My only goal was to really try and do justice to a place that I am very passionate about, La Grave. All things considered, it was/is a lofty goal. The scale is hard to reproduce, for one. Two, it’s not alaska – the snow isn’t always perfect.

I learned a lot about film making/story telling during the making of this, and of course it was a great excuse to go back and ski in La Grave for 3 weeks. Each time I go back I become a stronger skier, and my skill and knowledge about moving through the mountains improves. Most of the film is shot on-slope, meaning that I am immersed in the skiing just as much as the person I am filming. This certainly can take away from showing the scale of the terrain in comparison to the human moving through it. However, it is my preferred method to shoot – I love to ski and be a part of the process, not just an observer. Though, it also lends an intimacy to the images, and hopefully makes the viewer feel like they are that much closer to being there, along for the ride too.

Very special thanks to Bruno Florit and Joe Vallone for their voice over work and insight during our repeated visits to La Grave. Also, thanks to Michel at the cable car. Lars and Ptor, and anyone else we skied with who opened our eyes to new areas, thank you.

Here is what I wrote when I arrived in La Grave back in February 2010, at the start our 3 week trip there:

“The grandur of rock and ice here blow the mind, and the way a skier can move through such a huge volume of spectacular terrain in a day is like nothing else I’ve experienced [although I went to Chamonix after this and it is different, but just as spectacular]. You have to be on your toes, and you have to know where you’re going, as there is no ski patrol, nothing is marked, and the terrain is extremely complex. You’re on your own to wander the mountains, giving you a much more real experience as a skier, and consequently you feel that much more alive.”

La Grave: A Skier’s Journey Ep2 from Jordan Manley Photography on Vimeo.