Most of us grow up dreaming of freedom; from our parents, from school, from authority. And as we age those dreams morph. We still essentially desire that same freedom but instead from work, from debt, from responsibility and from our increasing physical limitations. The majority of us, for a multitude of reasons, never achieve our freedom, but John Shocklee, the subject of the latest in a series of Yeti Coolers documentaries, has found his.

He rides fat skis, loves 90s hip hop and dedicates his life to the shred. He works, but in the mountains he loves, on the skis he loves and seemingly has no desires that his lifestyle can't fulfil. He just took a trip to Alaska to shred with Rachel Burks and he absolutely ripped. Sure you're thinking, sounds good but countless others do that. It might even sound largely familiar.

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/853756/YETI-Presents--John-Shocklee---A-Fairy-Tale

But what we've failed to mention so far is he's 51 years old, a true Peter Pan. He lives in a 200 square foot hut in Silverton, CO, where he guides tourists and professionals alike. He owns little in the way of material possessions, living life for his passion, a lifestyle so many of us dream of having the conviction to live.

We dream of living the simple life but simultaneously fear its uncertainties. That's what makes this piece hit so hard: it appeals to our sense of 'what if?' But is that instinctive reaction to wonder what holds us back? Has John has defied convention, defied age, defied cultural norms because he doesn't consider 'what ifs', he just sends it? It certainly seems to have worked out for him.

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