I like most ski flicks I see, but very few do I buy. One of the few I have treasured and watched repeatedly is the Sweetgrass film Signatures, which followed an entire season in Japan—Fall through Winter, Spring and Summer—focusing on a few, local riders and their reasons for devoting their lives to pursuing deep powder in the ghostly trees, ski touring, noboard riding and surfing. The quality of the interviews, the meditative pacing, and the exquisite cinematography all spoke of a feeling that resonates with the soulskier, and one I hadn’t seen captured on film since Eric Iberg’s IDEA.
Sweetgrass‘ new film Solitaire arrives in Whistler this Friday at Millenium Place. I would suggest not missing it, especially if alpinism, big lines and ski touring in South America are also your thing. The film took two years; it appears that many of the deeper, more engaging ski films are letting the footage shape over two seasons. By all accounts the film presents an existential journey into the heart of skiing. No fast cuts here between perfect-weather days. Howling winds await us on the trek up; Patagonian storms descend; steep ice and less-than-ideal conditions form the harsh reality of ski mountaineering. Which is to say I am very much looking forward to this.
Friday, October 21 at 7:30pm
MILLENIUM PLACE
$12 TIX available online.
Check out the program & tix info here.
Presented by The Escape Route.
