Absinthe Films presents 'Nowhere'

Absinthe has been dominating the snowboard film industry with spectacular videos showcasing some of the gnarliest backcountry shit since 2000.  That makes this year the big one-zero, 10 years in the game slaying movie screens and television sets worldwide.

For their 10th flick, Nowhere, Absinthe is pulling all the stops.  More style, more bangers, more bails-- more powder, more big mountain, more rails...

The list of talent says it all: Dan Brisse, Jake Blauvelt, Gigi Rüf, Lucas Debari, Fredi Kalbermatten, Sylvain Bourbousson, Romain deMarchi, DCP, JP Solberg, Annie Boulanger, Marie-France Roy, Bjorn Leines, Taka Nakai, Tadashi Fuse, Jules Reymond, Cale Zima, Blair Habenicht, Terje Haakonsen, Bode Merrill, Wolfgang Nyvelt, Nicolas Müller.

None of those names can be left out.  These riders are at the forefront of our sport; they are reinventing snowboarding daily, and seeing them all come together in Nowhere is going to be jawdropping. Here is a two-minute preview of what's in store for us:

NowHere trailer by Absinthe Films from Absinthe Films on Vimeo.

What's interesting is how Absinthe has played on the word "Nowhere" by separating it into two different words Now/Here.  Even in the middle of nowhere, even doing something that may or may not matter, it's important to savor every moment:

"Movement can give the illusion of progress. And they say that all the world is illusion. So what is the difference between exploring and being lost?

In a winter that brought an exceptional amount of challenges to riders all over the world, Absinthe's newest snowboard film reminds us how much our reality is affected by what we make of it.

Whether you are lost ... or exactly where you want to be ... all depends on how you look at it."

This is one video you'll want to start putting aside change in your piggy bank for.  Keep yourself updated on the Absinthe website, and be ready to snag your copy September 2010.

Isenseven Presents 'Don't Panic'

Snowboarding can be stressful. Maybe you lose your airline ticket, or worse your passport. Ever had to frantically figure how to pay that $100 overweight baggage charge?

What about when you finally get to the resort, and you find out you forgot something small but essential like gloves or goggles?

Walking up to the ticket window, maybe you find out tickets are $20 more than you expected (with resorts using variable pricing based on conditions, this actually can happen).

Then there are those infamous moments where you realize things are all wrong--usually when you are in mid-air and falling fast, arms flailing about. I call these the "Oh, Shit!" moments.

Imaging juggling all of that along with the added pressure of filming, editing and producing a full length shred flick... Isenseven offers some wise words with the title of their latest production, Don't Panic.

Isenseven - "Don't Panic!" TEASER from Vincent Urban on Vimeo.

"Don't Panic! Yes, you should not panic. Why panic? Things are good, aren't they? Speaking of "things"...."Don't Panic!" is also the name for IsenSevens 2010 movie.

We travelled to powdery Euro resorts, snowed-in German and Scandinavian cities, slushy California parks, Russian ghettos and all kinds of other fun places.....except Vegas. No snow there this year.

With a bunch of new riders, familiar faces and new additions to the production team, we regrouped to form a snowboard-movie-super-alliance which even the United Nations couldn't shake a stick at.

Equipped with fancy schmancy cameras and cool cranes/jibs/dollys/cable cams/filming monkeys we set out to make yet another fine movie filled with the typical fun riding, banger bangers, people doing stupid things, rails, pow, park, bright and flashy colors and little snow caves."

One could argue that the heart of snowboarding now lies in Europe.  It's all about having fun, and those Euros just seem to get it.

Isenseven has done an amazing job showing us how it's done in Europe for several seasons.  These guys aren't your run-of-the-mill, "Hey, let's make a snowboard movie", types.  They figured if they were going to do it, it needed to be done right.

With a talented crew of riders capable of slaying everything from backcountry, rails, and park, and a film crew with an eye for that perfect shot, Isenseven movies take us around the globe from Scandinavia to California using spectacular footage and tasteful post-production editing to tell the story of a snowboard season done right.

