As part of the release of our first feature film "THIS IS HOME" last December, we wanted to give those who followed our journey the chance to ski and party at our very own home in Verbier, Switzerland. Brits Tim and Jack were the lucky winners, and jetted off to Verbier to spend a weekend cheesing, beering and slashing pow with our own Arnaud Rougier. Here is their story...
One brisk winter evening, Tim and I were sat in one of the fine City of Bath's many pubs. "I've had an email Jack, what do you make of it?" Tim enquired.
“THE FACTION COLLECTIVE: CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE ONE THE FACTION THIS IS HOME COMPETITION”
"A scam, Tim, nothing more than a scam I reckon.”
"Yes, Jack, my thoughts exactly: a scam - nothing in life is that good.”
A day later when we were on the plane to Geneva we realised how wrong we were. Dreams do come true. After a simple transfer to Verbier, Elisabeth greeted us at the Hotel and we got the lift down to Faction HQ -the Mecca of freestyle skiing. The office really would be best described as a skiers wet dream, with every room littered with mountain memorabilia and skis. In a converted Verbier Chalet, decked out with skis floor to ceiling it is no wonder this office produces the best skis in the world. The team were super friendly and you could quickly tell that everyone in the office all share the same passion for skiing. After a chat with the team, Jack and I headed back to the hotel to indulge in a much deserved spa session after the hard days traveling. In the evening we went out for a traditional mountain raclette courtesy of Faction and had a few drinks at the local bars to charge us up for our days skiing.
Friday morning we were greeted by This Is Home, Faction Athlete Arnaud Rougier. He was easy to spot with his XXL jacket and distinct goggle tan. We jumped on the lift and headed to the top of the mountain.
"Do we need to worry about avalanches Arnaud?" We asked tentatively. "Not at all - completely safe" he replied as he turned on his transceiver and got his ABS trigger out.
After one run, it was clear that this guy was born on skis, the style and effortless powder carving was unreal. We hiked up far into the mountains and skied some of the best runs I have ever skied in my life. It was awesome to ski the same mountain as the FWT Qualifiers and even more impressive to see the final run! Without a doubt, one of our best days on skis in a lifetime.
Exhausted by such an intense days shredding, we retired to one of Arnaud's favourite après ski spots. Beer and banter flowed as the sun set behind the mountains on the horizon.
Thank you Arnaud for treating us to our best days skiing yet, and thank you to Clara, Elisabeth and the rest of the Faction team for booking us on the most insane ski trip of our lives. It has been a great pleasure to be introduced to such a forward thinking, innovative and successful company and we can’t thank them enough for such an incredible weekend.
