photos Layla Kerley
Moonlines: the Arc’teryx docufilm
Moonlines: lines hunters
The movie “Moonlines” is about lines. Those to be drawn on the powdery and still intact snow while, with skis on, you chase the perfect curve of the mountains. But also those stretched out into the void, to be tackled barefoot, testing even the most trained sense of balance. The freeride lines and the highline lines. These are the two passions that unite the protagonists of the short movie produced, written and directed by Coline Ballet-Baz, with the support of Arc’teryx which also supports her in her life as a skier. In addition to Coline herself, the movie features Silvia Moser, Chloë Roux-Mollard and Aurelia Lanoe. Four exceptional skiers who for a few days shared an original journey in the mountains of Queyras, a French region on the border with Piedmont. With skis and skins on their feet, the four women, after some initial difficulties in finding suitable snow conditions, first reached the remote hut among the peaks which was their base for the entire duration of the adventure and then dedicated themselves to the two extreme sports that pushed them towards this brief retreat in the High Alps.
Coline Ballet-Baz tells us: «The idea behind the movie was to spend a few nice days in the mountains mixing freeriding and highlining, which I personally started practicing a couple of years ago thanks to Chloë. In short, spending moments of joy at high altitude with a nice group, without great demands. Initially the plan was to return to the remote Alpine cabin where we filmed “Recipe”» the documentary about women’s freeskiing, again by Ballet-Baz, filmed in winter 2021-22. «The spot I had in mind was perfect for both freeriding and highlining, and this was basically the reason why I thought about combining the two disciplines. A week before departure, however, there was absolutely no snow and the weather forecast was terrible. To have good conditions, therefore, we ended up in Queyras: here we knew that we would not have any problems on the skiing side, but we didn’t know if we would have a suitable spot for highlining. We eventually found one near the cabin, although not extraordinary. We were lucky, all things considered.»
As a companion for this adventure, Coline immediately thought of Chloë, who had already taken part in “Recipe”. «Chloë is a highline specialist: without her I wouldn’t even have thought of putting this discipline into the movie» says Coline. Searching among their group of mutual acquaintances for women who were both expert skiers and highliners, the creation of the rest of the team came quite naturally. «I’ve met Coline this year at Arc’teryx Freeride in Austria» tells Silvia Moser, Italian star of freeriding. «She immediately told me about her idea: skiing together with friends and also doing a bit of highlining. I didn’t hesitate even for a second, I immediately said yes!» Moser will present the short movie at the Arc’teryx Women in Adventure Session, at the Kendal Mountain Festival, on November 18th.
The skiers all already knew each other for various reasons «but Coline was the definitive glue that created this fantastic group» says Silvia. The friendship and the complicity between the protagonists clearly shines through in the movie. It’s no secret that in the mountains, but not only, it’s the people you share an experience with who really make the difference, who create the right mood. Silvia, Coline, Chloë and Aurelia dance, laugh, toast, rejoice, cheer for each other. In short, they have fun. They have a lot of fun.«It was just like that» Silvia confirms. «Every time we see each other it’s always fun, because we are all linked by a great passion for mountains and adventures. This time we experienced some incredible days together. During filming it was like being with family, it was all an incredible, magical flow. I returned from that trip really happy: I didn’t know what would come out of the video, but the experience we had together was already a wonderful gift.»
Silvia, Coline, Chloë and Aurelia in the short film not only have fun in moments of relaxation within the four walls of the cabin but above all outside, in the snow, suspended in the void of the mountains. «I’ve never been to Queyras, but it has been a great surprise» says Silvia. «It’s a skiable area, not too extreme to reach, but we were lucky: no one had skied there yet and so we found ourselves in this enormous trackless space, with snow truly above all expectations. However, we had to be careful, because the level was not very high and there were still some rocks underneath. For example, when entering a line I’ve hit a stone which made me fall and I’ve lost my ski, which luckily remained nearby. Then I managed to finish skiing my line, which was truly amazing. Overall, everything went well.»
The descents in the long, narrow gullies, where the four freeriders whiz by, raising clouds of dust, are daring, creative and joyful. The concentration that such a descent requires, but also the contagious enthusiasm that it generates, emerge as they are even when the four athletes stretch the highline between two trees and have fun crossing it, continuing until the sunset turns the snow-covered mountains pink and an immense full moon lights up the night. «In my opinion, skiing and highlining have a mental aspect in common» says Silvia. «In both cases you need to be very concentrated, feel your body and be connected, even through breathing, with the present moment, with the precise moment you are in. Skiing is definitely my comfort zone, I feel more confident. In highlining however, despite having done it for a long time, there is always a minimum of struggle in managing to get beyond the line. But both things convey very similar feelings.»
Coline Ballet-Baz thinks the same: «As Silvia says, the main point in common between the two sports is the mental challenge, the way you need to stay focused. But there are many similarities: both are beautiful, in my opinion, and are practiced in the mountains. Ultimately, I am very satisfied with the result of the movie: considering the starting conditions and the fact that we had to change plans several times, it was a success. Even from a human point of view, this trip was a beautiful experience, an aspect that is very important to me.» Whether it is the sinuous line traced with skis or the one stretched into the void between the peaks, in short, the conclusion for the four “line hunters” is always the same: looking back, only joy remains.
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