Maggie Voisin was itching to ski. It was around 6 p.m. on a weekend in late February, and it was dumping in Park City, Utah, where the slopestyle U.S. Olympic team skier and seven-time X-Game medalist lives. She’d been planning to ski with Good Company for its new film “Crescendo.” But no one was around that weekend to shoot. She had a few days of downtime to kill.
So Voisin dialed up an old friend: TGR athlete Parkin Costain. She and Costain had grown up together in Whitefish, Mont. and kept in touch. She had no idea what kind of wild adventure they were about to embark on together — nor the kind of accolades it would earn her.
“He was telling me about the spot they were going to ski and film the next day and sent me pictures and I said, ‘I’m so jealous,'” Voisin told GearJunkie. Costain responded, “You should just come.”
That tentative invitation was all Voisin needed. She packed her vehicle that night and made the drive up to Wyoming where the TGR crew was shooting for its new film “Legend Has It.” Voisin thought maybe she’d get to do a couple of laps when the cameras weren’t rolling, get some experience with bigger backcountry lines (which she said were totally new to her), and hang out with an old friend.
Instead, she would land herself a spot in that film and shred so hard in it that she’d be named “Standout Female Skier of the Year” by IF3.
Sliding Into ‘Legend Has It’
The crew was only shooting in Wyoming for 3 days. They started with what Voisin called “mini golf lines” — short, quick, relatively low-risk runs.
At first, Voisin was only going to stay for a day. Then that turned into 2 days, and then all 3 days. Before she knew it, everyone was packing up to head home before a snowstorm rolled in. Costain came back to Park City with Voisin.
But before Costain could leave Voisin in Park City and return to shooting, his phone rang. It was TGR. And they wanted Voisin to come back and finish the Wyoming segment with him. So, the skiers packed up again and returned to the Cowboy State for round two.
However, after the snowstorm, the crew wasn’t out for mini golf lines anymore. They were after some much bigger, much riskier, higher-reward terrain. Voisin said it was her first time doing anything like it.
“We got to jump a little bit and I skied one of my first, bigger alpine lines, which kind of sloughed quite a bit, a little bit of snow broke off. It was a pretty cool shot,” she said, clearly proud of the moment. “It kind of got a little spicy.”
Days later, TGR would call again. The producers were so stoked about Voisin’s skiing that they wanted her to come and shoot another segment for the film — this time in Alaska, on even bigger, more intimidating mountains.
“I was so nervous going to Alaska,” she said. But she added that it was comforting to have such an experienced team behind her. And it didn’t hurt to have a friend to confide in, as well.
“It was really nice to have [Parkin] there who I could really be vulnerable with and be honest [with], like, ‘Hey, I’m fucking scared.””
Nervous — or scared — as she was, Voisin put the pedal to the metal in Alaska. She overcame her nerves and sent the absolute hell out of her “Legend Has It” segment, ripping so hard that she’d earn the title of “Standout Female Skier of the Year” at the International Freesports Film Festival (IF3).
iF3 Standout Female Skier of the Year: Maggie Voisin
Every year IF3 doles out awards for Ski Film of the Year, Skier of the Year, Standout Male/Female Skier, Breakout Skier, and more. It’s no small achievement to earn one of them, and Voisin isn’t taking it for granted.
“It’s pretty unbelievable. I honestly, really didn’t see it coming. Obviously, when I got nominated I was super stoked, but I was like, ‘Oh, man, there’s no chance to win’,” she said. She’s primarily been a park skier for most of her pro career, and she wasn’t sure how well that skillset would translate on screen.
“But that’s part of why I was stoked to win this award, as well,” she said. “My focus hasn’t been backcountry. So it’s a cool pivot.”
And it’s a pivot that Voisin intends to continue pursuing. She’s now planning to spend a full year filming with TGR (instead of just a few months). She said she’s excited to see what’s possible when backcountry is her sole focus.
“It’ll be really cool to see what I can accomplish in an entire season of just focusing on filming,” she said. “I’m just excited to learn more in the mountains and be out with really good people and just absorb their knowledge.”
“Legend Has It” is currently on tour, premiering in different cities across the U.S. now through December 19. You can check for showings near you on the TGR website for “Legend Has It.” And, watch the trailer below.
