Featured Image: Courtesy of 4FRNT Skis | Skier: Mallory Duncan
On Movie Monday, FREESKIER brings you free movies from the wide world of skiing. With a mix of old and new, this is where you can find your weekly dose of freeski history, adrenaline and cinema mastery all in one.
Since the moment it first debuted, “The Blackcountry Journal” has been one of our favorite ski films in recent memory. That’s largely due to the fact that it has little emphasis on the actual skiing. Yes, there are jaw-dropping mountain landscapes featured throughout, and yes there are beautiful turns exhibited, but the film truly hits home thanks to its emphasis on the reasons we ski, not the skiing itself.
Here, we find a skier making his way through the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. Not explicitly mentioned in the movie but known to us as the viewer, that skier is Mallory Duncan. Duncan has been a member of the talented 4FRNT team for several seasons, gaining recognition for his prowess in the backcountry. His Instagram feed is populated with shots from missions to untouched pow fields and high peaks, but in this project, we get a glimpse at lessons he’s learned through another passion: jazz.
The project is described as, “an expression of art, skiing, and black culture.” While the parallels between these three topics aren’t often discussed, Duncan and co-director Patrick Elmore do an excellent job at guiding us through the connections with a surrealist vision. Blending a plot line into a ski film is not easy, but this team did so with absolute perfection. We hope that Duncan and friends have another project like this one up their sleeves.
Watch “The Blackcountry Journal” for FREE Below
A skier contemplates his connection to skiing and the mountains. As he hurries through the streets of LA, his path takes a turn after bumping into a jazz musician who helps him discover the correlation between jazz and skiing—an expression of art, skiing, and black culture.
Winner ‘Best Film’ BANFF Film Festival – Snow Sports
Supported by: 4FRNT Skis, Strafe Outerwear, Folkrm MTN, Oregrown Industries
Dir: Mallory Duncan & Patrick Elmore
DP: Patrick Elmore
EP: Mallory Duncan
Editor: Patrick Elmore
Additional cinematography: Neil Provo, Oli Rye, Tyndall Wells, Ian Provo
Original Score: Kaz & Bad Turner
Written by: Mallory Duncan
Featuring: Chazz & Alex Collins
Skiing & Snowboarding by: Mallory Duncan, Ian Provo, Zak Mills, Neil Provo
