The makers of WAY NORTH are back for a new adventure in Japan. WAY EAST made its UK film premiere at Shextreme Film Festival 2016. Watch the trailer to get a glimpse of why WAY EAST won Shextreme Film Festival 2016’s AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD!

WAY EAST’s small but mighty crew consists of Aline Bock; 2010 Freeride World Tour Champion, Lena Stoffel; professional freekskier, filmmaker Mathias Koegel and local guide and photographer Aaron Jamieson.

Equipped with skis and boards for all kinds of waves and snow, they set off in search of the famous Japanese powder snow and perfect waves but also to discover he reality of life in Japan post-Fukushima. “We wanted to get our own personal insight of the situation and the reality of nuclear pollution after the accident and even more importantly, get to know what the local population thinks abut it” says Aline.

The adventure would take them several thousand kilometres around Hokkaido on a surf, snow, and camping adventure through the mountains to the ocean and covering some of the least-visited and undiscovered corners of the island.

According to Lena: “Besides surfing the ice cold waters, snow camping definitely was one of the biggest challenges”. With tents and camping equipment on their backs, the crew hit the trail on their skis and split boards to reach the Sea of Japan, traversing the length of the Annupuri mountain range. Wind gusts up to 100 km/h, 20kg+ of gear, fog, and freezing nights in the snow pushed the team members’ resolve to their limits. “Despite being quite hard from time to time, this journey also showed us how powerful nature really is and how much we, as humans, need to adapt to it”.

With their journey through a remote wilderness of untouched landscapes, riding perfect lines and surfing unnamed waves, the two sportswomen carved their own path through this beautiful land. Brave women, leaving their comfort zone but finding their happiness WAY EAST.

Directed & Shot by Mathias Kögel
Edit & Sound Design by Mathias Kögel
Additional footage by Aaron Jamieson

WAY EAST: Awe-inspiring adventure in Japan

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