Welcome back to the In My Boots 2012 interview series. We’re jumping in the boots of each our team riders to get the lowdown on what their best trips and deepest days of the winter were. Hopefully their adventures will inspire you to get out on your own epic shred missions this spring and next winter.

Up next we have Ryland Bell, an AK born Squaw Valley ripper who will be one of the featured freeriders in FURTHER.

Weapon of choice?

FLAGSHIP CARBON!!!!!

Where did you shred this winter?

I spent most of the winter in the Tahoe area, obviously not the best place to be for snow, but had a good time none the less. Made it out a fair amount as well. First… I headed up to the Dirksen Derby at Mt. Bachelor, OR. A super fun charity snowboard event, that is just all about good times with good friends. On the way home I swung through Snowbird, UT for a TGR avalanche workshop. Also a great time, and incredibly informative. In January I spent a few weeks in eastern BC, Canada shredding insane pillows in insane snow. I came to realize just how special that area in Canada is. February it was all about Washington… got in a few sick days at North Cascade Heli, then followed it up with the LBS at Mt. Baker and a North Face Masters contest at Crystal Mtn. Some good days. Stoked… got in a day at Alpental and Stevens Pass while I was in the area. Each place had its own special vibe and unique features and characteristics that made them rad. Mid March it was time to come home to Alaska. After a low snow year in Tahoe I was ready to shred AK on the biggest snow year ever. Got in 2 weeks of bluebird skies and great snow with the Patagonia crew. Then the finale… 4 weeks shredding heavy spine lines in Wrangell St. Elias national park.. indescribable…

Ryland’s home for a month in the Wrangell St. Elias filming for FURTHER.

What was your best trip this winter?

Filming for FURTHER in the Wrangell St. Elias was by far the highlight. Such a powerful and intense area of the planet. Unbelievably good conditions, and a great crew made this the most memorable trip of my life.

Heavyweight line in the Wrangell St. Elias

Would you recommend a trip to the Wrangell St. Elias to other snowboarders?

I wouldn’t, at least not to the weak of heart. It’s big, scary, and dangerous.

Did you revisit any old zones that were all-time?

Juneau this spring was incredible, I have never seen close to that much snow around here. Things were so different and fun… it’s always interesting to see how things fill in.

The view down Mendenhall towers – 3700 feet to the valley.

Best line of the season:

That’s a hard one… Mendenhall towers with 3 feet of blower is hard to beat, but there was a line in the Wrangells that was pretty mind blowing.

Deepest pow day:

The Wrangell St.Elias. It was deep!!

Burrowing up a wall in the Wrangell St. Elias

Worst Crash:

My worst crash was impacting a landing off a massive bergschrund on my first run filming for FURTHER. Scariest moment was just before dropping in to the before mentioned mind blower.

One thing you learned this winter:

How important it is to be comfortable with your equipment.

Movie projects:

FURTHER… sweetgrass

Any thanks for another great winter?

Jeremy Jones, and my girlfriend Holly

Welcome back to the In My Boots 2012 interview series. We’re jumping in the boots of each our team riders to get the lowdown on what their best trips and deepest days of the winter were. Hopefully their adventures will inspire you to get out on your own epic shred missions this spring and next winter.

Third up in the series we have Miikka Hast, a world traveling freerider from Finland who found faceshots in Japan, Canada, AK, Austria, Switzerland and Norway this season.

Weapon of choice?

Solution 61. Works in all conditions and takes me places.

Where did you shred this winter?

I started my winter in the Selkirks, B.C. Canada, then went to Japan – Niigata area in Mikuni mountains and Hokkaido in Tokachi Volcanic group and Niseko area. Next to the Alps (Switzerland and Austria). Then my first trip to Alaska in Chugach mountains. After AK a quick stop in Austria before heading to Tamok valley and Lyngen Alps in northern Norway for the rest of the season.

Miikka makes the most of a rare high pressure window on Tokachidake, Japan

What was your favorite trip this winter?

All of the destinations had good sides and it’s hard to pick one. AK was something new to me and conditions were all time. Japanese snow was the best but everything came together in Tamok valley, Norway. Close to home and familiar mountains, but new lines in good conditions.

Why would you recommend visiting the Tamok valley to other backcountry snowboarders?

Because it’s mostly undiscovered, uncrowded, beautiful, wild, harsh and rewarding. It’s still a new frontier that reveals it’s secrets bit by bit. You have to work for the riding but when things come together it is so rewarding.

Early season action from Rogers Pass, B.C.

Did you visit any new zones that surprised you?

