Blasters Ralph Backstrom and Jeremy Jones wrapped up the Deeper Project with one last mission into the backcountry. Alyssa Roenigk of ESPN was there and made this report.
"You can't worry about whether or not you got the shot. Up here, you can't think about making a movie, or you'll make a mistake. For me, it's about the process. It's all about the ride."
Big-mountain icon Jeremy Jones told me that over the weekend, while resting atop an exposed slab of granite at 9,000-feet in the Sierra Mountains. That thought gets to the heart of "Deeper," the movie Jones has been filming over the past two years with TGR, the Jackson Hole-based film company his brothers Todd and Steve started nearly 15 years ago. Those involved with the film call it a "game-changer," a backcountry snowboard film like nothing that's come before it. The film, and the snowboarding featured within it, blends Jones' zeal for finding and riding unchartered terrain with his passion for the environment. Unlike his 45 previous movies, no helicopters, snowmobiles or lifts were used in the making of this film. Instead, Jones and the riders he invited to accompany him, camped, hiked, rock climbed, ice climbed, down climbed and splitboarded to reach peaks previously unreachable by machine. This movie is not about the breathtaking moving images of Jones and friends slashing through powder on incredible first descents. It's about their journey to the top.
As part of my reporting for a feature on Jones that will run in The Mag in the fall, I found myself part of the five-person crew headed into the backcountry on "Deeper's" final filming trip over Memorial Day weekend. Along with Jones was big-mountain pro Ralph Backstrom, videographer Jeff Wright, photographer Greg von Doersten … and me. Read Full post at espn.com