26/27 Season Proposal
Over the last few years I have started filming and editing promotional and socials content for splitboard touring company, The Rider Social. This connection has organically grown from going on my first Splitboard tours with them as a client, to now working closely with Paul Shirley (founder) and the rest of the team, capturing footage on their worldwide trips, as well as developing ideas for video content going forward. My relationship with them has opened up a whole community of guides and fellow riders in the Alps and on their trips further abroad (eg. Central Asia, The Arctic 'Split & Sail' tours), which I feel creates an exciting opportunity for a potential partnership for brands from across the pond.
My Connection with The Rider Social
I'm already a fan of TREW gear and would love to build a flexible and on-going personal relationship with the brand. I have a deep desire to share my love of the mountains, adventure and the outdoors, and have found that alongside riding with friends old and new, filmmaking has become a great way of doing that!
I saw that you already have your home market covered, and have loved checking out your TREW to You project! I have also seen that you don't appear to have distribution outside of North America currently, and appreciate that an expansion into the EU or further afield is possibly not on the radar. However, this doesn't mean that your clients won't be visiting these places! Consequently I wanted to reach out as I would be able to take TREW content to some new and exciting destinations, helping position your products as a solid choice for backcountry (and resort!) snow travel worldwide, further cementing your reputation for functionality and high-quality (as a shorter female rider, I have a great appreciation for technical gear that fits me and can handle tough environments, but also gear that I actually want to wear and feel good in!)
What kind of relationship I'm looking for with TREW
Ideally I am seeking either project-based funding or sponsorship from TREW in return for specialist short-form documentary pieces and/or social asset packs created from content captured during my upcoming trips. Long-term, I'd love to be able to give TREW a reliable and high-quality content pipeline on this side of the Atlantic, positioning myself as your on-the-ground DP, drone operator, and local fixer for whenever you want material shot over here, or plan to send athletes/crew to Europe and Central Asia.
I’m completely open to a hybrid model that can include gear trade, project-based content funding, or a retained creator partnership, depending on your current marketing budget and goals for the upcoming season. Sponsorship and/or funding aside I think we could also explore the potential of a 2-way promotional partnership, with The Rider Social actively promoting TREW gear to international clients in the alps and on their worldwide trips.
This coming season I'll be heading out on multiple backcountry trips with The Rider Social; to their base in the Alps, followed by a 'pathfinding expedition' to Kazakhstan, and then on a 'Split & Sail' trips to the Arctic (more details in section below). I will be capturing a mix of footage for socials content and promotional edits for the client trips. We are also floating ideas for creating more documentary style pieces, one idea being to shooting interviews with members of the team, speaking a little about the company and what being in the mountains and splitboarding means to them (Why do they do it?!), and combining this with footage from across their many trips. We also have potential ideas for a short form splitboarding/touring 'how-to' series. If a collaboration is something that sounds of interest to TREW, I'd love to also brainstorm any other potential ideas you might have and want to develop!
Plans for 26/27 Season
Splitboard Norway | The Rider Social
Short branded film documenting the trip.
"Split & Sail" Vertical Short 1
Vertical short promotional edit for socials.
"Split & Sail" Vertical Short 2
Vertical short promotional edit for socials.
The Alps
(January 2027)
I'll be based for most of January 2027 in the French Chablais Alps, in a resort called the Portes du Soleil. It is situated 60 minutes away from the steep skiing meccca and home of Alpinism, Chamonix, and allows easy access into the Italian and Swiss Alps that surround the Mont Blanc Massif.
During my time here I will be working and travelling with IFMGA / UIAGM splitboard and ski guides who will be leading advanced level ski and splitboard touring clients. The geographical location allows us to quickly travel to whichever destination is holding the best conditions, meaning that we should always have the best available snow and weather to work and film in. By having this 'three-country' approach it opens up a wider European backcountry enthusiast market, perfect for brands looking for increased visibility.
Central Asia
(Late Jan 2027)
In late Jan I'll be heading back out to Central Asia with The Rider Social on a pathfinding expedition to Kazakhstan, based out of Ridder, a mining town in the Altai mountains. This location has begun to appear on the radar of many pro-guides and other industry first movers due to its stellar reputation for powder skiing. Like many other countries in the region, it also delivers a rich cultural experience that is fast becoming a client prerequisite on these more 'off the beaten track' trips.
Central Asia in general has been exploding as a new frontier for backcountry skiing and snowboarding. There are a few typical ski-resorts already, but for excursions into their deeper backcountry terrain you really need established relationships in place with local contacts, otherwise they can be almost impossible to organise. As a filmmaker, having these connections already set up, in addition to going with pro-guides, allows me to not only safely shoot visually stunning and remote scenery, but also capture unique content showcasing authentic Asian culture against these spectacular and relatively uncharted backdrops.
Norway, Svalbard and Greenland are also bucket-list backcountry touring destinations for a good reason, and already super popular with North American skiers and splitboarders. However, due to its worldwide reputation as a 'holy-grail' touring zone, there is now a ski-tourist saturation of the land-based zones, making the experience a little more crowded and less special! Consequently, there has been a growing trend in popularity of using arctic boats on 'Ski & Sail' trips to gain access to remote islands in search of pristine summit to sea descents away from crowds.
There is potential for me to join The Rider Social on one of their "Split & Sail" trips in Spring 2027. This format of splitboard only versions of the classic 'Ski & Sail' trips should have huge potential to attract North American clients, due to it being the only specialist splitboard trip provider operating in the arctic boat space. Stunning backdrops aside, visual content from here should offer increased visibility to any brand involved, due to it's unique offering with a niche but rapidly developing worldwide audience.
The Arctic / 'Split & Sail'
(Spring 2027)
