In late February 2018, I received a phone call from filmer Tanner Pendleton asking if I would like to join him and Arthur Longo for a four-day weather window in Chamonix, France. Although flying transatlantic on a day’s notice for questionable conditions seemed a bit overzealous, it was exciting enough to go. All I really knew about the area was there are very big mountains. Upon arrival, I was surprised—not only by the intensely jagged peaks that loomed over the valley, but also by the amount of terrain on offer for the non-adrenaline-junkie. After shooting for just two days of that trip it felt like we had barely scratched the surface.

A year later, I returned to Chamonix with filmer Jake Price to meet up with Arthur, photographer Matt Georges and Vans Europe snow team manager Bruno Rivoire for a Vans project entitled Triple. We’d shoot for two weeks in an attempt to make a video and photo book. I’ve always enjoyed the short-travel project idea of committing a certain amount of time to one spot and seeing what the weather and conditions provide. It allows for time to get to know a place.

Two weeks would hardly be enough for Chamonix. The valley has ski resorts on all four sides with more than 70 lifts scattered throughout. Tram cables rise out of the valley, taking passengers to the unfathomable tippy tops of dozens of rocky summits. Because of that, it was somewhat a mystery what we would get into each day. One day, we climbed behind Arthur down a craggy cliff with a 50-foot drop on each side to look at a potential jump. On another, we sat in a fog drinking espresso for five hours, then drove across the valley to chase light in a different zone…

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