There are more ski movie teasers coming our way. Of course, there are the usual big name ski flims, but we have had a couple more interesting titles come our way. A new documentary on Ruedi Beglinger (guide and owner of Selkirk Mountain Experience), Life Ascending, profiles Beglinger and touches on the tragic day in 2003 when an avalanche took the lives of seven of his clients.
A second film that looks like it has potential is Chris Davenport's latest project, Australis: An Antarctic Ski Odyssey. The trailer is packed with quality footage. Take a peek below.
It is that time again, the time when the ski industry comes out of hibernation. Powder magazine arrived last week. Backcountry arrived this week and Noah Howell from Powderwhore just launched the trailer to their latest film, Television. That's Tele-Vision for those of you who are not in the freeheel mode yet. Although I am quite content with summer as it stands right now and still have a couple rides yet to tick off on my hit list, I must say that the Powderwhore movie trailer is pretty tempting . . . but I am a sucker for deep snow and big open white faces. Check it out.
Calling all Filmmakers!
The 6th Annual Winter Wildlands Alliance Backcountry Film Festival is seeking films that take place in the winter wildlands. Reach thousands of viewers all over the western US and Canada. Films should be under 30 minutes, take place in winter, and feature non-motorized recreation or climate change. Prizes include Best of Show and Best Environmental Message.
Deadline: September 15, 2010.
Details: backcountryfilmfestival.com
I have seen some crazy ski footage over the years, but this footage of French skier Antoin Montant is unique. He sounds so calm and collected in the interview, must be part of being French...
historic footage of Anselme Baud and Patrick Vallencant
In my efforts to dodge work - actually, I was doing important research - I came across this great clip from the late 70's of French extreme ski pioneers Anselme Baud and Patrick Vallencant. This is the first descent of Mont Blanc's Arete de Peuterey circa 1977. Glen Plake and Nate Wallace followed up in June 2009 and became the first Americans to ski it - 32 years later! The music is a little tough, but the footage, their gear, and their ski line are impressive.
The Howell bothers, AKA Powderwhores, are opening the world premiere of their new freeheel flick, Flakes, in Salt Lake City, UT tonight. The show is a fundraiser for Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. If you can't make it tonight, they are showing it Thursday and Friday, too.
Although I am partial to their first film PW05 (something about first efforts), Flakes is their best effort to date. Noah and Jonah Howell travel with a talented crew of skiers. The footage of their crew ripping it from Alaska to Patagonia will leave you yearning for powder and thinking you need bigger skis.
The SLC shows are downtown at Brewvies, 677 S 200 W, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Check out the film, meet the crew, get lucky in the raffle, start the winter stoke, and show some love for the Avalanche Center. All proceeds from the raffle will benefit the Utah Avalanche Center.
Tickets cost $10 at the door and you must be 21 or older to attend. If you don't live in SLC and can't justify squandering your pennies to get there this week (there's no skiing yet), then have a look at the tour schedule and find out when the film hits your 'hood. The crew will on tour beginning next week with Idaho and Oregon as their first stops. They hit Hood River on October 10.
The latest edition of the Northwest Mountaineering Journal is now availalable. The online publication is the work of Lowell Skoog and other dedicated skiers and mountaineers around the northwest. They do a great job of keeping tabs on cutting edge ascents and descents around the Cascades as well as offering quality features related to northwest mountain culture. For starters, I recommend checking out the short reports. It offers a collection of interesting descents in the Cascades.
In other seasonal news, we have snow in the forecast here in the northwest and we actually had some rain last night - maybe the second time since June. With the snow comes more ski movies. Josh Madsen sent us a copy of Freeheel Life and fromt eh trailer it looks like a good window into the progressive telemark world. Madsen is an accomplished skier in his own right and I look forward to checking out the new film.
Swift. Silent. Deep, a new film that documents the ski bum culture of Jackson Hole, WY during the '80's recently arrived here at our office. It follows the rise and adventures of the crew that came to be known as the Jackson Hole Air Force (JHAF). The JAHF was made up of a crew of dedicated ski bums who pushed the sport of skiing and are rather infamous for their antics on snow and off. The JHAF set the tone for out-of-bounds skiing in Jackson before the boundaries were open. Check out the trailer.
Although temps were summer like this weekend, the significant color change in the trees is a sure sign that Fall is on its way. Another good seasonal indicator is that the ski movies have begun arriving at our PO Box. Flakes from Noah Howell and the crew at PowderWhore Productions is the first to arrive. We have yet to sit down and screen the fifth film from the Wasatch based PowderWhore crew, but given their track record and the film trailer, it looks like we can count on quality deep snow skiing (telemark of course) and bold lines from some of the finest freeheel skiers around.
Looks like the official release is in Otcober. I'll be sure to get a crew together and give a report before then. In the meantime...
