Oh, snowboarding!
Beber, Three Vallees backcountry circa 2001
After being made redundant from my first (and only) job as a graphic designer in 2001 I decided to sell everything I owned and join a friend for a winter season in Meribel. I had heard about snowboarding but had not yet tried it (unless you count smashing my teeth out on Dartmoor attempting to ‘snowboard’ on a frozen river when I was 16).
The seasonaire dream turned out to be a mattress on the floor of a dorm style room with the band my friend was playing in. But that was fine with me. I had raised enough for a board and bindings, a season pass and had brought my records and camera with me. I had everything I needed.
I was given a job as roadie for ‘Cheapskate’ - the covers band I was living with - who played 8 gigs a week across the resort towns of Meribel, La Tania, Val Thorens, Courcheval and Val D’Isere. My salary was 20 euros per gig with free room and board. We had 2 days off a week and never had to be at a venue before 3pm for soundcheck. Apres gigs were rowdy and often out of control, evening gigs even more so. If we could get up in the morning we had plenty of time for snowboarding.
While in Meribel I met a few people who inspired and influenced me greatly: filmmaker Bru Robinson who I would accompany on shoots with the local standout riders, and programmer, freeskier and wonderful friend Will Eaton who introduced me to the world of hiking and powder riding and gave me a place to live and work.
I would sometimes join Brew on shoots and take my camera, or head up to the snowparks in Meribel to document the riding and would design the cover art and posters for his film premiers.
Will was one of the kindest people I ever met and in some ways taught me how to be independent by giving me freelance design work and encouraging me to learn how to build websites. Tragically he died in an avalanche a couple of years after I stopped living with him.
