Fall ski films are to skiers what Norman Rockwell paintings are to art critics, with careful brushstrokes depicting all that last winter was and all that this one could be. They evoke memories of a trip in the truck with Dad and Mom to a Warren Miller premiere, or a pizza shared with friends before Teton Gravity Research鈥檚 latest offering. Ski films are part of a skier鈥檚 life cycle, same as fall ski swaps and preseason playlists.
Over the coming weeks, I鈥檒l be reviewing six of this year鈥檚 top ski films from six different production houses. You鈥檒l get an inside look at how they鈥檙e made, why they鈥檙e made, and what makes them such an unusually satisfying art form. Up first: Good Company鈥檚 .
Once you remove the boundaries of where one can ski, the only limits are your imagination and a little gumption. That鈥檚 what Good Company鈥檚 latest offering recognizes. Vice Versa is its first full-length ski film after two years of popular webisode projects. Filmed in the United States, Japan, British Columbia, and Quebec, this film and crew are grabbing the torch passed by the departure of big-city street crew Stept Productions, which has moved into more commercial endeavors.
Good Company鈥攖he brainchild of pro skier Tom Wallisch, cinematographers Kyle Decker and AJ Dakoulas, and sports agent Tom Yaps鈥攊s an athlete-driven company that works with a select group of skiers in its films. One such skier: 4FRNT鈥檚 Thayne Rich, whose impressive air sense steals the show. He鈥檚 a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year and breakthrough performer honors, and he鈥檚 yet another powerful skier to emerge out of the 4FRNT ski factory in Salt Lake City.
One of my favorite segments is the self-aware powder scene in Japan, which shows all the fun of international travel with a group of friends. My only complaint: it鈥檚 time to retire the 鈥淭om Wallisch doesn鈥檛 like powder skiing鈥 joke from years ago. In an early career interview, Wallisch said he didn鈥檛 like skiing powder鈥攁 blasphemous statement in the online forums. In fact, Wallisch was simply explaining his love for park skiing, and judging from this film, he doesn鈥檛 seem to be 鈥渂othered鈥 by the deep stuff anymore. His segment, shared with the talented and young Chris Lake, is a must-watch in the film, as are all of Wallisch鈥檚 segments, really.
Some other style masters are on the roster, as emphasized in a killer segment at Snowboarder鈥檚 annual , and a few massive road-gap shots recall the old huck-it days of skiing.
In short, this film is a balance of street and backcountry skiing that only a crew as unique as Good Company鈥檚 could pull off. The closing segment, with , should garner early season talk for awards season. That segment alone is worth the price of admission. With a killer soundtrack featuring young Brooklyn rap prodigy Joey Bada$$, Rakim, and Mos Def, Good Company鈥檚 Vice Versa is a fresh 38-minute offering from a relatively new film crew.
滨迟鈥檚 .