Is WE CAN'T NOT the best ski movie ever? + Hunter Hess

0:00 Welcome one, welcome all. This is Snow Glow.

0:04 Snow Glow, Snow Glow, Snow Glow.

0:09 Dave's gone as well. Frankly, the gate, the ski came off. Dave's got a whole host of dad legs and ended up on his back. That is Edley. I'm Tim Ward, and we are delighted to be bringing you all of the very best snow content from around the world every single Wednesday throughout this season. Nearly caught the tips on the way in.

0:32 Did you see that? For the last 30 years, Tim and I have been immersed in the world of skiing and snowboarding. Our levels of expertise are just above amateur. But we've decided to share all of that with you in one place.

0:46 What are you doing? Get that managering.

0:56 Contest highlights, gear science, resort reviews, and interviews with the great and the good of skiing and snowboarding, and some celebrities who just love it a lot.

1:06 And this is what's coming up today.

1:08 He's like, hey Tom, how's it going? And he goes, Well, at least the president knows your name. And I go, What? And he goes, Oh sh.

1:17 What happens when you wind up the president of the United States of America?

1:23 Hunter has found out.

1:25 I even got death threats on LinkedIn. Like people would send me really well. Professional death threats. That was crazy.

1:31 We were at the premiere of a multi-million dollar ski movie.

1:35 Narrated by Sean Bean. It was.

1:37 Insane, it's so sick. And then you step out the front door and you're like, on the River Thames next to the Golden the Golden Eye.

1:44 Next to the uh the London Eye. All of that, plus some ludicrously inane chat between him and I on this week's Snow Globe. Brought to you by our friends at Heidi Snow Holidays.

1:54 Snow Globe, Snowflow, Snowflow, Snowflow.

2:01 We're going full disclosure.

2:03 Yeah, of course. We're horribly hungover. Slightly, I'd have used. It was a big night last night. It was a huge night. It was like being at a freestyle skiing wedding.

2:15 There was the past, the present, and the future, not just skiing of British no sports. Yeah. Paddy Graham's movie We Can't Not getting it British premiere. It was kind of a homecoming because Paddy's career has spanned what?

2:30 20 years? He's made 20 ski films. And actually, a little shout out to Red Bull's shameless plug, hashtag not an ad is that they've been gently, I don't want to use the word caressing, but kind of just helping the snow sports industry for years, for absolute years, and here they are again with legs of steel creating this what I think might be one of the best ski films of all time.

2:53 Hands down, one of the most entertaining, I think.

2:56 This is Paddy Graham.

2:59 So Patrick, guess that? Here it comes. How's the ski instructing going? I'm not a ski instructor. Professional skier. Oh man, you do competitions, don't you, son? I used to, not anymore. And family man.

3:11 It is a ski movie about making a ski movie and why you would make a ski movie, essentially.

3:19 So where'd you do it then? Do you guys just want to see? Go on then.

3:23 Did you enjoy it? I've watched it till the question alert. Yeah, I've watched it twice, and it gets better with each watch. There are so many Easter eggs in it. The fact that Sean Bean's done the voiceover, Boromir, Ned Stark, one of Sheffield's most famous international or movie star sons, talking about one of the.

3:44 The UK's, never mind Sheffield's. Yeah, but then the link to Paddy being from Sheffield and Gendel's genius in this, Adam Gendal, the director's genius, is breaking not just the fourth wall, but the fifth wall and the sixth wall. You see Paddy narrating behind the scenes, they introduce the crew. You've just nothing's off limit.

4:04 It's this incredible walk through the snow industry, and every time you think you're behind the scenes, he takes you behind the scenes again. Yeah, you don't you don't see behind the curtain, you see the curtain being made, don't you? You see the curtain being doused in petrol and set up. It's a warts and all film about the ski industry.

4:24 And without spoiling it too much, you you kind of Sean Bean becomes a character in the film, which I'm sure Red Bull won't thank me for saying because his agent was told he was just the voiceover artist. But it's lovely, it is a beautiful warts and all film about how professional skiers make a living.

4:44 Yeah, done with plenty of humour, done with just lots of warmth, lots of energy, and it and it just yeah, it's an hour, it's an hour of your life that you'll want to revisit again and again.

4:54 One of my favourite bits, the it it's not spoiling any of it. Uh Alaska is seen as the end-of-level boss in skiing and snowboarding. You go there. It's a crazy little fact. So Alaska has an incredible climate where it's a coastal part of the Pacific Northwest. So you're right up in the northern corner of the uh Pacific, and you get these incredibly cold storms off the Arctic mixing with really humid air off the Pacific.

5:25 So you get these thick, wet, heavy storms charging in off the Pacific, and the snow just gets rammed into the mountains and it sticks like nowhere else in the world. So you end up in Europe or North America in the lower 48, your snow will stick to about 45, 50 degrees. In Alaska, it will stick to 55, 60, even 65 degree slopes.

5:51 Get your protractors out. And it's the forms the snow can make up there is like someone's just melting ice cream onto the shard. So you get these incredible features that don't form anywhere else in the world. And the snow is deep and soft. So skiers can do skiers and snowboarders can do things you can't dream of doing anywhere else.

6:11 So everyone wants to go up to Alaska. It can take years to actually learn how to navigate your way down these slopes, they're terrifying. And the end of the film is set there, and usually the stakes are so high, it costs so much money to go and to access that kind of terrain. Once you get there, there's no room for any storytelling.

6:32 You are there to get the best action you can get and nothing else. But somehow, Gendal and Paddy, Marcus Eder, probably the greatest all-round skier in the world, Finn Billis, one of the most entertaining skiers in the world, Tom Rich, one of the loveliest men, and uh Kai Peterson, this Enigma from uh British Columbia, they all gather there, and then Gendel weaves the story around them and how you actually gather action in that way.

