MAGMA Keeps Swinging

Since releasing their first film in 2019, Hunter Hess, Alex Hall, and Owen Dahlberg have continued to make ski movies in the margins of competition schedules, travel days, and real life. While careers have grown, with podiums, sponsors, and global travel becoming the program, the way they approach filmmaking hasn’t changed much: a small crew, long days, and strong attention towards doing things properly.

Their latest offering, TKO, fits well into that trajectory. Filmed between contests and training, the project mixes street skiing and jump sessions with a raw creative approach that prioritizes substance over display. It’s a film built on patience, trust, and reps; exactly how MAGMA has always operated.

We caught up with Hess, Hall, and Dahlberg to talk about TKO, the evolution of the project, and what keeps them committed to making videos year after year.

Hunter: MAGMA is built up by the three of us. We make videos because we love the process: pushing ourselves, finding new spots, and making the most of every season. Hopefully, along the way, we inspire others to create videos too. 

Alex: It’s the three amigos. We just love doing this stuff so much and get to go to so many dope places while filming that it just keeps us coming back every year. It’s also super rewarding when the kids and fans really appreciate all the hard work. 

Hunter: We were just over it, haha. We want to keep making videos for years to come, and calling everything “MAGMA” started to feel obnoxious. Imagine getting to “MAGMA 15”, I’d be lost.

Alex: Yea we wanted to make it feel fresh and that was sorta the reason for a whole new intro idea too. We didn’t want stuff to blend together for all the people watching out there. 

Hunter: I’d say creativity. It’s the freest form of expression and passion I’ve ever experienced in my skiing, and it truly helps me make the most out of every season. The work is endless but who wouldn’t want to create something they’re so passionate about?

Alex: Yea you get to just explore so many places and adapt your skiing to an environment that's not meant for skiing. For me personally it's a great balance and escape from competing all the time. It keeps things fun and refreshing. I also think filming is skiing in its most perfect form because we get unlimited tries to make the trick exactly how we want it. When we compete we only get a couple tries which means it will never be truly perfect. 

Hunter: Maybe it’s the amount of time and energy we put into each video. Every year, we invest more into them. We’re competitive and always want to be better than the year before, both as skiers and as filmmakers. There’s no reason we shouldn’t keep improving year after year, even if that means putting in more work than the season before.

Alex: We definitely just put a crazy amount of time, resources and energy in the filming. I also think we have gotten way more dialed at filming over the years. You learn a lot along the way and can become way more efficient with how you approach filming. Less wasted time. 

Hunter: People have responded well to what we’ve made, so we haven’t felt the need to change it. We all love core skate videos and try to bring that influence into our work. That’s what we enjoy most, and the style has developed naturally. It’s what we’re good at, so we stick with it.

Alex: I’d say it’s just the style of videos we all love watching and we take a lot of inspiration from skate and snowboard videos of similar styles. Also this style allows us to keep it just in our crew without the need for outside people coming in. It’s also just way more efficient to have a small close group of friends doing this stuff. Doing it our way also allows us to decide if we want to have some homies in the vids or film with them for a couple trips without stuff getting weird with budgets and sponsors. 

Hunter: Skiing is sick, haha. It’s such a cool sport with endless opportunities to be creative. You can ski anywhere, on anything, it just takes time and a vision.

Alex: Also that you can hopefully go out there with your friends, point a camera and have a fun ass time stacking clips without the need for a massive production or budget. 

Hunter: Honestly, we’re doing the same thing year after year, it’s really just a name change. We plan to put out more in the future, but we’ll probably call it something different. We can only film a boxing scene so many times, haha.

Alex: Yea we want to try and keep switching it up at least in terms of the feel and aesthetic of what we are producing. 

Hunter: Hopefully as a benchmark; something others, especially competitive skiers, can build off of and appreciate.

Alex: We are always trying to keep up with the greats before us, so hopefully stack up with their parts, but I also think we want to make street skiing more approachable and fun looking. You don’t necessarily need to be jumping off some deadly building all the time. A mix of all sorts of spots and features is what we always strive for. 

Hunter: We knew we wanted to make a video and that we’d film whenever we got the chance. The exact locations and times were random. We mostly followed storms and hoped they hit places we’d already scouted.

Alex: You can only plan so far ahead when you need snow in a city or a good snowpack in the spring. We pretty much just chased storms whenever we could between comps. 

Owen: I would say the skiing has a lot of influence on me, every spot is different and you kinda have to adapt to whatever the skier is trying! Sometimes a certain trick/spot can open up a vision that I would have never thought of.

Owen: Yea I’m usually juggling a bunch of different projects in a year but it’s just about finding time and never taking a day off! 

Alex: Filming for videos always changes how you approach your skiing. There have been so many times where I learn some new trick while filming and then bring it into a competition setting. Or sometimes you're just lapping park to work on a specific trick that you can then take into the backcountry or streets.

Hunter: It takes a long time. After years of filming, I genuinely trust Owen and Alex with my life. They’ve been there for some of the biggest moments I’ve ever experienced on skis. They’re the best at what they do, and I feel extremely lucky to work alongside them.

Alex: Yea it takes time but we've known each other for so long that I don't even think twice about it. I know that Hunter and Owen are the best at what they do and also that they have more motivation than anyone else I know, which means we can always get stuff done even if we don’t have a ton of time. 

Alex: It’s always a grind trying to get a video done, especially when you’re competing all season long. And there are always moments when you question what you're doing haha. Whether it’s during a trick battle or when you're staying in some random motel in North Dakota over Christmas while everyone else is relaxing with their fams. The thing that really gets me through is my good homies there with me every step along the way. You couldn’t do it alone. 

Hunter: I wouldn’t say it’s more pressure. If anything, the first one was the most stressful. We were young, and I personally had no idea what I was doing. I randomly pitched the idea of making a ski movie, the boys were in, and we had no idea what would come of it. We just put everything we had into it and hoped for the best. We were extremely lucky that it was so well received.

Alex: More pressure for sure. But we like trying to make the best video we can every time. It's pretty dope that our standard is that high and that people come to expect it from us. 

Hunter: I’m personally most proud of Alex’s ending segment. Seeing a friend’s sacrifice and methodical work ethic come together into something so beautiful meant a lot to me. The first time I watched it, I cried. He’s such a boss and has truly given the sport a gift. I’m proud to have even a small part in it.

Alex: I’m proud of us sticking together as a group of friends throughout a long hard filming process and still loving each other at the end of it all. Sometimes it's a lot but we just stick through it. Also the fact that Hunter can put out one of the best street parts, or just video parts in general, we have ever seen as a pipe skier is insane. If you look at anyone else on the halfpipe circuit they almost never film, let alone just doing a million handrails all season long. 

Hunter: Videos like this are what I grew up admiring. Being able to create something people can relate to and feel inspired by is a remarkable gift. What the industry does is beyond me, but this is something I can create. Something that hopefully brings more eyes to the sport.

Alex: I grew up on this stuff and love doing it. We are still changing with the times, but are doing it our own way which is pretty cool. It’s not always the easiest path but it’s one we really love. 

Alex: I’d say my biggest influences are the crew. Whether it’s their work ethic or how they approach filming and skiing. I also love watching skateboard and snowboard videos. It’s cool to see how others do it who are at the top of their game. 

Alex: Passion

Cause it’s the main reason we do it and what keeps us coming back every year.

TKO feels less like a statement and more like momentum. Wherever MAGMA heads next, the approach is clear, and it’s working.

Do yourself a favor and watch TKO with good viewing conditions. Linked below.