Reggie Crist was one of the first skiers to pioneer heli-skiing in Haines over a decade ago. Here, he unlocks the door to a tricky first descent of The Tongue, located on the east-facing flank of Mount Kraus. It was the beginning of April and we were locked into perfect conditions.
I distinctly remember my first look at Mount Kraus. It sits high above the surrounding peaks at a lofty 7200-feet. The eastern flank of Kraus is riddled in ice and contains a perfect ramp right down the gut, as seen in the photo. To enter the line Reggie had to manage a difficult maze of cracks and cliffs. Once he opened the door, it was clean all the way through.
At first glance I knew an opposing view would offer the best angle on the ice field. I was able to find the perfect perch looking right in on the slope. as I set up my equipment tension began to build. Was reggie going to find his way in? Were the cracks filled in enough for a skier to bridge? Would he ski it fast and fluid? These were the essential ingredients to making the shot stand out. Before Reggie reached the bottom of his run I knew the image would be strong. He had flashed the line leaving a perfect track. Stoke was high as everything had come together.
Will Wissman

About the shot

Biography
I grew up in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northern New Mexico. Born from a tattoo artist and an artisan consignment shop owner, I never did quite fit in with the normal crowd. Let’s just say, the other kids’ parents didn’t seem to appreciate art like we did.
I moved to Alta in 1995 to follow my childhood passion of skiing powder snow. I ended up getting on the snowmaking crew, which to this day has been my favorite job. I got to roll around in the mountains all night and watch the most amazing sunrises.
After that first year I bought an old Minolta camera with a blazing four frames per second shutter from a buddy and started shooting my friends. My photography has grown along with the arsenal of equipment but the premise has always remained the same.