Skip to main content
Back to Originals
Originals January 14, 2025

Every Island Has A Name

Photography by Silvano Zeiter | Words by Zack Raffin

“On this tour, we will traverse distant and diverse spaces…if you look closely you will be able to discover what connects them.”

The opening line of Every Island Has A Name couldn’t fall upon more receptive ears. You see, at the back end of 2024 we had the distinct pleasure of following The Arc’teryx Winter Film Tour across three very distant and diverse spaces. First came Milan, where we sipped Aperols and indulged in a mixed medium art affair. Then Los Angeles, where our correspondent got hilariously stuck in horrifying traffic. Last but not least, Paris, where we sent our resident Parisian fashionista to the sublime Rex cinema.

And what connected these places? While the 18-stop, 2-continent Winter Film Tour highlighted nearly a dozen profound, diverse stories sponsored by Arc’teryx, our connective tissue came in the premiere of Every Island Has A Name. An avant-garde undertaking that’s one part backcountry extravaganza, one part art house cinema, sprinkled over with an original soundtrack that creates a bombastic visual and sonic departure from the norm.  Directed by Achille Mauri, shot by Willem Jones and photographed by Silvano Zeiter, the film stars WT darling, Severin van der Meer, along with his fellow Arc’ team riders, Elena Hight and Jared Elston, to round out an all-star cast and crew.

Enter Severin Van Der Meer, our darling, dare we say, star protagonist of this cinematic journey of biblical proportions. Our love affair with Sevi started in Laax a few years back. Joining us on the mountain for the Art Show, Tidal. “This is man with style, a cool cucumber, a certain je ne sais quoi” I remember thinking to myself as Sevi paraponted down the mountain into a swiss spring sunset after joining us for a beer at the peak. Since then, Sevi and his infectious grin have crossed our paths and hearts numerous times, from nightclubs in his home of Zurich to the WT homelands of Hossegor and Biarritz – where Sevi spends, it seems, the majority of his time when not in the mountains. The man also has a drink named after him, at the infamous rider’s lobby bar – the Sevi Spritz. Say less I hear you say. We were destined to become the best of friends.

But back to Every Island Has a Name, beginning with a robotic female narration, gorgeous virgin snow is carved with acute precision before cutting away to brutalist cement tunnels, drones carrying flowers and kites gliding against a sublime sky. A little over 20 minutes of sheer magic, world-class sound design and visuals create an ethereal experience indeed. This cross-culture play between art, snowboarding and music done to this level is the first of its kind we’d say. And for those with intermediate snow skills such as myself, there is a gorgeously shot wipeout section about halfway through that helps to humanise everything.

At the 9:56 mark, the narrator (originally a placeholder that became the film’s defacto bassline) states “Sometimes the material itself reveals how it should be approached, and together you’ll reach a higher state.” While the integrated artistic texture is ever present throughout the film, the actual riding is just that…an honest approach—a portrait of spectacular backcountry and a trio of superstars overjoyed to make their mark. Come for the nuance, stay as you watch Sevi lay some Rembrandt-esque tracks above the clouds in Alaska, in the closing sequence to end all closing sequences.

Keep an eye out for our full Every Island Has A Name feature coming to print in VOLUME XV, releasing later this week…