TGR’s 10 Gnarliest Slams of All Time

There’s a fine line between stomping the shot of the year and tomahawking into the void, and for 30 years, TGR athletes have been riding that edge at full throttle. This piece is a nod to the brutal, humbling, sometimes awe-inspiring moments when things don’t go to plan.

Because before the glory comes the gamble. And sometimes the price is steep: high-speed, high-consequence, and absolutely no margin for error. Below are 10 of the heaviest slams from the TGR vault—the kind that leave the whole crew silent on the radio, eyes glued to the ridgeline, waiting for a sign that everything’s okay.

These aren’t just wipeouts. They’re reminders of what it takes to flirt with the edge of what’s possible, and the raw respect we have for those who do it anyway.

Some records are broken by inches; others are shattered by sheer, unadulterated audacity. On January 25, 2006, in the backcountry of Grand Targhee, the late, great Jaime Pierre decided to chase history. After years of studying the line, he sent a 255-foot cliff—the equivalent of a 25-story building—to set a new world record. The landing was never the point; he plunged head-first into the snow at near-terminal velocity, emerging from a 12-foot deep crater with little more than a cut lip and the record he coveted, if only for a day.

Nick McNutt found himself in every skier's worst nightmare while filming for Make Believe—caught and fully buried by an avalanche. To make a terrifying situation worse, his beacon failed during the slide, leaving him a ghost to his rescuers. It was only through a stroke of pure luck and his partners' frantic probing that they found him, a chilling testament to how thin the margin for error truly is.

When the historic "Code Red" swell hit Teahupo'o, Tahiti, Maya Gabeira was one of the few who dared to charge. On one of the day’s heaviest waves, she lined up perfectly for the barrel, but as it pitched, the wave’s force sucked her off balance and sent her crashing into the chaos. Surviving any wipeout at the "Wall of Skulls" is a feat in itself, and this one cemented Maya's place as one of the toughest surfers.

Sometimes the heaviest hits come from what you don’t see. Tim Durtschi had already taken a fall and was getting back to his feet when the mountain threw one more punch—out of nowhere, he’s swept like a rag doll by an unseen force. The slide itself is just out of frame, but the impact is undeniable. It’s what we call the phantom punch—the slough that hits before the avalanche shows its face in full swing. No warning, no mercy, and no chance to react. Just raw mountain power at work.

At Andreu Lacondeguy's legendary compound in Catalonia, you have to be fully committed from the first pedal stroke. While filming for Esperanto, Brage Vestavik learned that lesson the hard way, getting instantly launched over the handlebars while committing to a huge drop.

Angel Collinson was charging a steep, exposed line in the Neacola Mountains when she hit an unexpected patch of snow. For a split second, it looked like she might pull off a miraculous save, but the mountain had other plans, sending her into a brutal, 1,000-foot tomahawk. The entire crew held their breath, making her survival with only minor injuries one of the most legendary "walk-it-off" moments in skiing history.

Ian McIntosh stood atop a massive Alaskan spine line, ready to drop into one of the heaviest segments for Paradise Waits. On his very first turn, he hit a hidden trench that sent him into a seemingly endless, 1,600-foot tomahawk down the face.

This is the shot that helped launch Jeremy Jones as the king of big-mountain freeriding. While navigating a tight couloir, Jeremy gets caught in his own slough, which funnels him into a high-speed, churning flush through the choke of the couloir. Like being caught in a white-room washing machine, he was completely engulfed and cycled before being spit out at the bottom—a career-defining moment of survival and grit.

It all comes back to this. The #1 slam isn't just a moment in time; it's the piece of DNA from which all of TGR was born. During the filming of our very first movie, Continuum, co-founder Todd Jones dropped into what should have been a routine line in the Grand Targhee sidecountry. In an instant, the face shattered. The resulting slide wasn't just a close call; it became a foundational promise: we will always show the full picture from the glory to the soul-shaking consequence. This moment, and this film, were the spark behind TGR’s International Pro Riders Workshop. It was our way of showing the world that if you want to chase powder, ride big lines, and move through the mountains, you need to be ready for when things go sideways—and to make sure TGR athletes have the training and resources to stay safe while doing it. It’s more than avy protocols and med kits. It’s about judgment and knowing when to drop, and just as importantly, when to walk away.

Thirty years of pointing cameras at the razor's edge gives you a unique perspective. Looking back through the archives, it’s clear that the most memorable moments aren’t always the clean stomps or perfect lines. Sometimes, they're the crashes—the ones that test the limits of human endurance, define a career, or change the way we look at a line forever. These ten slams are foundational chapters in the 30-year story of TGR, each a raw reminder of the soul and sacrifice required to live a life on the edge.