Header image by Nicolas Teichrob, from Numinous
The first autumn glimpses of snow-dusted mountain peaks always ignites the Whistler excitement levels but nothing cranks the stoke meter to 11 like the first ski movie premieres of the season.
Since the days of schussing down snowfields on boards fashioned from Woolly Mammoth tusks, watching the world’s most skilled winter athletes do what they do best has always inspired feelings of contentment and inspiration. And watching natural snowy terrain shredded the way it was meant to be shredded has fueled office doldrum daydreams and watercooler bragging sessions since way back when.
This year, Whistler’s shred film season is more lit than ever thanks to Numinous and Magnetic, a pair of locally produced ski movies that will showcase the entire spectrum of Whistler-area awesomeness available. And there’s something special about watching a new shred film with a crowd, a shared human experience will always get your more excited for the winter to come.
NUMINOUS
Whistler Premiere Sept 30, Maury Young Arts Centre
Numinous is a collaboration between local freeskiing icon Kye Petersen and Dendrite Studios (aka: Nic Teichrob and Athan Merrick) and from the trailer (see below) it looks like the big mountain riding film of the year.
“It’s been two years in the making,” says Dendrite’s Nic Teichrob. “Kye started the conversation about a larger project and we started chatting and realized we were all on the same page. It happened organically: the athletes, the ideas, the timing… all the right things started lining up.”
Petersen, a born and raised Whistler local, is known for skiing big lines at high speed and using the natural terrain in creative ways few people would even consider.
“Kye wants to showcase his best skiing,” Teichrob says. “And he has creative ideas that worked really well. He’s been involved throughout the entire process. Our goal is to show the connection we have to these wild places, how the energy is different and how rich the experience is. It’s visual storytelling, you can learn more from visuals and sounds than you can through specific language, voice, gender or whatever. This is all about the imagery.”
With upwards of 80 percent of the film shot locally, Numinous also features the skiing of Whistler rippers Matty Richard, Callum Pettit and World Freeskiing Tour standout Logan Pehota. Available on demand October 4, the film premiers in Vancouver on September 22, 2017 and the Whistler premiere (guaranteed to be a party) takes place September 30, 2016 at the Maury Young Arts Centre. Get Tickets Online Here
MAGNETIC
Whistler Premiere October 7, Whistler Conference Centre
The first thing you need to know about Magnetic is that the whole film was shot on Whistler Blackcomb. “Everything in the movie is accessible for anyone with a lift ticket,” explains WB’s Chris McLeod. “And the idea behind it is showcasing what draws people to Whistler, what pulls them here.”
Filmed entirely during last year’s epic snow season, Magnetic has plenty of pow shots, big lines, an insane park segment, and a night sequence that features local slayer Stan Rey double backflipping into a dark abyss.
“It’s fun and it just makes you want to go ski and snowboard,” McCleod says. It starts with a top-to-bottom run from the top of Peak to the GLC and just flows from there. We had so much good mid mountain pow last year, there are shots of people riding the lift lines that look like the backcountry or Japan.”
Featuring all the best local rippers on both skis and snowboards, Magnetic is sure to fire up the stoke. It premieres at the Whistler Conference Centre on October 7, 2017. Tickets now available online here.
More Shred Flick Premieres…
TURBO DOJO
Whistler Premiere September 26, GLC
The latest snowboard flick from industry veterans Absinthe Films, this one will have all the top riders shredding the last frontiers of rideable terrain. You know this one will be a happening event because it’s the only premiere on the list that takes place in a bar (just like the old days).
TurboDojo premieres at the Garibaldi Lift Company on September 26, tickets at the door.
BEARINGS
World Premiere September 29, Rainbow Theatre
It’s hard to resist a ski movie that describes itself as having, “deeper powder than Pablo Escobar and more Pillows than Bed, Bath & Beyond” so this one, the third film from Blank Collective, ought to be a real shaker. With lots of big mountain ripping from all over British Columbia expect Bearings to get you stoked to rip, both here at home and on those epic impromptu pow-chasing road trips.
Bearings premieres at the Rainbow Theatre in the Whistler Conference Centre on September 29, 2017. Get tickets online ahead of time.
As the weeks unfold and the snowline creeps lower there will be more ski movies announced. Keep an eye on these events listings and in the meantime, don’t forget about the new season of Salomon Freeski TV that starts soon.
With snow already hitting the hills we’re checking through our winter gear to make sure it’s ready for another season – and squirreling some cash for the Legendary Turkey Sale ski and snowboard deals, coming up on Thanksgiving Long Weekend. Getting hyped? Check out Whistler.com for all your fall and winter needs.
