Sunrises over freshly snowcapped mountain ranges and miles of untracked powder send a joyous exhilarating tingle through the bodies of people in the area. A view from within a gondola car through frost-scratched windows makes any day sparkle. When the first ski movie comes out showcasing the steepest lines, craziest cliff drops, insane rail slides, and the aforementioned scenic paradise, an untamable urge bubbles within as the mind becomes consumed by one thought: SNOW.
Olympic Village Lodge in Squaw Valley opened up their winter shredding film series Saturday, Sept. 22 with the 2007 International Free Ski Film Festival movie of the year ‘enjoy’ presented by Rage Films. This year’s ode to shredding by Rage, has it all – big mountain descents of some of the world’s steepest lines only accessible via helicopter in Alaska, epic turns in Austria, Sweden and Switzerland, and jib-tastic stunts in Park City, Winter Park and cities in between. Plus those magical powder moments in Rage’s home state of Oregon at both Mt. Hood Meadows and a majority of the staff’s stomping ground, Mt. Bachelor.
‘enjoy’ showcases the elegance, poise and experience of big mountain skiers like Daron Rhalves, Reggie Christ and Jamie Pierre. Plus the progression of urban skiing with steezed-out twists, turns, grabs, flips, grinds and big air by Ian Cosco, representative of the next generation at 16; Fabio Studer, 21 of Austria; Mike Hornbeck, 20 of Colorado; and the 2007 IF3’s Jibber of the Year, 18-year-old Ahmet Dadali. An ample number of goddesses on planks Ashley Battersby, Jamie Burge, Jessica Sobolowski, Andrea Binning, and Lauren Ogden fluidly make their marks in the backcountry-and-park realm of the sport with ease and elegance.
The picturesque scenic views, incredible jaw-dropping tricks and lines set to a stellar soundtrack of hip-hop, rock, and classical combined with the latest in filming and editing technology make ‘enjoy’ an omnipotent force in this year’s ski film lineup.
The scenes in ‘enjoy’ emphasize not just the technical aspects of skiing, but also the natural side we all have come to connect with. Spectacular mountain ranges, sparkling snowflakes fluttering through the air, quaint mountain cabins, and freezing fluorescent-lit cities serve as transitions between sick and twisted big air, steep lines, and rail grinds. The ‘enjoy’ crew found powder and breathtaking views from New York to Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Utah, to Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland. Dan Norkunas, who filmed and edited all but seven minutes of ‘enjoy,’ said they took a more artsy approach to this film by capturing more setting shots like the snow-covered ranch, picturesque mountain ranges, and adding longer music with slower beats.
‘Last year’s ‘Corduroy’ was cut and dry, kinda ‘BANG BANG BANG,’ and ‘enjoy’ is more artsy, focusing on the natural elements of skiing,’ Dan said.
Chasing snow has become the biggest challenge for filmmakers in the industry with the warmer winters Dan said. ‘In Alaska, everything came together. You hear horror stories about being stuck in Alaska for two weeks with only two days clear enough to ski. Before Alaska we had no big mountain footage so when we got 11 days of sunshine and really good snow conditions, we were psyched,’ Dan said.
The Sept. 22 Tahoe premier ‘went off’ and Dan said this made everyone involved with the film feels great about the way it turned out. ‘Tahoe was one of our more rowdy crowds and it was the best response Rage Films has ever received in Tahoe. It was a great night with a jam-packed crowd who was pumped on the film. This helps credit the movie being good,’ Dan said.
New-schooler, Ahmet Dadali, stomped his statement to the ski world as a progressive, stylistic smooth skier here to stay. He reigns from New York but now claims Utah as his home base. ‘His segment was all handrails and no one knew who he was. He is literally unstoppable on the urban side of jibbing. Word was getting out about him before we released a single shot,’ Dan said. He opened up his segment tagging a cement wall with his name, then greased and slid his way from rail to rail while the music is timed perfectly to his landing. He closes it on a double z-rail with a 360-dismount. Some of his crazier slides were shot in my hometown of Pocatello, Idaho, at Pebble Creek Ski Area. Back when I shredded Cherry Bomb, Sun Bowl, and Stacy’s, the thought of seeing someone slide down those stair rails never crossed my mind. Ahmet did it with ease then stomped the landing with authority.
As for the ladies, Ashley Battersby far exceeded Dan’s predictions and expectations. ‘She’s out there skiing against the guys and it’s cool to see her not be intimidated by them, rather pushed to perform better,’ Dan said.
Ashley is another of the urban elite making jibbing look easy. In the scene where she transfers from one rail to rail, Dan said she was stomping tricks the guys couldn’t pull off. Ashley came in fourth at the International Free Ski Film Festival for best female.
The relationship between guys and gals, new schoolers and the veterans of the sport are supportive and rather than make it completely about the individual, Dan said he likes to make a crew out of it. ‘At the end of the day everyone’s skiing powder and that is what matters.’
Squaw is not the only place to get your fix, well at least visualize your fix. FiftyFifty Brewing Co., Truckee’s newest addition to the entertainment scene, announced their Winter Film Premiere schedule Sept. 21. ‘Each Thursday through October, we will feature the newest, hottest films to give everyone the itch to get on some snow and ride,’ owner Alicia Barr said.
Alicia with partner in business and life, Andy, opened FiftyFifty this last summer and decided to host the premieres of some of this year’s ski and snowboard films after being approached by a few of their employees who are involved with Think Thank and Alterna Action Films. ‘There is a big portion of the community involved with snow film festivals in one way or another here, so we wanted to get involved,’ Alicia said.
Alicia and Andy installed a big projection screen to complement their high-definition flat screens plus a kicking sound system to heighten the viewer’s experience. On top of free schwag, tasty brews and the latest in snow films this season, FiftyFifty will serve a late night appetizer menu to keep hunger at bay.
On Oct. 11, The Airblaster Crew will debut ‘April’ featuring Travis Parker and his fellow buds sliding, grinding, living it up and loving life. Then Think Thank will debut ‘Thanks Brain.’
On Oct. 18 ‘Apples and Oranges’ presented by Alterna Action Films will be shown. Combining some of the most extreme backcountry and gigantic rock sessions, ‘Apples and Oranges’ will be a must-see event.
On Oct. 26, another star-studded premiere will be shown but this time with a little diversity thrown into the mix. 120 Crew Production will present the world premiere of ‘Lake Effect’ and the rock-steady team of Trilogy Arts will debut ‘Unite!’ showcasing some of the world’s best skating, surfing, and snowboarding.
The film series will spill over into November with the premiere of Quinta Films and Billabongs ‘Lines’ on Nov. 1.
Films will start at 9 p.m. every Thursday of October with their house-brewed beers and tasty treats readily available.
Also, don’t miss Teton Gravity’s Research local premiere of ‘Lost and Found.’ This years’ TGR show will be held at Olympic Village Lodge with doors open at 6:30 p.m., showtime at 7:30 p.m. and an after party at Zenbu around 9 p.m. Ticket prices to be announced.
