Swiss rider Christian Haller, aka Hitsch, is one of the most exciting transition riders to watch. His above the lip maneuvers will have your jaw on the floor, however his latest video project, Spuren, hones in on the unexpected magic that occurs in the transition of a halfpipe.
Spuren, which means "tracks" in German, strips away everything that occurs above the lip, and emphasizes the trajectories that Haller believes are at the core of halfpipe riding. Haller has been riding transitions all of his life; it's all about dynamics. For Haller halfpipe snowboarding happens in the transition, and not so much in the air. The line that a snowboarder chooses to take is the most essential moment during halfpipe riding, as it predicates the take-off and flow into an aerial maneuver.
Haller takes photos of the lines he makes with his snowbard in the snow of the transition, and blows up the close up shots onto a photo canvas as way to show that the "seemingly unspectacular can be spectacular too". Drawing on a diverse range of influences, including the creative work of his film and photo collaborators for this project who include Dominic Zimermann and director David Bertschinger Karg, Hitsch has found a way to spur creative self-expression through his snowboarding.
https://vimeo.com/145147090