7:00 So they've got two units: one is the action unit, and then one is this storytelling unit that's working around the skiers and the film crew. And what that creates is something very, very unique in our world. It's a it's a beautiful behind-the-scenes look at how you make a ski film in this arena, and it's so entertaining.

7:22 Should she get a proper job?

7:24 Wanna see my snowhole?

7:25 No, I'm fine, thank you. I would hesitate jumping into a pile of rocks.

7:32 It's actually quite exciting.

7:34 Guys, the conditions are really bad out here.

7:39 Sounds like a phase. He'll be back.

7:46 Whenever we're going skiing together, everything makes sense as to why we all look at life the way we do.

7:56 We're gonna have lots of clips from the premiere of Week Art Not coming up later in the show where Eddie does his very best Martin Brundle impression.

8:05 You'd like an F1 pit walk if you're not from the UK. Martin Brundle's like an old F1 driver, and he does this incredible pit lane walk right before the start.

8:13 What's an all good? Putting people off, trying to get to the drivers, offending celebrities left, right. Yeah, there you go. Offending celebrities left, right, and centre. Uh Edley, everybody. Um, but actually, let's start with a snow forecast. I'm really excited, and I'm excited about the snow forecasts that are going to be coming throughout the rest of the series because you are such a nerd.

8:35 You love it, don't you? How could if you like skiing or snowboarding, how can you not be a weather nerd? But the other thing is, what is the first question that all of you ask? The the resort reps, you ask it to the taxi drivers, the bus drivers, whoever it might be. Has it snowed? How's the snow? Is it gonna snow?

8:55 Is it gonna snow while I'm here?

8:56 Is it you know? And I can answer that question. Okay, let's start with a disclaimer. I am no meteorologist. I am an extremely passionate amateur, and I have no qualifications.

9:14 Amateur is a word I would have used.

9:16 There is snowfalling across the Alps, but we're not gonna drill into localized forecasts. At this stage of the winter, I think it's best to keep a really broad view, and especially when we have one of the biggest El Nino on record shaking up.

9:31 Brazil Nino.

9:33 Self-titled, I think.

9:35 Pablo Espanol. El Nino C. Do you know what it means?

9:41 Yes. Hit me. Merry Christmas, little boy. Little boy of Christmas, which is actually the Christ child. It was first recognised back in the 17th century by Peruvian fishermen who noticed that the anchovy stocks were getting decimated. Were the Peruvians fishermen and snowboarders then? No. But uh if you're a snowboarder or a skier, while it can have catastrophic effects around the equator, it can have phenomenal effects uh altitude.

10:08 Ooh. Where? It's the eastern Pacific, so the the effects have felt most the effects have felt most acutely. Do you want an open-handed slap to the face? Yes.

10:17 Hit me.

10:19 There we go. The effects have felt most acutely around the Pacific. So North America and Japan. You've got trade winds, you've got precipitation getting messed around. But weirdly, further north, those incredible meccas of Alaska and British Columbia, which usually receive huge amounts of snowfall. Nobody can afford to go there anyway, so let's just not worry about that.

10:40 They get very little snow. Okay. So instead, all of the storms start tracking further south. The central Rockies, Colorado and Utah, right on the border though. Could be a bumper winter, they could suffer. The big winners, the southern states, California, across the Pacific in Japan, it's kind of the same story, but upside down.

11:01 Honshu, the central island, home to Hakuba, and some of the best terrain in Japan, it's right on the cusp again. So you'll get warm equatorial air coming up, and it means a warmer, drier winter for Honshu. But you've got this phenomenal localized weather effect over Hokkaido, the North Island, Omaniseko.

11:20 It's basically an exhaust pipe for Siberia. Freezing no one can afford to go to Japan. Doing my Japan bit, I like this bit.

11:27 There's really You just want to say the word Japanuary again, don't you? No, I want to say there's an exhaust pipe.

11:33 It is, it's such a good description. You've got this exhaust pipe of freezing cold air just flowing out of Siberia. It picks up some moisture off the sea of Japan and then just goes. I wanted to-that's what I wanted to do. Just insane dumps all over Hokkaido. People just digging out their cars. Japanery in Hokkaido is gonna be on again.

11:53 So if you've got your Japan holiday book. Don't tell everyone. Okay, shh, don't tell everyone. What can we expect here? It's a lottery.

12:00 Christ sake, I could have said that.

12:03 My advice if you're in Europe, it it could be an epic winter, it could be a mild one. But stay flexible and look to go high. Why don't you just start with that? Next time, start with that.

12:20 Of course, you can uh get more in-depth if you want to, which I know you do, over on the Patreon. Remember, that is free to be a part of. Come and join the community. And believe it or not, he talks even more than that about weather over there.

12:32 There is a really deep dive on El Nino with a lot more historical context on the Patreon. I believe that weather forecasting is a team sport. So if you're out in the mountains and you've got footage or clips of it snowing, please share them on the Patreon. We want to hear all of your input. If I've got anything wrong, if you want to add something, please get in touch.

12:52 We want to hear from you.

12:53 Yeah, big thanks to our friends over at Snow Forecast for all of the incredible data that they're supplying us. Uh and you, of course, can join Snow Forecast. Snowcast. Probably just put it on the screen here, won't we? Probably just put it there. Put it on my hand. SnowHyphenForecast.com. And of course, you can subscribe over there to get longer range forecasts right in your inbox.

13:14 And listeners to the podcast, of course, can get discounts using the links in the Patreon. 16-day forecast.

13:21 I spend an inordinate amount of time on it. It's really embarrassing. Time for the interview now, isn't it? Being first one. Oh my word. No. This was a treat, this chat. Oh my god. I actually I hadn't met Hunter Hess before this winter, the Southern Hemisphere winter down in New Zealand. And I think he's my favourite person that I've met this year.

