I did exactly what I wanted to do: I looked at each face and found the areas that looked most exciting to me. Choosing different lines down those faces was a dream come true. Unfortunately, I got unlucky in three of four of my runs. This season I fell approximately three times… all during my comp runs. Funny, right? I really wouldn’t have changed a thing. My lines were insanely fun, and I really did smile the entire time apart from a few moments of bumming post-crash(es). Emma inspecting one of her favourite faces in Kicking Horse, BC. Pic cred: Jeremy Bernard/FWT LB: You’d previously told us, despite the crashes, that you wouldn’t change a thing in hindsight and we love that ‘go big or go home’ attitude. Your tomahawk at the first stop in Hakuba is one for the books, talk us through that. Hakuba was the first stop, and my first time ever visually inspecting a face. During inspection day, I planned a very chill run with three small hits. I was planning on skiing it fast and showing my racer background. I had my line the night before, slept on it, and woke up on comp day with that plan and on a mission to complete it. I rode up on the gondola by myself that morning and played some of my favourite music. Headspace plays a huge role in performance for me, so my morning chill time is quite important. That morning was magical. First light was a cool yellow, lighting up all of Hakuba Valley and its majestic peaks. The first snowboarder dropped, and he entered the zone we called “the horseshoe.” I turned to my dad and said “that looks insanely fun. I’m doing that.” He pulled out my binoculars, I looked at my entrance and exit for approximately two minutes, and began my hike to the start gate. I wasn’t super nervous by any means, but I was really excited to go ski that line. Clicking into my skis, putting my GoPro on my helmet, and making sure the right song was playing, I took a deep breath and one more look at the peaks surrounding and the dreamy face I was about to ski. I came out of the start feeling really good, then I hit some nasty snow and got a little nervous. I slowed down for a second, and then remembered the bottom section and told myself to just get there. The snow was beautiful. Flying through it like a dream, I got to the blind section and pointed ‘em. I saw my landing, and stomped it. I took a deep breath, stoked on what I had done, and went to take a turn… nope. Snow snakes were on the prowl. I was able to keep my arms in to protect my neck, thank goodness. That was definitely the nastiest tommy I’ve ever had. I think crashing was out of my hands, unless I had been a few inches to the left or right of where I was. Really, I wouldn’t change a thing. That was FUN! This is what Emma calls FUN... it's also a pretty good metaphor for what happened to the 2020 ski season in light of Covid19. LB: Did you have a favourite venue / mountain / country to compete in on the tour? And moreover, a favourite line you put down? Every competition was different. Hakuba didn’t have the best snow conditions, but I hadn’t been to Japan yet. Seeing the culture was absolutely one for the books. Kicking Horse, British Columbia has been one of my favourite mountains since I first competed there on the Freeride World Qualifiers. The best part about being there was shredding hard every day on some of my favourite terrain with some of my favourite people! Andorra was one of the coolest countries, too. The trails there were absolutely breathtaking (literally – quite steep!!). The snow was far from great during our first four days there, so we got after the trail adventures instead. Some storms hit for our last two days there, and dang we made some fun turns. The competition conditions were all-time. Being a little person and going first in the field wasn’t to my advantage, though. I literally disappeared in all of the snow on one of my landings. It would’ve been awesome had I not been competing! Fieberbrunn was, too, simply unreal. The Austrian Alps will always have my heart. The venue, Wildseeloder, was hands down the best venue all season. Beautiful snow conditions, steep chutes, and some dang fun airs! LB: Although we’re sad we won’t be able to watch you send again on the FWT next season, it was awesome to watch you tackle some of the burlier lines and drops and give it your all. What’s next as far as competing goes, is the goal to get back on tour? I am definitely bummed to have gotten so unlucky as far as crashing goes. I’d like to get back on tour eventually, but right now I’m finishing up my Master’s in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Utah. As far as skiing goes this winter, I’ll be putting together some filming projects and tackling some bigger lines across the states that have been dreams of mine for years! Stay tuned for those! Something tells us we haven't seen the last of Emma on the FWT. Here she is doing some sluff management down the face in Fieberbrunn. Pic cred: Jeremy Bernard/FWT LB: Until then, how are you keeping occupied? We’re guessing like everywhere else your home mountain, Taos Ski Valley, has shut up shop as part of lockdown procedures? Yep, ski season has come to an abrupt stop here in Taos. It’s been extremely tempting to go touring, but I think it’s imperative to keep medical services for those in need right now. I’ve been laying low at home and running a ton on neighbourhood roads and trails. Honestly, I’ve been reminiscing on this season for two weeks straight… just like we all have! LB: We’ve been wearing our ski socks around the house to keep the dream alive… Have you got a favourite piece of le bent kit? Oh yeah! I’ve basically been living in my women’s Le Base 200 bottoms with a sweater and my Le Lucy Trail socks. They’ve been awesome for running, too. I hate taking them off, but I promise I’ve been washing them… just reluctantly. :P LB: Ha ha! We've been known to sleep in le baselayers from time to time so definitely know the feeling! Thanks for chatting with us and once again congratulations on such an epic season of sending! Thanks to you guys! I really couldn’t be more stoked to have had such a rad season on Tour, and I can’t wait for what next season will bring. For now, it’s time for reflection. I know we’re all go-getters, but slowing down is healthy and now is the best opportunity for some true R&R. Enjoy it, breath, and bake some banana bread! :) ABOUT EMMA PATTERSON Age: 23 Hometown: Taos, New Mexico, USA Home Resort: Taos Ski Valley, USA Nationality: USA Sponsors: Le Bent, Salomon, Flylow Gear, Douchebags, Taos Ski Valley Favourite Le Bent gear: Le Lucy Ultra Light Trailrunning Sock Follow Emma here: Instagram
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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 Corebets". 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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