Poor Boyz Productions: Tracing Skylines

Poor Boyz Productions: Tracing Skylines

Synopsis:
Every skier knows what it’s like to call a few friends, pack up, and head out for a trip. Rather than spend another winter chasing storms, five of the top pros and their closest pals embark…
read more on their own interpretations of a “trip of a lifetime,” taking them deep into new and uncharted territory. Sean Pettit ventures further in his home turf of British Columbia. Watch as he trades the comfy lodge for a glacier camp – finding unexpected sources of fun in the backcountry. Logan Pehota pinpoints a remote Alaska lighthouse to use as a home base, where he launches a helicopter expedition and finds fresh terrain to attack. Karl Fostvedt takes urban skiing to a whole new level by spending his time searching for the perfect jib, drop and jump amidst the concrete jungle that is Detroit. Pep Fujas leads the backcountry in pure essence. Julien Regnier is found trekking the grueling 100km (62 Miles) historic high alpine route between Chamonix, France and Zermatt, Switzerland. Finally, Bobby Brown brings the crew back together for a spring session to wrap a season that won’t soon be forgotten. Tracing Skylines follows these five skiers on several incredible adventures. Where will you be inspired to go next?

Every year I look forward to the latest Poor Boyz Productions ski flick.  Ever since they released Degenerates in 1998, I’ve been hooked.  As far as I’m concerned, they make top-notch ski movies.  After watching this sure to be classic 5 or 6 times, I can say that this movie is not the exception to the rule.

There were a couple of things that really stood out to me.  Firstly: The start of season skiing in the Whistler backcountry.  I couldn’t believe the depth of the snow.  The lines skied and the camera shots they got were just amazing.  Especially for the overcast, snowy weather.  I defy anyone to watch that segment and not be completely jealous (unless of course you live there or somewhere similar and do that on a regular basis.  If that is the case, F the F off!)

Secondly: Urban skiing in Detroit.  Usually I am not big on urban skiing.  There’s only so much of it I can take.  Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the difficulty and the skill it takes.  But often (these days anyways), I find that, (for my tastes) the movies spend too much time on it.  Maybe it’s because they don’t have to pay for helicopters and guides and tons of safety equipment.  Who knows?  The Detroit segment was awesome though.  If I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have believe that the city looked like that.  Just abandonment everywhere…

Thirdly: I loved that Glen Plake made an appearance.  I wish that they had spent more time with him.  He’s one of the “extreme skiers” that I grew up on.  The Chamonix sequence had some of the steepest skiing that I’ve seen in a move.  From the narration you could tell that the skiers knew that they were putting their lives at risk from the word go.

It’s hard for me to rate ski movies because I love them all.  I’ll do my best though… I give Tracing Skylines a 4 out of 5 possible stars.  Go watch it and decide for yourself.

Trailer Time Part 1

Every year around this time, my mind wanders to thoughts of frosty mornings and deep snow… I know, right?  It’s only August.  I can’t help it.  When you are as passionate about something, you want it all the time.  So it can be expected that when the season’s ski movie trailers start to come out, I’ll be walking around with my hand covering my crotch in an attempt to hide my boner.  Here’s a few of this years films that are causing the erection.

Sweetgrass Productions:  Valhalla

“The weightlessness of youth: every breath radiates opportunity and hope; every sense thrives on the wealth of the present; every thing whispers of brilliance and awe. When you’ve seen the season’s first great snow through the eyes of a child—you’ve known true happiness. But what happened to that simple joy? Where do we find the freedom that time and wisdom stole away?

Valhalla, Sweetgrass Productions’ fourth feature film, is the tale of one man’s search to rediscover the freedom of his youth. Feeling the distant heat of it’s fire still burning in the mountains of the frozen north, he goes in search of those tending the flame—the untamed, the wild, and the outcast dwelling on the fringe.

Weaving narrative-driven style with award-winning, face-melting backcountry ski and snowboard cinematography; Valhalla is a vivid explosion of color, character, snow, and nostalgic soul.” — http://www.sweetgrass-productions.com/films/valhalla/

PoorBoyz Productions: Tracing Skylines

“Every skier knows what it’s like to call a few friends, pack up, and head out for a trip. Rather than spend another winter chasing storms, five of the top pros and their closest pals embark on their own interpretations of a “trip of a lifetime,” taking them deep into new and uncharted territory. Sean Pettit ventures further in his home turf of British Columbia. Watch as he trades the comfy lodge for a glacier camp – finding unexpected sources of fun in the backcountry. Logan Pehota pinpoints a remote Alaska lighthouse to use as a home base, where he launches a helicopter expedition and finds fresh terrain to attack. Karl Fostvedt takes urban skiing to a whole new level by spending his time searching for the perfect jib, drop and jump amidst the concrete jungle that is Detroit. Pep Fujas leads the backcountry in pure essence. Julien Regnier is found trekking the grueling 100km (62 Miles) historic high alpine route between Chamonix, France and Zermatt, Switzerland. Finally, Bobby Brown brings the crew back together for a spring session to wrap a season that won’t soon be forgotten. Tracing Skylines follows these five skiers on several incredible adventures. Where will you be inspired to go next?” http://www.poorboyzstore.com/dvd/tracing-skylines

Matchstick Productions: MCCONKEY

“McCONKEY, a much anticipated feature-length documentary, is a heartfelt examination of the legacy one athlete left to the progression of his sports, and the path he paved to conquer his dreams. Shane McConkey is revered as a pioneer of freeskiing and ski-BASE jumping, and through his talent and ability to use his trademark irreverent humor he inspired countless lives. In a film from Red Bull Media House in association with Matchstick Productions, McCONKEY celebrates the life of one of the world’s ultimate innovators. Proceeds from the film will go to a trust set up for the McConkey family.” http://www.skimovie.com/index.php/dvds/details/mcconkey