Words by Dean Kistler
Photos by Pat Ryan
The turn of the twenty-first century brought digital media to the next level, the internet blossomed, and worldwide communication was available for the first time. This revolutionary technology gave opportunity to anyone willing to obtain and utilize this cutting edge knowledge. At this time, Nick Lyons and Pat Ryan were completing their first projects together at Voorheesville High school in upstate New York.
Audio Visual nerds at heart, the two teens began working with VHS camcorders and linear editing equipment to produce ski and snowboard films, after their classwork was finished. Working with the motivated individuals, the technology teacher issued them the first digital cameras of the era, and brought in one Imac G4 for editing (the same model in Zoolander). Pat and Nick completed hundreds of projects together in their senior years of high school and continue to work together to produce some of the finest, most underground works of art and athleticism. This video is from 2000.
http://www.newschoolers.com/membervideo/310785.0/The-first-edit--pre-2001-?s=57396&t=6&o=8
The next five years of Northeast living was rough, icy, and sometimes snowy. The only escape from this life of surviving in New York became skiing, snowboarding, and documenting the action. Any success for the small team was like fuel to the fire. Pat filmed and photographed, Nick won rail jams, locked in sponsors, and both aimed for the fences.
In 2004, Lyons got the chance to leave town and went to Whistler, BC to attend his first professional competition, the World Ski Invitational. "John Spriggs won that year, I remember, he went 20 feet out on the quarterpipe at the end of the course.. he's still the man." Nick doesnt stop talking about this for the next 5 minutes.
Pat continues to produce with the best of the Northeast through the years. Above, Shane McFalls works closely to document sessions with photography and film. "Pat takes the best picture in the game," Shane says.
Well, he also produces a mean edit. Working with the best, means learning from the best. This edit is from 2009, Nick and Pat doing work in Vermont.
http://www.newschoolers.com/membervideo/306538.0/Nick-Lyons-Edit?s=57396&t=6&o=8
The next few years brings abundance of travel for Nick and the two only produce a small amount together. Pat continues to produce with fellow snowboarders, leaving Nick to document his own travels and develop new media production outlets. Nick attended the first Kumi Yama, in France without his media sidekick, which is now a staple for athletes and filmer/photographers alike.
"The years fly by when you're having fun", Nick says about traveling outside the Northeast. "Im tired, and ready to get back to real life, skiing for fun, with friends....Pat and I are going to Kumi Yama this year!"
The above edit was produced by Nick and Pat in 2011. Nick continues to push the envelope with his jib skills. His unique style and diverse bag of tricks have influenced freestyle skiing as a whole. Nick produced his own web series, "Secret of The Ooze" while lost in Colorado last year. The project showcases extreme freestyle maneuvers from the best in Summit County.
This year N.L. finds himself in the Lake Tahoe region. When hes not feeding the bears, he's refining his jib game at Northstar, keep an eye out for our Top Secret collaboration edit, coming soon.
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