13:43 Yeah, I'm glad you ended with this year, favourite person this year. Not just favourite person. He this kid is absolutely phenomenal. He's one of the nicest, most humble people you've ever met. And in the context of what he's been through in 2026, that is some feat. Because you have some stories, don't you, in Snow that cut through, like Lindsay Vaughan or Sean White.

14:05 I mean, they're once in a decade stories a lot of the time where this very niche, esoteric world of skiing and snowboarding doesn't often branch out into the mainstream. But every now and again it does. Hunter Hess has hit the mainstream like no skier or snowboarder has before.

14:23 So we sat down with Hunter, didn't we, to chat about what is gonna be the biggest event of his life. And he just wanted it to be just like any other contest.

14:33 Because if you're an American half-pipe skier, probably the biggest battle of your career is just getting on the US team. It's one of the most competitive categories of all of the park and pipe disciplines for the Americans. They've got eight free skiing men who are in the top 12 skiers in the world, and they can only take four men.

14:51 So Hunter's got into the top four, he's going to the Olympics. Now he just wants to keep it low-key and make it like any other event. Oh dear.

15:01 Like I thought if I dumbed the event down, that for me it would just be another one, and there was no significance to it or anything like that. And I had kind of texted my family before the event, and I was like, hey, I need you guys to be there for me in any scenario just to keep me straight and to keep me narrow and focused, and kind of treating this as if it's just another day, because that's what I've been doing for these other events, and that's been what has worked so far.

15:30 So I kind of I I needed them as a shoulder to kind of stand on and and hold me straight. And not let things get blown out of perspective. Exactly. And so that and I had no expectations of what it was gonna be, and kind of when I got there, it got flipped upside down, and I didn't really stand a chance.

15:48 But before I was like it's just like it's just another event, it's just another event. Well, we'll come to that in a second.

15:56 I I we're from the UK, obviously. Like the USA love Olympians, it's a different deal. Like to be an Olympian in a minute, you're on cereal boxes, you've got the jacket that I love all that, like that pompin ceremony. I I I really buy into that. And what but what's it like being on the inside to to become an Olympian to represent USA?

16:18 Because it seemed like a massive deal.

16:20 I mean, it's it's beautiful, like you it and it's it's all about the beforehand stuff, you know, it's all the back work where it's kind of like like after our last qualifier in Aspen, um, I had found out that I had qualified and they made the announcement and we did the whole thing, and that was like a really special moment.

16:37 My parents were there, they flew in and surprised me. I didn't know that they were gonna be there. Um, and so it was just this like really beautiful deal. It was so awesome, but I knew I had the potential to be on the podium, like I knew a hundred percent. And so I kind of for me, I just I like uh compartmentalized it and just kind of put it in a different area of my brain.

16:58 It was like, yeah, this is really great and it's amazing, but I'm I just can't let it get to me. Like I can't let it get to me because I I knew that my skiing had served me right up to that point, and so I knew it was just skiing at the end of the day, like that's all it needed to be, and so I had never been in a position like that, so I I knew I wasn't gonna know how to handle it.

17:20 But I mean, to go and represent, and you don't really realize how big of a deal it is until you're in it, and then you're like, oh my god, like this is huge, and I obviously figured that out full force, but I think that that was kind of the thing. Like, I I I I was naive and I thought that it was just another ski event, and it so isn't, and it wasn't, and regardless of if I wanted that to be my experience, it was never going to be.

17:48 And I think that the US kind of comes out full force, and it's such an honor to represent that team and to be standing there, especially with how competitive the team was. But yeah, the experience was pretty full on for sure.

18:01 You kinda have the US ski team, but then they roll out the that giant comms and PR team once you get there. Did they give you a bit of media training? Did they have you back on the way in?

18:10 Uh no. We we had um a media person with us um during the day that we had gotten interviewed, but like when you get there, it's like so full on. Like we we flew in, they took us up to a breakfast because it was like we landed at like five in the morning, they took us up to a breakfast, and then they did the onboarding for us, which was all like the outfits and everything, and that's like a six-hour process.

18:36 I mean, it's like the whole day. And so we got there and Secret Service was there because the vice president was there. So you like go upstairs, he does this big speech, you meet the vice president, you're staying there with hundreds of employees of all these different companies. You go in, you do your Ralph Lorenz thing, you do the Nike thing, you do the Skims thing, you do all this stuff, and you're like, This is first of all the most shit I've ever owned in my entire life.

18:58 Uh I really wish I had filled my bags on the way. Yeah, and you're you you don't know what is happening. Like it's so full on. And then we immediately after that, we took a two and a half hour bus ride to get to um the athlete village, which we stayed in Milan for two days. Um, so that's crazy because you're around people you would never be around.

19:21 Um, normally for like the athlete village, at least that we were in, it's kind of just the people you always see uh on the tour. Yeah, it's like it's nothing like super crazy, but we got to see all like the speed skaters, we got to see all like the different athletes where you're like, oh my god, the hockey players, like figure skate because real athletes, like it's crazy.

19:43 It's a different deal.

19:44 And and all the time you're like, it's just another skate contest. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

19:48 And like we we we did that and we got there, and then we slept, and then then early the next morning we had just gone um to our press conference and that was it. And they kind of like they warned us a little bit about maybe some questions might arise, but it wasn't anything crazy. It was just kind of it was just go, go, go, go, go.

20:05 So, what happened? Was it the next morning that you went to the fated press conference where the question came in?

20:11 Yeah, it was the next morning. We had all arrived, half of us were like still sleeping. Um, we had taken this kind of like shuttle thing there, and the guy didn't even know how to get there. It was kind of just like a nightmare. Like the building was this gigantic building, um, and we walked in and no one knew where we were supposed to go.

