Man have I been slacking. The end of this summer/beginning of fall has been so crazy busy, and it only seems to be snowballing into a. . . well snowball of craziness that will culminate right around the time ski season starts here in Utah (dear people at A-basin and Crystal, you suck; I wish I was skiing NOW). Halloween, school/work, Thanksgiving, trip-plainning, birthday, Vegas, it's all coming up soon. And, of course the most important thing there is: opening day.
Helping build the stoke for the upcoming season are all the fantastic ski films that keep rolling through town. I kicked off the movie season with The Wallisch Project up in Park City. It was a blast and a great to kick things off. A few weeks later things really got started with a triple feature at the Depot here in SLC. First off, this is a great venue for events like this; no matter where you're standing you can see the stage or at least a screen. The bar gets packed, but there are a fair number of incredibly competent bartenders so the wait is not terribly long.
The main billing at the Depot triple feature was Level 1's Partly Cloudy, but first up was The Wallisch Project again, then 4BI9's All Damn Day (still LOVE that name). This was definitely a jibfest, but there was solid park and urban represented. You've got to give those guys credit; they're are easily the best at representing stoke (and steez, don't forget steez), even better than our favorite big mountain skiers by far. All in all it was a great night of skiing and friends. Added bonus: I've made it a goal to try something in the park this season, even if it's a beginner box.
Next up was TGR's Way of Life. I loved The Dream Factory last year, and have come to expect a lot from these guys; they didn't disappoint. The AK segment with the Fantasy Camp footage was awesome. Since this was the first big mountain movie I saw this year I was extra stoked afterwards. Seeing it at Park City's Jupiter Bowl was fairly sick as well. The fact that Ligare, Sage, and Dash were all there was pretty sweet too; working on getting my signed posters up and displayed this week (because I'm still a fangirl at heart). This one is definitely joining my home movie library.
I unfortunately had to miss Sweetgrass Productions' Valhalla premiere in PC because of an exam. Also missed the SLC premiere the following night because now way in Hell was I waiting until November to see Sherpa's Cinema Into the Mind. This was the movie I'd waited over a year for (I was a bit late learning about All.I.Can) so let's just be honest and say I was super giddy to see it. We were late getting to PC, then we got lost after looking for parking and subsequently the library, but managed to walk in before the film started and find what were likely the only 2 remaining seats next to one another. Then we sat enraptured, for too short a time in my opinion, and took it all in. This is not your average ski movie; that's a given seeing as it's Sherpa's. But this is even beyond All.I.Can; it goes deep into the extreme athlete's psyche and tells of success, of failure, of crisis, of triumph, of love, of death, of competition, of connection. It's all there and it spoke to me deeply. It'll be back in SLC at the Depot on Nov. 16 and I'll be there, just as excited and enthralled as the first time. And this one will definitely be joining it's brother (All.I.Can) on my shelf.
Next up is MSP's McConkey at the Cliff Lodge at Snowbird on Nov. 2. This is definitely a departure from the rest of the ski films I've been devouring this year, and will likely be a sobering experience. I don't mean that in the literal sense obviously, but more in the sense that, whereas other films have a RIP section somewhere, this one is entirely about celebrating the legacy of one of our idols who was gone too soon. That said, it's going to be goofy and fun because it is McConkey after all.
Everything I've seen this year has been great and, while I missed them, I'd hazard a guess that Valhalla, 4FRNT's CRJ, Tracing Skylines by Poor Boyz, and Powderwhore's Elevation were pretty good too. Now I just need to find a Supervention showing in SLC or PC and I'll be content.
So that's my ski porn round-up for the 2013-2014 season. I could give an in-depth review of each one, but what's the point? If you're going to watch and/or buy them you just want to know if they're good and they are. So pop in that disc, turn the lights off, and get comfy; these films are about to blow your. . . minds. Hell yeah ski season, we're ready so get dumping and don't let up. I'd be okay if my whole season was partly cloudy so I can let this way of life into my mind and soul. May your turns be steep and deep and may you keep searching for the steeper side.
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