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Deeper, Further, Higher: Jeremy Jones Interview
By SamPetri | July 23rd, 2012
Shot in Japan, Norway, Austria, Alaska and California’s Sierra Mountains, this is Jones’ most ambitious film to date. Further explores some of the world's most remote mountain terrain while continuing Jones' mission to camp deep in the backcountry and on the summits of unridden lines to access nearly vertical spines and wide-open powder fields using only human power to get up and down.
In light of the trailer release, we caught up with the boss of big mountain snowboarding to give you some insight on the movie, the trilogy and his company Jones Snowboards.
What Further trip stands out the most in your mind and why?
Jeremy Jones: All the trips were really special to me. It's hard to pick one. I think going up to Svalbard [Norway] with Terje Haakonsen stands out because I was really out of my comfort zone and in a place that I knew very little about. And, I had never ridden with Terje, and I had all this anxiety going on that trip. It was the only time in 17 years that I didn't go to Alaska, and chose to go to this island right next to the North Pole instead, and I just didn't know. … I had heard that there were decent mountains there, but, you know, really didn't know what to expect, and we ended up scoring really good conditions and riding some of the best lines of my life in the middle of the night under pink skies. We were there in the spring, and it never gets dark at that time of year, so three weeks of not seeing the sun set was a trip.
What was the biggest challenge you faced while filming Further?
JJ: Hiking these lines is the biggest challenge. Primarily because we're trying to get these serious faces, and get them in powder. And there's just no room for error on the calls that you have to make in the mountains. We're on these faces for hours, and if you have one little pocket break on you on the way up it could kill you. And on the contrary, if we were on our boards riding and a little pocket breaks, it’s no big deal. So that just adds this major intensity. Every day. You'll look in the film and see all this happy, cruiser powder and it's … um … That stuff is really serious. Because we're on those slopes for hours, and if something happens, the consequences are high.
What do you look for in a location when planning a trip for Deeper, Further and Higher?
JJ: I’m looking for places with a safe snowpack. So that could be … a lot of these locations are maritime snowpacks. Austria isn't, but they had a great winter. A place like Austria can go either way. Some years it's a very dangerous snowpack, some years it's a much more manageable snowpack. This year was a very good snowpack for them. It was still tricky, but not the deep instability that would shut down a location for me. That, good terrain, and a place that still holds a lot of first descents.
What Jones snowboard do you ride the most?
JJ: I ride the Solution 161 the most.
Why?
JJ: It's just a great, versatile, all around board that works in all conditions. When you go on these trips, you have no idea if you’re going to be riding bulletproof or bottomless pow, and that board kills it on everything. Actually, in the Japan segment, I'm on a Hovercraft because I had some inspiration from Japan when I designed that board, and I felt like that was the place to ride it.
What's your favorite place to ride in the Tahoe backcountry, if you're just going to go for the morning, or on an average Wednesday?
JJ: When ever I'm out in the mountains with someone I tell them to tell their friends that we're on Donner Pass.
[Laughs] Nice. Over the past two years while filming for Further, who did you ride the most with and why?
JJ: Well, I probably ride with Ryland Bell more than anyone just because in the winter we live in the same town, and Ryland is … He rides every day. And so it's just a guarantee. If I need someone to call to go ride, to go do some mission, to go ride bulletproof ice at the resort, a rainy, slushy day in the backcountry, whatever. Ryland's down. He's happy. He's charging.
What do you hope to show with the whole trilogy of Deeper, Further and Higher?
JJ: I would say in general, just a general kind of vibe, is to get people fired up to go into the mountains. Inspire them to push themselves. Wherever you are on that spectrum, that could mean different things. I want to give the viewer a really good taste of the mountains, and also hopefully educate some people on the mountains. Because I think that's important. If you're inspiring people to go into the mountains, it comes with a responsibility to also educate them about the mountains.
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