MEET THE TEAM
Style Altitude is the skiing, snowboarding and snowsports INDEPENDENT online magazine that features all aspects of adrenaline style for riders at altitude. It is created by a team with a passion for the mountains - an Editor who skis, snowboards and is a former top stylist, a Co-Editor who's a four-time Seasonaire, blogger, digital content and snowsports style writer; and a Tech Editor who exchanged high-powered Fleet Street for high powder in Les Hautes-Alpes.
With contributions from pros and influencial friends in high places, STYLE ALTITUDE is fresh with original concepts and unique commentary unlike any other ski and snowboard magazine. Whether you ride for one week a year or the whole season. Ski or snowboard. Do prestine groomed pistes or backcountry gnar. You can be 16 or 60. A seasonaire or a geezonaire. It's all about doing it in STYLE at ALTITUDE. This is the online ski and snowboard site with an edge - or two.FOUNDING EDITOR & SHREDITOR: ELAINE DEED
STYLE: Former fashion editor/ director of Evening Standard, W Magazine, Cosmopolitan and Tatler. Gone over to the cool side - that is the high life as in mountains rather than 5th Floor Harvey Nicks. I am, however, an extremely selective shopper (known to spend a whole season in the quest for the perfect skis/ jacket/gloves/whatever).
ALTITUDE: Started skiing, went over to the dark side, snowboarding, then back to skiing.
STYLE NOTES: Favourite kit: Hands down Elevenate (jacket, skipants, puffa) supplemented by Jottnar, SCOTT and Patagonia shell. I hardly ever ride without some sort of backpack: off-piste, a Scott Alpride avy bag or an Osprey, (once had to zip in our Jack Russell to ski down from a hut on a deep powder spring ski-touring day). Skis: DPS Pagoda 106, length 171 with Fritschi Xenic 10 bindings (so a super light touring set up that works downhill), Nordica Santa Ana 110s (Winter 17/18) with Diamir Tecton touring bindings, Black Diamond skins; SCOTT Crus'Air 169s lightweight touring skis with Diamir Vipec 12s bindings; and 165 Armada VJJs 115mm wide powder skis. Snowboard: Nitro Glide.
ALTITUDE MOMENTS: Worst moment snowboarding over a snow bridge between two crevasses in La Grave, not a good place to head plant. Best: Touring the Lyngen Alps on a snowboard, riding down to the fjords on blue bird days in May. Plus savouring insanely expensive cold beers on the boat.
SNOW TRIBE: Trans-tribal. As a Stylist by former trade I want the latest, most stylish kit so I have Fashionskista tendencies but there's a Gnarly trying to get out because, as a backcountry skier, I like that effortless, not-trying-hard-at-all look. If I like a jacket I'll wear it for years and stick rips with duct tape but, meh, it does have to be the right colour.
CO-FOUNDING EDITOR: LOULOU BAYLIS
STYLE: Former chalet girl and writer of the winter blog Seasonairehead. Uni graduate and seasonaire, I have perfected the art of dancing in ski boots while downing pitchers of beers after three winters and one summer season in Tignes.
ALTITUDE: Used to be one of those annoying toddler skiers with massive mitts on, waddling round like penguins and face planting every five minutes on the pulley rope. Not much has changed 20 years on, except the waddling and face planting is now down to alcohol.
STYLE NOTES: Anything and everything apart from ‘Glossies’/ Val D’Isaaaar or ‘Pisties’/ Punter style. I wear Volcom, Colourwear, Airblaster, Horsefeathers, Armada, Neff, DC, Holden, Oakley, Vans, Nikita, etc. Often in guys' gear because there needs to be more for us girls, and I’m not afraid of stuff being baggy.
ALTITUDE MOMENTS: Skiing full pelt into a draglift control hut when I was 10, epically wiping out on the Border Cross on my first season and snapping my ACL on Christmas Eve 2012 after hucking a kicker. Riding’s fun; if you fall just get back up again.
