Full Movie: The Middle Path Project Presents “Floating Pyramids”

From the Middle Path Project:

As snowboarding devotees and creators of The Middle Path Project, our mission has been based on expanding our awareness. Through this expansion of awareness we are beginning to understand the oneness we share as humanity. The scattered tribe of boarders that trek this one blessed earth are our family. Our Lakota brothers-indigenous of the USA- share a saying that sums it up for us. “Mitakuye Oyasin” which means “all my relations”. This prayerful expression not only includes the people but every living creature, as well as the earth that nurtures all of life.

We are all related.

However, in our misguided minds we have created imaginary boundaries that separate us in so many ways… Nations, religions, ethnicities and socio-economic classes to name a few. These delusions exist in fragile agreements that we unconsciously fabricate as truth. When we start to discuss the preservation of this planet, those lines immediately disappear. Air, Water, Earth… pollution, contamination - these elements don’t abide by such man-made hallucinations. If any nation unconsciously destroys “their” land, air and waterways- it devastates this one planet we share.

“We all live downstream.”

As winter enthusiasts we are seeing the harsh effects of a planet being destroyed in so many ways. In the beginning stages of the Middle Path Project we set out to open our eyes as to how our adventures affect the world around us. Keeping track of fuel consumed, being aware of how we traveled and just baby stepping into the reality of basic cause and effect.

When I burn this much fuel + It releases this much CO2 into the atmosphere = A quantifiable effect on the rest of the world.

Multiply this by a few hundred million people and we begin to see the overall impact. Fossil fuel burning vehicles and plastic have existed for just over 100 years and we are only beginning to have an idea of the ultimate impact. We are in the early stages of recognizing the horrendous negative effects on our environment.

As a species we are losing connection to the very being that sustains our lives - Mother Earth.

Washington, Alaska, Japan. They form a pyramid of powder in the North Pacific, unrivaled anywhere in the world. This is a semi-chronological chronicling of our winter long search for the power of the powder pyramid in the most environmentally aware way we knew how. We rode at Stevens Pass, WA, which happens to be the "greenest" resort in North America, offsetting all of their energy use in sustainable wind power. We saved all of our trash that could be recycled in the US, that otherwise would have been incinerated, while visiting Japan. We drove 3000 miles North, almost entirely on waste cooking oil, to ride Valdez, Alaska's incredible Floating Pyramids.

The Middle Path Project has been an exploration into expanding our awareness. How do our adventures, that revolve around chasing snow, effect the very eco system that makes that passion possible? Burning fossil fuels, burying trash in the ground, consumption, energy use, how do these things that we do every day effect the world around us?

As outdoor enthusiasts we play a vital role in the evolution of mankind. When we inspire others to create a relationship with nature, we create an opportunity for growth. Once you fall in love with the outdoors you begin to protect the places you love. We need to inspire as many people as we can. It's been said " A journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step." We hope to inspire the next step.