Essex Prescott: In Search of Powder

We caught up with Essex Prescott after his most recent spell in Niseko. With his photography and film crew in tow, they set out to capture the best of the Niseko powder.

This was your second visit to Niseko, how did this trip compare to your last?

This was our second trip to Niseko with Nordica and our expectations were very high after our amazing trip last year. Once again, we hit it perfect and I think this years trip was even better! About the same amount of snow but a bit more sun which made conditions for filming and skiing excellent.

Where’d you go and what did you do?

We were filming powder skiing everyday, all over the resorts and also in the backcountry. We made it to the summit one day and got some amazing sunny, powder footage. We also filmed an entire night segment on the night skiing terrain right in front of Skye Niseko. That was a very unique experience I won't ever forget, skiing powder at night is unbelievable.

Who was in the crew this year?

Our crew this year consisted of: Peter Wojnar (filmmaker/photographer), Brooks Curran (photographer), Jeremy Acland (athlete), and myself (athlete/producer).

What was the purpose of this trip?

The purpose of our trip was to gather content to promote the new '2021 Enforcer Free' series of skis. We were shooting an episode of a Nordica web series featuring the skis as well as shooting marketing material for the release of the skis next fall. These skis excel in the powder, and what better place to document that, than in Niseko!

Is the primary output stills or video? What’s easier to set up? What’s more fun?

The main focus of the trip was video but we do shoot photos as well. I'd say it's a 70/30 split. Personally I prefer shooting video as it documents a longer period of time and usually involves more skiing but it is also nice to change it up and shoot photos. It works well doing a bit of both. As per the set-up, it really depends on the situation, each aspect lends itself to easier set ups in different situations.

Is a good still photographer automatically a good filmmaker, and vice versa?

At Nordica we are lucky to work with some really talented content creators that can excel at both aspects. This definitely is not normal as the skill sets are very different. Peter Wojnar is one of few filmmakers I know that is highly skilled in both aspects, he's a huge asset to have on these trips.

When’s the film come out and what’s the theme this year?

The film will be dropping November 2020 just as the hype for the ski season is building. We took a bit of a different approach with the film this year and I'm really liking it, the night segment added a really cool aspect. You'll have to see for yourself!

Travelling the world, skiing powder and shooting films – do you sometimes have to pinch yourself?

Haha well if you put it that way... On a serious note it has been a dream of mine from a young age and I'm incredibly grateful to be living it! So yes I do regularly pinch myself, especially at the end of a day in the mountains.

Tell us about your stay at Skye Niseko? Has the hotel changed or improved this season?

Staying at Skye Niseko is always the accommodation highlight of my season. The rooms and facility are beautiful and comfortable, the staff are friendly and helpful, and honestly nothing can compare to the breakfast at Kumo Restaurant. Skye has everything we need and so much more, I look forward to it every year! As per changes I noticed a couple new things on the menu at Kumo Restaurant that I really enjoyed, and some new decorations around the hotel that really caught my eye.

Is this an annual thing now? Will we see you back here next winter?

At this point I can't imagine a winter without coming to Niseko... see ya next year!

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Check out last seasons Nordica edit here!