Kye Petersen | The Sacred Grounds, Part 1: Formation

As of recent times, my presence in the ski world has been spotty at best. At times in the past, I’ve struggled with the concept of taking my passion for skiing and mountain culture and hustle a career out of it. It’s happened more than once that I’ve seriously questioned continuing down this path… The difficulties of making a sustainable income while drawing the fine line between professional and personal endeavours… The difficulties of staying healthy and accepting all too regular high-risk situations… The difficulties managing the pressure of following in the footsteps I chose to follow and managing industry expectations. All worthwhile when I look at the blessings skiing and mountains has brought me.

After signing my first sponsorship deals at 11 years of age, I nearly walked away from it all at 18. At 25 I considered walking away again and now in my early 30’s I’ve been forced to question my present and future career goals once more. One thing I’ve come to realize is that I am happy with what I’ve been able to achieve. I’m appreciating more these days and have a fresh perspective on how I identify as a skier and a human. Skiing is a part of me but not all of me… I love the mountains and I love skiing. It has been my life, my culture and my purpose-it has given me so much, and for that I am so very grateful.

Over the past couple years, the pandemic has affected everyone in different ways. For me, it unfortunately hit my career hard. I’d been working on a large-scale film project while also trying to develop a new ski brand when Covid hit. Both of these for the most part have now been shelved. After all of this I was left with a lot of really great content from some of the best trips of my life and some amazing missions around home. I was left unsure how I was going to get this content out but I knew I wanted to put it out in a way that honours and pays tribute to the places that have shaped me and continue to motivate and inspire me.

This became all the more difficult when contracts started disappearing and I found myself without any sponsors. Almost any sponsors that is. ….my last remaining sponsor MARKER, has stepped up and with their support they’ve helped bring this new short film series to life. I’ve been dreaming about creating this project and I’m fortunate for the many amazing people who have joined in to make this dream a reality. To everyone at MARKER, this has been a magical partnership and I can’t thank you enough.

Now, the first episode of the Sacred Grounds Series is a reality. I am extremely psyched to move forward into the following episodes and to share more amazing experiences with some of my best friends, in front and behind the lens. I’d like to thank everyone who made this series so fun to work on. We truly followed our dreams and that’s not easy to do but it’s ultra-rewarding when it comes together. In Part 1 of the Sacred Grounds series titled ‘Formation’ we explore our backyard, known as the Sea to Sky Corridor. This ‘Sacred Ground’ has shaped our style and approach to skiing from our early days of youth. Today, these same childhood friends and I travel to a remote water access cabin isolated by steep coastal rainforest. It’s here where we explore some unridden gems in a new found zone. Like our mentors before us, Callum Pettit and I were able to turn the clock back and get a taste of what it would have been like to be pioneering the southern coast range in the 80’s and early 90’s.

It may be a changing world with more challenges than ever but skiing at my core is my life and love. This will never change…. My goals have broadened but for me, the beauty of learning in the mountains and the motivation to explore new mountains zones will never change. I love skiing and I’m not going anywhere—I can’t stop, I won’t stop—Sometimes you’ve got to remember where you come from to know where your going and I’m here to stay.

I hope you all enjoy following this journey in our Sacred Grounds.

Mahalo,
Kye