TGR has done it once again. With the company’s newest offering, Light The Wick, they promised and boy did they deliver. The boys of Jackson not only put together a film stacked with talent, but they infused the film with insight, scale and more meaning than just mindless ski porn.
The movie premiere was the cherry on top of TGR’s incredible weekend that also included family dinner and the 11th Annual Tee Off Golf Tournament. Before we event get to the movie, a big shout out has to be given to Oakley for providing the pre-movie entertainment. Amidst a beautiful Jackson fall day — sun shining, birds chirping, all the clichés — the big O hired the band Deadlocks to play a free village show and bought all the beer from Snake River Brewing, to get everyone in the swing of things.
The Walk Festival Hall was the site of the film, which was a two-tiered event. An early show for the kiddies and a much more grown-up, adult show for the locals. Throngs of rabid fans attended both pre-showing poster signings, grabbing posters, pictures and stickers like they were going out of style. Sage, Benchetler, Sammy, Seth, Rahlves and the rest of the crew happily obliged as many as were allowed before the screening.
Most athletes took the time during the early showing to grab a quick bite and prepare for the late show. After the poster crowd died down and tons of gear was raffled and tossed out to the sellout crowd, TGR’s Dave Hudacsko introduced the film. With deafening roars and wild cheering, the lights dipped and the projectors flicked to life. And after a couple quick PSAs and a trailer for Jeremy Jones’ snowboard film, the show was on.
While the film didn’t have a traditional, linear feeling like most ski flicks of yore, opening segment belonged to Dana Flahr and his ability to stomp steep and fast cliffs. It was true that Flahr fell prey to a knee injury this year, but you wouldn’t ever notice after watching his shots that were interspersed throughout the movie. The movie jumped around, but not in a manic sort of way, more providing bits of riding and insight into the trips, building up for the end.
Standout segments include Dash Longe and Dylan Hood’s jaunt over to Croatia to ski, a multitude of riders put down lines in hometown Jackson Hole (to the booming hurrah of the crowd), Sammy Carlson slaying any terrain put in front of him, Roner flashing and ski-BASEing lines in North Cascade, WA, Sage hitting massive glacier gaps, and Callum Pettit showing skills far beyond his young age.
Far and away the standout segments were two of the last. The first was Sage, Seth, Dana, Ian Mc and Daron’s trip to untouched mountains in Petersburg, AK. The mountains make mainland AK look small, the runs are sickeningly steep and the land is far from tamed. Each stomach churning tumble and tomahawk was met with an equally mesmerizing and memorable line down untouched faces. Petersburg, AK could easily be one of the best trip segments in a long time, in any ski movie.
And the last segment, a Steven’s Pass park session by Sammy Carlson, Byron Wells and John Spriggs, was presented, for the first time ever, in REAL 3D. You know, the same kinda of 3D you wear to Pixar movies. Each jump, landing, crash and stoked vividly jumped off the screen and invaded the audiences’ minds with such force that it’s almost indescribable. The logistics of shooting 3D might be encumbering, the the results are undeniably epic. And to close the movie with one last banger shot from Steven’s Pass was of none other than Sammy Carlson. Opening in PBP and closer in TGR, not a bad season for him.
As the hooplah died down and everyone filtered out to the legendary Mangy Moose, it was apparent that the movie had officially signaled the start of winter. If not before, the locals in Jackson, the riders and anyone else lucky enough to catch the show are now chomping at the bit for the snow to start falling. And isn’t that what a ski movie is supposed to do? MIssion Accomplished, TGR.
