With a shift in his career, transferring from performance-oriented snowboarding to a way of using snowboarding as more of a platform to tell stories, Elias felt it was time to leave his long-time partner Dakine behind and move on to something new. “I was with Dakine for many years, and it was great, but I feel like I’ve evolved as a rider and wanted to get a lot more into storytelling and also put the values I have at the heart of what I do,” he explains.

“It became a question whether I would put my career on the side and start studying again or get into these other things that I really care about”

In order to do so, Elias wanted to find a partner that shared his values and visions; a brand whose values were built on sustainability and a brand small enough where Elias could make an impact, “When you’re on the outside looking in you can’t tell for certain how much of what the brand communicates is true and how legit it is. But I think when a brand builds its identity around the subject of sustainability it does make a difference, they’ve got to really be serious about it and if they’re not then you can call them out.”

Picture, a growing but still relatively small brand, is privately owned by three Frenchmen and their core values are driven by making more sustainable clothing. For Elias, it felt like a perfect fit. “They are from Europe, and they want to communicate that they are privately owned,” he continues, “They offer me an opportunity to really engage in the process and have long-term plans in it. It’s really beautiful that they hear me and take me seriously and give me a say. It’s small enough for me to participate, which I’m not sure I could with Patagonia, and that’s the difference I guess.”

“I feel like I felt the dangers of it instead of just knowing of the dangers and realised that this could actually take my life”

But a passion for exploring the mountains isn’t the only thing the two share, unfortunately. Last year, both Xavier and Elias were part of tragic avalanche accidents that ended up with a fatality. “For him [Xavier] it was in Verbier and a friend that he discovered, and, in my case, it was a 15-year-old boy in Tirol. That really shook us both so deeply so it became the initial starting point to making the film.”

The reality of backcountry riding is far less glamorous than often portrayed to us through films or social media, and sometimes it is hard to truly grasp the possible danger of stepping outside the pistes. Elias himself admits to this too, “You’re just cutting corners from one slope to another, and that’s already a bit of a backcountry experience, but then you start going further and further out…”

Elias was lucky as he was surrounded by people who knew what they were doing, and who were able to brief him on the dangers they faced when riding outside the slopes. The actual reality of it though didn’t hit him until his early twenties. “We were in Argentina, and there was this giant cornice that fell above us. We were pretty lucky to survive. That was when I really realised that wow, this is real… I feel like I felt the dangers of it instead of just knowing of the dangers and realised that this could actually take my life. This made me think about how do I want to be in this space, and shape my approach towards it, my relationship with risk.”

Venturing out into the backcountry is no joke, of course. Even if you’re aware of the dangers and clued up on all the theoretical know-how when it comes to off-piste, the reality of it is far more complex. For Elias, 34 years of age and someone with a lot more experience in the backcountry than the average snowboarder, it comes down to the connection he has with himself, and his motivation, “I need to learn to realise if I’m over-the-top hyper or stressed out about getting this or that line. It’s hard to pace yourself, because the reality is that it’s probably powder, it’s a bluebird day, and you just want to get out there.” Elias continues, “I think most things could be avoided if we had a bit of a better relationship towards risk-taking and that’s what the film wants to engage in. It’s not a technical mountain safety film, but about finding a good balance over our own approach, about the risks we’re taking, how we behave in certain situations.”

Taking all the necessary safety precautions in the backcountry is important, including making sure you’ve got the right outerwear to protect you. Picture specialises in making sustainable outerwear that is fit for backcountry riding, another reason Elias wanted to work with them.

“I think most things could be avoided if we had a bit of a better relationship towards risk-taking and that’s what the film wants to engage in”

This year, Elias and Picture launched Elias’s signature line, the Elias Elhardt 3L XPore Jacket and Bib Pants. The outfit basically combines the highest technical and eco-design standards, thanks to the durable XPORE membrane and the Biosource fabric. “I wanted to have something really light and functional. On the basis of that, we thought about ways to improve the outfit for this season, where to add pockets and other features, while still keeping the features minimalistic,” Elias explains.

He continues, “When it comes to the technical side of wearing it, I just really wanted something waterproof and breathable that has pockets that are not too much but just really useful. Both the jacket and pants are built in a way that you can layer underneath, thanks to the shell technique, so you can wear it year-round and only need to adapt your first layer.”

The XPORE membrane is a sustainable nano-porous membrane and is claimed to be the best eco-friendly alternative to the market leaders while having superior performance indicators. Prior to Picture, Elias was wearing Gore-Tex, and according to him, the XPORE Membrane doesn’t feel any less superior to it. In fact, “the XPORE jacket is one of the best jackets I’ve ever ridden in,” he says.

A career that started off focusing on competitive snowboarding has over the years grown into a whole lot more for Elias. Stoked on his future as a film producer and partnership with Picture, Elias is looking forward to seeing what he can accomplish together with the brand, “It’s a small brand that wants to really connect with their riders and those who communicate the brand to the outside. I look forward to seeing what we can do together because I think they have a lot of potential and I can see them doing really well.”

Make sure to stay tuned for the online release of Invisible Ground in the new year.