Method Mag A Travel Journal by Werni Stock

13 Mar 2014

A Travel Journal by Werni Stock

"I’m used to travel for 10 months a year. Europe, USA, Japan, I chase the snow. As a professional snowboarder, I get to discover the best winter locations to film and compete but this season started wrong for me. I got injured in October and my travel schedule went from flying around the globe to daily commute to rehab and gym. Seeing your friends going snowboarding while you’re stuck inside, it surely isn’t the coolest thing. Then my team manager called me up: Burton Snowboards was about to shoot the 2014 Spring/Summer catalogue in Puerto Rico, and they wanted me in. It was early January, you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that I was supposed to fly in two weeks. Of course I was in. Now I’m back since a few months but I still can’t explain how that week in Puerto Rico helped me out in so many ways. My motivation, my mental strength and my focus, everything went back in place at once. I want to thank the crew that was there with me for this shooting, I had an amazing adventure. Puerto Rico está pasao." - Werni.
First day of shooting after a pretty long journey. 28°C, sun is shining, summer mood. We get to first location and these guys show up from nowhere. We were in the middle of a paintball game, but we got pretty scared for a couple of minutes. Of course, we became amigos very quick. Classy start into the week. A cold beer, some fishing and Mother Nature can quickly make you forget about winter and injuries. I will remember this place forever. I couldn’t believe how Billy was charging it down the cliffs. It was such a sick drop in a unique spot, I was stunned! This little BMX almost died under our weights. Cilka (Sadar) and I were trying to ride it to get a shot. And we almost killed ourselves, too. Kinda sketchy and funny at the same time, good times. Boys and their toys, that’s about it. By the way, the engine was so powerful that I had to push the whole time. Our own private Fiesta. I’ve never done this before, I still regret it was Mark (Sollors) and not me doing this. I guess I have to go back to Puerto Rico. Man, we were laughing our asses off! I don’t think there’s need for a caption here. Thanks for the fun. Cilka and Mark chilling, laughing and falling into the river. Nice combo. Mark was very thirsty at the beach, we quickly ran out of liquor. I wish I were still there. One of the coolest ‘ball playgrounds I’ve ever seen. I felt I had a special connection to that place, I had to break-dance. I was doing product shots while the rest of the crew went to this cave. It looks amazing, I feel like I missed the best. Another good reason to get back. Valerie, one of the models, playing around with the smoke bomb. I love the light coming through the smoke, it’s so unreal, almost magical. Exactly like this trip. My own shot from one of the most incredible places on earth. It’s mind-blowing. DJ Roli must have felt the same I took this shot for Cilka and it turned out really good. We were at this bridge and some locals were gathering with their families next to us. Barbecue, beer, we felt very welcomed. This house was breath-taking. Men built it, Mother Earth took care of the interior design. burton.com

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A Travel Journal by Werni Stock

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