Skiing Stoke from Lake Tahoe

Tag: Sherpas Cinema

Sherpas continue to step up

If you’re going to do something many others are already doing, you may as well be different. From high performance cameras and renowned athletes, to computer graphics and promotional efforts, Sherpas Cinema spare nothing when it comes to making their ski films extraordinary. Adding climbing legends Jimmy Chin and Conrad Anker to their tribe only stands to further enrich their quest for the high alpine terrain embodied in their namesake. The Sherpas are halfway through their latest two year project called Into the Mind. Here’s a look into the future:

Into The Mind – Official Teaser from Sherpas Cinema on Vimeo.

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

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