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Item: ShredAVision
Displays the photo gallery for a selected Gallery Album.Last Thursday’s premier of Wildcard Movies’ film “Shred-A-Vision” at The Wild Buffalo in Bellingham, WA was nothing short of a success (having a snowboarding premier at a bar is always a good start… Good beer = happy people.) The third movie release from Wildcard after “How the Northwest Was One” and “Saturday Night Ride” carries the Northwest tradition into a new decade, sharing with the snowboarding community the many talents of some of the best riders in the area—many of whom were in attendance.
Two years in the making, “Shred-A-Vision” is a showcase of northwest riding from Stevens Pass and Mt. Baker, WA to Cooke City, MT, as well as other super-top-secret pillow lines throughout the region. Wildcard is known for their quirky and unique plot lines that go beyond the music video approach to most snowboard films. It’s fun and progressive—as snowboarding should be. Another way Wildcard sets itself apart is through their collaborative approach. Producers include Jeremy Dubs, Scott Studach, Kurt Jenson, and Joel Smith, each of whom took responsibility for a handful of rider parts, and the result is a cohesive-yet-subtly diverse editing style that tunes each segment to each rider – we think it works. Funny skits and progressive riding from some of the industry’s best are well balanced throughout the film; mixing in the longer full-length parts with random and hilarious Shred-A-Vision “infomercials” (my favorite is McCarthy’s “Border Patrol”) along with short tributes to some of the local riders. With a full array of double corks, no-grab straight airs, backcountry and urban exploration as well as creative style on and off the steeps, “Shred-A-Vision” has something for riders of all interests.
When the doors opened for the premier last Thursday, the crowd rolled in as the drinks started pouring and the good times carried long into the evening. Producers, riders, filmers, and guests alike mingled pre-show until the lights dimmed and the movie started playing. All eyes were on the large projector screen – needless to say it was a much-anticipated event for the Bellingham crew, as many of the riders call the City of Subdued Excitement ‘home.’ Big lines, funny skits – check out a glimpse of the hilarious ‘Boarder Hoarder’s Skit’ in the “Shred-A-Vision” teaser below – and a demonstration of the Northwest’s talent captured the attention of the audience as hour-long film played out at Wildcard’s local premier.
Featuring the talents of Nick Ennen, Andy Bergin-Sperry, Patrick McCarthy, Forrest Burki, Manuel Diaz, Scotty Vine, Shaun McKay, Kurt Jenson, Luke Thorington, Jake Blauvelt, Seth Hill, and Temple Cummins among many others, “Shred-A-Vision” also includes previously unreleased footage featuring the late Aaron Robinson.
Andy Bergin-Sperry’s opening part keeps starts the film off real funky with a quickie ninja-training tunnel session and flaming urban jumps, introducing the wild and exclusive versatility seen throughout the film. With footage from Austria, Chile, and heli missions deep into the Cascades, the film’s highlights also include standouts from the 2011/12 Snowboarder Superpark with Seth Hill and Scotty Vine as well as X Games gold medalist Forest Bailey and Pat McCarthy roughing it in the Mt. Baker foothills and building huge booters; demonstrating their knowledge and skill passed down from mentor to student. Nick Ennen’s split second decision to drop a near 80-foot rock face near Cooke City, MT stands out, as does Morgan “Coon Man” Rose’s huck-and-prayer approach off Mt Baker’s retaining wall, and into (literally) the upside of the Grandma’s step-up.
Wildcard has succeeded once again in the creation of a film that reminds us of the countless reasons we snowboard: the friends, the fun, the powder, and the limitless number of outcomes they create. And, of course, a powder-centric style that is uniquely Pacific Northwest.
“Shred-A-Vision” is available on iTunes for your viewing pleasures.