I’ll be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of Teton Gravity Research movies. They were always plagued with the same trap of repetitive ski porn, and as a result, I never paid them mind when their latest offerings rolled through Salt Lake. But after hearing about the quality, documentary style of the Jeremy Jones Trilogy, I became intrigued that perhaps the TGR filmmakers have matured into true storytellers. So when their 2014/15 title “Almost Ablaze” screened at Red Butte Gardens, I gave them another shot. Below is my review, with drunken snippets from my buddy, Brian McKenna, as he was real-time texting his thoughts during the World Premiere in Jackson Hole.
“Almost Ablaze” is pretty much your run-of-the-mill ski flick. Sponsored athletes shred the steep and deep to a masively loud soundtrack. But little details made “Almost Ablaze” rise above the noise. First, the primary edit features a female – Utah local Angel Collinson. Having a woman get the first segment in a male dominated ski industry is huge, and judging by the reaction from the group of ladies sitting behind me, Collinson resonated, big time. And she kills it, by the way.
McKenna: “Angel Collinson now takes priority over Sage. Post-opening Angel scene, I will acknowledge she got top billing because she deserved it. 2nd scene: Sage does acid and we all get to go for the trip. Collinson Family heavily featured. So far, light hearted ski porn.”
Another thing the filmmakers have done, is they put microphones on the skiers as they’re skiing big lines. I’m not sure if they were wireless lavs, or just audio from the Sony Action Cams they were wearing, but being able to hear the skier’s heavy breathing, grunts of exertion, and the chattering scrape of ski edges skittering on bulletproof ice over massive exposure draws the viewer in more than any million-dollar heli flyover can ever do. Just having that audio in the mix personalizes the film in such a way that we can almost experience the fear and exhilaration of the athletes in their most gripped moments.
McKenna: “Revelstoke: Durtschi shreds a line that should be renamed ‘The Decapitator.’ Some cool ski patrol controlling of huge cornices.”
The personal sound also captures some of the best moments between skiers. Instead of relying on sit-down interviews where skiers wax poetic about shredding Mount Shredly as if by doing so they’ve solved world hunger, we instead get to hear authentic banter. These are not just pro skiers but friends goofing around and having the time of their lives. That’s something us mortals in the audience can relate to, and relatability is pretty rare in ski flicks.
Finally, too many modern ski films are so full of fast edits, they they never allow the movie to breathe and show an actual descent from top to bottom. “Almost Ablaze” doesn’t do that. Here, we get to see full descents of numerous mountains (all with skier audio.) Sure, it cuts back and forth between wide shots and POV, but it works because we get the full effect. I think my favorite example is the segment where the crew skis three different lines on Wyoming’s Mount Moran.
McKenna: “Refugio scene in Italy proceeds a scene that redefines ‘lift service backcountry.’ Slightly awkward scene of Joss Christensen shredding the Sarajevo Olympic venue after the film makes it clear that many people were executed here during the Bosnian war in the early ’90’s. It’s kinda cool in an artistic way, but fairly uncomfortable given the setup.”
I agree with McKenna’s thoughts about this. I actually left to take a leak during this scene because it was a bit much. I mean, Joss just finishes talking about how people were executed at the medal ceremony platform, and then he proceeds to do park tricks on it. Would it be cool to do the same thing at a former concentration camp? This is just bizarre and a bit insensitive in my opinion.
“Almost Ablaze” redeems itself when Sage Cattabriga-Alosa gets super gripped atop a knife-edge summit where he can’t see his line at all. You can practically hear the panic in his voice until he make his first turn and comes to rest in a safer spot. It’s that kind of moment that makes the whole thing feel real, and has elevated TGR to storytellers instead of just high-budget edit droppers.
McKenna: “Overall, worth seeing. Good old-fashioned, light-hearted ski porn with some very cool and rowdy descents mixed in. No plot, just skiing.”
On a side note, Red Butte Gardens is perhaps the absolutely best venue for a ski movie I’ve ever experienced. Being outdoors is a plus, but at Red Butte, you can bring your own beer and food. It was like a mountainside picnic with the entire Utah ski tribe. Plus, the sound system is awesome there. I could feel the bass literally shaking the ground beneath me when the soundtrack started thumping. More ski movies that come through Salt Lake should screen at Red Butte, for sure.
For a list of the remaining tour dates, or to order your copy, head over to Teton Gravity Research’s website.