CLOCKWISE STARTING IN THE TOP LEFT Never one to shy away from a big air, Caite Zeliff emerges from a less-than-ideal landing in upside-down snow while filming near Revelstoke, BC, for Nexus in 2021. Sometimes conditions just suck. But we film anyway—dutifully stacking one shot at time with hopes that hard work will lead to a magical film by the end of the season. Ben Hoiness and Jessica Normandeau humoring the photographer in beautiful Teton light. Thanks, guys! The kind of facial 42 inches in 36 hours can provide. These are the days you can’t make up and the ones you just have to be there for. Those three little dots are Jeremy Jones, Griffin Post and Elena Hight tak-ing a warm-up lap. They would go on to climb and ski the first descent of Mount Bertha, AK—the peak in the background. I tagged along for the ride, documenting the ascent and summit for the new HBO docu-series Edge of Earth . While Hittmeier wouldn’t turn down a heli shoot if she was offered one, she says she’s drawn to the challenging na-ture of human-powered expeditions, and the bond it forms between the whole team. “You become a really good group of friends, whether it’s one day, overnight or weeks. You’re all out there surviving together,” she says. “Everyone has to take turns digging out the latrine, or helping remodel the kitchen when it starts to melt. You’re all one unit working together to make this happen, which makes it really special.” Developing a sense of camaraderie throughout the trip makes the work feel natural, and in Hittmeier’s mind the in-cumbent trust makes it easy to communicate and tease out the story. Indeed, shooting on-slope in high-consequence terrain requires true partnership, and Hittmeier continues to come to the table prepared, confident and with the ability to adapt as needed. Usually carrying just two camera bodies, two lenses and batteries, with a shoulder clip to keep her camera close at hand, Hittemeier has built a minimalist approach designed to keep her as close to her athletes, and the story, as possible. It’s a formula Hittmeier takes to the mountains both on and off the clock. This spring, I catch up with her at 11,000 feet in the Southwest Couloir on Teewinot Mountain, a 12,325-foot peak in the Tetons. Or rather, she catches up with me. Although Hittmeier and her husband, Ben Hoi-ness, moved to Red Lodge, MT, a few years ago, she’s back in Wyoming for a film project with Arc’teryx. She’s with the owner of Exum Mountain Guides, Nat Patridge, and another guide, Gavin Hess. Today Hittmeier, Hess and Patridge aren’t really working. They’re just enjoying a calm, high-pressure day in the mountains, climbing high into the alpine to salvage some steep, sunny powder. As they pass me on the bootpack, they slow down to chat, offering some insight on the new-to-me terrain. They wait for me and my partner at the top, quickly down-climbing the exposed notch into the 5,000-vertical-foot East Face. The three of them offer to merge our parties to minimize risk. We take turns leapfrogging pitches, and work our way down the steeps, savoring long sections of cold snow. Although Leslie’s not punching her time card, she’s still got her camera. She snaps a few photos deftly, then leads us down a long pitch. I can’t tell if she was totally sandbagging when she claimed she was a “shit skier” when she moved here less than 10 years ago, or if I’m just witnessing a decade of hard work in action. It might be a little bit of both. “Right now, I’m just curious to see it play out and see how far I can take it and still be this happy and fulfilled,” she says. “If that changes, I’ll do something different, but as long as I’m fired up, I want to keep going.” When she traveled to Mount Bertha with Post, Hight and Jones, Hittmeier had to decide then and there if she could ski her line. Other times, she’s backed off, knowing that if she struggled it could pose a risk to everyone. One shot just isn’t worth it. “I really try to listen to my gut and it’s really surprising how much that can tell me,” she says. On Mount Bertha, Hittmeier felt up to the task, letting her mind focus on finding angles instead of the massive exposure below her as she climbed away from the safety of base camp. But she knew that once she put the camera away, fear could set in. She dropped in after the athletes, cautiously linking jump turns on barely penetrable ice and following the faint etch-ing of Elena’s tracks. It required a side of her mind that she’d never tapped into before and she made a ski descent that required she overpower the warning signs in her brain. She trusted her skills, getting down the mountain safely and in control—proof of how far she had come. “Sometimes I can struggle with confidence in my normal life,” she admits. “But when I’m in that [big mountain] envi-ronment, the body and mind just kind of know what to do.” Leslie Hittmeier Gallerie 091
The Ski Journal Volume 17, Issue 1: Page 91
