STRAIGHT LINE HOT LAPS WITH ANDREW GAYDA Words Tom Wallisch AT FIRST GLANCE, what Andrew Gayda does might seem crazy. After all, it’s dangerous to ski behind some of the world’s best skiers, launch off a 100-foot jump, and capture it all on a GoPro attached to a single pole mount. Keeping the camera steady and framed-up on athletes linking up corked spins just feet from your face is more than technical—it’s near impossible. But for the 25-year-old known as HotLapsOfficial, it’s become his calling card, a way to create something drasti-cally different from our ski-film past. Gone are the days of full-length ski films and waiting months to see the newest footage. We’re living in an era of instant grati-fication, showcasing the newest tricks the day they happen. For a ski video to stand out against the noise of social media it has to be beautiful and unique. Gayda has made a name for himself by creating skiing videos with life, and the era of instant gratifica-tion has taken notice. In just a few short years, he’s linked up with some of the best skiers in the game, garnering more than 22,000 followers on Instagram and earning the respect of the core freeski community. His tight follow cams are a combina-tion of quality tricks and immersive filming that emphasize style and make it impossible to not pay attention. Born in the small town of Peru, VT, Gayda grew up skiing nearby Bromley and Stratton. He studied fine arts at the Univer-sity of Delaware but was always interested in film and photogra-phy. After graduating, Gayda moved to Utah to ski, snagging a job with the park crew at Park City Mountain Resort. At PCMR he started meeting pro skiers and picked up his camera again. A passion for film and art motivated him to film with a refreshing rawness. He worked for years to perfect the timing, look, feel and sounds of his footage, knowing the tightness and speed of his shots created high energy and tension. It didn’t take long for his hobby to morph into a full-time job. His footage has spread all over the internet, and partially thanks to his relationships in the park, large brands such as Monster and GoPro have taken notice, putting him on sal-ary to film their athletes throughout the year. Big events like X Games, USA Grand Prix, and Audi Nines (formerly Nine Knights) also hire him exclusively for social media content. The list keeps growing. “Maybe I’ll cut right in between the jumps after you carve, then move off the jump to the left behind you to showcase the grab a bit more,” he says one day while filming with pro skier Quinn Wolferman at Park City. Gayda knows the shot is a col-laborative effort between athlete and filmer, but that timing is the true center of attention. Jumping alongside a skier might seem easy in practice, but the precision of Gayda’s operation is The amount of confidence you have to have in your skiing to absorb a takeoff within five feet of a rider and cut across the jump to fly just underneath them with a camera the way Andrew Gayda does is just wild and absolutely im-pressive. Here he is in action, getting airborne with Tom Wallisch. Photo: Michael Woolery impressive to watch. He has to avoid snow on the camera and keep the rider in frame while getting as close as possible—all before the hard part even begins. It may take Andrew hours or sometimes days to edit, reframe and finalize a clip for release on social media. Despite the immediacy of the internet, every-thing must get the perfectionist’s stamp of approval. Social media has provided a platform for unknown athletes and filmmakers around the world, proving that with a GoPro and a local terrain park you can make a name for yourself in skiing. Nowadays, it’s way less important where you live or what event you won. It matters how you make skiing look and how you share that with the world. Gayda is a success story of new media and showing what’s possible with a little creativity and a lot of hard work. Social media isn’t perfect, but thanks to athletes and creators like Gayda, our sport will continue to grow at the press of a red button. 106 The Ski Journal
The Ski Journal Volume 15, Issue 1: Page 106