Rogers Pass in B.C. was awesome early season and much bigger than I expected. In Niigata and Hokkaido I found steeper, longer and more interesting terrain than I thought was possible in Japan. AK was awesome and a virgin trip of a lifetime. Conditions were all time and it was more accessible by splitboard than I ever would have thought.

I live a drive away from the northern Norwegian mountains in Tamok valley and Lyngen alps. I have spent many springs there learning and discovering the place but this year the conditions really came together. We got to ride some first descents and lines that we have been looking for years. The best thing about the place is that even if we have been going there for years and start to know the place a bit, when you turn your head you still see new lines everywhere.

Northwest face of Lilla Russetinden. Tamok Valley, Norway

Best line this season:

Northwest face of Lilla Russetinden in Tamok Valley was maybe the one. There was many good ones in AK and Japan with awesome snow but I don’t even know the names….

Deepest pow day:

Niigata area, Japan.

Ja’Pow! for Miikka

Scariest moment of the winter:

It happened on the last day of the season just few days ago. We had discovered this huge wall with crazy couloirs close to Tamok valley. The one we wanted to ride had a difficult exit with a couple 50 foot ice falls that need some rappelling. The exposure on the line was huge and obvious. If something came down this huge funnel while you were in it there would be no escape.

It was scary even to think about dropping in but everything seemed to be stable. Snow seemed perfect and weather was not warming up.  So we dropped in and rode the beautiful beast down with great pow (11th of May!) and everything went great until we got to the narrow bottom exit with ice falls. We had troubles finding a safe anchor for rappelling down and we had to spend way more time in the couloir than we thought.  The massive exposure above was pounding in the back of our heads and we were trying to be as fast as possible. We managed to dig a snow anchor for the second rappel and got safely out of the couloir. As soon as the last guy rode down to the safety spot we heard an eerie sound above. A massive avalanche spit through the funnel were we had just been rappelling out from! We hid in the safety spot and were covered in the avalanche cloud for good few minutes. If we had been few minutes later we would all be dead. It was a close call, as close as it gets. We were really lucky this time and at the same time unlucky with the natural release. Lived to learn that eagerness can be costly.

Miikka and the crew rappel an ice fall. Tamok Valley, Norway

One thing you learned about backcountry snowboarding this winter:

Nature is powerful and your mind plays tricks easily if you are not on your toes all the time. Backcountry is an interesting place even psychologically.

Late season pow day for Miikka in the Alps

What mag and video projects did you work on this season?

Protest snowtour, Autti’s Relate To It- project. Tamok valley story for several magazines.

Anyone you would like to thank for another great winter?

First of all Jonas Hagström who I traveled with around the globe. Takumi Nagai for excellent guiding and hospitality. Rami Hanafi and Teemu Lahtinen for the shooting. Jarkko Henttonen, Aadne Oslrud, Antti Autti, Christoph and Christel Thoresen, Rudy Hauser and all the friends I got to ride with. And of course Protest for making many things possible, Jones snowboards, 32, Dr Zipe.

Next up in the In My Boots 2012 series: Alaska ripper Ryland Bell

Check out the rest of the interview series here: Alex Yoder, Bibi Pekarek

Are you hip to BuoLoco.com? If not, it’s a lo-fi skate/snow website that features interviews with the best shreds in the board sports world. The interviews are always informative and often hilarious.

Jones team rider Forrest Shearer sat down with BuoLoco recently and shared some rad thoughts about life as a freerider within the wide world of pro snowboarding.

Click it, check it and go visit BuoLoco.com when your done.

Welcome back to the In My Boots 2012 interview series. We’re jumping in the boots of each our team riders to get the lowdown on what their best trips and deepest days of the winter were. Hopefully their adventures will inspire you to get out on your own epic shred missions this spring and next winter.

Second up in the series we have Bibi Pekarek, a hard charging freerider who scored an invite to film with Jeremy Jones’ Further project in her home mountains of Austria this past February.

Weapon of choice?

158 Flagship and Women’s Solution

Where did you shred this winter?

I stayed at home in the Austrian Alps most of the winter because the conditions were just perfect. At the end of the season I went to the Chugach range in Alaska for three weeks.

Bibi slays the Chugach. Photo by Chris Carpenter

How was the Alaska adventure?

It was my first time in Alaska and definitely my best trip ever.  I had been dreaming about riding there for years already. We had perfect conditions and the mountains were breathtaking.

How did Alaska compare to other places you have been?

Coming from Austria it is a long way to go to Alaska and a very expensive trip. We were lucky with the conditions and it was totally worth it but it isn’t something I could do every year. It was more like a long wished for trip. The Alps are great and relatively easily accessible mountains. Alaska’s wilderness was something very different to me with it’s beautiful steep spiny mountains.

Bibi at home in Austria. Photo by Mitch Toelderer.

