Mammut - Aspects Film Series
Goal: Inspire a culture of safety in the freeride community
As an avid ski tourer who had seen the dangers of skiing off-piste in big terrain, I knew that one of the first projects I wanted to kick off at Mammut as their Head of Content was to raise awareness for the risks of skiing or riding in avalanche terrain.
My chance came in Fall 2022 when Mammut developed a new Barryvox beacon and was ready to invest in a storytelling video series and avalanche awareness hub. The storytelling concept came to us through close collaboration with Sherpas Cinema, an external production company based in Canada. Our goal was to create a series of films and short videos and social content that told the stories of close calls in avalanche terrain from the perspectives of the survivors. We also intended to scale the moving picture, imagery, and text content into CRM, web experiences, and in-store Q&A screenings in conjunction with updated product information content.
Reaching out into our networks, finding the stories, and finding the survivors willing to relive those experiences was truly challenging. The emotional stress of the project was something I truly did not anticipate. Nevertheless, we all knew that this stress was an indicator that we were onto something great.
The stories that came out of Aspects are some of the most powerful brand narratives I’ve ever collaborated on. They were human and raw and engaging to watch, and they also made it clear that Mammut was a partner in this experience and a solution-provider to try and reduce risk.
After winning an innovation award at ISPO in 2023 in the second season of Aspects, the Barryvox sold itself. Did the Aspects series help, maybe. Were the in-store screenings hosted with the protagonists exciting and emotional? Definitely. But in the end, the content was not pushed hard enough in paid social or earned media channels. From my perspective, this was a failure, as these videos continue to strand as some of the best told stories from avalanche survivors. Thankfully, Sherpas Cinemas went on to use the footage gathered to collaborate with the Utah Avalanche Center and Mammut North America to release a 45 -min film highlighting close calls in avalanche terrain at Bannf Film Festival. It is included in the 2026 worldwide Banff Tour, inspiring more people to carry the proper safety equipment and take care when skiing and riding in the backcountry.
Below is the touching story from Episode 03:
