Photos by Dutch Man
It may be spring, but after last night’s Intersection, I think I’m ready to go back to winter.
The six teams competing in the World Ski and Snowboard Festival action sports film competition were the first generation to experience a slight change in the contest rules: instead of filming an entire five to seven minute ski and snowboard video in the week leading up to the event, they were able to film over a week-long period in mid-March.
Well, it just so happens that we received a ton of snow in March. That means that this year’s crop had some of the best powder footage in the history of the competition.
Local photographer Mason Mashon hosted the event, getting the crowd riled and ready for the show—though, that wasn’t too difficult since Intersection tends to attract the best and rowdiest in Whistler.
The night kicked off with Simplestix. On paper, this international company appeared to have a disadvantage since they were out-of-towners—but on film, you couldn’t tell the difference. The powder-hungry crowd hollered throughout the show, Portraits, which included unreal moments like a piggy-backed backflip and a sit skier tearing it up.
Up next were the infamous Man Boys, a collection of legendary local talent like Robjn Taylor, Chris Rasman, Mark Sollors, Rusty Ockenden, Jody Wachniak and Matt Belzile. Their submission can only be described as a snowboard comedy. The show was hilarious, but also featured some killer snowboarding and was so beautiful to watch that it could’ve been an IMAX film. If you missed it, you’re out of luck: the Man Boys announced that they wouldn’t be posting their show online. I’ll leave you with a few teasers: mogul Pictionary; basketball boarding; and CGI cows.
The crowd putting their votes in for People's Choice
Rounding out the first half of the show was KSM Collective’s Wintertide. These guys might be young, but between the three team members, they share a fair but of experience. Their narrated film was about snow, snow, and more snow and highlighted the stellar scenery that we snowsporters are lucky enough to enjoy every day.
Calloused Media Group, a crew of local storytellers, started off the second half of the show with a film that celebrated the people behind the sport and the epicness that is Whistler Blackcomb. From park to pillows to some urban actions by the train tracks and even off a house, their submission had a little bit of everything.
Ben Webb and Ryan Kenny followed with their show, Tools of the Trade. You know that feeling where you’re on the mountain, and you pause for a moment and really take it all in? It's often accompanied by the words, "I can't believe that I get to live here." That’s the feeling Tools of the Trade conjured up—it highlighted the beautiful little details of the sport and the places we play in. Their snowboard-heavy film brought the crowd to life with killer tunes, epic POV shots and ridiculous amounts of powder.
Last, but certainly not least: Brian Hockenstein Cinema! The name might sound familiar, given that he’s the editor of this fantastic website. Brian’s film, No Ordinary Life, showed how dynamic snow sports can be. The kite skiing segment had my heart doing somersaults—but then again, so did the wingsuit flight off of the Chief. His was the only show to give sledding the feature it deserved as a sport of its own, not just a mode of transportation. Above all, it made winter sports seem like fun—and suddenly got me wishing that the winter wasn’t almost over.
Of course, the teams weren’t just competing for hoots and hollers from the crowd. Headlining sponsor Bromley, alongside a host of other sponsors, provided an epic prize package including $10,000 cash, $1,000 to spend at any Gibbons spot in town, and some Scandinave Spa passes.
The winning crew
Who took home the prize? That honour went to the Man Boys, who were not only crowned the judge’s pick, but also went home with the People’s Choice Awards. An epic show it was—and unless you were there, you won’t get to see it. All the more reason to hit up the event yourself next year!
