Elena Hight’s big mountain lines are so precise, you can almost draw them with your finger. Or a laser.
As a part of the upcoming film Mountains of the Moon, the Lake Tahoe-based rider dropped into a gully that was outlined by a laser in an undisclosed backcountry location. Benchetler documented the moment in episode 15 of the YouTube series Ship of Fools. Tap or click to watch below.
“Elena did some really amazing turns and lasers and different things that were maybe some of the better shots of the whole trip,” Benchetler said.
Laser tech Brad Kellogg said in the video clip that it’s been a dream of his to put on a laser show in the snow. At first, he believed that the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado was the best venue for such a display. Then after heading out into the backcountry with Hight, Benchetler, and the crew, he changed his mind.
“This is the most beautiful venue I’ve ever seen,” he said.
The web series takes viewers behind the camera for a type of backstage access not often offered to the public before a video project drops. Episodes drop weekly, and there are 32 planned in total. Mountains of the Moon will feature some of the best snow sports athletes in the world, pushing the boundaries in the nighttime. It will be set to the music of the Grateful Dead.
“We were up in the alpine and the laser guys had made this really beautiful outline of this shadow line,” Hight says in the clip. “I was looking at this perfect gully with this laser down it, and I realized like, I don’t think there’s ever going to be an opportunity to ride down a laser ever again. That is a dream come true. And there’s this perfect laser track to follow. Some of the funnest turns of the trip, and just the most unique experience I’ll ever have.“
Hight is fresh off of a stellar performance in the most recent Natural Selection Tour contest, in which she came in second place to Spencer O’Brien. Her runs saw some of the most massive sends of the day, including a huge frontside 720 and a straight air drop from 30-feet up.
This will be Benchetler’s second video project with a Grateful Dead theme. The first was Fire on the Mountain, a skier/snowboarder film narrated by NBA legend and noted Deadhead Bill Walton. The film featured the riding of Jeremy Jones, Danny Davis, Kimmy Fasani, the skiing of Benchetler and Michelle Parker, and the surfing of Rob Machado. Benchetler also did the artwork for the film. Fire on the Mountain was released by Teton Gravity Research.
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