Huge hucks, pillow pops, blower pow, vertical spines and urban street skiing in full features and shorts, from big-budget flicks to raw home-mades; it’s been a stellar season for ski movies; here’s our (much whittled down list of) Winter 2023 top picks. All of which you can watch on YouTube. Yeeeew!
Free Rider | The North Face
Featuring “monomaniac nutbags, Sam Anthamatten and Victor de le Rue, who dedicate their entire lives to sliding down some snow” (in narrator Jérôme Tanon’s own words), this short looks at what freeriders are made of, and the purpose of it all, as a bush pilot drops the crew in remote Alaska, because “to be a true freerider you need to ride the spines”.
Yours Truly | Arc’Teryx
For a quick hit of award-winning cinematography, this season edit by pro skier Cole Richardson is a ‘visual love letter’ to winter in BC. There’s no story; it’s a short and oh-so-sweet eight minutes of pure powder, pillows, lines, backcountry booters with slo-mo shots and follow-cam footage set to two soundtracks: Proven’s ‘AbeFromTheAve’ and Triads’ ‘If You’re Looking for Love’.
Mt. Hood | Faction
The Faction Collective churns out banger after banger, a powerhouse in ski movie shorts brought by athletes and filmmakers, dreamers and doers. Its latest freestyle flick follows an all-star team (Alex Hall, Blake Wilson, Mac Forehand, Will Berman) making the journey to Mount Hood, Oregon, for spring sessions with hand-built, giant booters action and deep springtime slush.
Delete | Strictly
A 10-man band of powder and park skiers make an original movie in Delete, the final film in the Strictly panoply (Welcome, Bermuda, Most Gutter, Wild Card, and August Light). Going out in style, it’s 32 minutes of urban street skiing and big mountain pow, with long end-credit tributes to the crew that’s Strictly nostalgic.
Nexus | Arc’teryx
Produced, directed, edited and skied by women, Nexus sure as hell doesn’t fall into the ‘one girl is enough’ pit. But the feature-length is about more than just women crushing it on skis. Shot in five iconic locations – Jackson Hole, Alaska, Colorado, Revelstoke and Washington – each segment has a compelling story line, deep diving into friendship, athleticism, strength and resilience. The resounding response has been to the tune of, ‘I wish I had this to watch when I was a kid!’
