This past weekend, some of the world’s best snowboarders gathered at Encinitas – a mecca for world-class skateboarders, surfers and snowboarders – and yes, snowboarders.
The draw was a new 45-minute show at the La Paloma Theatre, celebrating the deadly jumps, stunts and stunning hill climbs of a group of intrepid top young athletes.
The snowboarding film Fleeting Time was filmed for two years on the slopes of Alaska, British Columbia, California, Idaho, Japan, Oregon and Wyoming.
This is the directorial debut of 27-year-old snowboarder Ben Ferguson of Bend, Oregon, who is associated with Homestead Creative and co-producer with Red Bull Media House, the main sponsor of the multi-city film tour. It will be followed by a one-week free digital premiere on Red Bull TV from November 3rd to 9th.
Ironically, many snowboarding movie stars have connections (and some have homes of their own) in San Diego’s Sunny County.
“No matter what sport you play, Southern California attracts world-class athletes,” said 22-year-old Hayley Langland, one of the film’s two main characters.
Langland’s four-year-old boyfriend, 22-year-old Red Gerrard, bought a house in Oceanside this summer, and the couple plan to make a short stop over in the summer when they’re not touring.
“For me, surfing and time on the beach complement the time I spend skiing in the mountains and the cold weather,” Langland said.
Gerald officially lives in Silverthorne, Colorado, where he is building a miniature ski park with a cable car in his backyard.
I contacted the couple by phone from Switzerland and they flew to the Swiss mountains to start training after the Encinitas show.
Their co-star Mark McMorris, a three-time Olympic bronze medalist, hails from Saskatchewan, Canada but has long owned a vacation home in Encinitas. In 2020, McMorris broke legendary snowboarder Shaun White’s record of 18 X Game medals and starred in his own video game.
Another participant in the film, Brock Crouch, lived in Karlovy Vary and attended the screening. His career was put on hold in the spring of 2018 after he was hit by an avalanche in Whistler, Canada.
This ordeal broke his back, ruptured his pancreas and knocked out his front teeth, but he survived after being buried alive at a depth of 6 to 7 feet for 5 to 6 minutes. He recalled feeling “like I was stuck in concrete”.
Film director Ferguson, whose grandfather was born in Carlsbad, where his uncle still lives, noticed that George Burton Carpenter bought a house here. He is the eldest son of the late Jack Burton Carpenter, who founded Burton Snowboards and is considered one of the inventors of the modern snowboard.
Let’s not forget that 36-year-old Olympian snowboarder Shaun White graduated from Carlsbad High School.
These athletes are drawn to the strong extreme sports community, Ferguson said. In addition, the main attractions are many good surf spots and skateboarding parks, which are usually an off-season hobby for snowboarders.
The Northern District is also home to sports magazines, including the new snowboarding magazine Slush and others related to the industry, its brands and top sponsors.
Langland admits that when people found out she grew up in the quaint surf town of San Clemente, they were a little embarrassed.
She first fell in love with her father skiing in Bear Valley near Lake Tahoe when she was 5 years old. By age 6, she was sponsored by Burton Snowboards. She won the X Games gold medal at the age of 16 and became an Olympic champion in 2018.
In Fleeting Time, Langland, who specializes in ramps, big airs and superpipes, does everything these guys do. She says her biggest challenge is carrying a heavy snowmobile uphill that weighs about 100 pounds and is 5 feet high.
“She has great shots in the film,” Ferguson said. “People lost it because of her” – especially her frontal 720 (contains two full rotation aerial maneuvers). “Probably one of the best things a woman has ever done.”
Lang Lang admits that maneuvering was the scariest moment in the film. She had just driven 7.5 hours from Washington state to Whistler, hardly slept and was exhausted. Although she remained silent, she said that she would be able to complete the jump after only two tries.
She was particularly reassured that several women approached her after the screening at La Paloma Theatre, saying it was so inspiring to see the (two) girls in the film doing the same moves as the guys.
Ferguson describes “Flying Time” as a classic snowboarding movie with crazy big jumps, big tricks, high octane slides and big track rides – all captured with amazing cinematography and no frills. Get your adrenaline pumping to a dramatic soundtrack of heavy metal, rock and punk.
“We’re just chasing the storm. In a week, we’ll find out where the most snow is by throwing dice and a helicopter or driving a snowmobile,” said Ferguson, who starred in the film with his brother Gabe and a few of their friends.
Each participant receives a rigorous safety briefing, attends avalanche identification and rescue courses, and is equipped with first aid and rescue equipment. Their last signal of an avalanche was in Haynes, Alaska, where they encountered a rough layer of snow. The film has action and air.
Ferguson and Gerald hope to collaborate on a future snowboarding movie that will take less time and could be released on YouTube.
“I just hope this inspires younger kids to snowboard,” Gerrard said of the “short time.” Judging by the approximately 500 spectators in Encinitas, it will be so.
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Post time: Oct-18-2022