Free rides

The DNA IF3 International Freeski Film
Festival spotlights the world of extreme skiing

ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE: Reasons

by MALCOLM FRASER

With the already sub-par summer fading away into memory, while many of us are no doubt dreading the all-too-soon onset of another brutal winter, others are salivating with anticipation at the prospect of all the outdoor sport activities the snowy season brings.

Though skiing certainly has ultra-bourgeois associations, conjuring images of hale yuppies lounging in chalets wearing expensive snowsuits, the ski community has a subculture of adventurous spirits who forego the safe, corporate-owned hills to blaze their own trails on rugged peaks.

This practice has come to be known as freeskiing, and for its aficionados as well as those who might be curious, this weekend offers the perfect opportunity to get deep into the zone with the second annual DNA IF3 International Freeski Film Festival. Combining professional ski films with amateur efforts, the festival celebrates the spirit of the sport while shedding light on the personalities of its practitioners.

DEEP SNOW, DEEP THOUGHTS

One of the first questions an outsider might reasonably ask when first informed of the freeskiing practice is a befuddled “Why?” As luck would have it, one of the fest’s premieres explores that very question with the documentary Reasons. Produced by California’s Poor Boyz Productions (interestingly, the freeski-film community seems to credit companies rather than individual directors), this film features notable freeskiers explaining the motivations behind their chosen lifestyle. Kris Ostness’s Skiing Is ______ explores similar thematic territory, with some of the top athletes in the sport discussing their ideas and approaches.

Oregon-based company Nimbus Independent also explores the big picture of freeskiing with the doc Hunting Yeti. Following a group of skiers on a season-long road trip, the film seeks to answer the question “What is it about skiing?” with an intensive look into the day-to-day life of the freeskier, beyond the fleeting moments of glory on the hills.

MEDIA MOGULS: The Journal

As the content of the fest displays, it’s not only skiing that’s a way of life for some, but ski filmmaking itself. Rage Productions, also out of Oregon, dedicate their days to chronicling various extreme sports, and have seen their efforts rewarded with their films winning top prizes at Salt Lake City’s X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival and France’s Festival Freeride. Montreal’s own fest hosts the world premiere of their latest, the philosophically titled Such Is Life.

From Norwegian company Field Productions, Get Lucky! brings out the big guns, with helicopters and cranes complementing the cameras following skiers on the hills. French company Ski Vision mixes things up with Alliance, which boasts a wide international scope, including footage from Japan, as well as a welcome old-school aesthetic with some footage shot on 16mm film.

Famous skier-turned-filmmaker Tanner Hall will be hitting town for the fest, presenting his new film Massive, which explores the slopes from B.C. to Alaska. With all the West Coast love going down, Easterners can breathe easy that Burlington-based Meathead Films represents with their latest, Head for the Hills, featuring footage captured in the wilds of Vermont and Quebec on video, 16mm and Super 8. The fest’s selections are rounded out with more action in The Journal, Turbo, Broadcast and Up in Snow.

Along with these professional products, each night of the fest will begin with a selection of amateur ski videos culled from the ranks of aspiring filmmakers around the globe.

EXTREME EVENTS

In addition to all the films being shown, the fest is also throwing down with an array of parties, where audiences can mingle with the many filmmakers and skiers who’ll be in town. Tonight, Thursday Sept. 11, the fest kicks off with a party celebrating the 10th anniversary of the freeskiing phenomenon at la Mouche (1284 St-Denis). On Friday, Massive gets its own party at Cabaret Juste Pour Rire with special guest Cali-P.

And on Saturday at Théâtre Telus (333 de la Commune), the festival presents its Newschoolers Awards, which will reward the fest’s top professional and amateur entries, followed by a DJ set from local man-about-town Ghislain Poirier. All in all, a weekend of excitement that will no doubt intrigue the public at large and keep ski fans sated until the snow begins to fall.

>> Movie Listings