So to summarize: Sick riding, amazing camera work,  a heavy dose of your favorite Euro-tunes, and an emphasis on fun, fun, and more fun.

Relax! You can catch Isenseven's Don't Panic this September, but be warned... it will make you want to go snowboarding really f'in badly.

Think Thank Presents 'Right Brain, Left Brain'

The right side of the brain houses creativity, the "what-if"; It let's us dream, imagine, envision.  The left side of the brain houses our logical thought, the "how"; it's where we build and implement the designs of our creative mind.  In snowboarding, you put them both together, and you will find progression.

Think Thank is one of the most innovative film crews in snowboarding today.  Not in that they hit the biggest shit, or can recite the manual for Final Cut Pro by memory, but because they've always been able to land that new trick on that never-before-seen spot.

If ever a crew knew how to use both sides of their brain to make snowboard magic it's Think Thank.  This years video, dubbed Right Brain, Left Brain, wants to show you how they do it.

Right Brain Left Brain trailer from Jesse Burtner on Vimeo.

From the Think Thank site:

"Think Thank goes straight to the dome with "Right Brain Left Brain" Meticulously messy, precisely unpredictable and controlled chaos; snowboarding is everything and can do anything.

Such a lofty pursuit takes both halves of one's brain. Think Thank is taking the time this season to pull our brains apart, examine the differences and then put them back stronger than ever. Creative control concisely conjured for cuticle carousing co-opting corrosive comatose inducing creatures.

Thanks again brain!"

Right Brain, Left Brain will be hitting shops this fall, of course, but why wait? 

Rumor has it that Think Thank members are known to wander Mt. Hood's summer camps selling early-release copies.  Grab yours at High Cascade or Windells this summer!

Comune Presents 'Black Holes and Invisible Forces Bending Time Through Particle Deformations Creating Infinite Freedom in the Garden on the Moon'

I'm really not sure what to say, or think, or feel about this one.

All I know is the full name of this video is Black Holes and Invisible Forces Bending Time Through Particle Deformations Creating Infinite Freedom in the Garden on the Moon, and maybe the title says it all.

COMUИE Black Holes & Invisible Forces Bending Time Through Particle Deformations Creating Infinite Freedom... from Corey Smith on Vimeo.

Corey Smith tossed aside the world of professional snowboarding to pursue a passion for art.  He's no slouch either (at both art and snowboarding) and now through his clothing company, Comune, has managed to mesh two into one.

Labeling this flick avant garde sets the bar high for the Comune crew.  The very definition implies innovation; a whole new kind of snowboard movie.

And they might just pull it off... It takes a twisted mind to create the artwork that Corey does--even the clothing Comune represents is familiar yet bizarre--so it will be interesting to see it applied to motion pictures.

If this teaser is evidence of anything, good or bad, you can expect to see something different amongst the litter this fall.

Sandbox Presents 'Now You Know'

Sandbox - Now You Know - first teaser from Sandbox Films on Vimeo.

Longtime rider Kevin Sansalone and visionary filmer Clayton Larsen--the minds behind Sandbox Snowboarding--have captured another epic season.

Sandbox has seen tremendous success from their unique footage/locations, talented pool of around 30 riders (many of whose names grace the pages of magazines and the inter-web alike), and focus on having nothing more than pure unadulterated fun.

A Pow Run In Whistler from Sandbox Films on Vimeo.

Now You Know will be the sixth film from Sandbox, and once again the crew isn't interested in riding anything you've ever seen before.

From Whistler and Japan to the DC Mountain Lab in Utah and more, follow Sandbox and friends as they search and shred some bizarre urban playgrounds, huge backcountry booters, and deep powder lines.

'Now You Know' teaser 2 from Sandbox Films on Vimeo.

Keep an eye on SandboxLand.com and be ready to scoop this one up Fall 2010.