Contributors
Interstellar is a collaborative effort by many amazing creative souls. From Aspen, Colorado to New Zealand’s Wānaka, from La Grave, France to Whistler, B.C, our contributors are spread around the globe. We are honored that such talented humans trust our vision and are proud to have them working with us.
Meet the (evolving) team:
MATTHEW TUFTS is a journalist and photographer focused on the intersection of outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, and rural communities. He’s a born n’ raised Vermonter (the “t” is silent), and skis uphill more than down.
BRUNO LONG is focused on immersing himself in the action that he aims to capture, following some of the most accomplished skiers and mountain bikers globally in search of the beauty and unique moments in far-flung destinations. Storytelling has become an essential part of his photography over the past few years, turning his gaze onto the people who make incredible stories while also trying to capture the natural beauty surrounding these people. Bruno lives in Revelstoke, British Columbia.
ADAM CLARK is a Salt Lake City-based photographer, who specializes in outdoor sports and authentic lifestyle photography. Considering himself a visual storyteller, Adam’s goals are to capture the adventure and talent of his subject(s) while highlighting human emotion. Adam’s need for the outdoors and love of photography/video production has taken him around the world to work with friends, heroes, mentors, and beautiful landscapes.
AARON SCHWARTZ was born in North Vancouver and grew up between North Van and Switzerland, where he currently resides in Flims/Laax. He works as a freelance creative in the fields of graphic design, photography, lettering, and illustration – however, his current focus is on Korua Shapes for all things creative.
TESS WEAVER is a writer and editor based in Aspen, Colorado. A former editor for Powder and Freeskier magazines, she has contributed to publications like The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, The Atlantic, Outside, ESPN, Bike, Surfer, Backcountry and more. Tess is a passionate skier and mountain biker who is passing along her love for the mountains to her two young children.
LISA NICOLE MOES is an illustrator based in New Zealand. She studied design and illustration in the country’s capital, Wellington, before moving to the mountain town of Wānaka on the South Island. This location and its surrounding area have been essential to her inspiration ever since. When not working on illustrations, she loves to splitboard, mountain bike, and hike in the mountains with her golden retriever Brewster.
LESLIE ANTHONY is a writer and editor who knows a thing or two about snow. Longtime Creative Director of SKIER, former Managing Editor of POWDER, and author of the book White Planet: A Mad Dash Through Modern Global Ski Culture, the resident of Whistler, British Columbia, continues to appear regularly on the masthead of the world’s top ski magazines. His favorite activity? Skiing powder, of course.
JOSEFINE ÅS is a Swedish freelance journalist and PR manager living in the southern French Alps. Off-piste skiing and ski touring off the beaten path is a lifelong passion and a big part of her daily winter life. She enjoys exploring her new hoods around Serre Chevalier and her old hoods in La Grave, just a few kilometers away.
MATT COTÉ is a freelance writer and editor based in Revelstoke, B.C. He has been the managing editor for Kootenay Mountain Culture Magazine and is currently a contributing editor for Forecast Ski Magazine in Canada. His work appears in outdoor publications around the world, but he’s most proud of the time he saved a moose stuck in a creek.
GUY FATTAL is a Whistler-based outdoor photographer. His style aims to showcase the vastness of nature while highlighting the human experience. Combined with a unique eye for capturing light, his work has carried him to significant accomplishments by winning Europe’s 2015 ‘King of Dolomites,’ Whistler’s prestigious 2017 ‘Deep Winter Photo Challenge, and the 2020 ‘Jackson Hole Exposed.’ In his free time, Guy enjoys mastering his Israeli hummus recipe.
MATTIAS FREDRIKSSON is a photographer, journalist, and editor-in-chief for Interstellar. For almost 30 years, Fredriksson has documented ski and mountain bike cultures globally. He is a veteran adventure photographer with over 500 cover shots to his name and impressive longevity in the outdoor space. Fredriksson continues to contribute to many publications and photographs global campaigns for commercial clients. He lives in Terrace, British Columbia.
JOHN CRAWFORD-CURRIE is a Swedish writer, designer, entrepreneur, and an influential name in Scandinavian ski culture. Born in a ski resort by parents that were ski instructors, he began his career in ski magazines, working as editor-in-chief and/or art director for various Scandinavian titles. After starting a publishing company, he moved into brand development, working with major European ski manufacturers and outdoor clothing brands. He is a Co-Founder and CEO at Stellar Equipment and Interstellar. Last season he (allegedly) logged 78 ski days.
