THE KING SNOW MOVIE | CRAIG MCMORRIS • FULL PART + INTERVIEW
Craig McMorris is a complete ATV on a snowboard, showcasing one of his strongest seasons to date. Awarded 2021's Performance of the Year award at the iF3 Film Festival, this is what standout snowboarding looks like.
THE KING SNOW MOVIE Available Now
You’ve been filming video parts for a minute. How did this experience differ or compare?
Extremely unique for a number of different reasons. The people, the situation, the location, all those three things were super different. I started this year with people that I’ve never snowboarded with. Bryce Bugera, Tommy Van, Maria Thomsen—we’ve never gone on a trip. So that was really special. The other thing was, I loved being locked in Canada. There were no other obligations, just be in Canada, film, and make a video part. I mean, it shows how lucky we are to live here, and this is why we do live here. So, for all those reasons, it was just a super special year. I mean, this is going to be a movie that you’ve never seen. You’ve never seen Sean Miskiman and Maria Thomson in the same video. You’ve never seen Chris Rasman and Tommy Van in the same video. That’s really special and that’s unique, and that is what I’m most excited about is bringing these different characters together to tell a really cool story.
How was it riding with different people? And how important is that dynamic to be productive while filming?
I think one of the worst trends in snowboarding right now is people will lock in with a group, and that’s only who they’ll ride with. That’s great, as long as you’re having fun. That matters. But I always thought it was really cool when you’d watch a video, and you didn’t even know those two riders would ever go on a trip together. It makes it unique, the vibe is different, and it makes you hit other spots. In the streets with Tommy, Bryce, and Maria, we had such a good vibe from Day 1. Everybody’s comfortable, and we’re getting a lot done. Then, in the backcountry, with Mikey Ciccarelli and Sean Miskiman, I met two of the hungriest and most talented dudes with fresh eyes. There’s nothing worse than going out with somebody who is like, “Oh, I’ve seen this a million times.” And there’s nothing better than going out with people who are like, “I want to jump off anything. Let’s make this work.” I’m like, “OK, let’s do it!” But both those crews?! I think I was the luckiest snowboarder in Canada, if not the world, this year.
“The man gets shit done. Whether you were trying to figure out speed or deal with security, he was there to take care of it. I don’t think there’s a spot in the world that he couldn’t make work. He’s also such an atv. One day he’ll do a wallride backy, and the next he’s doing a switch boardslide to switch on a gnarly down flat.” —TOMMY VAN
Except for a couple of injuries, right? How did that affect your season?
I mean, it sucked, honestly. It always seems like you’re just picking up momentum and I don’t know if I would have filmed anything more. I don’t know? Maybe I would’ve got a bunch more shots? Hindsight is always 20/20. But fuck, I wish I didn’t get hurt. This would have been the most time I have ever got to film in my snowboarding career, actually. So the fact that that got cut short was super lame, but it makes you appreciate and be thankful for the days you have. Those days when it’s perfect and the feature works, and you’re like, “This is all worth it.”
Where does your motivation come from to film a part that you can be proud of?
Great question. Where’s the motivation? That is snowboarding to me. I don’t know. This may sound controversial, but there are many professional snowboarders who I don’t think could film a full part anymore. I think that is the greatest testament and mountain, for lack of a better term, to climb if you’re a snowboarder. Filming a big snowboard part. That’s the top. That means you’re tough enough to do this. You can play in this league. So, I think it should be the most respected part of snowboarding. It’s not the snowboarding tricks, right? It’s persistence and overcoming the challenges. There’s a lot of people who can do incredible tricks. Not all of them can film a good snowboard part.
