Snow had now taken over as the designated
camera person, with the $10,000 solid state HD camera in her pack and a
radio-equipped camera on her helmet. She continued the trail footage and she
would be filming in-motion as they descended the mountain. Both the helicopter
and another crew positioned across the valley would pick up the trip down. The
intricate planning and complex logistics were time-consuming and frustrating to
Snow, who rarely stopped moving either up or down. But the gig paid well—so there were no
complaints from her. She just wanted it to go precisely according to the script
with no problems as, right now, they were above the helicopter’s reach and the
lives of the other four were 100% her responsibility. A huge spread and tub of
beers would be waiting for the whole crew down at the lift-top mountain chalet
when they got there, so there would be a pretty good party as a bonus when all
was done without a hitch.
Sacha White was Canadian by birth, but
couldn’t actually remember ever having a street address in Canada. Her mother
told her that she was born at the side of a bush trail in January and that her
first cradle was made of seal skin lined snow blocks. Her native name meant
something like snowshoe hare, so Snow was a natural and immediate nickname. As
far back as she could remember, she had lived outside. Although appreciated in
the deep freeze of the mountain winter, heated buildings were something she
avoided until absolutely necessary. She could build an storm-proof igloo with
the right snow or a watertight lean-to with the right trees, so it rarely
occurred to her to go inside anyway.
Snow was wearing a custom Burton S Series
split mountain snowboard, with skins, which functioned exactly like the skis of
the others. At the top though, she would assemble the two halves into a solid
178 centimeter, ultra-wide powder board and ride the uncut snow down in the
graceful arcs of an expert deep powder rider. Part of her commitment to the
assignment was to lead the two Japanese pros off the two-hundred foot drop of
Muerte Larga cliff above the mid level bowl. This twenty-story drop was unique
in the Andes and only a handful of riders and skiers had successfully completed
the free fall and landing. Snow conditions, wind, light and humidity all had to
be perfect to ensure a clean approach, a controlled fall and a survivable
landing in soft powder more than thirty feet deep. Style points were awarded if
you managed to stay on your feet, with your equipment on, but that was only a
minor concern. Huge, “yard sale” wipeouts
made for better TV anyway. She just had
to ensure they all came up laughing.
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