1.Yearbook - Matchstick Productions
www.skimovie.com
Length: 65 minutes
Cost: $28
Medium: 16mm film

After producing 16 feature-length ski films, industry giant Matchstick Productions still has the magic touch. Above all, Yearbook's production values are second to none. The 360-degree helicopter shots of Tanner Hall and others off a huge kicker in Norway seem more like computerized animation than 16mm film. Featuring skiing's top pros, including Ingrid Backstrom and Mark Abma—two of the most promising young talents since Morrison and Fisher—Yearbook delivers the strongest sampling of the ski action caught on film in '03-04. MSP sticks to its formula of creating a theme in the intro and then attempting to carry dozens of riders' segments on the same idea. It works, but then again, it's also hard not to drift off into a bar conversation after 45 minutes of perfect powder lines, huge airs, and whatever the hell it is McConkey and J.T. Holmes are doing with those parachutes.

BEST LINES:
"I can do this. I got the ball, I got the ability…and I've got the sock." –Mark Abma

"Good doctor and six weeks of training and I was back out there."—Seth Morrison

"For the last couple of years I guess I've been pretty lucky, I didn't crash so much…I never hold down myself to make sure I'm not crashing. But I don't know it just happened this year I just kept charging like I usually do, and, uh, bad luck happened I guess." –Hugo Harrison

Click Here for the trailer

Click here for EXCLUSIVE footage Part 1 (Windows Media)

Click here for EXCLUSIVE footage Part 1 (Quicktime)

Click here for EXCLUSIVE footage Part 2 (Windows Media)

Click here for EXCLUSIVE footage Part 2 (Quicktime)

2. Soul Purpose – Teton Gravity Research
www.tetongravity.com
Length: 50 minutes
Cost: $28
Medium: 16mm film

With Soul Purpose, Teton Gravity Research continues to break the tired ski-porn formula. TGR does an excellent job incorporating still photography from all of its trips in an artistic fashion reminiscent of award-winning skateboard documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys. Blending photos taken by the best eyes in the business with skier voiceovers, Soul Purpose becomes more of an athlete-postcard diary, rather than just another ski music video. The downside to this approach is voice-overs that sometime feel contrived. TGR dominates the world travel scene for another year, producing segments from exotic locations such as Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Italy. Jeremy Nobis returns with a hard-charging big mountain segment; Sage Cattabriga-Alosa dominates in all realms; Jamie Pierre survives another season; and Marc-Andre Belliveau continues to prove himself as one of the most versatile and underrated pro skiers.

BEST LINES:

"You go search for a little bit of fear all of the time just to know you're alive."—Jeremy Nobis

"If these skis fly off and go into the tail rotor, were dead—basically—nothing serious." –Micah Black

Click Here for the trailer

3. X – Poor Boyz Productions
www.poorboyz.com
Length: 40 minutes
Cost: $28
Medium: 16mm film

Johnny Decesare became the jib movement's video Pied Piper eight years ago. From his first major release, State of Mind in 1997, Decesare has dedicated his career to showcasing the progressive ski movement. Through his formula, kids get exactly what they want: quick edits, shallow humor, and the highest concentration of the most progressive skiing found in any movie. X (stands for 10, not Xtreme) opens with a somewhat self-aggrandizing message about the history of Poor Boyz Productions, but coming from Mike Douglas' mouth it's validated as truth, rather than propaganda. But this is no documentary and Decesare quickly ditches the retrospective theme to get back to business. As always, his athlete line-up consists of the absolute best young talents in the industry. While the majority of the film is park and backcountry-hit-focused, Decesare continues to incorporate more lines and powder skiing every year, including Sage Cattabriga-Alosa ripping neck-deep Russian pow.

BEST LINES:
"To me I don't seem like that great of a painter, but it lets you focus on something besides skiing—it's a good release." –Anthony Boronowski

"If only I was a video game character; I'd never fall—never." –Peter Olenick