In the Mountains

I grew up in the mountains. When I was five years old I was allowed to ski about three kilometers to the front door of my kindergarten. Later I skied to school. On the way back I took a short lift and then had to walk a long way. I can’t remember exactly whether I skipped kindergarten on good ski days, but I know that once I went to school I did that a lot.

As an adolescent I got to know almost every ski resort in the world. I experienced everything from club championships to the Olympics, enjoyed dream conditions in well-known and unknown resorts, had success and also had to come to terms with defeats.

Skiing never lost its grip on me. Nowadays I spend most of my time in the mountains away from the ski resorts in the winter, and it’s great to see that I’m not the only one. A young freeride generation, who grew up on fat skis in the liability-conscious resorts in the last decade, is increasingly drawn to the lonely areas, and into the remote lines. They are hungry for adventure, curious, and often easygoing. In the backcountry they find an amazing range of possibilities and challenges. Such adventures require one to develop very different and sometimes new combinations of abilities and skills. Knowledge of alpine conditions, along with stamina, ski technique, and safety come together into one entity, and create a very complex and fascinating field of play. In addition to being demanding, these pursuits require a certain level of responsibility and self-determination from the beginning. In this age of complete regulation, such abilities are often not required or even allowed. Precisely for that reason, they take on more value, while simultaneously awakening aspirations for greater adventure.

BACKLINE presents very personal stories, captured by ten very special photographers. Individual viewpoints of unique moments in the deep white, far away from any ski resorts. Pictures and stories which were created with sacrifices and a lot of sweat. They are ten very different and personal perspectives on skiing without lifts and without a helicopter.

I would like to thank each photographer, athlete, author, and friend, who has contributed to this first issue of BACKLINE. All of them have their own motives and goals. But they all share one thing in common: They are very self-determined and follow their hearts and desires!

Have fun reading the magazine and I wish you a safe and snowy winter 2011 / 2012.