20:27 Um, and then we did have a press officer, and she came and found us, and then we walked up and she was like, It's gonna be like five minutes, so we went and got coffee. Um, and then we go back, and then we walk in the room, and there's probably like five reporters in in the room. There's maybe like 50 or 60 chairs, there's maybe five people in the back that have cameras and stuff, but you're not thinking anything of it.

20:49 Like you're like, it felt borderline disrespectful, you know?

20:51 Like you're like, no one gives a shit about us.

20:54 Like, because we were on the back end of the arrival, also, like the games we that that evening was gonna be the opening ceremonies, so everyone had been there already.

21:02 People were probably positioning themselves ready for that, right?

21:05 Absolutely. Like we were we were we were noise, like they we we didn't matter, and you kind of felt that way. And most of the questions were about Gepper and Alex and kind of like their rivalry and what it took for them to get there, and they had been so many times prior. Some of the questions were from like a local Winter Park guy, and he was asking uh the Irvings about like uh their family history and kind of like what it meant for them to be there.

21:29 Um, we also had the youngest Olympian on our team, Abby Winterberg, and uh so they were asking her questions about that. Like it was kind of like, I don't know, I was dodging bullets. Yeah, like nothing's happening. You're like trying to catch someone's heart to get you into the coffee just off. Yeah, like I thought it was just no big deal.

21:48 I mean uh it we didn't really understand like the gravity of the situation andor what it could turn into, you know. Yeah.

21:55 Who did the question come from? Can you remember which journalist?

21:58 No, I think she had worked for. NBC maybe. Um, but it was a group question, like it wasn't directed at anyone. Um, and we had kind of been told that there might be questions along that because or along the lines of that, because there was two big protests in Milan leading up to when we got there. Um, and like we had seen a bunch of graffiti, like no ice, like all this stuff, and kind of like um people weren't very happy about it, and so we did know it was gonna be something that could be brought up, but um, yet again, you don't understand the gravity of the situation.

22:32 It it's it's a room of five people, you don't think you're talking to anyone. Skiing in in my experience is like like you go to the World Cups and maybe someone asks you a question or two and you never see it, you know, like it doesn't matter, nothing matters, you know. Um, so yeah, they she had just asked the question about what it felt to represent the US in the current political climate.

22:54 Um, and we all just tried our best to like navigate the waters. But it the question went by, we all answered accordingly, and then they moved on.

23:02 What did you say exactly? Give us the line for word.

23:05 It was something along the lines of representing the US brings up some mixed emotions. Um, I'm here to represent my friends and my family. Just because I wear the flag doesn't mean I represent everything going on in the US currently. Um, something along those lines. Uh I was more worried at the end of it.

23:23 I had said something along the lines of freestyle skiing isn't an Olympic sport, it's a sport that gets to compete in the Olympics. Um, and I kind of made that my statement. Uh kind of sick. And afterwards I asked Burke, I was like, You think that was too much? Like, you think people are gonna be bummed on that?

23:39 He's like, No, I think it was chill. It seemed chill. I was like, all right, cool, cool.

23:42 You're worried about a completely different question.

23:44 I was totally worried about that. I was like, all right, sick. Like, I was just a little worried. I don't know. I didn't want to like say anything to piss anyone off. When did it start blowing up?

23:53 Well, hang on. When did the phone start vibrating?

23:57 I the first thing I had seen of it was uh on Instagram right after the opening ceremonies. They take you in these big like buses. Um, and so we were in the team USA bus. Um, and so we all kind of like the opening ceremony was like so surreal. Like it was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. Like you walk into a stadium of like, I don't know, it was like 80,000 or something, and like it was so full on.

24:21 We had the best time ever. It was such a like a cool experience to have, and it was like a real like team bonding. It was the first time I had felt like this is like my team and like these are my guys, you know.

24:32 I remember seeing it now because we were sat in Lavigno, and I remember thinking, oh, they're not here, all of the Americans are down in Milan.

24:40 Yeah, yeah, yeah. So we I mean, it was just it was so cool. We had kind of rallied that all up, and we were walking out of the venue back to the buses, and I had seen my sister posted something on Instagram. She had like reposted something of it, and I kind of I kind of went and I looked at it, I was like, wow, like how'd they even get this footage?

24:58 Yeah, that's crazy. Well, it was like some account with like 20 million followers or something, and I was like, wow, that's crazy. And my sister was like, That's so cool, like like you, and I was like, Yeah, that's cool, I guess. Like, whoa, that's that's interesting. And I kind of started like going in the comments and reading up on some stuff, and I was super jet lagged.

25:19 So we had gotten back, we fell asleep. I woke up at probably like three or four in the morning, and I was on social media. I was like, Whoa, like this is uh this is taking a real turn. Um, and my dad, he loved Trump, like he was like a big Trump guy, and so uh No way! Yeah, so I I kind of I called them.

25:40 I'm super close with my family, um, and I called them and kind of anxiously told them about it. Um, and I was really scared of what my dad was gonna say because I had called them because I really wanted to kind of break the ice a little bit, and uh they're like, how's it going, buddy? I'm like, I can't sleep, like whatever.

25:57 And so we're we're talking. I'm like, hey, um, I had said some things at a press conference the other day. Um, and it's getting a lot of backlash, and they're kind of flip like it's becoming this real like political thing. I just want to let you guys know, and um, it's kind of it's it's becoming like pretty full on um at that point, which it was like almost nothing.

26:17 And my dad was like, Are you talking about that interview where you said the thing about the about you representing your friends and your family and blah blah blah? I was like, Yeah, yeah, yeah, you saw it. He's like, Oh yeah, I thought you sounded so great. You spoke so well. And for me, that was like I was like, Oh, like I'm all good.

