Series description
Looking across the sprawling valley at five riders scouting a steep chute below them, it almost didn’t seem real. They looked like they were standing on a wall, somehow defying gravity. From where I was standing – on an opposing ridgeline – the chute looked downright impossible to ride. But in this vast Alaskan landscape, individual perceptions can be deceiving.
It was our third day exploring a stretch of the Talkeetna Mountains, about 100 miles east of Anchorage. Our crew of mountain bikers – Kurt Sorge, Alex Volokhov, Nico Vink, Jaxson Riddle and Remy Morton – surveyed the steep mountainside in search of possible lines down yet another unridden face. The vast expanses of potentially rideable terrain here were remarkable. And therein lay the challenge: where to start?
Biography
Born and raised in western Canada, Anthony Smith spent his youth between the prairies and coastal British Columbia, before his family settled in Calgary, Alberta. There, Anthony was introduced to photography. He followed that curiosity to the Emily Carr University of Art and Design and studied Photography.
An extensive editorial background crafted Anthony's unique narrative quality found in his images and has provided countless opportunities to tell the stories of exceptional people and places. He currently resides in Bellingham, WA.
Alex Volokhov
These massive landscapes could often be misleading. What looked rideable from afar could, upon closer inspection, be nothing more than a jumble of big rocks and boulders. Even in the messiest debris, Alex Volokhov was a picture of composure, confidence and style. His determined approach in such challenging terrain showed the unique skill set required of this breed of big-mountain freeriders.
© Anthony Smith, Canada, Shortlist, Professional competition, Sport, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards
Kurt Sorge’s First Descent
In many ways, Kurt Sorge was the captain of this exploratory mission. The decorated freerider identified most of the rideable zones from the helicopter and highlighted the most technical aspects of the lines before the riders dropped into them. Sorge served as a mentor and was always pushing the limits of this trip. He was the only one to hit this massive chute.
© Anthony Smith, Canada, Shortlist, Professional competition, Sport, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards
Group Descent
More than anything else, the supportive team dynamic is what made this adventure successful. Riders worked together to scout entrances and exits, always radioing reports to those yet to drop. The trust they had in one another gave the riders the confidence to approach each slope with their own unique vision. At the end of another gruelling day the group of exhausted yet ecstatic riders descend the final slope to the helicopter.
© Anthony Smith, Canada, Shortlist, Professional competition, Sport, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards
Scouting the First Lines
On our first day we were blown away by the scale of these mountains. We’d seen rideable terrain from the road, and it seemed like it would be a short hike to reach the top of our first zone. But after four hours of slogging up a creek bed we were still only at the base of what we’d hoped to ride, and the rideability of the slope was still uncertain.
© Anthony Smith, Canada, Shortlist, Professional competition, Sport, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards
Helicopter Approach
Belgian style maestro Nico Vink took a unique approach to these mountains, scouring the tops for high-speed roll-ins and milking the terrain for maximum velocity. Vink was always taking his own path down the mountains, death-gripping with a huge grin on his face.
© Anthony Smith, Canada, Shortlist, Professional competition, Sport, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards
Carving Through the Colours
Look for the red dirt. The more colourful and fine the soil was, the better it rode – as confirmed here by Jaxson Riddle and Remy Morton. Although both of these young freeriders were new to this rocky big-mountain terrain, their talent, style and confidence was easily shining through by the end of the trip.
© Anthony Smith, Canada, Shortlist, Professional competition, Sport, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards
Scouting the Line
Kurt Sorge surveys another unridden face, looking for lines to express his unique style and creativity on the slope.
© Anthony Smith, Canada, Shortlist, Professional competition, Sport, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards