The session is over and we’re celebrating with a beer. The weather is warm, the snow is melting and the vibes are high. We’re having a rather typical conversation about how big the spot was when something atypical happens. Christian starts digging around in the back of his car and pulls out a measuring stick.
“I always measure the big spots,” he replies over his shoulder as he runs back to the rail and starts taking notes. I follow him with my camera because this is definitely something that I’ve never seen. When he sees that I’m laughing he explains, “Well, it’s kind of my job. I just love to measure things. I’m studying to be a surveyor.”
In a roundabout way, Christian’s chosen profession is actually the reason why we’re all here – in the middle of nowhere – shooting a huge close out rail to drop on a weird concrete structure. “I actually found this spot five years ago while I was doing my apprenticeship. I’ve always wanted to come back, but it’s almost impossible to get to. The roads are closed in the winter and by the time that they open, there’s usually not enough snow.”
This memory from my last day of the season sticks with me because it adds a certain amount of insight to my understanding of Christin Moser. He’s a highly calculated rider who’s happiest when he’s waking the fine line between good ideas and bad ideas. He’s always looking to go bigger or do a more technical trick, but he knows that sometimes his enthusiasm can easily get him injured. So that’s where the numbers come in. If he can successfully drop 4.3 meters to flat this season, then you can be sure that he won’t hesitate to try a 4.5 meter drop soon.
It’s a surprising level of commitment and risk for a skier who’s not getting paid. Christian’s not taking these risks for anyone other than himself. But he’s still happy to invest most of his free time filming, organizing, and editing his video projects.
The idea for his first movie, Urbanskistrasse, was born when he met Simon Geminiani while riding in Kaunertal. The two quickly realized that they liked the same style of skiing and had complimentary personalities. There wasn’t much of a plan. They figured that they’d film each other whenever Simon wasn’t busy with his work, and Christian wasn’t busy with his studies. That just left weekends and holidays, but Simon already had spots in Austria that he wanted to show Christian, and Christian already had spots in Switzerland that he wanted to show Simon.
This season their new film is called AUSO. Check back here in November for the online release.