HVE FUN! | Rian Zetzer and Braids

Q AND A w/ RIAN ZETZER

Where did the idea behind HVE FVN and the Braids come from?

The idea for Braids started back in 2021 when Clare, Alliy, and I got interlodged at Snowbird for 60 hours due to a severe winter storm that produced 100 inches of snow. When interlodge was lifted and we were finally able to ski, we had a magical day filming together. Filming with other female athletes allowed us to feel comfortable to push ourselves and have fun along the way. We were all wearing braids in our hair while filming that day. TGR coined our crew the “Braid Gang” when they reposted our project “At Last” about our experience skiing together after the long interlodge.

The following summer we got together and decided it would be fun to create a season long film project together. There aren’t many full female crews creating ski content together and we wanted to be apart of changing that. We looked up to skiers like The Blondes and were hoping to create something similar. We wanted our film to be air focused. I have a background in mogul skiing, Alliy has a Slopestyle background, and Clare comes from a gymnast background. We wanted to incorporate elements from our past and create a film with lots of tricks on natural features. Our goal was to showcase progression for female athletes and inspire young girls to get out with their friends and support each other.

The name HVE FVN came to us in the middle of our month-long trip skiing in British Columbia. Throughout our trip we experienced tough snow conditions. We found ourselves discouraged, defeated, and doubting our abilities to put a film together. We decided to call the project “HVE FVN” because even though we were struggling, the whole point of skiing is to have fun with your friends. Our focus shifted away from high performance to enjoying our time traveling together.

What was it like filming for your movie last season?

Filming our movie was a loose operation. Alliy has a camera so a lot of days Clare, Alliy, and I would just go out with her camera and take turns filming each other. It was a lot of trial and error trying to film and ski at the same time. In full transparency, there were a lot of missed shots. Shots were either zoomed in too close, shaky, overexposed, or a multitude of other technical difficulties. We were able to laugh off our struggles and come back the next day to try again. The most productive days were when we were hitting jumps and could just post the camera up at the bottom of the jump. We split our time filming pretty evenly between the resort and in the backcountry. Some days we had professional videographers join us which was extremely helpful. It was nice to be able to just focus on skiing our best rather than worrying about missing each other's shots.

What was the biggest challenge?

Filming was a lot more challenging than we expected. So many factors have to align to have a successful film day. You have to have a filmer, safe snow conditions, healthy athletes, good lighting, a clear objective, etc. A lot of days these variables didn’t line up in our favor. The most prominent challenge we faced was the snow conditions. We are based in Utah and last season was extremely dry here. We received little to no snow through January and February. We grew hopeful that we would find better conditions when we ventured North to Canada, however we experienced a similar struggle of minimal snow. Skiing is a weather dependent sport and that means that you can’t control the conditions a season will bring. We did our best to work with what we had. The conditions made it challenging to push our abilities and try new things in the air. Soft landings who??

What was your favorite day of filming?

My favorite day of filming was a day in late March when we took the snowmobiles to build a backcountry booter behind Alta. We had just come back from our Canada trip and were feeling defeated. Upon arriving back in Utah, we wanted to get out in the backcountry with our friends and have fun. The in run for the jump was super spicy and challenging which made it super fun. The sun was out, the vibes were high, and we remembered why we love this sport. We drank beer with good friends and didn’t take ourselves too seriously. Funny enough, we got some of our best shots of the season this day. This day was proof that when you are truly having fun, you can perform your best as a skier. The moment it isn’t fun anymore, its time to reevaluate. I’m proud of our crew for making it through the tough days so we could enjoy more fun ones.

Any advice to anyone who wants to make a ski movie?

Be gentle with yourself and don’t set unreasonable expectations. We went into the season with a long list of different objectives we wanted to incorporate into our film. We only successfully filmed about 30% of the objectives we originally hoped to. You never know how the season is going to play out. While it is great to set goals, it's also good to be flexible and work with the conditions that occur. Challenging conditions are an opportunity to get more creative on your skis and tell an authentic story. So many ski films are unrealistic and only show the deepest turns and the sickest lines. In reality, only a handful of days in a season actually look like this. The majority of our season was filled with hardback overcast days. We did our best to portray this in a way that shows you can still have fun even if the conditions aren’t pristine.

What’s on tap for you this season?

This season I plan to ski locally in Utah. I call Snowbird and Alta home. Last season I did a lot of traveling chasing snow, so this season I am super stoked to stay local and ski the mountains I love most. I feel really comfortable in the Wasatch Mountains and am very familiar with a lot of the backcountry zones. I’m excited to push myself in familiar territory and enjoy a season with friends. Last year was my first season filming a full project and I definitely experienced burnout. I’m excited to reconnect with my passion for the sport, push myself to go bigger and ski faster, and hype up other ladies to do the same.

Anything else you want to add!

HUGE shoutout to LINE for supporting this project and believing in me and my friends. If told me a few years ago that I would be a pro skier, there is no way in hell I would have believed you. LINE has helped me believe in myself as an athlete and a person. Thank you!!