A ski film is a motion picture with sequences of expedition, recreation, competition, or acrobatic exhibition on snow skis. These non-fiction action sport films capture the experience of an athletic outdoor snow sporting culture. Ski films typically present one or more techniques (ski jumping, cross-country, downhill, freestyle), locations, or skiers (expert, celebrity or novice). Categories include the feature, documentary of competition or other event coverage (such as a snow festival or sportscast), instruction or technique demonstration, retrospective history, travel guide showcasing a region, or a short subject (such as a web series or included in a newsreel). [1] More than 200 such videos debuted in 2006. [2] Notable examples are listed at the Ski and Snowboard Film Institute, [3] or have received awards from the International Ski Film Festival, [4] [5] X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival, [6] IF3 International Freeski Film Festival, Cold Smoke Winter Film, [7] Powder magazine, [8] or similar.
Feature-length entertainment films about skiing, skiers, and the ski lifestyle, shot in actual locations around the world and featuring the best skiers of the day, have been released annually since 1938. Although not distributed through normal film channels, these movies were first exhibited on the resort, club, film festival and ski show circuit [9] [10] and are now available via internet video or home video.
Many features include sequences of other mountain, airborne, water, or speed sports. [11] Slow motion and time-lapse effects and skier point of view shots have been used in ski films since the first features of Dr. Fanck. [12] [13] Many film makers release a film early in the ski season, with content recorded in the past season or two. The following list is a chronology of prolific feature production companies or directors with numerous ski films over the indicated time span.
Many ski film makers have initially or predominately released featurettes and short films, in addition to features.
Ski film may also refer to a fictional theatrical-release sports film which incorporates a skiing theme, although the on-snow scenes may have been enhanced by the use of stunt doubles for the actors and special effects.
Ski, snow, adventure and mountain film festivals are held in Switzerland (Les Diablerets/FIFAD), Austria (Graz, St. Anton, Vienna Freeride), Germany (Tegernsee), Italy (Cortina, Trento), France (Annecy High Five, Dijon, Val d'Isère, Chamonix), Russia (Moscow), Spain (Torello), Canada (Banff, Montreal, Whistler, Rossland, Fernie, Vancouver), United Kingdom (London FreeSki, Fort William, Kendal), New Zealand (Wanaka) and United States (Ishpeming, Jackson Hole, Steamboat Springs, New York City, Midwest, Crested Butte, Mammoth, Missoula, Lake Tahoe, Stowe, North Bend, Boulder, Whitefish, Flagstaff, Williamstown, Mount Snow, Anchorage). [93] [94] [95] [96]
Multi-film road tours which bring a selection of films to scheduled cities have included Banff World Tour, Freeride Film Festival Prime Tour, [97] Vancouver VIMFF World Tour, [98] Salomon Quality Ski Time Film Tour [99] and Level 1 Freeski Film Tour. [100]
Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic Games.
Freeriding is a style of snowboarding or skiing performed on natural, un-groomed terrain, without a set course, goals or rules. It evolved throughout the sport's formative early years as a contrary response to the highly regimented style of ski competition prevalent at the time. Snowboarders primarily refer to freeriding as backcountry, sidecountry, or off-piste snowboarding, and sometimes big mountain or extreme riding.
Freeskiing, or new school skiing, is a specific type of alpine skiing, which involves tricks, jumps, and terrain park features, such as rails, boxes, jibs, or other obstacles. This form of skiing resulted from the growth of snowboarding combined with the progression of freestyle skiing. "Newschoolers", or those who specifically ski in this style, as opposed to traditional freestylers, freeriders, big mountain skiers, and racers, are often found in terrain parks, which are designed specifically for tricks.
A modified version of their alpine counterparts, twin-tip skis are designed to enable a skier to take off and land backward while jumping and to ski backwards (switch) down a slope. The name "twin-tip" comes from the dual shape of the ski. While most alpine skis have a defined, curved-up front end as well as a flat rear end, twin-tip skis have a curved-up tip and tail.