DAVID KANTERMO is a skier born, raised, and residing in Åre, Sweden. After finishing his competitive career as a mogul skier, he coached the Norwegian national mogul team for ten years before becoming Stellar Equipment’s first employee. David spends as much time as possible in the mountains, and the stoke level is generally high, no matter how the conditions might be. A pencil and a small camera are his creative tools, but an unseen map, a pair of skis, and a group of friends beat everything. Powder to the people, chair 51.
SINDRE SANDSTRÖM hails from the deep fjords of Norway but has called Sweden’s Jämtland county home for many years. Sindre looks like a Viking, but he is a very kind Viking. Put a pair of skis or a snowboard to his feet, and send mode is immediately engaged; the same goes if he gets a couple of hours off work and takes off into the backcountry with his snowmobile. A bit wild and rowdy on the side, Sindre finds his focus and perfect form at the office as the art director for Stellar Equipment and Interstellar.
MIKE BERARD is a recovered ski magazine editor. As the editor of SBC Skier, The Ski Journal, and Coast Mountain Culture Magazine, he skied around the world for over a decade. After working for Patagonia as a managing editor, Berard returned home to Canada. He now happily lives in a B.C. town you‘ve never heard of where he mainly writes advertising copy for skiing and mountain biking brands and is working on a tv series.
MATT POWER moved west after graduating from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts with a degree in Photojournalism. He has lived in Aspen, Colorado for over 20 years where he mixes his work in the mountains with portraits, weddings, and assignments for commercial and editorial clients.
JORDAN MANLEY is a Canadian photographer and film director based in North Vancouver, British Columbia. His films focus on outdoor culture and explore the human relationship with nature. Currently, he is working on a film about the ancient art of Polynesian Wayfinding. Manley is a local at Mt. Seymour where he especially enjoys skiing under the lights at night.
BROOKS CURRAN was born and raised in the Mad River Valley of Vermont, where he grew up racing. Nowadays, he combines his passion for skiing and mountain biking working as a photographer and being a pro athlete. Curran is constantly in pursuit of deep snow, loam, and the perfect turn. He is proud to call the slopes of Mad River Glen his true home.
JAY DASH is an action sports and landscape photographer based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2009, he left the corporate finance world in New York City and headed to the mountains. There he picked up a camera and taught himself how to shoot ski photos. Over time, Jay has learned the value of leaving the camera behind so he can enjoy such activities as split boarding, mountain biking, trail running, and scrambling for himself.
CHRISTOFFER SJÖSTRÖM Based in Annecy, France, Christoffer is a Swedish-born photographer who first entered the scene as a renegade freerider in the infamous Free Radicals ski movies. After picking up the camera, he quickly became known for his adventure and lifestyle shots in the outdoor sports world, and as elusive Candide Thovex’s royal photographer. Christoffer has been one of the top freeski photographers since the sport’s inception and has been featured in all major ski and snowboard magazines around the world.
GREG VON DOERSTEN has been a professional photographer since the late 80s and lives in Jackson, Wyoming. Greg has done it all, from documenting the world’s largest rapids on Africa’s Congo River to sailing the Drake Passage en route to ski mountaineering in Antarctica, climbing, and skiing on some of the highest mountains on all five continents. His work has appeared in a wide spectrum of outlets and for clients, including National Geographic, Outside, Powder, Forbes, The New York Times, American Express, Microsoft, and Molson Beer. Some of Greg’s most fulfilling work has been while shooting on home soil in the Teton Mountains.
HEATHER HANSMAN is a writer based in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. She’s the author of the book POWDER DAYS and a contributing editor at Outside and Backcountry magazine. She likes long walks with her skis on and slow double chairs. Her local mountain is Chapman Hill and her favorite ski track snack is tortillas. Plain.
DAN KOSTRZEWSKI has been an aspiring pro writer for more than two decades. His work has appeared in publications from Powder and The Ski Journal to Transworld Snowboarding and Snowboard Canada. His favorite story was one he wrote for The Dirtbag Diaries about teaching his daughter to ski, which also ran, without his prior knowledge, on the Outside podcast. His day job is lead trail breaker at Voicebox West, a PNW-based creative and strategy agency for outdoor brands with soul. He views word counts as optional.
