iF3 in Whistler: The Only Way to Watch Ski Films

The epic ski movie fest known as the International Freeski Film Festival is officially a wrap!
For the first time ever, the iF3 came to Whistler, presenting 11 ski films to crowds of salivating shredders. The film presentations were split up into four different shows to avoid over-stimulating action sports enthusiasts, although anyone who watched all 11 films should get a special prize for dedication and endurance.

The film presentations were hosted by Colby James West—

HOLD IT, COLBY JAMES WEST? Be still, my beating heart! From that moment I first experienced the joy of Colby’s “It’s Not Unusual" segment, he earned the coveted position of being my favourite skier. NOBODY TOLD ME HE WOULD BE HOSTING THESE SHOWS! Shock was followed by panic, which lead to me lunging towards Colby and shouting “COLBY WEST, YOU ARE MY FAVOURITE!”.

I digress. Colby West was an excellent host (and I’m not just saying that), getting the crowds stoked, mitigating riot-potentials when there were technical difficulties, and co-ordinating twerking contests to administer the distribution of the many, many prizes. Tip: sitting in the middle section towards the front increases prize-receiving potential.

Aside from the first film presentation, which featured only Sherpas Cinema’s Into the Mind, the other three shows each included three ski films: one short, and two long. There was a good variety of ski films, from pure ski porn types to narrative-style stories, from local productions to international movies.

Many of the film’s stars made in-person appearances throughout the shows, including Sean Pettit, Josh Bibby, Lexi Dupont, and James Heim. Sure, you can watch hours of ski films from the comfort of your own home, but you probably won’t be watching them with the guys who are in them.

The iF3 is a little like New York Fashion Week for ski bums. You can pick out repeating trends, stand-out stars and that special show that just blows you away:

Trend 1: Urban segments are getting better and better. Crews are scouting out unique locations, meaning big challenges for the athletes and big eye candy for the viewers. Poor Boyz Productions’ Tracing Skylines had an epic trip to derelict buildings in Detroit, accompanied by loud and aggressive hip hop tunes. Legs of Steel’s The LOSt had a spectacularly eerie urban segment in what looked like an abandoned kids’ hospital. Creeptacular.

Trend 2: We saw it in All.I.Can and it comes up in SO many action sports film contest entries: the aspect of sharing a sport with another generation. Normally, athletes bring their small children along for the aww-factor, but The LOSt took it one step awesomer: DADS!!! The segment where the athletes skied alongside their fathers was just fantastic.

Trend 3: Ski ballet—is it making a comeback? With fancy footwork making cameos in Bon Appetit Freeski Blog’s short, Ski Opera, I can only hope so.

Trend 4: Epic use of POV footage. Amateur Go Pro users, take note. I've never seen POV footage used as well as in the films I saw this weekend. You can see the steepness. You can hear the athletes muttering expletives. You can feel the stoke. I like it.

The standout film was Field Productions’ Supervention. Don’t be scared off by the subtitles. This Norwegian film is incredible and totally stood out from the rest. Unlike a lot of the other films, it actually included some snowboarding and EVEN a female athlete—gasp! They did a phenomenal job at capturing the stories behind the lines so that viewers were audibly stoked when the athletes eventually nailed it. It was funny without being stupid (why are the two so rarely inseperable?). Supervention MUST be included in your pre-season syllabus.
 

The films, the parties, the pros, the swag—it goes without saying that iF3 was a really good time. If you didn’t get a chance to partake this year, don’t miss out next year. I have a feeling it’s going to get even bigger and better in the years to come.