For those of us who were religiously watching the iconic MatchStick Production films growing up through the 2010s, Sander Hadley was a name to know. Days of My Youth was arguably one of MSPs best films, certainly within the last 10 years, and Sander popped in during that film on one of the greatest segments to date. The infamous Resort Segment took Cody Townsend, Richard Permin, and Banks Gilbelti to Revelstoke, Crested Butte, and Snowbird, demonstrating why we all love cold early mornings accompanied by the melodic hum of a chairlift. While tearing up The Bird, Cody and Banks “stumble” across a young ripper by the name of Sander. Of course, thanks to the nearly lost art of ski film acting, this was not an accident but rather a well planned stunt that had been months in the making. This glorious few minutes of group shredding was and still remains one of the most relatable and enjoyable pieces of ski film history, as the crew supplied inspiration and a gratitude for skiing to the millions who watched. Sander was a piece of this ski magic.
Sander had gained notable reputation through ‘The Way I See It‘, a roughly two minute GoPro compilation of the man himself nuking around Snowbird at anywhere between 10 and 300 MPH on mostly hard pack. If you haven’t seen it yet, do your ski loving eye balls a favor and go watch. You won’t regret it. If you have watched it, then you know how impressive it is. Sander’s creativity and talent was enough to attract the eyes of both Scott Gaffney and Cody Townsend over at MSP, and the young buck was out of the gate and rolling into his dreams of becoming a professional skier.
All that being said, the world rarely goes according to plan, and a life revolving around skiing is no exception. While realizing your dreams and getting to pursue your passions can seem like the ideal life from the outside, every individual has their own issues that few see in its entirety. ‘NIX’ is Sander’s story from skiing origins to present, with personal battles in between brightly visible in their entirety. While there are probably pieces of the puzzle not displayed, which is frankly none of our business to know, it is still incredibly honorable to say the least for an individual to showcase their personal life on such a grand stage. Sander continues his streak of relatable content and hopefully this project will help anyone who needs it to find the inspiration to grow from life’s toughest trials.
“Nix” simply put, translates to snow in latin. Snow provides direction in my life. This short film highlights my beginnings as a pro skier and why I chose to move home to Pocatello, Idaho after a few big things happened in my life. All shots were gathered from chairlifts and foot power. – Sander
