Lake Tahoe Skiing Blog

Skiing Stoke from Lake Tahoe

Author: Rob (Page 19 of 27)

The New Gold Standard – All. I. Can. sets a new precedent in ski filmmaking

November 7, 2011 / / 1 Comment

By Rob McCormick
The future of ski films has arrived and it is called All. I. Can. by Sherpas Cinema. More of an art piece than a ski film, All. I. Can. is a notable departure from the ski porn formula we have been watching for nearly two decades. The result is a visual masterpiece.

All. I. Can. incorporates timelapse photography to create a living, breathing planet intertwined with freeway interchanges that carry blood to and from the beating heart of the Earth. Aerial photography of urban landscapes reminds us of the transition the planet has undergone in the past 100 years without being preachy about it. The athletes are introduced with a creative animation sequence similar to Richard Linklater’s work in The Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly. The music is thoughtfully selected and flawlessly edited.

Oh yes, there is skiing in the movie too. You may even recognize a few names such as Mark Abma, Ingrid Backstrom, Kye Petersen and JP Auclair. The slow motion powder sequences are the most stunning and unique I have ever seen. The film focuses more on human powered access to the mountains than other means. It’s refreshing to see helicopter footage when necessary, such as plucking Kye Petersen off a mountainside that has disintegrated around him, without being gratuitous about it. How many times have we seen a product logoed heli dive into the abyss after dropping skiers off on a knife edge summit? Helicopters ARE cool but do we need to see helicopters filmed from other helicopters? Do we need to see helis in terrain parks so that skiers appear to be flying higher than the copter? Why does a helicopter even need to be in a terrain park sequence? I digress but the bottom line is that ski movies have become brutally redundant and we have become desensitized to even the most spectacular lines and footage.

The Sherpas Cinema crew are extremely talented cinematographers. In 2011 they have come out swinging with a film that will be watched for years to come. All. I. Can. doesn’t just raise the bar for ski movies, it sets a new gold standard.

Check out more on this revolutionary ski film and where to see it next on this piece by Unofficial Networks Backcountry Reporter Brennan Lagasse:
More on All. I. Can. from Brennan Lagasse

All. I. Can. may be purchased (and is well worth buying) on the Sherpas Website:
Sherpas Cinema Website

Bridge Day

November 5, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Shane McConkey loved Bridge Day.  Bridge Day gives base jumpers the chance to huck themselves in whatever fashion they can imagine…legally.  Held on the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia, Bridge Day simply rocks.  Here’s a stellar edit from Tim Dutton that features JT Holmes standing in as a member of the Red Bull Air Force and jumping the last of Shane’s unused parachute pack jobs at Bridge Day.

Bridge Day 2011 with Red Bull Air Force from Tim Dutton on Vimeo.

Early November Snow

November 4, 2011 / / 2 Comments

Elevations around 6,000 feet received anywhere from 6 to 11 inches of new snow last night.  That should mean much more on the Pacific Crest.  Looks like round one delivered more than expected.  More snow is expected Saturday evening.

Squaw Valley the morning of November 4. Truckee residences at around 6,100 feet received more snow than Squaw.

Snow removal in the Squaw parking lot this morning.

Ramping up at Squaw – Snow in the Forecast

November 3, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Lots of activity around the base of Squaw recently. Construction projects in full swing, lifts getting bumped to life and snowmaking to the top of Red Dog. Six inches of snow is expected above 7,000 feet tonight. It may be a tad early to get amped on ski season but let’s not forget the seven feet of snow that fell prior to Thanksgiving last year.

KT getting kicked into gear.

Ground level of Olympic House stripped to the ribs.

Fresh sod in front of the Funitel where the ticket portals used to be.

Alpine Meadows residence that collapsed under snow load last winter. A reminder of the epic 2011 season.

Squalloween!

November 1, 2011 / / 0 Comments

The Chammy hosted a Halloween party in Squaw Valley last night. Truckee residents with kids trick or treated in the Gateway neighborhood.

The Occupy Squaw Movement pushing a cause we can really get behind.


Everyones favorite stop in Truckee...the Baeza residence. Candy and ghouls for the kids and tequila shots for the grownups.


Saucer Boy was there too!

The Keymaster : Moonshine Ink gets the skinny from Troy Caldwell

October 22, 2011 / / 0 Comments

With the legal merger of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows now complete, Troy Caldwell holds the cards in connecting the two ski areas. Troy’s White Wolf property, complete with lift towers already installed, is the obvious link between Squaw and Alpine, which would create a mega resort with over 6,000 square acres of skiable terrain. How did Troy obtain this piece of land? What does he think can be done with it? Moonshine Ink gets the scoop from Troy himself. Check it out here: Troy Caldwell talks about White Wolf

Squaw Gets a Facelift

October 16, 2011 / / 0 Comments

KSL is knee deep into a five year, fifty million investment in improvements at Squaw Valley. The fortress of ticket portals has been completely demolished creating enhanced views of KT and Red Dog from the Village. A new ticket office is being built into the main base lodge where the Patagonia store is. The KT Sundeck will now have a two sided bar that can be accessed from the deck or from inside. The lower level of the sundeck facing Cushing Pond will feature cabanas. The ground level of Olympic House is getting a long overdue remodel. All base facility buildings including Le Chamois are being painted to better compliment the Village.

Former ticket portal location

 

New ticket office

 

Olympic House gets a paint job

 

Olympic House after new paint. Note new lamp posts have replaced the round glass bubble lamps that have been there since the Hot Dog movie circa 1983.

 

The Chammy after new paint

Epic Timelapse of Black Rock City

October 4, 2011 / / 1 Comment

Truckee photographer Grant Kaye has been dabbling in timelapse photography over the last year. Below is timelapse of Saturday night at Burning Man 2011. Looks like the set of the 1982 science fiction film Bladerunner. I’d say Grant’s got this format pretty wired. Some of Grant’s timelapse images will be featured in SBDC’s fall ski film release called Sierroin.

Burning Man 2011: Rites of Passage – Burn Night Timelapse from Grant Kaye on Vimeo.

Things to do this summer: Burning Man

August 22, 2011 / / 0 Comments

The annual Burning Man Festival begins Monday in the Black Rock Desert north of Reno. Tickets for this year’s event sold out for the first time in history. An ironic scenario unfolded in which tickets are being scalped for an event founded on self reliance and a gift economy. It’s no surprise that the exponential growth of this event would eventually be restricted by the Bureau of Land Management. Nothing like a little controversy to heighten the anticipation of the 50,000 people who will attend this brilliant temporary community.

The author’s of this blog spent much of last summer supporting a music and art project called Electric Ladyland. Here is a look back at Burning Man 2010 as seen through the eyes of the Electric Ladyland Collective.

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