Field Notes: 6 Inches of Chow in Vail
By Jarrod Krisiloff, Head of Brand for ShredShox
December 8th, 2024
(Disclaimer: This blog is written from my personal experience and perspective, not from a third-party reviewer.)
The Setup
After an overnight gift of 6 inches of fresh snow, the day promised to be an epic one. The conditions at Vail were overcast but perfect for the mission: capturing video and photo content for ShredShox. Joining me on this adventure was Ben Roof, a talented local photo/videographer from Gypsum, Colorado. Ben isn’t just an artist behind the lens—he’s also a certified ski and snowboard instructor with 15 seasons of teaching at Beaver Creek. Needless to say, I was in good hands.
Kicking Off the Day
It was a cold one, so we started late around 10 a.m., giving us a chance to handle camera equipment more comfortably and make the most of our time. While I’ve had plenty of experience working as a broadcast videographer in motorsports, this was my first time working in an alpine environment—and as the subject, no less! I’m not a pro skier, so the thought of being the centerpiece of our content was a bit nerve-wracking. But as a new brand, ShredShox works with what it’s got, and for the day, that was me.
Ben and I met in person for the first time that morning, so we used the gondola and chair ride up to Chair 4 to get to know each other and map out the plan. Our warm-up run down Northstar and the bottom of Northwoods gave me a chance to find my flow before we got to work.
Dialing in the ShredShox
Knowing we’d be spending the day in light powder, chop, chowder, and bumps, I adjusted my ShredShox setup accordingly. On hard-packed days, I typically run about 70 PSI in the front shocks and 60 PSI in the rear with the fastest rebound settings. For today’s softer conditions, I dropped everything by about 20 PSI and slowed down the rebound. The result? Fantastic performance. While most of my experience with ShredShox had been on hard-packed terrain or end-of-day chop, I was thrilled with how the platform handled in these more forgiving conditions.
Capturing the Action
Ben’s artistic vision was to highlight depth and texture in the shots, using glade-like scenery on Cappuccino and framing the trees and rollers along Northstar and Gandy Dancer. My job was to maintain enough speed and precise positioning to allow Ben to do his thing. As someone accustomed to working with pros, Ben was incredibly patient, coaching me along to ensure the action looked legit.
By midday, the mountain was already chopped up—no fresh tracks to be found. But this is where ShredShox truly excels. In the light, soft chop, I was slicing through Northwoods like a hot knife through butter. Ben was particularly excited about how this showcased ShredShox’s capabilities, and I can’t wait to see the final photos and video. (Full gallery coming in January, but previews are on the way!)
Video Focus
After a late-afternoon break to warm up and thaw some of the camera equipment, we headed back up to Chair 4 for more video work on Cappuccino. Ben used a mix of equipment, including a long-lens video camera and a GoPro mounted on a 20-foot pole. Skiing alongside me, he captured dynamic side-by-side shots as we worked our way through a mix of big and small bumps. The conditions remained solid, and the lack of crowds made popping off the tops of bumps and threading smooth landings that much more enjoyable. The ShredShox settings felt absolutely dialed in, making the descents a blast.
Wrapping Up
We closed out the day with some wide shots featuring Vail’s iconic village in the background. As the sun began to set, we made our final descent, reflecting on a productive and exhilarating day. While the cold presented its challenges, the combination of Ben’s expertise and ShredShox’s performance made this session unforgettable.
Stay tuned for the full gallery in January and more Field Notes as we continue exploring what’s possible with ShredShox. Until then, see you on the slopes!