New Splitboarding Film Tackles Our Culture's "Imposter Syndrome" Problem

That feeling loomed large for a while. Then she met Maxine Nussbuam.

Nussbaum later took her AIARE (American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education) 2 course, and further down the line, reached out to talk about the idea of making a short film in the backcountry. Nussbaum wanted the film to feature all the usual stuff: beautiful shots from the backcountry, fun lifestyle shots of the crew fueling with fun snacks, killer turns in powder. They needed a theme, though. After imposter syndrome came up in a casual conversation, the idea hit them.

“Max was like ‘Oh my God. Sarah, if you feel this way, then this isn't just like an internal experience,” MacGregor said. “This has got to be pervasive.”

From then on, conversations with others in the snowboarding and skiing spaces took place. Part of that feel stemmed from the way snow sports culture can often be condescending toward women, yes. Nussbaum, MacGregor, and filmer Erin Gunther, have all been talked down to when bringing their gear for a tune or doubted when touring.

More and more, though, the group discovered that imposter syndrome also loomed large in men. Whether geography, speed, gender, or physical-fitness level was to blame, so many people experienced it in one way or another.

So many, that the term imposter syndrome no longer fit.

“Imposter syndrome makes it feel like it's on you,” Max said. “Imposter phenomenon means it's the culture.” In fact, that's the tagline of the film. Syndrome implies that those who suffer from it are the broken ones, but the film deals with the cultural perception of how one's own competence impacts one's own belief, and adds unnecessary challenges.\

From that, Imposters was born. The film is sponsored by Weston Backcountry, Zeal Optics, Folkrm, Phantom Snow, Flylow, and Rocky Talkie. It features Nussbaum, MacGregor, cinematographers Gunther and Ella Peters, and ski patroller Anita Mauro.

The backcountry is a dangerous place. There’s a base level of knowledge that is mandatory for exploring places on a splitboard, and not having that knowledge can truly be a danger to others, as well as yourself. Just as dangerous, however, can be failure to communicate properly. That imposter syndrome this film focuses on can often cause problems down the line.

To be safe in the backcountry means taking everyone’s situation into consideration when making decisions. If someone is skinning uphill faster than others in the group, the default reaction is for the slower party to speed up. That’s not always the safest decision, though. Over-exertion could lead to clouded judgment or push someone’s physical fitness past a point that is necessary, which could create new risks.   

“I struggle with pacing uphill,” Nussbaum said. “A big part of me feeling like I fit in in the community was like, finding those people that say ‘Oh, we want to go rip the gnarliest lines with you, and if it takes you another half an hour, that's okay.’”

Other times, it’s ensuring everyone has a say when discussing avalanche risk.

“I truly believe that making people feel like they belong means they don't have to feel pressure to prove themselves first, and that means they may not be taking unnecessary risk just to get to the level where they get the invite,” MacGregor said. “Our whole thing in our in our film, is just like, extend the invite…Choose simple terrain…Make somebody feel like they belong, bring them along, and now all of a sudden they don't feel like they have to prove themselves and take risks to get there.”

For Gunther, that imposter feeling hit the hardest because she had the least amount of experience in the backcountry of anyone in the group. As a filmer, she brought the skill set that was, without a doubt, the most valuable part for getting this project made. Despite being “just a videographer, a normal person with no cool accolades” (Erin’s own words), she was definitely nervous. She was excited that Max thought she was worthy of making this film, and so she schlepped a backpack filled with camera gear on her splitboard every day.

“Even producing this film and hearing that someone from Snowboarder Magazine thinks it's sick…It is a little bit hard for me to fully comprehend,” she said.

Imposters made its world premiere with Zeal Optics in Denver on October 16, 2025. The film tour will make the following upcoming stops:

• November 18 – Outer Range, in Frisco, Colorado
• November 21 – Hideaway Park, in Winter Park, Colorado
• December 3 – The Barley, in Steamboat, Colorado
• December 6 – Arapahoe Basin in Colorado
• December 15 – Telluride Rendezvous, in Telluride, Colorado