26:33 Yeah, I feel fine. Yeah, it's okay. Like, as long as I still have like my parents' support, which they would support me through anything, but especially with anything political, it becomes a real like tricky area to navigate. And when there are like um those family ties, you know, you never really know how to deal with it.

26:51 And so I kind of I was like, as long as I got him on my side, like I'm all good. And so that that for me was like a huge relief, and we kind of like had joked about it, and I had gone to the gym and whatever, and just kind of like tried to get my mind off it, and then from there it was just like uh it blew up.

27:10 We drove up to Locks. Um, and when we were driving, I was really tired because I hadn't slept at all, and I was driving for a bit, I was becoming a bit emotional, and Burke was like, Hey, just let me drive. I was like, All right, so then he's driving, and I was on my phone, I'm reading all these comments, and I'm like, Oh my god, like what is happening?

27:29 Like, this is insane. And I kind of had this real like emotional crisis at that moment about being there. And for me, it was this thing that I'd worked so hard to achieve and to like represent and to just like have this moment, and I had so much building up to that. Um, so many like injuries and so many moments where you could have just kind of like shied away from it and not made it all the way here.

27:55 It was kind of like you you're there, you're so close, you can kind of like taste it, and then this thing that you could have never imagined, like this this situation that you could have ever even prepared for at all, um, just kind of hits you like a truck. I had a phone call with my dad that night, and I was like, I don't want to do this, like this isn't I didn't sign up for this.

28:20 I signed up for skiing. I want to ski, I want to ski to the best of my ability, I want to push the sport, I want to push myself, and I want to be at the top. And those those were always my things. Um so then when it became this thing where it was kind of like you're you're pushing this like almost like political agenda kind of thing, and you're a part of all this like nonsense that has absolutely nothing to do with sport and or skiing.

28:44 And and that was even before like Trump had said anything or anything. That was just like all the scrutiny from the outside, like it was crazy.

28:52 It's against the backdrop of this incredibly divisive political culture in the states at the moment. So you you become inadvertently a pawn in that. At what point did Trump get involved?

29:04 After the phone call with my dad that night when we had arrived in locks, um, he his big recommendation was um just get offline, like just kind of push it out. Um, so I'd kind of deleted everything from uh like social media and whatnot. Um, and I had woken up the next morning and we were meant to go and train.

29:23 Um, and I I looked up my name on Google and I had seen like five or six different professional athletes or like celebrities saying negative things about me, and it was just like the first it was like Brett Favre, the guy that scored the a miracle in high school, um Jake Paul, um, like all these people, and I was like, what is happening?

29:49 I was like, Are you kidding me? Waking up in an altered reality. It was crazy, and so I just knew like if that was what I saw just from looking my name up, like what's going online must be insane. Um, but I was kind of like, whatever. And I we got to the hill, um, and I was rooming with uh Matt Labaugh and Burke Irving, and so they were kind of keeping me updated and kind of just like telling me what was what, and we went and met up with my team, and obviously, like everyone knows, you know, like they're all like wow.

30:19 Um, so at that point it was like a really interesting deal because we were trying to train, but the only thing that I think almost everyone could think about was my deal. Um, and we had gone to the top of the pipe, and like it, you I had every single person, like the Canadian team was there, the New Zealand team, all these different people.

30:37 Um, and they're all training and they're all coming up to me and they're like, How you doing? Like, what's going on? How is everything? I'm like, ah, like it's okay, whatever. But like training was the last thought, you know? And then we had gone down off the hill, and we're we had just gotten back to the house and we were chilling there.

30:54 Burke was in his room, and Matt was sitting with me on the couch, and they're both kind of like checking what's what because it's blowing up and it's crazy. Um, and I get a call from my agent, uh Tom Yaps, and he goes, Hey man, I was like, Hey Tom, how's it going? And he goes, Well, at least the president knows your name.

31:13 And I go, What? And he goes, You haven't seen? And I go, I haven't seen what? And he goes, Oh shit. I was like, Oh my gosh, what? And so Matt looks it up and he's like, I'm like, what? Did he like repost like the video or something? Like, what happened? He goes, No, and then Matt reads it off to me, and I'm like, oh my god, like what is happening?

31:33 And Burke runs out of his room and Burke's like, dude, it's fake, it's fake, it's fake. And then he looks and we all kind of like double check, and he's like, No, it's super real. Like, oh my god, and my phone just blows up, and I like kind of just like gathered my stuff and ran out of the house, and I get a call um from two people with Team USA, and they were just trying to navigate the waters a little bit in in like the moment of crisis, and so they call me and they're like, Hey, you saw, and I go, Yeah, and they go, Okay, um, it's gonna get really bad.

32:05 And I was like, Okay, and they go, just stay break into anything, yeah, yeah.

32:11 And they go, just stay offline. I go, I am, and they go, Um, some people are gonna be in contact with you, they're the head of the uh Olympic committee uh security, and they're gonna be in contact with you. Just have your phone on you and get ready. I was like, okay. So I call my parents and I'm like, hey, this just happened, and they're like, no fucking way, you know, and they're kind of losing their minds, like they're they're in disbelief.

32:36 And I just kind of went to this corner and just broke down. Like I just couldn't handle it. I just thought it was it was just the most like emotional thing, like it it was the most I had felt out of control of my emotions, um, just because it was like it was the whole world kind of came down over me.

32:54 Um, and it was it was for something that I didn't feel as if I had ever done in a way. So it was this really weird experience. Um, and so the lady, the head of security calls me and she's kind of running me through like what they're gonna do, and the FBI had gotten involved, and um, they were just kind of like anything that publicly said any of like my addresses or maybe emails or phone numbers, because at this point I had thousands and thousands of death threats, like thousands of death threats.

33:24 I had death threats the Margaret had just been unleashed. Oh my god, it was insane. All my emails were like flooded with uh death threats. I had some people had found my phone number, which was really concerning. Instagram was crazy. I even got death threats on LinkedIn. Like people would send me really well professional.

