We never slept in a tent.
I am interested in the mind leading the body."
Philippe called it “body poetics.”
To pursue total confidence in the face of a boundary, you oughta harness a stubborn mental clarity.
It is a full-body visualization of leading your body to an entirely new state of being.
Every molecule in the entire body actually pre-experiences each endeavor.
This is a photo of just a couple months ago filming with Sherpas Cinema.
On their famed “Air Jordan”.
It all started off with an invite to film an inbounds Whistler Blackcomb segment with Sherpas.
I, however, was licking my chops with the great base.
We gave it our best shot in some truly classic Whistler zones over the next couple of weeks.
Most of the time I think we walked away accomplishing what we intended, some shots maybe not.
It ended up just being a few days, then I headed back up to Whistler.
It snowed quite a bit, about 50", but the weather wasn’t quite cooperating for filming.
I would fantasize about singling the entire zone.
Not going to happen.
And I didn’t think there was a suitable take-off up there.
Regardless, it was fun to fantasize.
Very noted my friend.
Sherpas had another project lined up out of town on Monday.
So it was looking like our only day to hopefully get another shot was Sunday.
Weather report was also saying clearing on Sunday AM and sun.
Were the stars really aligning for me to take a look at this Air Jordan air?
He immediately is game on.
Then go down in the landing and probe.
Then come all the way back around to come back to the air after another chairlift ride.
Christian and I wake up early, meet the Sherpas crew.
It’s a glorious sunny morning, the entire upper mountain had been closed for two days.
Everyone made their plans of attack.
Hoji was heading there, Matt Elliot was headed there, and so on and so on.
It’d most likely be over an hour before he’d hear from me.
Christian and I head down to Peak chair, line up is massive.
We head up, the mountain is unreal.
No tracks, beautiful sunshine and thousands of hungry skiers ready to take no prisoners.
We unload and rally to the jordan zone.
I had never been there before, so Christian shows me the way.
We roll up on the spot.
So far so good.
I ski carefully down to the take off of the diving board and have a look over the edge.
Instantly my gut reaction was gripped with fear and a fleeting mentality.
Nope no way was this cliff doable.
Holy shit it was terrifying.
I’m out of there.
“Wait wait wait wait a minute.”
my inner voice was saying to me.
“you don’t KNOW it’s not doable.”
After I got comfortable and found my footing underneath me, I took it all in.
No it wasn’t.
In fact, it looked very potentially doable.
I studied it for 10 minutes intensely.
They all told me take my time and they wouldn’t hit it.
What a bunch of basasses.
I went down to the landing zone.
I could penetrate the snow with my entire pole, then my whole arm to my shoulder.
The only way I’ll jump off 100+ footers is to have snow like this.
But also not sure about the air still.
I like to hit SHEER cliffs.
This cliff was not sheer, any mistake on my speed calculation would be certain death.
Let the calm and meditation start to seep into my being.
For I was going to need it.
It’ll all unravel in the way it should.
Whether it works out or not for me to take it down.
I was lucky enough to cut the line again, SO MANY PEOPLE!
Whistler was going off.
Quite a few people had gathered at this point.
Everyone gave me all the space I needed.
I skied back down to the take off, had another look down to my landing zone.
Holy smokes this was a spicy endeavor.
On top of the steep down ramp was the deck where everyone was hanging out.
No games here kids.
I would not have this happen.
He got into position.
I still didn’t know.
I made the in-run picture perfect.
I still didn’t know.
I stood at the top of the in-run, all 50 feet of it.
Even with a really steep ramp and a massive booter, it wasn’t fast enough yet.
I stamped out the snow leading up to the down-ramp.
I still didn’t know.
Damn this was rowdy.
A very tremendous energy field had formed in the area.
I mimicked my pole push into my ramp.
Ok ok ok I’m getting a grasp of this..
I did that a few times.
Then skied down to my take-off again.
I began to have body affirmations all was good.
It was not 100% yet.
It wasn’t a choice, this was the mediation I was awaiting.
To become hyper aware of all things in my vicinity.
I am the vicinity.
I started to side step up to announce I was ready.
indeed, it was my body checking in with me.
I stepped back down.
Had a complete visualization of the physical aspects of the feat from start to finish.
Then my whole body took over my thinking self.
It’s really a magical transmission.
I opened my eyes, I now was 100% certain in my pursuit.
I hiked up to the top of in-run.
I took in all the people that were now up there with me.
Stan was in position, what a pimp, he’d been hanging out for a good hour now.
I heard a little bit of chitter chatter as I announced this.
I stepped back to my start point.
I was in harmony and had achieved equilibrium with the frequency of the feat between all these components.
I am not here to dominate my surrounding, I am here to share with it.
I radio I am ready.
Sherpas radio back they’re 1-minute out.
I am in air on their 5 count.
What a feeling to swan dive off a cliff going that fast.
I was now into the safety zone.
I switched gears mentally to have total relaxation upon impact with snow.
I breathe out and go limp entirely.
This is all instinctual.
I have thoughts react and catch up to what my body already knows and is executing on meditation-wise.
I am still not me, I am everything around me.
But I still have vision and internal dialogue of self.
I am the observer.
Even though I am the subject.
I make impact as the observer and feel the interaction of the energy of body and snow.
It melds together seamlessly, I don’t feel a thing.
I’m a spectator in awe.
I have no explanation.
I have no way to attach meaning to it from anything I’ve read or studied.
Transcending boundaries of human supposed limits.
It’s all the same frequency.
There is no way to define the difference in energy in myself and energy in the snow.
In a continuous motion, I am back on my feet skiing away out of my dust of smoke.
Yelling again from charged particles in my body.
I loved my time in Whistler, what an amazing opportunity.
A big thanks to the Sherpas crew and Whistler mountain.
And all my old and new friends up there.
The air was laser measured by Christian at 185 feet.
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