ill23 Snowboarding

This season has been a great snow year by all accounts. Yet no matter how amazing things are in the lower 48, it never stops the annual April migration of our sport’s elite to the proving grounds of Alaska.

Knowing that the Absinthe Crew was based out of Haines, AK, FSM contributor Adryan Roane Ritter got Markus Keller on the horn to get the latest from the Great White North.

FSM: Hey Markus. So you’re in Haines, AK filming with Absinthe right now… did you go out today?
Markus Keller: Almost… It turned from bluebird into greybird when we arrived at the Heli Base this morning.

FSM: So greybird meant a no-go?
MK: Yes. The light got too flat and it was definitely not worth it to fly out and spend the heli budget for such a day. The first crew actually went out pretty early today and came back pretty soon again. I would have been in the second crew.

FSM: How long have you been there and how many days have you been out in the heli?
MK: I came here about 2 weeks ago and have had 5 days out so far. That’s not that bad, I think, for what kind of stories I already heard about AK.

Even one bluebird day on a bird like this is worth two weeks of waiting. | Scott Sullivan photo

FSM: Who from the Absinthe crew is with you up yonder with you in AK?
MK: You want the complete list? All the filmers, photogs, riders?

FSM: Sure! The filmers and photogs are just as important as the riders! Not that you aren’t important too Markus…
MK: The filmers are Justin, Brusti, Shane, and Eric. The photographers are Scott Sullivan, Oli Gagnon, Cole Barash, and Blotto. The riders are Gigi, Kevin Pearce, Chris Coulter, Jules Reymond, Wolle, Marco Feichtner, Annie Boulanger, JP Solberg, Romain De Marchi, and me.

FSM: An all star crew.
MK: A pretty big crew, yeah

Though the Absinthe crew is big, when a pow field beckons, it’s every man for himself. Keller drops into heaven. | Scott Sullivan photo

FSM: How’s the filming going?
MK: I think it’s going pretty good. We got some good stuff already and I’m gonna stay for a couple more weeks.

FSM: Any stories from the front you can let us in on?
MK: My first day out was with Wolle and Marco Feichtner. Within the first 5 minutes we all 3 stepped on a cornice that broke off then…definitely a scary moment to start with.

Sometimes the best thing to do when faced with a scary cornice is to air over it - Markus Keller | Scott Sullivan photo

FSM: Holy Sh*t. Did you crap your pants?
MK: Luckily none of us had a ride on that cornice…and as it was that scary (especially for Marco and me on our really first day in AK), it was at the same time a good wake up call that told us that we’re in Alaska now.

FSM: Yeah, no F’ing around.
MK: Exactly.

FSM: So you and Kevin and Marco are the AK rookies?
MK: Yes.

Liftoff in the heli means it’s time to put on our game face. Markus and Kevin Pearce. | Scott Sullivan photo

FSM: Are the big boys like Wolle, Chris and Romain teaching you lots of stuff?
MK: I was mostly out with Wolle and Gigi, which for sure helped me already a lot. I’m getting more and more comfortable with the terrain and learning every day a lot of new stuff.

No place is more comfortable than the white room. | Scott Sullivan photo

FSM: How’s the lodging situation for all of your crew up there? Do you all get together and play a lot of Uno and dream of your girlfriends on down days?
MK: Unfortunately Haines is pretty booked out these days. So our crews are a bit all over the place.

With Haines so crowded these days, exercise and guitar playing share the same space. Oli Gagnon (L) and Chris Coulter compromise on a down day. | Scott Sullivan photo

FSM: Are you roomed up with anyone from the crew?
MK: I was staying in a double room with Kevin for a bit. He actually just moved out a couple minutes ago and I will soon move into a motel room with Marco Feichtner. But I’m with half of the Absinthe crew on the funny farm.

FSM: The funny farm?
MK: It’s a big house where the Bauer family lives. They’ve got a lot of rooms for guests and you get breakfast, lunch and dinner here! There’s also a ping pong table, pool table, foosball table, and a carrera race car track (small remote cars).

Speaking of cars, meet the “Rat Truck.” Car-less in AK, the boys brokered this rig at 2am for $300 from a local fisherman named Hos. Bored with the stock white paint job, the crew opted for the commando look via spray paint camo and some Sports Illustrated swimsuit pin-up girls. Filmers Shane Charlebois (black hoodie) and Brusti oversee while Jules Reymond (grey hoodie) and Markus Keller (truck bed) add the finishing touches. | Photo Scott Sullivan

FSM: That does sound fun.
MK: There’s this whole family with 3 kids living here and then about 15 more guests.

FSM: And let me guess, most of the guests are pro shreds?
MK: Half of them are guys from Absinthe and then some more Freeski film-crews. It’s pretty funny. Like a hippie-commune. The kids are these cool big kids, like 15, 17 and 22. It’s really fun with them.

FSM: That sounds awesome! Anything else you want to holla about?
MK: Only one shout out! Thanks to Bruce and Carrie here on the funny farm for taking care of us that good!

FSM: Thank you Markus. Be safe out there and have fun out there.
MK: Thanks!