Assignment: Denali 2021
The Objective
It had never been done. Why not try? Our plan was to support and document the first adaptive ski descent of the tallest peak in North America, with athletes Vasu Sojitra and Pete Mcafee.
In collaboration with Intrepid Media, we landed on the glacier with 1,000 lbs of gear between 6 people, it took us 3 weeks of suffer-fest to reach the summit — one of the prouder summits of our lives. Along the way, we produced a feature film for Warren Miller Entertainment, as well as short videos and photo assignments for our trip sponsors: On-X, Goalzero and Zodiac watches.
Sponsoring Partner Brands
Warren Miller Feature
Erich Roepke pitched the idea to Warren Miller Entertainment, who jumped on board and incorporated our expedition into their annual feature film and national tour — a crowd favorite at the events!
Vasu and Pete’s story has touched a lot of hearts, and changed minds about capability in the mountains. The film is meant to help normalize disability, and we’re proud to help share a story that does a fine job at that.
Goal Zero Feature
Our expedition was powered by Goal Zero’s latest product, the Yeti 500x. We kept 4 cine cameras going, along with laptops, satellite phones, headlamps and ample music to keep our sanity in check for our three weeks on the mountain!
Goal Zero’s support was instrumental in helping us to pull off this expedition, so we produced a short film and still photography showcasing the products.
This video was edited by Erich Roepke !
OnX Feature
Our second trip sponsor was OnX. We used their navigational tools to help guide us up the mountain — and not get lost in the whiteouts.
We were hugely impressed with the UI of their latest app, and have been using it ever since on the trails at home. Our short film for them dives into the decision making process around a timeless dilemma — ‘should we keep going’ or ‘should we turn back’?
This video was edited by Erich Roepke !
Zodiac Images
Our expedition had a trick up it’s sleeve. When hauling 1000 lbs up to 14,000 feet on Denali, it helps to have Erich and Stein on the team. Two of the strongest and best expeditions partners we’ve ever known.
Erich and Stein, are also Zodiac ambassadors, and we shot some images of them for Zodiac’s signature watch series.