The crew at Sweetgrass Productions just launched the trailer to their new film Signatures. Filmed entirely in the coastal mountains of Niseko and Hokkaido, Japan, Signatures follows last year's well received Hand Cut film and offers countless reasons to start planning a trip to Japan this winter . . .
Call for entries to the Backcountry Film Festival is on!
Who can enter a film?
You don’t need a degree from a film school. You don’t need footage shot while dangling precariously, camera in hand, from an ice wall in the Rockies. All you need is a compelling story, some quality footage and a keen eye for a fun, educational or juicy topic.
Your film should be short—no longer than 30 minutes—and tell a thought-provoking, interesting story...
Avalanche hazard has, for good reason, been receiving a good amount of press around the country this season. North American avalanche related deaths have already reached 31 this year. Conditions are settling out in many areas, but as three new deaths last weekend show, not all areas are seeing better stability.
Black Diamond has been passing around this video of Chris Cardello who was caught in a slide in Alaska (last winter) while wearing a helmet cam and an Avalung. Chris is fortunate to have survived. The footage is compelling. It is not hard to imagine what is going through his head.
An interesting new article in the New York Times looks at Dr. Ed Adams and avalanche research he is conducting in Bozeman, MT. Dr. Adams is looklng at snow dynamics in a laboratory setting, hoping to better understand the science of snow.
There is also a new avalanche film out this winter called The Fine Line. From the moment it begins, The Fine Line captures your attention. The movie is billed as an avalanche education film, and it is, but it is not a run-of-the-mill avalanche education film. The time-lapse photography alone is worth watching. The dramatic skier triggered avalanche footage is worth watching, and the amount of professional dialog is impressive. The whole package makes for a unique and creative film. It is an inspired spin on the often predictable ski film category and a fresh take on avalanche awareness.
Given the number of skier and snowmobiler deaths this winter, it is obvious that more can be done to reach folks who recreate in avalanche terrain. Although there is no single way to do this, The Fine Line is an innovative approach to making an educational film that appeals to a wide audience.
For years we have watched ski films flaunt avalanche safety. Modern ski movies are about how big and how fast you can ski - not about safety. The Fine Line begins to address this. The film shows skiers going big and skiing fast too, but it also presents first person accounts of avalanche survival.
The bulk of the film is a 50-plus minute “hook” that sets the scene about skiing in avalanche terrain. Firsthand accounts, radical slide footage, great animation, and solid wisdom from numerous avalanche safety professionals sets an excellent tone. In addition to the main feature, there are four shorter, educational films: Understanding Bulletins; Choosing Terrain; Predicting Avalanches, and Common Signs of Instability.
The shorts range from eight to 20 minutes in length, and offer clean, professional windows on each topic.
The Fine Line is a must see regardless of your skiing ability or knowledge of avalanche dynamics.
Greg Hill is a respected name in the backcountry ski community. He has placed well in many randonee races, set some incredible endurance standards, and generally pushes the window for human powered big mountain ski exploration from his home in the Selkirk Mountains (read a profile on Greg from 2003 here ).
Last season, Greg decided to carry a video camera with him on his many touring adventures around the Rogers Pass region. The result, The Unbearable Lightness of Skiing, is a true grassroots ski touring based film. Greg's low key commentary compliments the excellent ski footage and inspiring adventures that he and his local ski posse undertake. The film is currently being shown at the Banff Mountain Film Festival.
The film is brief at just over twenty minutes, but left me and my fellow viewers fired up to get out and explore new tarrain this season more than any other film I have seen in a while. You can find movies with more mind blowing descents and epic powder skiing, but you will hard pressed to find a film that inspires exploration and adventure on skis like it does.
Last word from Greg was that the film will be ready for public sale very soon. You can find out more and keep an eye out for the film on Greg's website www.greghill.ca
You can get a taste of the film from this vid clip. There are several fun clips from Greg on You Tube, so if you have some time to explore, take a look.
Looking for a film that will get you stoked for winter, Hand Cut is it. Nick Waggoner of Sweetgrass Productions has created a film with imagery and a pace remeniscent of Bill Heath's award winning ski film Sinners.
Hand Cut blends the blues music of John-Alex Mason (see sample tracks below) with excellent ski footage and dialog with old-time miners from around the mountainous west. The skiing is impressive, the music fits the mood, and the the dialog is subtle; the combination makes you want to watch it again.
The movie premiered the other night in Aspen, CO to a full house at the Wheeler Theater. John-Alex Mason, the blues man who scored the film, kept the crowd rocking until 5am with his slide guitar and deep country vocals.
If you enjoy a ski film that steps out of the 'ski-porn" mold, Hand Cut should be part of your collection. www.sweetgrass-productions.com
Enjoy the trailer and check out more music below . . .
When the first ski mags arrived over a month ago, it was pushing 100 degrees and it did not feel right to sit and read about skiing, but we are pushing mid september now and I feel fall coming. To confirm that fall is indeed in the air, the first of the ski films have arrived in our mailbox. Last week we received two films, AK The Hard Way and Hand Cut. I had a chance to check out the first of the two to arrive, AK The Hard Way . . .