33:41 Professional death deaths was crazy. This one guy told me about how much of a pathetic piece of shit I was and whatever, and I looked and he was a puppeteer. I was like, brother, come on. But he wrote really well. It was honestly really funny.

33:57 He was like Pentula.

34:00 Yeah, it was really funny. So I there was like comical pieces to it, but I mean, it was so they just they had done everything they could to kind of like remove any relationship with like my family members so that they didn't get attacked. Um, we had local law enforcement go and kind of sit outside my parents' house and make sure that people were that were coming like in and out of their neighborhood were like good to go.

34:22 Um, and they stayed there for like two days and they were screening all of my parents' phone calls and different things like that because they were getting different death threats and stuff as well. So it was it was like so full on in this moment where you're just trying to focus on your sport and uh it's the biggest opportunity you've ever had to compete.

34:40 Um, it's everything but skiing, you know.

34:42 It's the ultimate pylon, isn't it? It's the ultimate pylon.

34:46 Yeah, it was. I mean, it was like I had actually I talked to Eileen Goo about it because I knew she was really good about this. Um, and when it was all really going on and I was in the thick of it, I asked her how she deals with it and how she navigates these waters. I mean, she's a young girl and she's under extreme scrutiny.

35:04 Um, and the things that she does to kind of like put that behind her and compartmentalize and just focus on her skiing and her her deal. Um, I really in that moment I understood really well and I kind of I needed a bit of guidance. And she was she was like, the hard thing for you is that you're just caught in the crossfire.

35:26 You have not like you're not you're not trying to like stand your ground, you're not trying to make this like big statement, you're not pushing for change, at least I don't think you are. Um, and you're just caught in the crossfire. So I I'd recommend just sitting back and kind of watching and how cool you get to see how many different perspectives there are.

35:44 And I was like, wow, what brilliant piece of advice. No, no, no, amazing, but God, I wanted something I wanted like in cure, dude. I want you to be like, This is what you do. This is exactly how you it'll be fine to ride it out. She's like, no, you just kind of gotta observe and just let it be.

36:02 So did that help you or not?

36:03 Did you come away from that being like, oh, I kind of wanted a bit more there?

36:06 Not during no, during that time, I was kind of I was really in the thick of it. Is terrifying too strong a word? No, I think it was pretty accurate. I mean, I had never been under any type of scrutiny, really. I mean, skiing and snowboarding is such a small world and such a bubble. Um, and so we're all pretty sheltered to people with pretty similar ideas and beliefs to one another, you know.

36:28 Um, if someone's whack, you don't have friends, you know, like it's kind of just like, yeah, yeah, cool. You you love everyone, it's all good. And like it's kind and respectful and super like you can hang out with everyone.

36:40 Absolutely. It's so funny. I always say I've tried going further and further out of the action sports industry, but the wanker count goes up so rapidly when you get away from this community. It's not worth it. Yeah, it's when you're in part of this community, it's very as you say, it's so tight-knit, and then it's like you've been thrown out of your safe little bubble and you're in the chaos of the whirlwind.

37:04 Absolutely, in the thick of it. I mean, it was like, yeah, it was just so full on. And so I just I had I had no tools, you know. I had I had nothing at my disposal to try to like get through it and and navigate it. And even when I was like dropping in, I'm trying to kind of like figure out different things and kind of like try and make the most of the time that we had of that little training block.

37:24 Um, and I would like drop in and be thinking about like some comment and kind of how I could navigate responding to that or like what I was gonna do next in my next move. And so it was yet again everything but skiing, you know.

37:37 And I imagine when you're skiing or snowboarding, that's the moment you can actually you can get rid of everything. You always live in the moment when you're immersed in the act, yeah. But that's a reflection of just how much this had torn up your reality. Yeah, that you couldn't that you no matter what you do, you can't cut through to the skiing.

37:57 It's like going to bed after an argument, you know. You never you know you never go to bed without you settle it and then you move on. And that was always my thing growing up and everything. And this was just like an argument you could never settle, and with people that didn't want to hear about it or hear from you.

38:11 And so it just was this regardless of how much I tried to like neglect it and kind of like move past it and just push on and kind of just be ignorant towards what was going on, just try to focus on skiing, and there's so much good coming from it along with the bad and all these different things. It was just this all-encompassing deal that, like, as much as I tried to just kind of like mend it over, it was never gonna be solved, and so I just had to live with it, and it was a really short period of time to learn how to live with that burden, you know.

38:42 I I saw some big high-profile people absolutely rally alongside you with some fantastic statements. I mean and was that fog lifted before you got to drop in.

38:52 It was more of a different fog because at that point I had I had a really bad crash in training one night. I'd broken my wrist and I had some bone bruising in my shoulder. I had really bad tendonitis in my knee, and then the day that we were supposed to do the qualifiers, I woke up and I had hit my hip during the crash.

39:09 Um, and I woke up and they had canceled qualifiers, and I walked down to where my parents were staying with my family, um, like my aunt and uncle and whatnot. And I walked down and um we're all sitting around the table, and my dad just goes, You guys mind if I say a prayer? And we go, sure, yeah, go for it, whatever.

39:26 So we all sit there and we bow our heads, and he he says some nice words. And um I probably had like eight or nine family members there. Um, and so we're all sitting there, and while he's talking, I'm like, oh man, like this is killing me. I'm like, I'm fine. And I'm like, oh, it's this really intense, like stinging pain.

39:45 And he finishes and everyone gets up, and I'm kind of still sitting there. I'm like, wow, my hip feels terrible. I don't know what's going on. And I get up and I go to the bathroom, I pull my pants down, and there's a a soccer ball on the side of my hip, and I had a hematoma that had just erupted while he was praying.