How was your season in the Alps?

We had an extraordinarily good winter in the Alps. We could climb and ride lines that we couldn’t ever do before due to a combination of great snow and stable conditions. It’s great to know that there are still so many adventures waiting so close to home.

Best line of the season?

I can’t even tell. I enjoyed every second of this winter!

Deepest pow day?

My deepest pow day was in January back home in Austria. Faceshot after faceshot in the woods.

Bibi lives the dream in AK

Scariest moment of the winter?

I experienced the scariest moments in the mountains ever in my life this season. I was caught twice in an avalanche. The first one happened in Austria while hiking up a really nice face while filming for “Further”. The second one happened at the end of my AK trip. The slide in AK broke above me, took me down and spit me out right next to this big bergshrund. Even though I tore my ACL in the second avalanche I was really lucky twice. I had surgery a few days ago and now it’s couch time.

One thing you learned this winter?

I learned that most of the time it takes more courage to say no to a mountain than to ride it.

Anyone to thank for another amazing winter?

Thanks to all those great people I met throughout this winter, sharing the best moments. Thanks to mother nature for the gift of mountains covered in white. Thanks to my guardians that I can keep on enjoying nature

Next up in the In My Boots 2012 series: Finnish powder fiend Miikka Hast!

Check out part one of the interview series with Alex Yoder here.

An uncanny eye for a freeride line may be one common trait of all the Jones team riders, but it’s not the only one. Another shared passion is that we all love to explore and every winter each team rider is dedicated to searching out terrain they haven’t touched and riding new lines – be it in their backyard or across the globe.

Winter 2012 was a knock out season for the Jones team in that search. Our team hunted relentlessly for next-level freeriding experiences, meanwhile chalking up more than a few inspiring, steep and deep memories worth sharing. So despite the putrid stench, we’re gonna put our nose in the boots of each of our team riders and get the lowdown on their best adventures of the winter.

To kick off the ‘In My Boots 2012′ interview series we have Jackson Hole ripper, Alex Yoder.

Weapon of choice?

Mountain Twin 159

Where did you ride this winter?

I spent the winter between Mt. Baker, Jackson Hole, Kirkwood, Snowbird, Mt. Bachelor,  Alpental and Juneau, AK.

Jackson Hole Pillows. Photos by Alex Yoder.

What was your best shred trip?

I went to Juneau, AK with Josh Dirksen, Ryland Bell and Forrest Shearer. It was an amazing trip. We lucked out with good visibility and great snow the entire time. It was so much fun! I hadn’t spent a lot of time riding with those guys, so it was awesome to have close to two weeks of non-stop shredding with them in one of the most amazing areas I’ve ever been to.

Mendenhall Towers – Juneau, AK

Why would you recommend Juneau to other backcountry snowboarders?

Well first off, it’s insanely beautiful. Plus there’s resort, split-board, and heli accessible terrain so you can really do anything you want.

AK Eye Candy

Did you visit any new zones this winter that surprised you?

I fell in love with Alpental in Washington this year. It’s a very low key mom and pop resort with only three chairlifts, but the terrain is so much fun! There are pillow lines for days, poppers, waves, and spines. It’s awesome.

Signature Yoder Lines In Juneau, AK

Favorite line of the season?

This one line in Juneau still plays over and over in my head like a broken record. It was that perfect pristine Alaskan powder – deep, but not too deep, and fast! I had come down the previous run and hit this little finger cliff and from the bottom I saw this perfect backside take off with two perfect set up waves to slash on the way to it. I dropped in, slashed the waves, hit the take off with speed, went a bit bigger than I expected, tweaked a method, and rode away onto the glacier below laughing…!!!

Deepest pow day?

Mount Baker. 25 inches over night, after a foot the day before, and another before that. Needless to say it was insane! I mounted up the Hovercraft and got barreled!

Another of Yoder’s favorite lines

Scariest moment?

It was the same ‘deepest’ day at Baker actually. I was following the two gnarliest boarders in the world, Kael Martin and Lucas Debari. They had found this sneaky shoot off of chair 5 the previous year, and they took myself and Wyatt Stasinos down to have a go at it. I ended up being the guinea pig, which at the time seemed like the best option to me as I thought it would be soft, but it ended up being an icefall that funneled you in between two icy spines for about 200ft. I dropped in on powder, hit the icefall and ended up break dancing thru the whole funnel and coming to a stop half buried in sluff  with the wind knocked out of me at the bottom. I was a little shaken up and sore, but luckily not injured.

Best thing you learned?

I learned a lot hanging out with Dirksen in Alaska. He is just a cautious guy and is not afraid to point out anything he feels might be suspect. He would always throw out WWTBD’s (what would Tom Burt do?) which he shared with us and now I have a few stored up for suspect situations. One would be to keep one foot strapped in at all times, even if you’re just hanging out, in case you need to make a quick escape.

