Skiers Speed Down Drainage Ditch Straight Into the Ocean
Over the years, a steep drainage ditch in Lions Bay near Vancouver, British Columbia, has seen plenty of action—as in, skiers and kayakers searching for a shot of pure adrenaline.
Up next is Everest Hughes, who tackled the snow-free line with plenty of style alongside his buddy Leif Coopman.
The only problem? Hughes apparently, and unsurprisingly, needs some new skis and boots afterward. Neither salt water nor cement is good for ski equipment.
Tap or click below to watch.
As far as we know (we’re happy to be corrected), the first time this line was attempted was back in the 2010s, when kayakers Rush Sturges and Ben Marr went for an absurd ride, hitting speeds of 45 miles per hour.
Their hectic descent, which was shared by GoPro, went viral on YouTube, tallying more than five million views. During it, the two kayakers spun out of control before blasting into the Bay. See below.
In the years since, Griffin Elsley and a group of skiers took on the ditch.
All of the stunts reflect an ongoing undercurrent in skiing: every summer, at least a few skiers get bored, look at some slope or architectural feature that wasn’t designed for skiers, and ask themselves, “You think I could ski that?”
The answer’s often yes, although we wouldn’t recommend partaking unless you don’t mind completely trashing a pair of skis.
One of the best examples of that very-human tendency is BPC, a series of videos from Europe shot entirely on snowless surfaces. In them, the crew rips through the forest, down scree piles, and leaps into canals. Not to be too bleak, but it’s good to know that if climate change makes skiing untenable a few decades from now, there will still be skiers.
Finally, perhaps the best-known example of snowless skiing is Candide Thovex’s Ski the World ad spot for Audi. The well-produced adventure showcases skiing in all kinds of unlikely places, from the Great Wall to towering sand dunes.
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