40:04 And so I I went out and I grabbed my family, I go, I'm screwed. And they're like, What do you mean? And I show them and they're like, Oh my god, and they just rush me um to the athlete village where they had like a little like medical sent tent there, and they immediately went in there, they got an ultrasound on it, they drained um like three or four like vials of blood, only got rid of about half of it, and then they just had to compress me, and I had to just I laid down all day long, and so the next day was gonna be the contest.

40:32 So it was just I had so much going on. Like it was like maybe the week after when we had gotten there, and there was so much cool stuff going on. Like, there were so many people behind me. I taught like Ben Stiller, he hit me up, like all these really, really cool people, the whole snowboard community, which as a skier means the world.

40:49 Like, that's like the honestly one of the coolest things ever. Like, snowboard mag was like hitting me up, being like, You're all good, man. Like, we back you, and like all like I I just felt so like noticed and seen by the community, and that was kind of what mattered to me the most. And so from that standpoint, I felt really good.

41:06 And then it was kind of the weight shifted into being like I didn't want to disappoint those people because now it was like you had like this vendetta almost where you're kind of like, I gotta like do something with this, you know, like this is full on, and then the health problems kind of came in, and it was just navigating that, and so like the day of the event was like we also had qualifiers in the morning and finals that night, which I haven't done a competition stack like that since I was like, I don't know, 12.

41:34 Yeah, exactly. Like it's crazy. So it was just like so many different things that had gone on that kind of like I was riding honestly really well, and I had all these things that were going for me, and unfortunately, it just wasn't my night, and I just kind of I I think I peaked a little too early in the practice that night, and it didn't create the best result for me.

41:54 Um, and I think I still think about that night like constantly, it'll pop up in my mind when there's quiet time and kind of it it nags at me. And like after that moment, I kind of I I was so disappointed, it was such a heartbreaking experience just not being able to do what I thought I could have done and what I had gone there for.

42:11 It was just like the job was not complete. Um, and it was this full-on kind of like out-of-body experience from the whole deal. Um, and when I was able to donate the money from the Real Loser project, that for me kind of created this full circle experience where I was able to emotionally be like, that was my experience.

42:32 That's that's what it was for. It wasn't for me to have this kind of like grand athletic journey, but it was just this whole different deal that I'll hopefully never have again. But I'm so lucky to have been able to experience it and to be able to kind of like turn it into this positive thing. I only donated the money maybe two months ago or something like that.

42:54 Um, but that was just so gratifying, and I I kind of knew from there that that was that was my purpose and my intent, and I got to have that, so I was really lucky and proper tangible change. Yeah, I mean for me it was the most gratifying experience I've ever had in skiing. Like it was so cool.

43:10 What's next for skiing then?

43:11 Has the body has the hematoma? The bot the hematoma's good. My knee has been lingering. I took a slam the other day at TC that made it feel even worse. Wheel of sword. Wheel of sword.

43:24 Slam is one of the biggest understatements I think I've ever heard. That was literally like jumping Fifth Avenue. Yeah, on the kind of New York assimilation. That was six lanes of traffic.

43:50 Yeah, I mean, it was full on. I in the air, I was like, this is never gonna work. Like, there's no way. Like, it just sucks.

43:56 Were you that come on when you were thinking about it?

43:58 A little bit, dude. When you're about to slam. It's like the most like like you're just so you're tapping into like a different world. Like yours like it's gonna happen. Total clarity. Yeah, like far into the front of the boots for this one. Like this is gonna suck, but how much?

44:11 Yeah. Are we ready? We're ready. Right, it's time to wrap up. Um thank you for your time. It's been a pleasure. Yes. Nobody leaves Snow Globe without answering our mountain misdemeanors. These are the little naughties that everybody's done. Or have they? I don't know. I don't know. I think you're I think you're well, but let's see.

44:32 So question number one from our mountain misdemeanor. Have you ever committed lift pass fraud? Yes. Oh for sure. Absolutely.

44:42 It's a part of being a season air, isn't it? And traveling the globe. Absolutely. I've had passes for places and I still just poach because it's fun.

44:54 Okay. Bonus point one that one. Bonus points. Okay, good. Uh number two. Have you ever had intimate relations with someone else or on your own, in or around any ski resort lift infrastructure?

45:13 And he's got an audience for this one. No. No, okay.

45:17 We know what that means. Two points. No. And thirdly.

45:22 You're not a very good liar.

45:24 I'm going now. And thirdly. Have you ever been arrested in a ski resort? No. Okay. Oh, there we go. No, I'm a good boy, man.

45:33 I figured that much. I actually I'm surprised you got one. So congratulations. Yes. There we go. Thank you so, so much for sharing all of those stories with us. That was wonderful. Thank you guys.

45:44 That was great. What a guy. My favourite. He's actually my favourite interview we've done. We've only done one. Moving on, the real loser project. Set that up. Um $60,000 of donations.

46:01 He hadn't worked out that it was gonna cost him $30,000 to make the t-shirts and pay the credit card fees off the website. But it's still running now. Uh go and check out the Real Loser Project. The t-shirts are incredible. You can still get one. They're really, really sick. We've both ordered one at the moment.

46:16 Yeah, and all the proceeds do go to the charity Stoked. That's cool, right?

46:20 It's such a good cause. Taking Donald Trump's ire and turning it into money for underprivileged kids.

46:29 That needs a clap. That needs a clap. We salute you, Hunter Hearst. We do indeed. Well, we salute you, Hunter Hearst. It goes without saying, of course, uh our Patreon subscribers get everything first. They get everything completely free, and there is an extended interview with Hunter. Uh and if you want a little bit more of him, and I know you do, then head over to our Patreon, sign up for free, and you can watch that interview in full.

