If you follow Travis Rice on instagram then chances are you saw him drop this sick pow trick a few weeks back. It all looked so easy. Well now we get the chance to see how it was filmed, and it turns out it was probably easier for Trice than it was for the camera man.
Anyone who’s shot any snowboarding – especially in the backcountry – will know that communicating exactly where the rider is planning to lay down that turn/pop that air is difficult; throw in a super wide fisheye lens that demands you’re close to the action – but not too close! – and the challenge just got harder. Expensive heli time and the knowledge you’re solely responsible for Travis’s footage looking good only add to the pressure.
Spare a thought, then, for the poor skier manning the GoPro who had to interpret the planned line before letting his star know he’d gone out of frame. Fortunately Trice takes it on the chin and the duo got choppered up for a second go. The rest, as they say, is instagram gold.
Oh, and if you’re wondering how the shot looks so stable, you can see the camerman has strapped a gyroscopic gimble to his regular selfie stick. What odds on GoPro releasing their own ‘steady stick’ soon?
