by B.Mulligan » Mon Nov 16, 2015 12:03 pm
I haven't seen the New Warren Miller film, but I caught the recent local showing Paradise Awaits, the TGR film, and enjoyed it immensely. I'm a bit of a ski film fanatic and have been since I caught my first Stump film way back when.
I took a look at the Chasing Shadows advertisement to see who the athletes were in the film. A bunch of names I don't know, but among those I recognized, I really enjoy Mark Abma, and didn't realize he wasn't with Matchstick Productions anymore. I see Chris Anthony is in that film, and I like knowing guys with serious bump credentials still get into ski movies. Jim, I think you might like Chris Anthony's technique more than some of the others. I see that Pep, Sage, and Benchetler are in the film as well, those are three pretty iconic skiers who's skiing is exciting. Though, I prefer their medium angle powder skiing to their jaw dropping Alaskan sequences.
I've come to really look forward to the segments in every film that feature Japan and British Columbia winter Rain forest powder skiing. I think those segments show off the best techniques of each athlete, and they are something I can dream about. Double barrel roll flips on a monstrous Alaskan face aren't something I aspire to do, even in my dreams.
Some of these guys and gals have better technique than others, or at least techniques more in line with what I think you are looking for. Check out videos of James Heim and Candide Thovex. Along with their acrobatics is some very satisfying skiing. Candide's online series Candide Kamera are great and Few Words is one of the best ski films ever. I'm also partial to Seth Morrison. I loved Ordinary Skier, seeing how a classic Alpine hill like Chamonix could humble guys who routinely devastate beyond category Alaska mountains was eye opening, for the audience as well as the athletes. And of course, there is always Hoji. You might want to hunt down those video segments where Hoji and Aksel Svindal ski together. You'll get your technique fill with those two.