Exploring the Known

The mountains, the snow and her board on her feet: Estelle’s perfect days always started the same way.

With Estelle’s talent, joie de vivre and captivating smile, this is more than a Freeride film. Far from the perfect lines of the Freeride World Tour, victories or records, Exploring the Known travels with her through the mountains of Valais and opens a last window on her shinning personality.

Matt Hollis and Estelle Balet, the two-time world champion snowboard Freerider, were making this film together when Estelle was tragically caught in an avalanche at the age of 21 – only 3 weeks after winning her 3rd Freeride world tour title.

Featuring many of the worlds foremost Freeriders, Exploring the Known is a unique insight into what it takes to become a world champion.  The film is a tribute to an exceptional sportswoman and an insight into her belief that it was the mountains where she grew up in Switzerland that made her one of the most exiting riders the sport has ever seen.

Profits of the film go to the Ride for Estelle Foundation, helping young riders develop and succeed.

Director’s statement: “Exploring the Known is a film which I can’t easily convey my feelings for. Estelle was my friend and we worked together for 4 years from her first year on the world tour. For a slight, 21 year old girl who loved painting her nails, she was as badass a rider as they come. We were together on the day of the accident and I remember she had made sandwiches for the crew and apologised to us all about having to get up so early for the flight. That summed her up so well for me. However painful this film was to make it is nothing compared to the my motivation to show the world what an utterly exceptional person she was.”