CLAIM WORLD PREMIERE: MSP'S Claim Lit Up Whistler Last Night
It didn't take long to transcend September summer thoughts to deep winter powder. The opening segment of Mark Abma, T.J. Schiller and C.R. Johnson at Monashee Powder Cats skiing through some of the lightest snow ever filmed satiated everyone's winter eagerness. The snow was so deep and light that the segment provoked pundits, such as MSP's Michael Hans, claiming, already, it's a worthy contender for "Best Powder" at the 2009 Powder Video Awards. And deservedly so. As Schiller described, it's what powder skiing should be while Abma explained how light the snow was by describing the "particles" in its makeup. It was so dreamy, I didn't even realize I had a beer in my hand until a friend nudged me signaling a "Cheers" to that segment.
Indeed, a stacked crowd of about 2,000 winter fans sat and stood to see the world premiere of Matchstick Productions latest offering with their 2008-09 film "Claim" last night in the Telus Conference Center in Whistler Village. Despite being preoccupied with beautiful September weather and the extravaganza of the Whistler Bike Park in addition to a three-hour construction-laced drive from Vancouver, the stoke meter was palpably high in anticipation for the large crowd on hand. MSP skiers Mark Abma, Rory Bushfield, Sean Pettit, Ingrid Backstrom, Hugo Harrisson, Eric Hjorleifson, James Heim and Chris Rubens were all present to watch the first viewing of MSP's latest ski film enchilada.
From the start, it's obvious the directors of "Claim", which include Murray Wais, Steve Winter and Scott Gaffney, aimed for more of a satirical storyline compared to MSP films of the past. Instead of taking themselves too seriously, the skiers and producers offer a fresh reprieve on "Claiming" their radness.
Post-powder mania with the Monashee segment, Whistler local James Heim sends ‘er in the first individual segment. The little man with a big smile charged big mountain lines and stomped huge airs setting the tone for the movie. Undoubtedly, it's Heim's best MSP segment in his relatively short career. Long-time MSP athlete Hugo Harrisson returned to the big screen to the delight of the Whistler audience coming back from a blown knee injury. But the knee didn't seem to have any lingering affects as Hugo packaged together a solid segment with his customary speed on big lines and effortless stomps off cliffs. Two-time Powder Magazine Male Skier of The Year Mark Abma aired, spun, stomped and claimed his way through another super impressive segment solidifying his status as one of the most versatile skiers in the world. And a nice break from all the standard heli footage, Rory Bushfield's Crested Butte jib and jump segment will have several kids replaying that footage since all he did was build jumps around the town using cars and sleds for in-run speed. Other standout segments include Chris Davenport and Stian Hagen skiing perfect corn snow down the Matterhorn (a story you can find in Powder's September 2008 issue), Antonte Montant skiing and paragliding at the same time down Chamonix peaks and young gun Sean Pettit with the closing segment.
As with any MSP movie of late, the cinematography alone acts as a worthy reason to check out the new film. But with a new crop of young skiers like Pettit and Norwegian freestyler P.K. Hunder, who might have some of the most stylie grabs in skiing, combined with rowdy big mountain skiing, "Claim" and its appreciated humor make for a good show. Notwithstanding, if you like skiing powder, then "Claim" is a must see courtesy of the opening segment. The moon is full today and another winter of deep powder blasting our faces is now, finally, on the orbital horizon.
