We finally grew tired of sneaking around off-piste in Poland so we packed our 9 persons van and headed for Slovakia. Even though the snow in Poland was ridiculously deep, the terrain was too limited to keep us sitting still. We managed to turn a 2-hour drive into a 5-hour drive but the scenic route proved to be an eye opening experience. The countryside of Eastern Europe is cold, harsh and you can see the years of hardship in the peoples face.
Slovakia suited us much better. The terrain is better, the people are friendly, and we could ski whatever we want! The snow continued to fall in Slovakia giving us one sunny day to see and ride the mountain. The mountains are amazing and one sunny day just left me wanting more…
Our 9 persons van strategically packed. We packed 6 people in here with all our gear. One person had to sit in the tiny spot you see on top of the luggage.
Some of the Slovakian terrian we shredded…
Hangin out with the band
Getting amongst the deep snow!
Dash…jibbing around
More terrain…
The crew unwinding after a long day.
After finishing our last episode of the Nitro Circus MTV show, I flew to Prague the next morning to meet up with the TGR crew and start filming a segment for their new film “Re:session”. I met up with the boys in the morning and toured the city before we took an overnight train to Krakow, Poland. We rented a car in Krakow and drove what was supposed to be a 1.5-hour drive to Zakopane, one of the main ski areas in Poland. Our 1.5-hour drive turned into 5 hours due to heavy traffic and bad weather. We arrived in pounding snow and one of the deepest snow packs in the history of the area. It was unreal!
This is not what I expected out of Poland…I expected a small mountain and a hard snow pack. I thought this would be a trip to check out the Eastern Block culture and experience a new mountain range. These mountains are the real deal and this is the deepest snow I have EVER skied…that is a legit statement. The problem with Zakopane is you are not allowed to ski off piste. Everything off the groomed runs is illegal and everything we have been shooting is under the radar…stealth missions. We have already been caught once ducking a rope and told we would go to jail the next time this happened.
We have been rolling the dice every day and getting some amazing footage. We had plans to head to Slovakia for the second portion of the trip but it just keeps snowing and hard to leave. If you don’t hear from me soon I am in a Polish jail and send help soon…
Downtown Prague…
Prague…
The crew…filmers Steve Jones, Dustin Handley. Photographer: Chris Bezamat. Riders: Dylan Hood, Dash Long, Erik Roner.
The overnight train ride…
The traveling junk show…
The arrival to our hotel
One of the lower ski hills out of Zakopane.
The real mountains up high…the most snow in over 10 years!
Our Nitro Circus MTV show premiered this past weekend and the whole crew got together to watch and enjoy all our hard work. The premier happened while we were shooting our last episode in Utah. We finished all 12 episodes and everyone is still standing…lots of minor injuries, and hospital runs but thankfully nothing severe. I hope you guys enjoy the show and tune in each Sunday at 10 pm to watch the mayhem!
I am at Chicago airport headed to Poland to meet up with a TGR crew to film a segment for their new ski film. I am beat down and tired but having too much fun to slow down!!!
The crew…
Pastrana and Joe ready to watch the show!
Ken Block and Jeff Tremaine on hand to catch the premier.
Jim DeChamp and “Everyone’s Favorite Redneck” Hubert Rowland.
