Scott Gaffney – Skier & Director, Matchstick Productions (Ep.60)

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Scott Gaffney is one of the most accomplished ski movie directors of all-time, and the guy behind so many of the iconic Matchstick Productions films. Gaffney has been doing it for a long time now, and he’s worked with so many legendary skiers it’s ridiculous.

So in this conversation, we talk to Scott about how he got into filming ski movies; how he then got connected with Matchstick Productions; and which Matchstick films are his personal favorites.

We also talk a lot about working with the likes of Shane McConkey, Eric Hjorleifson, Cody Townsend, and Candide Thovex, and we asked him what were the most mind-blowing sessions he ever witnessed. (And let’s be clear: there are few people on this earth who have witnessed more apex skiing than Scott has over the years.)

Scott and I also talk about the newest Matchstick film, Drop Everything, and you can head over to skimovie.com to see the Drop Everything tour schedule and go see it with your friends on the big screen. You can also download Drop Everything and a bunch of the other MSP films we talk about in this episode at skimovie.com — which is good since, after listening to this conversation, I am certain you’re going to want to watch or rewatch a number of them.

TOPICS & TIMES:

  • When & where did you get into skiing? (4:01)
  • How did you get into making ski movies? (6:20)
  • Two essential documents in Ski History: A Need to Fly & Pursuing a Passion (8:11)
  • How Scott originally got involved with Matchstick Productions? (13:11)
  • Scott’s favorite MSP films (15:48)
  • The editing & filming process — and why bad conditions aren’t a bad thing (18:58)
  • Gaffney on MSP’s 2004 film, YEARBOOK (24:52)
  • What’s the most mind-melting session you ever witnessed? (29:13)
  • Best skier you’ve seen that’s kind of flying under the radar? (32:25)
  • Skier who consistently blows your mind? (36:47)
  • Making ski films in an era of online edits (39:59)
  • Gaffney on Shane McConkey (43:24)
  • Scott’s day-to-day skiing at Squaw (52:51)
  • What’s the Greatest Ski Movie Ever? (55:23)

And aside from all these films, Scott is a very passionate and really good skier in his own right, and you can see evidence of this right here:

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1 comment on “Scott Gaffney – Skier & Director, Matchstick Productions (Ep.60)”

  1. A note for Scott. How about making “Something about McConkey” available to rent or purchase digitally. I can’t find my DVD version.

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