It’s hard to say just when ski season ended this year—some lifts in California spun until July 4. (And let the record show that a group of ϳԹ staffers in the Santa Fe backcountry that same weekend.) While seasons past were haunted by crushed dreams and shrubs poking out of a barely sled-worthy February snowpack, in the 2016–2017 season we all felt like stars in our own edit, with democratized face shots and unlimited refills.
Though it also felt like the season’s last ski films had just come out, new trailers were already dropping left and right. Admittedly, we weren’t stoked on every one—there were a lot of fun but generic trailers with no distinguishing features—but a handful stood out. Here are the productions we’re most looking forward to.
#1. ‘Drop Everything’
Drops: September 2017
Production Company:
Why You Know Them: 2014’s
This one starts in a way that’ll be familiar to ski-film connoisseurs: aspirational voiceover and some cinematic ski porn. As the epic-movie-trailer-voice starts listing superlatives (bigger, deeper, gnarlier), it starts to get self-aware and ironic: Thank God, they’re joking! looks to do an amusing job of poking fun at ski movies that are too serious or trying a little too hard to draw meaning out of what’s happening (which is…a lot of skiing). The trailer is punctuated with full-screen titles making declarations about what this film has that others don’t, like “90 percent less interviews with athletes” and “100 percent more women.” (Two!)
If there’s one thing Drop Everything takes seriously, it’s the skiing. With a ripping cast featuring Michelle Parker, Elyse Saugstad, Sammy Carlson, Cody Townsend, and Chris Rubens, this film looks like a lighthearted viewing experience that still delivers on the send.
#2. ‘Rogue Elements’
Drops: September 16 (in Jackson, Wyoming)
Production Company:
Why You Know Them: Last year’s rowdy number
Shot in the aforementioned magical winter of 2017 in the pow zones of California, Alaska, British Columbia, the Alps, and more, you can be sure the skiing in will be appropriately dreamy. Like the title suggests, it’s centered around this idea of wild adventurers who are drawn to these equally wild and raw places. They seek the edge––the imposed limits and their own––in the face of (you guessed it) rogue weather to ski dream lines. Who are “they”? Crushers like Angel and Johnny Collinson, Sammy Carlson, and Elyse Saugstad.
#3. ‘Same Difference’
Drops: Fall 2017
Production Company:
Why You Know Them: 2015’s
This follows a ski racer through a season of gates, freeskiers to the infamous spines of Alaska, and a freestyler on his quest to send the biggest jump ever attempted. In doing this, they draw the obvious but worthwhile comparison: It’s all the same, ain’t it? It’s all just skiing. They’re not wrong, and we’re excited for a fresh take that showcases a variety of disciplines. Because a ski movie doesn’t always mean big lines in big mountains. (Even though we do like that.)
#4. ‘Bearings’
Drops: Fall 2017
Production Company:
Why You Know Them: Maybe you don’t, but last year they released an inaugural film, .
The trailer features a driving soundtrack, nothing but pow, and an introduction reel for the film’s talent: Leah Evans, Chris Rubens, Alexi Godbout, Stan Rey, Josh Daiek, Jordy Kidner. It’s like the ski-movie trailer version of basketball players walking out on court to a loud pump-up song. We’re ready for the game, y’all.
#5. ‘Habit’
Drops: September 16 (Denver, Colorado)
Production Company:
Why You Know Them: They’ve been in the game forever.
They call it about choice and routine: Some people “choose to be carpet salesmen, others choose to be skiers.” With the choice comes a routine you must commit to, but perhaps unlike others, the skier’s reward is pure, unadulterated freedom. Maybe so, but what we’re getting from the trailer is less a criticism of our life decisions (phew) and more fun-loving ski action that ranges from urban freestyle skiing to big-mountain lines, with a brief segue into a crash reel (eek) and a . Plus, it was shot pretty much everywhere there is to shoot skiing: Iceland, British Columbia, California, Alaska, Colorado, Utah, Russia, and Finland.