These students might not be on the field or court, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t involved in an equally athletic endeavor. This column is meant to highlight students who are not a part of varsity athletics at MSU who are doing amazing things with their time outside of the classroom.

Name: Jeff Rhyner
Hometown: Superior, Wisconsin
Degree: Sophomore/ School of Film and Photography
Occupation: Server- Ale Works, Manufacturing- Spark R&D
Hobbies in free time: Splitboarding, snowmobiling, guitar, fly fishing, performance cars

Why did you move to Montana?
A friend from Wisconsin attending MSU invited me out for a summer between semesters.

Do your future plans involve this area after school?
Yes, this will always be home base between travels.

What’s a day you’ll never forget?
A day of free-riding powder for fun with “Big Mountain” Jeremy Jones in Cooke City.

If you didn’t have homework or a budget, what would you most likely be doing? Heli-Skiing. Duh.

Jeff guided snowboard and ski film crews, as well as the professional riders they were filming in the backcountry around Cooke City from 2001 to 2006. Some of the pros included Jeremy Jones, Andreas Wiig, Jussi Oksanen and Sage Cattabrigga Alosa. Film crews sought out Jeff based on his reputation for knowing the secret spots for the huge kickers and deep Montana snow. During two of those years Jeff also worked as a volunteer search and rescue as well as a certified EMT. Unfortunately, more often than not, the search efforts resulted in recovery missions.

Currently, Jeff is involved with filming and editing commercials in the backcountry for his employer, Spark R&D. He is essentially documenting what he does in his free time, splitboarding to some fresh snow. Additionally, he takes photos of the bindings he spends hours producing.

Jeff has used his experiences from before his time at MSU to create a healthy balance between fun and school. When not working or studying, Jeff enjoys his time with his girlfriend Lottie and dog Daisy. The three of them try their best to hike, splitboard, boot pack and do whatever it takes to reach their destination.