Candide Thovex is a French professional skier, filmmaker and entrepreneur. He is known for his creative freestyle skiing movies and professional accomplishments. His first notable jump was at Chad's Gap, a massive transfer jump of 120 feet (37 m) from take-off to landing over a 40 feet (12 m) deep gully in Alta, Utah, US. His point of view videos routinely go viral on the internet and are viewed by tens of millions. He is widely considered to be one of the best freeskiers in the history of the sport.
The International Freesports Film Festival (iF3) is a film Festival dedicated to screening and rewarding freeskiing and snowboarding movies. Held annually at the end of October in Montreal, iF3 was created in 2007 by Félix Rioux, Doug Bishop and Jean-Francis Durocher. As it premieres the best movies of the past season, iF3 has been referred to as the "Cannes of the ski world!" by ESPN and won Quebec action sports Gala Maestro's event of the year in 2010.
The Midwest Ski Film Festival (MWSFF) is a Film Festival takes place annually in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Held in October, the festival is a showcase for ski films from both independent and professional ski film companies. The festival shows mainly newschool skiing films.
The Freeride World Tour (FWT) is an annually toured series of events in which the best freeskiers and snowboard freeriders compete for individual event wins, as well as the overall title of World Champion in their respective genders and disciplines. The events take place on what's commonly referred to as "backcountry", "big mountain" or "extreme" terrain – essentially ungroomed powder snow on dangerously steep, mountainous slopes.
Sean Martin Pettit is a Canadian freeskier born in Ottawa, Ontario. He grew up in Chelsea, Quebec until the age of 7. He now resides in Pemberton, British Columbia.
Chris Davenport is considered one of the world's most accomplished big-mountain skiers and mountaineers. A native of Aspen, Colorado, he has been called "one of North America's top 25 skiers by Skiing Magazine and is a "two-time extreme skiing world champion".
Line Skis, commonly shortened to Line or stylized as LINE, is a new school skis company owned by K2 Sports. Line Skis was founded by Jason Levinthal in 1995 to produce short, twin-tipped skis for freestyle skiers, and has since moved to produce full-length freeskis.
Tom Wallisch is a professional freeskier.
John “LJ” Strenio, born on February 8, 1989, in Burlington, Vermont, is a professional freestyle skier who is featured in numerous feature-length films and competes professionally around the world.
Eric Pollard is an American snow freeskier and film editor from Welches, Oregon and currently resides in the Hood River region of Oregon. He was a professional skier for Line Skis for over 22 years and now designs skis and snowboards for Season. Always challenging the status quo, he has innovated outerwear, accessories and hard goods for FW Apparel, Anon Optics, Dakine, K2, Causwell and Hest.
Karl Fostvedt is an American Freeskier from Ketchum, Idaho. He is sponsored by Dakine, K2 Sports, Anon Optics, Lethal Descent, Full Tilt Boots.
Poor Boyz Productions is a North American entertainment company which specializes on Freeskiing, Wind surfing and Standup paddleboarding films. The company was formed in 1994 by Johnny Decesare and is headquartered in Redondo Beach, California. In 2012 Poor Boyz began producing freeskiing videos in association with Red Bull Media House.
Alexis duPont is an American professional big mountain freeskier. She is a Freeskiing World Tour contender and former Junior Olympics competitor, who has been featured in several films such as Warren Miller’s Wintervention and Tracing Skylines. Her mother, freestyle skier Holley duPont, was one of the first women to land a backflip on skis.
Michelle Parker is a pro-skier from Truckee, California, US. She started skiing in her home resort Squaw Valley Ski Resort. At the age of 15, she started dedicating herself to freeskiing. She has subsequently competed in the U.S. Freeskiing open, X-games and Red Bull Cold Rush.
The Faction Collective is a manufacturer of freeride skis, poles and skiing-related products, based in Verbier, Switzerland. The company's products are sold in over 31 countries through their website and through distributors.
Cody Townsend is an American professional skier and outdoor adventurer recognized for his contributions to the field of freeskiing and backcountry skiing. Townsend has gained attention for his descents on challenging and unconventional mountain terrain, earning him prominence within the extreme skiing community.