The ladies bringing The Big Stick Energy, on the Out of Collective, are your hosts Renee and Indra! And who better to help ring in the first BSE episode of Pride month, than this week’s guest, Hank Stowers. Hank (he/she/they) is a queer identifying freeride skier based in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to being a rad ass skier, Hank also is a surfer writer and very active inclusivity advocate.
When they are not shredding around on the North American Freeride Tour, the focus for Hank has been on organizing for equity and inclusion in the outdoors, specifically in snow sports. Hank co-founded a group called Open Slopes PDX. Started with the goal of shaking up the culture and addressing the financial and cultural barriers we see in the ski industry. They host BIPOC shred meetups. These events allows a community to find a home in the mountains. They also provided lift tickets, rental gear, POC instructors, and a shared meal for individuals so folks could learn how to ski or snowboard.
Maritime Air is Hank’s movie that was recently released and entirely filmed in the Mt. Hood National Forrest. And while it’s more known for ski racing or snowboarding, Hank wanted to paint some of their favorite areas with a creative freeride paint brush. The interpretations of features and tricks with a new perspective makes for a fresh and unique watch. Also released in two parts, the film encapsulates the duality of summer and winter, of the different types of skiing, and of Hank himself. As far as ski films go, it was definitely a new type of narrative and winds up being something really special.
Hank confronts inclusivity, creativity, and privilege all head on, on and off the slopes. The podcast is a great listen and the film is a must watch. Enjoy the full interview below, and also don’t forget to follow the brand new BSE podcast Instagram page at @bigstickenergypod, for links and content from this episode and more! Cheers!
Hank (they/he/she) is a freeride skier based in Portland, Oregon who recently released a two-part film project called ‘Maritime Air’. Hank is all about finding spaces for for freeride on […]
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