46:53 No, no, loves, no, gloves, no, gloves, no, loves.

47:01 Oh, oh, there it is. Yeah. It makes me feel sick even looking at it. Can't get it off. That is a silver band that got you three drinks last night at the We Can't Not premiere.

47:12 It's not the amount of drinks that you have, it's when you had your last one. And unfortunately for us, we both had them after midnight. A bit like gremlins.

47:19 We found ourselves in a karaoke room in Deepest Darkest Soho. My last memory in there is of mind sweeping me. Oh my word. If I don't have syphilis, I'd be so surprised.

47:33 Oh my word. Uh listen, let's be serious. I was there, I was hosting, I was working, and I actually put him to work as well. I sent him out with a camera and a microphone to go and interview the good and the great of the British snow sports industry. And uh here's what he got up to.

47:51 Tim's hosting the show, so I'm gonna get stuck into the scrum of celebrities and nay-do wells with the two most important tools for the job.

47:59 Microphone and a beer.

48:02 Billy Billy Cooklepup, Billy Billy Smile, Billy Billy Cooklepup, Billy Billy Smile. Bronze medalist from 2018. It is the one and only Billy Morgan.

48:13 Yeah, okay.

48:14 It's just my song. How are you doing, Bill? I love you, yeah, yeah, good. How are you? That is a lovely thing to say. I do love you. Genuinely. I think about it most nights when I go to sleep. How many beers down are you?

48:25 Six. Fantastic. Yes. Uh had a few. Are you here for the film or the beers? Beers. Excellent, okay. I'd like to see the film too. Obviously, I'm very excited about that, but um, when you see a few friends, it um the beers kind of just creep out, don't they? That's it, the excitement gets the better of you.

48:44 Yes.

48:45 Okay, let's go and watch a film. Yes, please. Hold on!

48:49 What are you doing, man? Who's this? No, no, no. You're about to see the UK's greatest uh snowboard and ski photographer, right there.

48:57 What are you boys expecting tonight? I genuinely don't know what we're gonna see. I think you gotta love the mountains, you gotta love looking at what they're doing with them. Um, but also like where do you take it? You know, you've seen ski movies, you've seen tricks, you've seen these riders before, so how do you make it different?

49:12 And if you're gonna get different, you're gonna get Gendal.

49:15 So let's keep it going. John Overity. Oh, one of the cameramen. How are you feeling about the film The Premier Tonight?

49:22 That's kind of an insult calling me one of the cameramen. I am the DP of this film. Just really looking forward to seeing it with all of its polish. I mean, I haven't seen all of it like with the final soundtrack, I haven't seen it fully graded. Really looking forward to just seeing it on a big screen.

49:40 Kind of going round in circles now. I just spotted him. U-turn had London. You've got a film premiere at BFI. Is it is this sunk in yet? It's uh it's huge.

49:52 Um went into the uh the room where it's gonna be and it's insane, it's so sick. And then you step out the front door and you're like on the River Thames next to the gol uh the Golden Eye. Next to the uh the London Eye. Yeah, it's unreal, isn't it? Unreal.

50:12 I mean, imagine it's gonna take a bit of time for this to soak in, but what what are you expecting tonight? What do you want from it?

50:19 Um I I'm expecting that this is gonna be the best crowd. Because you know it's like a native speaking, uh native English speaking, so all the jokes should listen. Um, and there's a huge amount of like skiers and snowboarders here, a lot of the scene here from UK. So yeah, here to support uh Gendal, director, and people who know us.

50:45 So I think it's gonna be really nice.

50:47 Okay, how many drinks have you had so far to quell the nerves? I've had three.

50:52 This is I had to lay low a little bit today because I could still uh feel Sheffield a little bit, you know. It was a big night. Yeah, we went we went three a we went till 3 a.m. at the karaoke bar. But that's what it's all about, man.

51:05 That's what we lived for.

51:08 Looked like he had fun. Too much fun. So did you. Well, we said at the start, didn't we? It was like being uh It was like being at Paddy Graham's wedding again. Not that I went to his first one. Oh thanks a lot, Paddy. I promise it's not gonna be like this every week.

51:26unknown What do you mean?

51:27 It's gonna be like this every week. It's gonna be this much fun. We're not gonna be you're well, I mean you obviously had a lot of fun there, but I I can't imagine we're gonna be this hungover every week.

51:37 No, I hope not. That's unsustainable. My liver feels like it's gonna come out of my eyes at the moment. But socially, I am frolicking through a lush green meadow of friends. The social battery is fully charged. Fully. Yeah. And I mean it's we've got much more international flavour planned in the show as we go through.

52:00 Yeah. But I have to say, next week stays quite British, but it has one of the highest tier guests that we've got planned. Should we tell them? No, don't tell them. Yeah, we go, don't tell them. His name starts with B and ends with air grills.

52:21 Oh, that is good. And that is why he gets paid the big box. Bear grills.

52:29 Incredible story. He's one of the most he might be one of the world's best known survivalists, but he's also a very passionate skier, and his story is immense. And he's spooned with Barack Obama. He has, hasn't he?

52:42 He has indeed. He's got one of the best bee sting stories as well. Save it. Uh you'll get that next week. Uh don't forget, get over to the Patreon. You can sign up there completely for free. We just need your email address, your mother's maiden name, last five years of addresses, and we will do the rest.

52:59 And also, no promise we won't spam you. Promise we won't spam you, but you will get all the content free. Loads more content over there as well. And of course, thank you to our friends, heidi.com, your number one destination for skiing snowboard holidays.

53:13 Yeah, you can build basically a bespoke holiday but still get it all covered. It's a fantastic site. Go and check it out. See you in the snow.

53:21 Snow globe, snow globe, snow globe, snow globe. Yaga yaga yoga, snow globe, snow globe, snow globe, snow globe, snow.