For Malcolm, the mountains have always been the place to be. What started with school ski trips quickly turned into an obsession through the Canterbury University Ski Club, before progressing into ski mountaineering, alpine photography and chasing technical lines in some of New Zealand's most remote terrain.
Growing up in the small Southland town of Tuatapere, adventure was never far away. Surrounded by native bush, farmland and Fiordland, spending time outside was simply how life worked. Even now, Malcolm admits he doesn't sit still for long. Spend too many days indoors and he'll inevitably start planning another mission into the hills.
A healthy obsession
Photography has grown alongside his time in the mountains. What began as a way to document trips has become an obsession with photography gear and a passion for developing his own visual style. Lately, that has meant slowing down, waiting for the right light and letting the photography shape the journey, rather than racing towards the next descent.
After sticking to the ethos of “light is right” and using the lightest possible bit of kit that can do the job, Malcolm is now paying more attention to the durability and comfort of his gear rather than simply the spec sheets. That’s what led him to the Deuter Jaypack Pro for multi-day ski touring. While it weighs a little more, the spring steel frame carries comfortably over long days, shrugs off the abuse that comes with alpine missions and gives him the confidence to focus on the terrain and the images he's there to create.
Always progressing
For Malcolm, the key to staying safe in the mountains is to continually upskill and build your knowledge base while pushing towards harder climbs and steeper descents. That way, if everything goes wrong, you've got a strong foundation of theory and fundamentals to fall back on.
He's currently working towards his Avalanche Level 6 qualification, which will help him progress into bigger and steeper terrain in the future.
