AIR KOOTENAY: H/H and MSP Crew in the Selkirks

The Selkirks

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Ever wonder what a cork 7 off a 50-foot cliff looks like live in person? Or speculate how much preparation and time it takes to properly navigate through massive pillows with blind rollovers?

After four days watching the versatile skills of Eric Hjorleifson, Mark Abma, and James Heim at Selkirk Wilderness Skiing, those aforementioned exploits became reality. The day prior to over-rotating a cork 7 tailgrab off a meaty 50-footer, Hoji scored the Big Air Award of the trip, also known as the Donger Award (it’s big and sticks out), for sending an 80-footer. According to seminal MSP cinematographer Scott Gaffney—the man behind Walls of Freedom, 1999, and Immersion and no slouch on skis himself—it was “probably the biggest cliff Hoji has ever sent.” The Revelstoke, B.C., resident couldn’t exactly confirm that, but Hoji did say that he has never been this sore from such heavy impacts in the eternal attempt to stomp.

Abma continued his 2008 mission of attempting to spin off “pretty much everything” stomping 3s with robot-like ease and stomping a floaty 540 off a pillow step-down. Not to be outdone or overlooked, Heim, who is filming his first full season with MSP, threw a stylie cork 7 off the same 50-footer. Although it may not have been a clean stomp, he could claim that he boosted it first.

And just when we all thought we have seen and heard enough about B.C. pillows, especially birthday boy Murray Wais of MSP, our Selkirk guide—Joe Schwartz—lead us onto a ridge lined with pillows. The routine: Watch the Canuck trio somehow navigate and ski and air their way throw a number of hanging mushrooms and loop back up to the ridge and simply move down the ridgeline. Seriously, after standing atop the same lines, it’s rather astounding how these guys find their way down, make it look so damn effortless, and descend the lines with Formula-1-esque speed. It’s entirely blind standing on top as you can only see the tops of trees down below, yet they knew their exact locations. Needless to say, that’s why they’re pros and in the movies.

Once the crew decided they were too tired from physical abuse and waiting out the grey, cloudy weather, we took a few freeski runs to celebrate Murray’s birthday. The man with the huge puffy, Murray and Gaffney led the charge through steep trees and tons of blind rollovers.

To depict the moment, I came to a stop halfway down the run as I stood above something that looked rather precarious and unknown to all of us. I yelled back up to Abma and Hoji, admitting that I had no idea what existed below my ski tips, except for deep Kootenay pow. In simultaneous fashion, the two friends dropped a 10-foot fluty air above me and then proceeded to blow right by me on my left and right airing into the abyss. I couldn’t see the result of their synchronized air due to the smoky contrails of snow from their take-offs. But, like little kids in gymboree, I could hear the playful hoots and hollers of uninhibited joy. Cork 7s and 80-footers notwithstanding, even blind birthday runs still elicit moments of awe and euphoric fun.

To view a photo gallery that accompanies this text go HERE

Hoji's corked 7