Freeskiing
Skiing on rock: Nico Vuignier goes a bit nuts
When the snow is really, really bad, skiing on rock might seem like fun. At least to Nico Vuignier.
Nico Vuignier sometimes goes a bit nuts. Normally, he competes at the highest level in the Red Bull Linecatcher event and the Freeride World Tour. But, on other days, he loves coming up with crazy shit, like screwy videos or strange fotoshootings...
Remember the historical quadruple backflip that scored 90,000 views in a single day? They revealed in the following days that it was a hoax crafted by Nico.
Know the Crewstacez crew, a gang of mad Swiss guys who have been producing hysterically funny videos for 10 years? Nico is part of them.
"What I like in freeskiing is to be able to create your own style, your own identity. You express yourself, you have the chance to be unique," says Nico.
Nico definitely has more mischievous ideas in mind
© Dom Daher
In this unusual photo session, we find him in a canyon near Crans-Montana, jibbing on a rock wall… because it’s way more fun than slushy snow!
"I found this spot years ago. It has never been in good condition, the run-up is very short and it starts in a chute. Finally, at the end of the season, it was ready!"
Nico explains:
It was the worst day of the season: foggy, warm, rainy, it was awful… but a great atmosphere for images!
And no, it's not simply a tilted camera...
© Dom Daher
Dom Daher, the photographer, remembers how the snow was like plaster and how Nico Vuignier looked like a wet mop.
Dom recognized the place immediately:
I shot here years ago with Phil Meier on a mountain bike – and now we were back to shot skiing?
But Nico was very motivated to shoot despite the horrendous weather.
"He explained to me where to shoot, with which lens: he wanted a fish-eye shot with the graffiti visible and the two walls in the picture. I didn't like the graffiti, so I managed to get rid of it in all the other photos… But Nico was right and the one where it's visible, it's probably the best shot of the day!" admits Dom.
Nico looked like a wet mop...
© Dom Daher
Nico Vuignier has been busy this winter, his last production is a clean and beautiful film shot in two days in the Val d’Anniviers. Another great example of his creativity, and less weird for a change.
We'll keep you posted on Nico's next crazy ideas...