8-8-06
Events: Forum's THAT World Premier

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That Is Awesome

Snowboard video premiers have become a routine part of the pro circuit with riders, sponsors and media schmoozing each other in an orgy of quick edits, domestic beers and pro-ho arm candy. More and more money is dedicated to these galas, which do nothing to enhance the experience for the viewer at home who just wants a couple of clips to stoke them out before heading to the hill. But alas, for a rider who has spent an entire season pin wheeling down landings, saw-horsing handrails and waking up at five am to beat other crews to their “secret” spot, this is when they climb the proverbial podium in victory and bask in the cheers from the masses firsthand.

Forum deviated from the norm for the premier of That. For the last few months fans have been able to go online and explain why their house should host the That debut. After sorting through roughly 500 entries Victoria, BC on Vancouver Island, Jim’s house to be exact, was chosen. Jim’s family estate is a sixty-five acre hideaway on Beaver Lake. The expansive backyard easily fit the thirty-foot tall inflatable movie screen, 300 or so of Jims VIP guests and That’s featured stars.

The premier went down on Friday August 4th, which also happened to be the host Jims birthday and just 87,624 hours after Peter Line celebrated his 23rd. With all but a handful of the Forum team in attendance the Victoria crowd was in for a night to remember. Basically, Ikka, Joni and Laurri treat every day like it is a movie premier and tonight was no different. It is easy to get away with slurring when English is a second language. Eddie Wall has also been living it up having returned to the mainland from Hawaii a few days earlier. Jake Welch and Travis Kennedy got hassled at the border for good reason and were nearly turned away but managed to slip into Canada in the nick of time. JP Walker and Pat Moore kept things a bit more low-key and kept their partying to the big screen.

Jim and his family truly rolled out the red carpet for the event. Nothing says good times like five kegs, a high-powered t-shirt shooter and Mr. Tubesteak. Kokanees and smokees were the order of business until the sun went down and the screen lit up.

That is a damn good film. Often referred to as a Forum video it is in fact The Program video meaning that with the exception of Ikka all of the riders on display not only run the boards but the Foursquare and Special Blend labels as well. This is key, as this film not only showcases the riding talent but it cleverly fuses the action with the products each rider endorses. This aesthetic goes beyond the screen and weaves the film with the Programs print based product campaigns. In turn the ads and movie actually create a, pardon the pun, special blend of media. Or perhaps this is just over analyzed nonsense being spewed by someone that has seen too many snowboard films as of late. Lets just say that the art direction of That is neato!

I’m going to start my assessment of the riding talking about Devun Walsh because I think his section, though second to last, should have actually been the opener and may be his best offering ever! While much has been made of other riders playing with natural terrain and bringing tech freestyle to the big mountains Devun Walsh has been stepping to the steep and deep for nearly a decade. Here Devun is at it again. He pulls a switch backside 180 over the Whistler step down gap, a 450 tail bonk on a stump and a frontside 360 tree bonk off a cornice. My favorite trick of the film though is easily Devun's alley-oop indy nose grab rock bonk. Trust me, that was hard enough to type let alone do!

Travis Kennedy has the actual opening part and despite my personal affinity to Dev's section, TK does a fine job of starting the show. His backside 7 rodeo is just one of the bangers that earned him this honor. Ikka Backstrom was next on the bill and his 270 off a kicker to a cornice slide 270 out definitely stood out as one of the best clips of the film. Ikka also cab 5’s the legendary Whistler cat track gap. Set to the sounds of Gnarls Barkley, Jake Blauvelt and Jake Welch split the third part. Blauvelt, at 19, shows poise in the backcountry well beyond his years as he stomps several big tricks into powder including a switch backside 720. Jake Welch’s section opens with an exaggerated pillow line. After about five or so tiers Jake pops a backside 180 into what seems to be five feet of fresh snow. Jake also takes down an insanely smooth sixty-foot long switch backside 360 on the first try. Eddie Walls Higher Learning column should be titled how to film a video part because each of his first four trick tips in SNOWBOARDER are featured alongside various other jibs and jumps including some particularly cement skate park shredding in a Scandinavian skate park. Pat Moore continues his push beyond the park and pipe in his part and the price he has paid for this progression is also on display. Brutal falls intertwine well with his hammers which include a big backside 180 step up and a switch backside 900. Despite having an abridged season due to a broken collarbone Laurri Heskarri makes it into the show with some stand up riding. Larri even kicks an old school tweaker, which is either a spaghetti air or mashed potato. Either way it is an agro grab that involves both hands, his front leg and the heal edge of his board. Laurri’s Finnish mentor Joni follows him up and then it is onto Stevie Bells part. Euro newcomer Kareem El Raffe makes his American film debut with notable jibs which includes his 50-50 wall bonk out.

JP Walker has ended more videos than anyone else in the history of our sport, and for good reason. Here he just puts it down again. Ironically his sections are often the hardest to dissect because they contain so much stellar action. JP under flips the Whistler step down gap like it is a warm up trick in a public park. He also takes the classic tech freestyle move, the backside 900 and sets one down in powder. JP’s jibs are equally tech and unique. He ollies up onto multiple railings and then acid drops off of them with different 180 variations. Gnarly! The same Scando skate park that Eddie Wall lip tricked through JP takes down with a McTwist! Then there is his wallride to frontside rodeo… exactly?

Celebration was next on the agenda as Kearns, Jared Eberhardt, Evan Rose and the rest of the filmers, and Program staff involved in That breathed a collective sigh of relief, and they should. After all That is far from being Video Gangs part deux. It is a team video tour de force, one that will surely strike an industry wide resurgence of team based showcases.

Jims place turned into a pit of bacchanal debauchery in the aftermath of That. The kegs got kicked just before midnight causing those both pickled and belligerent to get bored. The Forum team was particularly rowdy as a hazing of sorts ensued. The new kid Jake Welch got covered by Peter Line in his and Jims birthday cake. This led to retaliations on top of retaliations until Eddie Wall, Pat Moore, Travis Kennedy, Jake Welch and Cole Barash lay on Jim’s lawn in a lord of the flys-esque pig pile of dudity. Watch the video. What makes this event even sadder is the fact that a crew was dispatched back to Jims house early the following morning to recover several of the Forum pro teams lost jewelry which included various links, a broach and a diamond ear ring! Meanwhile as if to tip the hetero scale back, other party-goers had broken into Jim’s garage where various collectible vehicles were on display including a Shelby cobra and two Ferraris. These pranksters had a willingly disrobed female model displaying her hot bod amongst the hot rods for some dicey pics. Unfortunately there is no video to accompany this account.

The highlights of the premier will be showcased on the That DVD which will be highly recommended viewing when it comes out later this month. To get involved in some premier style antics of your own you can also go to the Forum website where the upcoming international premier tour dates are posted. Two tour busses crammed with the Program’s finest pros will be heading soon to a town near you.