Words & Photos: Ian Coble
Another hot September in Seattle. What better way to beat the heat than to kick off the winter season with the second ski movie premiere of the year? For as many years as I can remember, Poor Boyz has been premiering their annual ski flicks in the Pacific Northwest to sold old houses… and this year wasn’t any different. Led by the man himself, founder of Poor Boyz Productions, Johnny DeCesare, the entire PBP crew and a host of athletes arrived in Seattle last night to kick off the season.
Sean Pettit poses with fans.
The evening began with a casual barbeque and autograph signing at Evo, just a few miles down the road from the theatre. Nearly the entire roster of athletes in this year’s flick—including Bobby Brown, Pep Fujas, Sean Pettit, Leigh Powis, Josh Stack and many more—made the journey to greet fans, autograph posters and pose for pictures.
This kid’s haircut is the truth.
After a brief intermission from autographs, the crew loaded up on dinner and drinks and relocated to the Neptune Theatre in the University District. This year’s venue was a pleasant change from seasons’ past premieres at the King Cat Theatre where lack of air conditioning last year turned the premiere into a Bikram Yoga session. But with the AC flowing abundantly, the house packed in. Kids clamored for autographs, stickers, posters and t-shirts, while the bar in back swelled shoulder to shoulder with the over 21 crowd.
Pros sign posters at evo
Mike Powell (of K2 Skis Notoriety) eventually hopped onto the stage and got the evening going in his characteristic boisterous personality. Raffles and giveaways would eventually yield to Johnny being brought onto the stage to introduce his crew and the athletes. And when nothing more could be said, it was time to let the skiing speak for itself. Under a packed house, the room became pitch black, and two 30-foot tall letters lit up the screen: WE.
Getting things going with some beats.
And with that, the 2013 season officially kicked off. Fans cheered and screamed and hollered as the all-star cast lit up the screen. The cinematography in this year’s film is unreal and as always, the skiing is constantly pushed to the next level of fathomable.
The athletes and the PBP crew announce the movie.
It’s with this fresh spark in the air that leads us on our annual pilgrimage to head to the garage, dust off our skis, unpack our ski gear, dream up excuses for missing work on that first powder day and get ready for the ensuing winter… bring it on!
WE, let’s go…
We: A Collection of Individuals is now available for download on iTunes.
