Kastanistan - Snowmads In An Imaginary Land Without Borders | FULL MOVIE
I think I was digging for four or five hours because our filmers checked the slowmo shots and they thought the ski must be down there somewhere. We're not in the best scenario to go filming. We have 3 to 5 meters too little snow in this area that we can do something really big.
You can see the avalanche cracks everywhere... Yes! So many avalanche cracks! Then it's also hard to find anything without sharks in it. After travelling around in the east for two months we were still not able to find any good snow conditions and by then it was already end of March so basically the end of the season and we decided to give it one last try. So here we are sitting on a train on the way to let's just call it The whole crew was still super motivated. Rider, filmer, photographer...
everybody was ready for a new adventure. Konsti is one of the most talented skiers I know and he's always stoked, always up for anything and he really likes to explore new cultures, so for trips like this it's just amazing to travel with him. So we spontaneously met up with our three Georgian friends Gogita, Nick and Zura. I met Nick on our first Snowmads trip in 2016 randomly in a bar in Georgia. It's funny, because at that time they didn't have anything to do with skiing. A little bit of snowboarding here and there and we thought: Crazy! They live in paradise here and don't do a lot! But now they are on point! Since we've never managed to go skiing together, we were all super excited to go on a winter mission.
Zura is the younger brother of Nick who works as a ski guide and yeah he just loves to have a lot of fun in the mountains. And we have Gogita, a childhood friend of the guys who is also a mountain guide and has a lot of passion for any kind of mountain sports. Nothing that you would usually just plan spontaneously but somehow it happened. The guys were free and we explored this region that nobody of us has been to yet We will checkout a new region. Let's see if it has snow there. But yeah, there isn't that much of a plan...
A little bit of driving around and go skiing! In Georgia when we are toasting, toasting is also a kind of conversation around the people who are gathered on the table It's not only drinking so it's all about all topics and this was about peace which we really need at the moment and all the time. So may we have peace all over the world and everything will be fine afterwards. We can ski big lines, we can travel.
For the peace! Cheers! For the peace! For me it's really interesting because in the western world or society I feel like our lives get more complex every year basically. Everything becomes faster and so on and here it's just I don't know, a more fulfilling a more basic life i would say. I don't know if I could trade now and live the rest of the life in a village like this but it's for sure really interesting and inspiring to see the people here.
Gabs, the eastern tyrolean sunnyboy. Who really knows how to use his snowboard and he's a good guy to have around when going out into the big mountains We are moving up to the mountain for five, six days the weather is very promising and we will ski some sick lines! We have not once seen the mountains since we've been here. Today we can see the furthest but we still can't judge it properly in my opinion. Less expectations, more happiness. Fabi: What's not looking bad? Gabs: The outside! Konsti: Woah, all frozen! Fabi: It was a cold night! What's uuuuup? I think actually it worked out for once this season! We are in paradise! That's not something you see everyday.
This is what we see every day but this is not we ski every day in Georgia. Then there is Joi. He loves ski expeditions and usually cannot decide if he wants to film or ski so often he ends up doing both.
It's an amazing team that we have here. We met Nick a couple of years ago, by now mountain guide and we have a lot of people who can take decisions and it is simply terrific to have someone at the drop-in with you and you don't have to hike around alone. One guy rides this line here, the other one 500m further over there. Yes bro, you legend! Go for it, dude! Yes bro!! Ok, Joi dropping in 3, 2, 1... Nick: You see all the sluff is just going out there.
Gabs: Yeah! Nick: Gabs is ready to drop in. Nick: Have a good one bro! Nick: I see him! Zura: Yeah, yeah I see him! Nick: Gabs you okay? Gabs? Zura: He's out! He's out! Nick I can see him, he's safe, he's standing on his feet and he's at the bottom of the avalanche. I will go down Nick: Oh man! What happened? I rode my line and I was aware of the risk.
It was not so easy with the sluff management and then suddenly the whole face went off and it carried me all the way down over a big cliff. Blessing in disguise. Luckily it turned out all right. Probably I approached it with too much risk. It would have been better to drop in from the right side Fabi: It wouldn't have been that nice but smarter, yes. Gabs: When I saw it in the morning today I thought it would be sick to ride it from the top.
Fabi: You're line was good. You would have escaped the sluff. You would have been fast enough but when such a big pocket triggers...
Gabs: Yeah! Luckily it turned out all right! You can always learn from the mistakes! Fabi: That's the lessons to learn from! Nick: I think the peace is most important in the mountains, that's why I go to the mountains. Fabi: You always went to the mountains right? Also as a kid? Nick: Yeah! With my grandpa I did a lot of mountaineering and I think he was the best motivator for me to to stick into this job. Joi: Let's go guys! I put some ski wax on because it is already quite warm and some parts of my line already had the sun in it. And in case something triggers I can always ski all the way to the left and ride out because the terrain is very open there.
Yeah boys! Nick: Ok, you can start and I will release you slowly. That little bit of anxiety is always important I think or maybe I would call it respect. A mix of anxiety and respect. The good thing is that it is easier than expected to get to my drop in but the line itself looks more complicated than I thought.
I have to inspect it a litte more. Normally it should work out. You don't forget how to ski no? It's like riding a bike I've heard! It was snowboarding before skiing. I attended two mountainguiding courses and there is no possibility to become a mountain guide with split-board in Georgia or in Europe. So i had to switch to skis and it was three years ago. So it's my three year anniversary of skiing this month.
Joi: And you ski steep lines? I try to! There is no difference when people ask snowboard is better or ski. Better is whatever you do best and makes you happy and you have fun with it. Konsti: I think we were super lucky to have you guys! Fabi: It's nice to feel safe with a lot of people who know a lot of things about the mountain. Nick: Kastanistan? Fabi: Kastanistan! Konsti: Kastanistan is big! Nick: Kastanistan has no borders! Konsti: And only peace Konsti and Nick: Only peace and love! Konsti: And spines! Test, test, test, test, test... 1, 2, 3...
Joi: I would be ready, I'm already recording! Joi: The life of the barby (barbecue) angle filmer! The biggest problem is that he is getting too hot. Raphi: Hahaha! Joi: What is your job here? Raphi: My job is to press there one time then radio through that I'm ready and then click there one more time. That was it! Tomorrow's plan: There is... Plan A is go up there! Plan B is go up there! Plan C is go up there, ride down, go up there! And plan D is go up there, ride down in the back go up there, ride down in the fron and go to here. This is going to be a dog documentary! Raphi: What?? Gabs: A dog documentary! Awesome dogs! Satisfied with very little and born dancers! Born dancers yes! We are going to pack our stuff now and we will head down into the valley The others are already waiting down there. and then we are going to visit a local in the village who we already visited a few days ago and he already got us drunk with chacha Joi: How much chacha did you drink? Konsti: How many chacha? Nick: Maybe it was 6 or 7.
Konsti: 66 or 67838 Nick: But it is the breakfast for Georgians...
2023-02-01 19:45