AK The Hard Way is the third film from Duane...
Jeff at Winter Wildlands Alliance sent us a note announcing that the WWA Backcountry Film Festival is now accepting entries. Check out the promo video below and visit backcountryfilmfest.blogspot.com to get the details
The 2nd Annual Kootenay Coldsmoke Festival at Whitewater Ski Resort in BC was a success. Although the snow gods did not provide a fresh offering, there was still cold snow to be had. In the words of Mitchell Scott (the event's MC for the weekend), folks in Nelson do not pray for snow, they party for snow! And party they did at Coldsmoke. For a window into the event check out this short video from Murray Adventures
A friend just sent a link to the video embedded below. It is a firsthand account of an avalanche scenario in the Montana backcountry. The story is educational and sobering. The clip is pretty long (30 minutes) but is a compelling account of a day in the backcountry that turned tragic despite a high level of experience within the group.
In March of 2005, I travelled to the Altai Mountains in Central Asia with Nils Larsen and Naheed Henderson. Located in the northern most reaches of China, bordering, Russia, Mongolia, and Kazahkstan, the Altai are home to a network of semi nomadic people.
The people of the Altai are a mix of Central Asian cultures and live a simple life based in the mountains. They also ski. Skis are a tool for the people of the Altai, a tool that, as far as we could determine, has been part of their life for many centuries. In fact, evidence points to Central Asia as the birthplace of skiing, potentially as long as 8,000 years ago .
We stayed, traveled, and skied with the folks of the Altai for over a month while Nils filmed and recorded our travels. Since 2005, Nils has returned to the region several times in search of more information and and more skiing experiences with the people of the Altai. Nils recently finished a film documenting his trips and the ski culture of the Altai. The film takes you into the incredible mountain culture of the Altai and documents skis and skiing that may be one the last remaining links to the birth of skis thousands of years ago. The film is available from Nils at www.freeheels.com
A friend sent this link my way - I heard that the latest Warren Miller film had some footage of paragliding skiers too. I can just imagine what a US resort would say if you tried this here.
I had the opportunity to preview STEEP, a new film from Sony Classics. This is not your normal ski porn. STEEP is a high quality documentary film that explores the history and evolution of steep and big mountain skiing. A project by High Ground Productions and the Documentary Group (formed by Peter Jennings), STEEP is a combination of interviews and impressive ski footage both historical and current.
STEEP includes conversations with steep skiing names such as Shane McConkey, Seth Morrison, Mike Hattrup, Ingrid Backstrom, Glenn Plake, and Doug Coombs as well as great historical coverage of early European exploits in and around Chamonix as well as Bill Briggs' historic first descent of the Wyoming's Grand Teton in 1971.
The film is very well done, includes incredible ski footage, and given Doug Coombs' death in 2006, offers what turns out to be very poignant conversations with Doug about the evolution of steep skiing, its inherent risks, and luck.
The movie launches in December and should begin making appearances at theaters in ski communities and towns around the country. Check this link for a preview of the film
I had a chance last night to watch Sublimation Experiment, the new film from KGB Productions. To start, the music is excellent. The dvd comes bundled with two extra discs, a soundtrack cd and a bonus shorts dvd. Normally, I could care less about the music from a ski film but this soundtrack is great listening. If the rockin' thrasher music of most ski films leaves you wishing for different music, you should enjoy this one.
Watching the big name boys and girls ripping improbable lines serviced by helicopter in the big name ski productions is fun but to be honest does not do much to get me stoked on skiing. Sublimation Experiment, on the other hand, offers terrain, locations, and skiing that is more within reach. The background story offers questions and answers with passionate skiers about being dedicated skiers and the details in life that pull at us all.
It is a difficult balance to film non-pro skiers in hike to terrain and create a quality film; Chris Kitchen and Sam Pope (the film makers) found the balance. A mix of spicy skiing, real people, and great music, plus entertaining bonus footage on the extra dvd make for a fun package. We will have a full review in the October issue. kgbproductions
Following yesterday's post, several readers suggested we offer direct links to the various movie trailers available. Well here are a couple to keep you entertained.
First is Sublimation Experiment from KGB Productions, the second one is Powderwhores07.
Big Mountain Little Skier: Free Heels
Big Mountain Little Skier is Nils Larson's latest movie. Anyone who questions the power of the free heel turn needs to see this movie. Big Mountain Little Skier features free heel skiers pushing the envelope of backcountry skiing the Chugach, Selkirks, and Sierra.
The majority of the film is composed of footage earned via skin tracks and the videography is excellent. Combine...
The Howell bothers, AKA Powderwhores, are opening the world premiere of their new freeheel flick, Flakes, in Salt Lake City, UT tonight. The show is a fundraiser for 
