Wilderness Mindset

Traversing untested mountain ridge routes in Montana, solo hiker Alex Maier embarks on a journey with many unknowns where things rarely go as planned.

Splitboarding is a fast-growing sport for snowboarders who want to venture out of the resorts and into the backcountry. A splitboard is a snowboard that splits in half and allows the snowboarder to cross-country ski into the mountains. You then put the board back together and ride down. Snowboarding in the backcountry is an entirely different sport than snowboarding at a resort. A rider gets only a fraction of the runs because they have to earn every foot of ascent. But when taking on these extra challenges ones could be rewarded with the best deep-powder snowboarding that nature has to offer; you won't find these conditions at a ski resort. Alex Maier has been snowboarding his whole life, but that was in the midwest. When he moves to Montana he has to start from scratch, this series shows what it takes to get into the backcountry safely and effectively.

Take a visual journey through every month of the year in Michigan’s beautiful hidden gem, the Upper Peninsula. The scenery of this remote landscape on the shores of Lake Superior is unknown and unlike anywhere else.