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A film created by skiers, for skiers, that’s all about the hustle

B.U.F.U., a new film created by a group of East Coast-turned-West Coast skiers, kicks off in an unconventional way—with a scene from Method Man and Redman’s 2001 movie, How High. The scene shows a group of degenerate college kids—two of which are Meth and Red—explaining their new clothing brand, B.U.F.U., to their headmaster. In this case, B.U.F.U. stands for “Buy Us, F#ck You.” But the ski film, B.U.F.U., stands for a more meaningful message: “By Us, For You.”

Those four words describe this ski film to a T; it was made by no-frills, die-hard skiers—primarily Lupe Hagearty, Evan Lai-Hipp, Keegan Kilbride and Kirk Scully—with a goal of providing worthwhile entertainment to the freesking world despite having no budget. It’s gritty, it shows the hard work required to “make it” as skiers in the Wild West and it’s truly impressive, all-around.

“Lupe and I have been friends for over 10 years,” says Lai-Hipp, the filming and editing master behind B.U.F.U. “We grew up a couple blocks away from each other in suburban Connecticut and, as kids, we would always follow each other and our friends around the mountain with whatever camera we could get our hands on. For it to come full circle and get a chance to collaborate on a project with him was an awesome opportunity.”

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From left to right: Hagearty, Lai-Hipp, Kilbride. Photo: Rachel Bock

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Hagearty with a smooth tail press. Photo: Rachel Bock

Following the humorous intro, serious skiing—primarily in the streets—ensues. Hagearty, Kilbride and Scully make up the majority of the footage, with Lai-Hipp behind the lens, but this crew is also joined by a long list of friends that really provide some depth. The stacked squad travels all over the American West, and they explain the trials, tribulations and successes they saw along the way via honest narration.

“Without all of the friends that skied and helped film, B.U.F.U. would never have happened,” adds Lai-Hipp. “It’s hard enough creating a ski project when there is a budget, so without one, it comes down to finding people that want to go out and spend hours shoveling or being out all night in 10-degree weather just because they love skiing.”

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Hagearty floats a cork 3 blunt. Photo: Emily Tidwell

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The crew works on a backcountry booter on Mount Hood. Jamie Walter

All said, B.U.F.U. lives up to its name, big time. These dudes set out to make their own film and stand apart from all the big-dog production companies, and pulled it off with excellence.

“This winter was a huge learning experience,” says Hagearty. “It was really cool to see so many friends come together and make this all happen. Thanks to everyone who made the project and season possible.”

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Related: Watch the trailer for Ahmet Dadali’s film, Book of Times

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