The on-mountain parties at Las Leñas, Argentina during the late 1990s were legendary, including late-night blue jean ski sessions, complete with flaming ski poles. The festivities would continue until dawn, and in the morning we’d go skiing, making sure to take a critical, late-afternoon siesta. Shane McConkey, Jason Winkler, Eph Learned, Cristian Tienda, Eric Warble, Jason Prigge and Asit Rathod, mid-shenanigans at Club Elura. travel and shoot for us, and we appreciated every minute he dedicated to The Ski Journal . Of course, like any truly dedicated craftsman, Flip is a complete pain in the ass. With a laser focus on details, an absolute dedication to his vision and the truth as he sees it, Flip can bring it hard. And not relent. But it is precisely this sometimes-exasperating level of tenacity that makes his work so damn good. I had the pleasure of spending some time with Flip in the Bahamas a couple of years ago, bonefishing the flats and talk-ing about life. His father, Capt. Phil Clark, who passed away early in Flip’s childhood, had been a legendary figure in the Keys and Carib-bean. Jimmy Buffett even penned a song about him, “A Pirate Looks at 40.” Flip had been spending more and more time in the Keys, and increasingly had been gravitating to the saltwater fly-fishing-and-island-hopping scene, a scene his father Phil and friends (including Jimmy Buffett) helped develop in the 1970s. There was a clear genetic simpatico for the area and culture for Flip, and he drank it all in. One particular day, the guide’s skiff had broken down and he was relegated to walking the flats and bights on his own. While many of the lodge’s sporty guests would have gone ballistic at the idea of one of their precious fishing days being compromised, Flip just picked up a small camera and proceeded to get out there. At day’s end, he had an amazing collection of images of fish, landscapes, locals and an intimate day on an intimate island. I asked if he was disappointed he didn’t get to go farther out in the boat. “No way,” he replied immediately, summarizing his whole approach. “It’s good to see it and do it on your own terms.” To Flip: Thank you for your work on The Ski Journal, and mostly thank you for your contributions to skiing as a whole. Keep being a pain in the ass, my man. Jeff Galbraith is the Publisher of The Ski Journal Flip McCririck Gallerie 081
The Ski Journal Volume Eleven, Issue Two: Page 81