GRANT GUNDERSON Grant Gunderson’s iconic images have captured the pure action and true essence of skiing, biking, and adventure for decades. As a founding editor of The Ski Journal, Grant served as a photo editor for six years. He has shot for nearly every major ski, bike, and outdoor mag globally including producing more than 300 magazine covers. When he’s not circling the globe in search of deep snow and good light, you will find him at home in Bellingham, WA, lapping the local mountain bike trails, tinkering in his shop, or more importantly, teaching his young son how to stick the landings. Grant is a long-time Mt Baker local.
MEGAN MICHELSON is a freelance writer and editor based in Tahoe City, California. A regular contributor to Outside, Backcountry, and SKI magazines and the former freeskiing editor for ESPN.com, she’s traveled to report on skiing all over the world. Megan is proficient at ballet skiing and always carries pocket PBJs on the hill.
SCOTT DW SMITH a Colorado native, was born on the Front Range but ran away straight out of high school, landing in Durango and the mighty San Juans Mountains. Scott is a long-time freelance photographer and contributor to the snow sports industry for over 25 years. Snowboarding has been a lifelong passion since buckets were cut into bindings and metal edges were a dream come true. Long live the woody-powsurfer!
ANTHONY BONELLO Originally from Australia, Bonello learned to ski while in Chamonix after realizing that skiing in April was better than alpine climbing. On a pair of old telemark skis, he figured out how to ski down from Aiguille du Midi and found a new passion. After crossing from Europe to North America and landing in Nelson, BC, he couch-surfed his way to the role of editor at Biglines.com, where his passion for sliding on snow and storytelling grew. Later he became a filmmaker, producing award-winning adventure documentaries that have played internationally and been featured on Netflix. In 2013 he joined the Whistler-based production company Switchback Entertainment as a director and producer. Bonello is also a published freelance writer and photographer.
AMY COPLAND is a former editor with Canadian Press, a national wire service, and CBC TV, Canada’s national broadcaster. After a brief 20-year hiatus as an owner/operator of a national safety company, she has recently returned to her first love – working with words. She spends her spare time trying to keep her husband, three grown boys, and two dogs in sight through the trees in northern British Columbia. Amy is the copy editor at Interstellar.
CASSIDY RANDALL is writing stories on the environment, adventure, and people exploring the bounds of human potential. Her work has appeared in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, BBC Travel, and The Guardian. Montana-based Randall is also a travel columnist on Forbes.com. Her storytelling is shaped by a B.A. in American Literature from UCLA and an M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana.
ZOYA LYNCH is a photographer and filmmaker based in Revelstoke, British Columbia. She has earned recognition for her work with commercial brands and has featured photos in several publications across the outdoor industry. Photography allows Zoya to translate her deep reverence for the natural world through a tapestry of light-filled moments. She is constantly seeking to combine the wilderness and stories of human connection, achievement, and wonder.
JESSA GILBERT Originally from New York State, Jessa Gilbert lived in Vermont where she studied art and art history at the University of Vermont before landing in British Columbia, Canada. Gilbert now calls Squamish home as a freshly minted dual citizen. Splitting time between the mountains and the studio, she finds fun and inspiration around every corner, no matter the medium.
ANDREW MILLER was influenced by his artistic Mother and picked up photography early. Naturally, he started shooting what he loved, snowboarding. He began taking photos of his friends with disposable cameras on the sunny slopes of Snow Summit. Almost 20 years later, not much has changed, except the cameras are more expensive and the trips have gotten longer. Putting in time with a long list of various brands and serving as Senior Photographer at Transworld Snowboarding Magazine, Andrew found a home at Jones Snowboards, working as the in-house staff photographer. He lives in Crowley Lake, California, with his beautiful wife, daughter, and dogs. He spends most of his time riding and shooting around the Eastern Sierra.
BEN HAGGAR With three generations in Kodak, Ben came to photography at an early age. He strives to tell purposeful, entertaining stories combining adventure and environmental stewardship. When he isn’t mountain biking or surfing at home in British Columbia, Ben works as a Polar Guide hanging out with penguins and polar bears or is searching out type 2 experiences in places that are hard to pronounce.
