Westbound Boarder

This week’s best, from around the snowboard Web:

• Kimmy Fasani Talks Filming: Recently presented with an opportunity by DC to film a part with Standard Films, Kimmy Fasani is on the fast track to film stardom.  Read about her experience!  Kimmy is one of my favorite riders to watch in film parts – I think her moves are so smooth and she has a lot of style – so I’m particularly to see what she is able to create during this immersive experience.
• Surfing Under the Golden Gate Bridge? Yes, it’s true.  California’s insane winter storms are creating waves under the GGB … and some local fellows are using this as an opportunity to catch some serious tube.  Check it out on CNN!
• 2010 Olympics – Learn to Speak Canadian: Fellow WTS blogger at Pretty Tough put together a guide on How to Speak Canadian in preparation for this year’s 2010 Winter Olympics.  So, if a double-double is a coffee with two creams and two sugars, and a triple-triple is, well, do the math … do they call a coffee with one cream and one sugar a single-single?  Sounds like a single shot to me; come on Canada, totally misleading!  I’ll take a triple-triple espresso with a single-single, please.
• Double Mc-What? Just when you thought Shaun White couldn’t pull anything better … he goes and captures an insaine Double Mc-Twist 1260 on video last night at the final Grand Prix practice at Park City, Utah.  Watch it over at Transworld Snow!  Yep, that move’s next on my to do list …
• MICA Minute #5: Some cool stuff from Loren Brinton over at Dan’s blog.

If you look back through snowboard history, females have come a long way from where they were even ten years ago to where they are today, constantly pushing the envelope and upping the caliber of competition.  Recently, Stan Evans (Producer) and Jeremy Miller (Director/Editor) released a snowboard film featuring an all girl cast.  The film highlights the progression of female riding, taking the talents of several different women and combining them into a series of segments to create a powerful story; a story they call “Stance.”

Though I downloaded and wrote about the film a few weeks ago, I finally got around to watching Stance in it’s entirety this past weekend.  With an all-star cast that includes the likes of Gretchen Bleiler, Jamie Anderson and Torah Bright, I knew the film would be good, but I was even surprised at how good some of the riding was.

The film opens with Gretchen recanting her tragic experience at the X-games a few years ago, where one minor fall cost her the title but how she learned that snowboarding is more about “being in the moment” than about winning.  Throughout the rest of Stance, the film makers portray just that – a group of pro riders “being in the moment” and living their dreams.

The film is a really nice mix of backcountry riding and jumps and pipe.  Obviously I was impressed by the usual pros who continue to claim title after title, but my favorite sequence was the second with Kimmy Fasani – her smooth style riding really stood out and she did a phenomenal job filming the part.

Aside from the riding presented in the film, I also really enjoyed the cinematography and editing of the film.  The makers did a really nice job keeping the film fun but also serious and motivational.  The music was great, and the technique was truly amazing.

The film’s full cast included Gretchen Bleiler, Hana Beaman, Jamie Anderson, Kimmy Fasani, Lisa Filzmoser, Jenny Jones, Torah Bright, Raewyn Reid, Molly Aguirre, Gabi Viteri and other riders, and more info. can be found at Stance’s Web site.  Props to all involved, and I hope there are more all female films to come!

On September 30, a new snowboard film “Stance,” produced by Mills Entertainment, will be offering free downloads; one day only (tip from HUCK Magazine).  Stance features an all-female cast of pro riders, including Gretchen Bleiler, Haha Beaman, Kimmy Fasani, Lisa Filzmoser, Jenny Jones, Torah Bright, Raewy Nreid, Gabi Viteri, Jamie Anderson and Molly Aguirre.  Judging by the cast alone, the film is sure to be awesome, but more importantly it portrays the progression of female riding and shows how far women have come in the sport.  Check out the trailer below, but if you want to see the full thing make sure you download on September 30.