Mother Nature has been kind this winter so far. A few snow storms in the mix has allowed for a lot of terrain to open up. Once the resorts are tracked to bits, there’s nothing better than heading out into the easily accessible sidecountry. However, it ain’t for the novice boarder…skill, awareness and a willingness to get after it is needed.
Lucky for us, our two superstar guests have spent a solid amount of time on snow! No stranger to the board, Josh and Sierra Kerr are surfing’s strongest father / daughter duo.
Josh, a surfing icon. Spending 10 years on the world surfing tour, and taking the sports progression to the next level by being at the forefront of aerial surfing. Now a family man, entrepreneur and adventure junkie…he finds his enjoyment experimenting with different shapes, right now being hooked on the twin fin.
Sierra, is a 14 year old powerhouse surfer and skateboarder. People are already calling Sierra to one day be a surfing world champion. She’s a humble, kind soul with a hidden fierce hunger to SHRED…on anything her feet land on. Although she’s only spent a little bit of time on snow, she’s already mastering the board and her response to dipping into the unknown sidecountry was…LET’S DO IT.
To stoke out Sierra and get some local knowledge, we picked up another special guest on our way up the mountain…Olympic Gold Medalist, Torah Bright. Sierra stoking on meeting and getting to ride Torah, we made a plan of attack with one goal – to get it.
It was a little grey bird to kick off the day, so we straight to the top of the mountain for an iconic top to bottom warm up run – a combo of fresh, groomed, side hits and slashes to warm up the legs and get the stoke levels peaking.
Without hesitation, the next lap we cut out of the resort and dipped into the iconic sidecountry called “Stanleys”. Many a double page spread, video sections and more have taken place in this zone. Known for it’s easy access, steep terrain and wild rock formations that resemble a mini Alaska style setup.
Once at the top of the main bowl, it was line time. Torah navigated both Josh and Sierra on the best lines they should take, aiming for the surf inspired features down the bowl that favoured the natural footer. Torah, opting to take the other side of the bowl to let rip on the goofy left line.
Once the crew reconnected at the bottom, hoots and hollers aplenty, it was time to hike out back into the resort. It’s all about setting that boot pack, Torah taking the honours and looking after our special guests.
As we now had the boot pack in, it allowed the crew to explore further and deeper into the zone. We started picking off lines left, right and centre. Josh and Sierra both frothing at the opportunity to score some fresh lines with not another soul in sight…a feeling that’s pretty hard to beat. Perhaps similar to empty long breaking tubes!
Once our legs couldn’t take it anymore, we called it. A successful morning of shredding the sidecountry complete! It was only lunchtime and we’d nailed the day. But the day is never complete without a Pirate Life beer to celebrate. Josh was on the hunt to top of the day with a beer and pie combo, so it was down to the base of the run to do exactly that.
Huge shoutout to all our partners for making these Winter Missions possible and Laura! So rad to work with brands we love, and have them support what we love. Thanks to Ford Australia for the wheels, GoPro for all the camera, YETI for all the gear, Allpress Espresso for the caffeine, The North Face for all the outerwear and kit, Pirate Life for the beer, Oakley for the prime vision and G-Shock for the time keepers!