LISA RICHARDSON is a Brisbane-raised lawyer who traded robes for a ski instructor’s suit in the mid-90s on a sabbatical in Whistler that never ended. She’s been enthusiastically writing mountain culture dispatches ever since. She lives as a guest on the unceded lands of the Lil’wat Nation, on the outskirts of the community known as Pemberton, British Columbia, and is trying to grow the perfect potato.
ANDERS HAGMAN built his first snowboards in a woodworking class at age 13, turned pro at 19 and was one of the characters in the scene during the golden era of snowboarding. At this time, he also co-founded Method Magazine, one of the first websites for snowboarding. Hagman also wrote the infamous Last Word column for the legendary Onboard Magazine for ten years. Today he is a father of two, passionate about split boarding and ultra-running and in-between jobs in the tech industry.
BLAKE JORGENSON Based in the Coast Range of British Columbia, Blake Jorgenson has created still and motion work for many of North America’s leading outdoor, ski, and automotive brands over a long time. Blake’s background is in action photography, and for his commercial work, he believes in meticulously constructing, styling, and polishing his images in ways that give them the impact and visual edge of the best spontaneous action shots. For Blake, this process is a true collaboration between creative and production professionals. Brainstorming, problem-solving and a spirit of imagination are the juice that continually fuels his creative drive. He lives in Pemberton and loves to hang out with his daughter, ski powder, ride his moto, and go on mountain bike adventures.
AURELIE MORRISON-GONIN is a journalist, photographer and filmmaker. She doesn’t mind getting out of her comfort zone to follow the athletes, share their adventures, take close shots of their actions and capture their emotions. Based in Chamonix, France, and Crested Butte, Colorado, Aurelie is working globally, preferably where there are some mountains.
SCOTT GAFFNEY is a Lake Tahoe-based cinematographer, writer and longtime director at Matchstick Productions who has recently plunged into the freelance film world. Named one of “The 50 Best Skiers in North America” by Powder Magazine in 1999, Scott is now happy if he’s considered one of the 50 best skiers at his home mountain of Palisades Tahoe on any given day. He can still routinely be found dropping into the same cliffed-out lines he’s skied there for the past 30 years.
ANDREW FINLEY When not writing for SNOW Magazine, Freehub, Canadian Geographic, Capital Daily, BC Business and many other publications, Canadian freelance journalist Andrew Findlay skis, bikes, climbs, and camps with friends and family. He was born and raised in Kamloops, B.C., but now lives with his wife Lisa and their two daughters in Courtenay on Vancouver Island. In addition to writing about adventure travel, he loves to investigate stories about conservation, environmental issues, entrepreneurs, innovation, and any other exciting topics he can dig up.
JOAKIM ÅSTRÖM got stuck in photography before turning double digits, plowing through every camera magazine he could find at the local library in northern Sweden while saving up for his first camera. Sidelined in a career within design and advertising, he found his way back to focusing entirely on photography in 2017. Nowadays, his line of work is shooting people moving vertically and horizontally in the mountains. Åström is based in Åre, Sweden.
LAYLA KERLEY would probably describe her job as “standing in awkward places to take pictures of humans in negative temperatures.” Defined by her colossal backpack, messy ginger hair and ‘Dad jokes’ (the French just think she’s rude), this artist had no intention whatsoever of becoming a photographer, even less a ski one. Raised in Chamonix in the golden days of fun and ski bum culture, she’d dreamt of a creative life in a big city, preferably a long way away. But the mountain magnetic pull finally won. Based in her hometown during winter, she follows the snow while it lasts and turns into a feral cowgirl in the warmer months.
LEE COHEN moved out West to pursue some weird idyllic notion he had of the life of a ski bum. Now, over 40 years later, it’s not the same, but the vision of its purest form remains. The now 65-year-old Cohen started shooting his friends skiing the deep Utah snow and became a photographer. Referred to by some as “the Godfather of the pow shot,” he has also shot for major outdoor clients outside the realm of skiing but finds himself returning more to his ski roots as he gets older.