Will you have a video part out next fall?

We’re making a sequel to our film from last year entitled Aaron Robinson’s Manifest. It’s called Of Life and Love and will be out next fall/ early winter. The point of the movie is to excite the viewer to get out there and go have some fun on their snowboard!

Any thanks for your epic winter?

Of course! All of my boarding buds, Mom and Dad are awesome, Patagonia, Jones, Dragon, Bluebird Wax, Drop, JHMR, Jackson Treehouse, APD heli in Juneau, Matt Spelgati, Karla, Drago, Teton Thai, Lucy, and Whitney Bell.

Next up: In My Boots 2012 interview with Austrian charger Bibi Pekarek!

There is no pow surfing or spine shredding in episode six of TGR and Jeremy Jones’ Further Unplugged series but this video is without a doubt all time. The clip was shot in Svalbard, Norway during the April 2011 Further expedition to the Arctic Circle. Jones and the crew camped for two weeks in polar bear country – one of the only predators on earth known to hunt humans. The fear of being eaten alive sets the stage for some classic base camp comedy.

Check out the complete Further Unplugged webisode series here.

Episode Four: The Swiss Face

The Deeper TV episodes on Outside TV continue to astound. Each episode is an extended remix of all the best backcountry shredding that went down during the filming of the DEEPER project. In episodes four to six you’ll follow Jeremy Jones and Xavier Delerue as they test their alpine skills climbing and riding peaks in the high alps of France and Switzerland. Episode seven brings it back home for Jeremy, telling the story of some deep and steep backyard adventures with Forrest Shearer, Josh Dirksen and Ryland Bell in Lake Tahoe.

The videos posted here are only the first part of each four-part 20 minute episode. Watch all four parts of every episode on Outside Television. Why? There is twice as much riding footage in the DEEPER TV series than made the cut in the DEEPER DVD!

Episode Five: The Tour Ronde

Episode Six: The Blanche De Peuterey

Episode Seven: Tahoe Deep

“Having a splitboard shaped for female demands is unique and will for sure encourage more and more women to hike out to the backcountry,” said Pekarek to ESPN.com. “It’s great to have a high performance freeride board that works perfectly for my size and strength. It performs great in wide open powder but is also amazingly easy to turn in steep technical terrain.”

Bibi Pekarek is fresh off riding the new Women’s Solution while filming for FURTHER in Austria with Mitch Toelderer and Jeremy Jones.

Liz Daley checked in with ESPN.com from Chamonix:

“The new women’s Solution is lighter, shorter, narrower, and a bit more flexible than the original Solution split: I’m in love,” Daley said to ESPN.com. “The board is great in powder and really any condition. It turns effortlessly because of the rocker, and the Magne-Traction really holds an edge in icy skinning and riding conditions. It’s a great board for women wanting to get into the backcountry and it has evolved appropriately from the men’s version to fit women’s dynamics.”

Read the whole review at ESPNsnowboarding.com and check out one of Daley’s recent trip reports from the Couloir Fynn-Biselx in Chamonix.

In the meantime I wanted to share a few images from the Further trip to Austria that went down in February. Jeremy Jones joined team riders Mitch Toelderer and Bibi Pekarek to explore a zone that Toelderer had been looking at for years, but never explored.

Here are a few thoughts from Mitch about the inspiration behind the Austria mission and some teaser pics showcasing action you can look forward to seeing in FURTHER. Check out Mitch’s Blog for more pics and stories from the adventure.

Words by Mitch Toelderer. Photos courtesy of Mitch.at

There are a handful of lines and faces in Austria that I have been looking at for the last couple of years. On and off these lines have called out to me, depending on the snow conditions and the mood, but for whatever reason, I have never given them a go.

The character of these`project lines´ varies a lot. They are a mixture of lines I see on my everyday tours and then lines that are just a step or two more difficult to reach or even check out.  My hit list contains everything from big AK looking faces in really remote areas to urban spine rides right in the neighborhood.

This list of dream lines that I had yet to ride has grown over time, partly for not having the right conditions, but also just knowing that they are always there, and not going anywhere, which makes it easy to lose sight of them.

And here we are winter 2012:  First snow, then more snow and finally a lot of snow and stable conditions! And then Jeremy showed up…

Over the years I have been riding and filming with different crews and have always been the one pushing to stay out longer. Being on a mission with Jeremy and his crew I was delighted by the motivation and energy level they are on. It reminded me that anything is possible until there is a real reason it is not.

Read more about the trip from Mitch on his blog – Mitch.at