SNOW TRIBE: Bit of Steezies, bit of Fashionskista..
TECH AND TOUR EDITOR (ALSO CYCLING ED): GAVIN BAYLIS
STYLE: From London media man who, I admit, was a legend in his own lunchtime on the piss to Alpine backcountry skier whose lunch is an energy bar and bottle of water off the piste. Now I create websites from my office in the mountains or by the sea, when not out skiing, cycling or kitesurfing (which, er, is most days). I consider another hard day at the office to be a 1200m vertical ascent.
ALTITUDE: Skied, snowboarded, now back to skiing.
STYLE NOTES: Anything technical so long as it's resistant to wind/water, controlled by satelites or made by NASA . Wear SCOTT and Jottnar jackets, Black Diamond pants, Sunto watch and, of course, all the off-piste safety avy kit including SCOTT Alpride airbag. Rides SCOTT Superguide 106 and Powd'Airs, Black Crows Atris, K2 Coombacks, Dynafit & Fritschi Vipec bindings. Usual accessory when ski touring is a couple of hardy Jack Russells known locally and on the web as Rando Chiens.
ALTITUDE MOMENTS: The time I skied straight off a cliff, dropping 60ft. By mistake. And survived. Lost a ski (and a bit of pride) under the snow which was recovered six months later in the summer by Per As, mountain guide. The ski, that is, not the pride.
SNOW TRIBE: The clue's in the job title.
www.anotherharddayattheoffice.co.uk
CONTRIBUTING SKI EDITOR: JONATHAN 'BING' BINGHAM
STYLE: Started skiing at the tender age of 18 months in the Cairngorms, Scotland. Childhood spent racing on dry ski slopes and skiing adventures in the peak district. Ventured to Banff Canada at age 17 ¾ for a gap year and ended up working for ‘Ronald McDonald’ flipping burgers and, more importantly, skiing every day. This led to a further six ski seasons working in the Alps in various roles that would maximise time on the snow. Now self-employed and spend as much time as I can in the mountains. In fact, I'm the ultimate Weekend Warrior.
ALTITUDE: I like to ski fast and steep whenever it is safe to do so. Tech bindings all day every day, no excuses.
STYLE NOTES: Must have the latest kit and always interested in any new ski innovations. Can be found dressed on and off the slopes in Patagonia. Ski set up: Elan Spectrum Alu 105mm & Carbon 105mm, Dynafit Ft 2.0 Radical Bindings, Dalbello Tech Boots, Vaude ABScond Airbag, Carbon Sweet Rooster helmet and not forgetting the essential Sunnto on the wrist for recording the day's activity.
ALTITUDE MOMENTS: Famous for being there when our Tech Editor skied straight off the cliff and lost one of his skis in the snow wilderness. So, gallantly, as he was in shock from his fall, I gave him my skis and I took his which meant seriously testing my ski skills by descending to civilisation in the powder on one ski.
SNOW TRIBE: Born Gnarly but, the Editor says, I'm a closet Fashionskista when it comes to wanting the latest kit!
CONTRIBUTING SNOWBOARD EDITOR: FAYE YOUNG
STYLE: After snowboarding for nine years, I've just finished my sixth winter season abroad. Summer is all about working hard for me because when it comes to winter I avoid work like the plague! I started a blog when I was younger to keep my sponsors up to date with competition results but now I love writing about what I get up to and reviewing products.
ALTITUDE: Snowboarder from day one! I learnt to ski for the first time, last winter, and it was not pretty. For the sake of everyone else on the slopes I'm going to stick with snowboarding. Despite being a park rat, when the powder is good I'm outta there!
STYLE NOTES: I'm going to be honest I like patterns and a bit of colour. I'm not one to blend in! These days, I tend to be a bit more subtle about it, though. My setup is - Nikita Expression 153cm with Nikita Ninja Bindings. Salomon Lilys are my boot of choice (double boa's because I'm lazy), Celtek keep my hands toasty and XS Helmets protect my head. Spy Bravo goggles are my favourite and Nikita outerwear keeps me looking fresh.
