Words by Tess Weaver
Mickael Deschenaux had his passport taken away in Switzerland five years ago. It’s been seven years since he’s been in the States. The king of style, who inspired a generation, made the journey to Newport Beach, CA this week for one reason—to be at the world premiere of The Education of Style, Inspired Media’s latest release staring Tanner Hall, Henrik Harlaut and Phil Casabon.
Hall, Harlaut and Casabon outside Lido. Photo by Chris O’Connell.
Orange County ski fans, along with the Armada crew, Boyd Easley, industry friends from Skullcandy, Monster, Oakley, Freeskier, Powder, Volcom, Fox, Quiksilver, Mt. Baldy and more crowded the Lido Theater on the Balboa Peninsula to see the first ski movie shown at the historic venue, which typically screens surf and skate films.
Monster surprised Harlaut with a limo to celebrate his 21st, which delivered the athletes from an Armada pre-party to the nearby venue. Hall, Harlaut and Casabon signed posters prior to the show and guests sipped Tecate at the donation based bar which benefited JP Auclair’s non-profit, Alpine Initiatives.
When the theater seats were filled, the stars sat on stage and greeted the audience. As usual, Hall captured the crowd with stories of injury, comeback, inspiration and stoke. He prefaced that ski films are all about “epic” these days—epic sunsets, epic follow cams, epic cameras—and said The Education of Style is taking it back to skiing’s roots. He thanked Deschenaux for coming and for providing all of them with their education in style. Hall credited Harlaut and Casabon for the endless inspiration, noting Harlaut must be from Mars because he “skis like no one else on Earth.” Casabon thanked the crowd for coming and thanked the sponsors for supporting their dream. Harlaut grabbed the mic and offered two words: “One love.”
The 25-minute-long film opens to a grainy, creative montage alternating between ski shots and vintage 70s disco shots. Casabon’s opening segment begins with him dressed as a monk downing a crazy hallucinogenic potion in the forest. His sparkly, kaleidoscope acid trip of a segment is solid, littered with smooth and stylish jibs on a slew of urban rails, walls, ledges and the like. Hall’s segment follows and interweaves shots from his latest Jamaica experience with crowd-pleasing overhead-pow pillow shots from his two months filming at Retallack in BC. Harlaut’s much-anticipated segment begins with the Swedish skier passing on advice to a young skier—the message being stay true to oneself. The segment lives up to the hype. Harlaut displays his trademark style shot in and shot out, capping off the film with one heck of a double flatspin in the backcountry. Shot on location in Quebec, Salt Lake City, Sweden, France, Whistler, Mammoth and beyond, the film also contains a “friends” segment.
The return of Deschenaux. Photo by Chris O’Connell.
“The Education of Style is a game changer,” says Armada’s Chris O’Connell. “Skiing wise, it’s 1242 for the new generation of skiers.”
“It was the illest,” said director Eric Iberg. “Seeing Tanner’s best segment since his injury, Phil and Henrik dominating like they do and to have it all on Henrik’s 21st birthday made it perfect. And Mickael Deschenaux was back in America for the first time in seven years.”
Armada Team Manager Josh Bishop added: “The movie is a testament to the limitless possibilities in skiing and displays incredible passion for skiing, progression, and friendship. Regardless of film equipment, editing platforms, or production value; The Education of Style proves that anything is possible with creativity and you don’t need huge budgets to have a positive impact on the industry.”
The after-party at Armada’s new headquarters in Costa Mesa provided a good atmosphere for Harlaut to ring in his 21st with good friends. Between the screening and the party, for the Inspired crew and all others who were in attendance it was a night they won’t soon forget.
The Education of Style is now available for purchase; you can get the film in DVD format for $19.99 and/or via digital download for $10.00.
The Education of Style will also be doing a European movie tour, starting on September 17. Tour stops include:
- 9/17 London, England
- 9/18 Stockholm, Sweden
- 9/19 Oslo, Norway
- 9/24 Edenburgh, Scotland
- 9/28 IF3 – Annecy, France
- 10/2 Barcelona, Spain
- 10/3 TBA, Italy
- 10/4 Hintertux, Austria
- 10/5 IF3 – Innsbruck, Austria
*More locations to be announced soon.