IZ LA MOTTE is an adventure photographer, filmmaker, and storyteller who was raised in the Catskill Mountains of New York and educated in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Today, Iz splits her time between the deep snow and sharp ridgelines of Utah’s Wasatch Range and the serene green spaces that surround her off-grid cabin in the woods of Vermont. She has developed her craft into one that focuses on the human story and its relation to the world. After moving out west years ago, La Motte worked as the staff photographer and videographer at Alta Ski Area for several years.
JEREMY KORESKI was born and raised in the coastal Canadian town of Tofino, British Columbia. He started photographing at age 13 when his father, a local oyster farmer, gifted him a amera. Capturing friends developing their own talents in action sports like surfing and skateboarding was one of Jeremy’s greatest teachers in lifelong photographic education. Still, Jeremy regards his clients as friends first and relishes any opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals in the great outdoors.
CHRISTIAN PONDELLA is an adventure sports photographer based in Mammoth Lakes, California. He enjoys travelling to exotic locations throughout the world, experiencing different cultures and photographing in remote mountain ranges. One of the elements that make his work truly distinctive is his ability to get up close, personal, and often way out there with his subjects. An accomplished ice climber, rock climber, ski mountaineer and extreme athlete in his own right, it is these activities that have inspired his photography.
BEN TIBBETTS is a Chamonix-based IFMGA guide and photographer passionate about photographing alpine ridges and finding interesting-looking bivouac huts in inaccessible locations. As well as developing personal book and film projects, Tibbetts contributes to magazines and online journals across the globe and works on global campaigns for a diverse range of commercial clients.
MIKAYLA SEATON A Vancouver-based self-taught artist, Mikayla Seaton’s creative journey draws from the untamed beauty of her native Terrace in British Columbia’s northwest. Inspired by the wilderness, her work predominantly explores landscapes, exuding vibrancy and natural allure. Seaton specializes in crafting custom, site-specific pieces, transforming ideas into narratives that captivate and uplift viewers, creating a deep connection between art and nature.
ROBIN O’NEILL is an outdoor lifestyle and action photographer based in Whistler, British Columbia. Her editorial and social documentary backgrounds have helped Robin develop a unique view of the wild landscapes and wilder personalities surrounding her. By translating her passion for outdoor adventures into exciting visual stories and dramatic imagery, she has succeeded in winning both the Whistler Deep Winter and Deep Summer Photo Showdowns and working with many reputable outdoor brands.
DANIEL BERNSTÅL is a freelance photographer based in Gävle, Sweden. Losing his daytime job in 2009 made him pick up a camera to pursue one of his childhood dreams: to become a professional snowboard photographer. Today, he shoots commercial assignments to make a living but occasionally points his camera toward some of the biggest names in snowboarding just for the fun of it. Besides photography, he loves being on two wheels on his dirt or mountain bike.
ALRIC LJUNGHAGER is a photographer, art director and co-founder of 1000 Skis. As part of the collective The Bunch, the 34-year-old helped establish the crew’s visionary visual style—a mix of voguish action photos that combined athleticism with geometry, motion, and landscape. His work differs from traditional ski photography and is characterized by an ability to capture the dynamism and passion of the sport in a new and captivating way.
DREW STEVENSON was the editor-in-chief at Onboard Magazine in the mid-’90s. He quickly became a spokesperson for European snowboarding, helping riders, events, and film crews and linking them. Drew then started the Method video magazine, eventually becoming Method Magazine in print. Simultaneously, he founded the TTR (Ticket to Ride tour), which combined all major independent snowboard events globally to become the counterforce to the FIS events. He was involved in several other grassroots events and helped young and upcoming riders find their place in professional snowboarding.
He now operates cranes in the West Australian outback, making a bi-annual tour through Europe, bringing the band back together.
PATRICK “BRUSTI” ARMBRUSTER’S first photos were published in 1994 in a Swiss snowboard magazine, and this kicked off a highly successful career. As a senior photographer for several European snowboard magazines, Brusti documented snowboarding more as a subculture than a sport. In 2000, he formed Absinthe Films with Justin Hostynek, which became a 20-year-long partnership as one of the most prominent snowboard film companies ever. In 2022, Brusti released Barely Made It, the inside story about the heady years of snowboarding. The book is a contemporary document of snowboarding during the 90s and early 2000s.