ALTITUDE MOMENTS: While filming for my friends in Breckenridge, my board decided to go exploring by itself at super high speed through the park. All I could do was watch it hurtle away hoping it wouldn't hit anyone and lead to a lawsuit. Luckily it hit a tree instead!
SNOW TRIBE: I'm a cross between Fashionskista and a Glossy! I used to be a Steezy but I'm a bit girlier now. Floral patterned goggles and tight fitting pants are my thing. It depends on if I'm riding at the indoor dome or on the mountain, though. I want everything before everyone else, too.
CONTRIBUTING USA AND CANADA EDITOR: LOUISE HUDSON
STYLE: Former Seasonaire with Crystal Holidays, current ski blogger and freelance ski writer for the Dallas Morning News, Globe & Mail Canada, MORE mag, and dozens of other ski-friendly publications. Co-author of Winter Sport Tourism: Working in Winter Wonderlands. Biggest coup – apart from skiing the back of Mont Fort in Verbier – getting a ski article published in the LA Times (and read by all those Hollywood highflyers). Love champagne, both snow and liquid; happy to heli; après ski is my fave nightlife; and will feast on fondue whenever tempted.
ALTITUDE: Ski-aholic since age 12, never missed a season since 1972. Miserable at monoskiing and non-starter at snowboarding. Occasionally dabble in ice-skating especially at Lake Louise with Victoria Glacier as backdrop.
STYLE NOTES: Mix and match! Contoured jackets with fur hoods – think Obermeyer's floral and fur, Nils pink parka, anything Rossignol 1907. Flared, stretch black ski pants although shocked everyone with crimson last season. To combat cold of Canada and USA, hanker for heated everything: Seirus heated mitts, Volt's heated vest and heated scarf, ABOM's heated goggles, Therm-ic boot heaters and Transpack heated boot bag. Fave thermals bamboo all-in-one Patagonia (with zip-up loo flap); always wear Smartwool ski socks. Finish off outfit with Native's white Braiden sunglasses if sunny. Number 1 skis Rossignol every time (currently Temptation for piste and Savory 7s for pow). Won't throw away hand-me-down K2 Burning Luvs which are still fun on bumps. Boots ancient Nordica Dobermann's customized for finicky feet – dreading their demise. Love Therma-Cell heated insoles for après ski bone-spur bliss and collect puffy jackets, Sync, Marmot, North Face. Make my own après ski outfits.
ALTITUDE MOMENTS:Signature skiing low point: two sleepless nights spent updating will and writing farewell notes to sons before first heli-skiing trip with CMH. Hedonistic high point: making quad-quaking powder patterns with CMH that first time – and every powder print, whether accessed by traverse, hike, cat or heli, since.
SNOW TRIBE: Skeezer/Fashionskista and like to surprise people by skiing slightly better than age and attire suggests. Despite photographic evidence to the contrary, I do wear helmets most days - particularly Bollé and Giro, sometimes disguised by a fur-trimmed Helmet Hugger.
BACKCOUNTRY SKI EDITOR: KEN REEVE
STYLE: Spent eight years in Zermatt as a ski tech/mountain bike tech back in the 80s, tried the real world for a while after that, but couldn’t hack it so now living in Serre Chevalier, it’s real for me.
ALTITUDE: Freeride/freetour and telemark, steep and deep when available, but happy to be anywhere off-piste. And the piste? There to take a shortcut to powder!
STYLE NOTES: Modern technical clothing, but only if discounted! Favourite setup: DPS Wailer F112 with Marker Alpinists.
ALTITUDE MOMENTS: The time I skied straight off a cliff, dropping 60ft (sound familiar?). Grappa induced, but wearing a helmet (2001, early adopter) so still here to tell the tale.
SNOW TRIBE: No discernible style whatsoever, just ski.
