Home Grown - The Famous Potatoes Crew Does it Their Own Way

Featured Image: Brooks Curran | Skier: Essex Prescott

Famous Potatoes might be the most established ski crew you've never heard of. After racking up hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, the team has found themselves planted in the freeski scene, blending cinematography, storytelling, backcountry skiing, and yes, airplanes, in a way that no one else can replicate. That's exactly how they like it.

Their 2025 project, "CAUTION:TERRAIN" is a phenomenal example of what happens when passion meets mastery. Essex Prescott, Blake Bowerman, Stephen Matkin and Brooks Curran are all accomplished skiers in their own right, but together with camera wizard Cameron Hotchkiss, this supergroup delivered one of the best films of the year. Their mentality in the mountains lands somewhere between pure experimentalism and mountaineering guru, which is probably what makes them so entertaining and inspirational to watch.

With an opening that pulls you in immediately, the film starts with a compelling statement: "These are the steps our crew takes to pursue the elusive." A simple sentiment, but one that builds as the project unfolds. In the vast wilderness of Idaho's backcountry, most big lines are elusive, and it takes more than onX and an avy report to get the job done. Dedication and resourcefulness are key, and these boys have them in ample supply.

As a pilot, skier, filmmaker and potato-enthusiast, Essex Prescott is in a unique position to lead these operations. The Nordica rider has accomplished more than most skiers will in a lifetime, but remains as humble as they come. We sat down with Prescott to talk about the making of the new film, the mentality it takes to backcountry ski in Idaho, his passion for flying and much more.

Thanks for sitting down Essex. I wanted to go back to the origins of Famous Potatoes, because I think you all don’t get enough attention. When was the official beginning? 

We released our first film nearly four years ago, which is wild to say outloud. Growing up in Idaho, you’re exposed to a very wild kind of skiing. It can be filled with high highs and low lows, but the terrain here is unreal; you just have to put in the effort for it. I lived in Whistler for a while, and when I moved back, that’s when [Famous Potatoes] kind of began with myself and a few friends. 

At that point, I was still doing a lot of trips for work. But since then, Potatoes has just kept growing. After the success of our first film, we realized there was true value in showcasing the great skiing right in our backyard, and that people wanted to see that.

200,000 views on your first movie is wild, and you’ve surpassed that with the new video, “CAUTION:TERRAIN.” Has the growth been hard to navigate? 

It’s been amazing to see such positive feedback from the community, no doubt. We’re still certainly a grassroots operation, but we do have some funding from a few incredible brands now. I think that organic and borderline unpredictable feel is what people have come to expect from us, which we love. It’s a part of the adventure around here. You certainly have to get creative at times.

It’s what I love about Idaho. There are better spines and better pillows at other locations throughout the year, but there’s nothing like just committing to where you’re at and making the absolute best out of it. I think that’s what people can relate to from our projects. We all work other jobs; we’re just trying to make it happen when it lines up. 

Absolutely. However, few people are flying a plane to access a remote backcountry zone.

[Laughs] That’s very true. I guess we’re adding in a couple of extra steps. 

What was your entry point into aviation? 

My dad has been a pilot for most of his life. I’ve always loved it, but it’s expensive and time-consuming to get the ball rolling. When I moved back from British Columbia, we went flying together, and I asked him to take us over some of these remote stretches that are relatively close by plane. That one flight completely blew my mind, and I knew I had to sink my teeth into this.

I got my pilot's license once I had a steady stream of income from a few restaurant business ventures, and it’s been a huge passion of mine ever since. That was five years ago, and I’ve been hooked since!

I see it as an extension of making the most out of what’s around you. It’s so easy to get sucked into the rabbit hole of, “oh it just snowed over there, I wish I were there.” But we want to show that anything can be a great adventure if you commit to it. 

I think that theme resonates with a lot of skiers.

Yeah, there’s something very rewarding about watching one objective all year and being able to pull the trigger at a moment's notice. But at the same time, we tried to be more flexible in our goals and have multiple boxes we could check off, given the conditions.

Cruising high above Idaho, scouting lines with Essex and crew | Photo: Cameron Hotchkiss

That idea of being flexible with your checklist is very prevalent in the new film. Have you always treated skiing that way, or were you more rigid with your objectives previously?

There’s certainly a middle ground. You want to hold tight to your goals, but you also have to be able to read what the mountains are telling you, and that can be in a literal way, due to the notorious instability of our [intercontinental] snowpack, or it can just be listening to your gut on certain days. It turns into a lot more than just skiing, I suppose.

What do you mean by that?

Solving a puzzle as opposed to just hunting for adrenaline is something I’ve come to really value. I mean, in my opinion, that’s the greatest life lesson skiing can teach you: how to stay calm and problem solve. Skiing is still the pinnacle of the whole thing, but the process behind it is what we’ve grown to love. And of course, when you do get to check that box, especially when it’s a weird one or a line you’ve been after for a while, it’s unbelievably rewarding. 

In the movie, there are three big “boxes” you guys attempt to check off. Does one line stand apart now, looking back?

The line I skied certainly meant a lot. When we tried to tackle it before, we dropped our bags from the plane before hiking in, only to discover the bags had gone through the ice of the lake, so our gear was soaked. Plus, we got sluffed out in the chute, which you can see during the flashback in this movie. Talk about a real learning experience! 

It’s a narrow chute with a slim margin for error, so to go back and to be able to knock it out rather seamlessly was so rewarding. The line that Blake [Bowerman] skied was also impactful for everyone, as we’d been eyeing it down forever and he was the one who originally found it. 

Stephen [Matkin] was able to check off probably the most pristine couloir I’ve ever seen. And we often joke about skiing that one when we’re 60, which truly represents how committed we are to this area. We just want to keep working together to unlock the secrets here, and I hope every skier gets that experience in their neck of the woods.

Skier: Essex Prescott, Blake Bowerman | Photo: Brooks Curran

Famous Potatoes tent life | Photo: Cameron Hotchkiss

That feeling of solving a puzzle isn’t exclusive to Idaho, but is it fair to say the state has more intricacies to figure out compared to others?

I wouldn’t go that far, but it can be difficult here, absolutely. The three main mountains we ski, the Selkirk Range, Cabinet Range and the Silver Valley, all boast distinct climates and there just aren’t a lot of people who really push deep into them. Those two factors make information super valuable and hard to come by. I’ve found that things often line up on the days you’re not expecting it, but if you don’t do your own research or if you only make it happen on the convenient days, you’ll never find out.

There’s a good life lesson sprinkled in there.

You could just condense that into f*ck around and find out [laughs].

Any plans on the radar for this winter you can tell us about?

The checklist is massive, yeah! I think the biggest priority is a line that’s north of us. It’s taken years to figure out how to correctly get there, and after finally getting eyes on it last winter, we’re hungry to connect the dots. It’s an incredible spot with a great story that I hope we’ll be able to share next fall.

Take us out with one skier and one filmer you think everyone should be watching.

That’s a tough one. I have to give a shout-out to Nikolai Schirmer and Cody Townsend. They’ve always been ahead of the times in terms of skiing and production. I also love going through old segments. Tim Durtschi’s Poor Boyz segments and Clayton Villa with Stept, those two always skied with such a unique style. I love seeing anyone who puts their own stamp on it, regardless of the trends and whatnot. 

Right now, though, Dylan Siggers and Jonah Williams always get me fired up. You can tell they put 100% into everything they do, and who doesn’t want to emulate that? Skiing is packed with talent these days. I’m just happy to be here!

Check out the Famous Potatoes ski of choice, the FREESKIER Editor's Pick-winning Nordica Unleashed 120.