Let’s get this out of the way up front—Wild Stallions, despite the neon and lightning laden logo—has absolutely nothing to do with Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey. If you’re anything like me, you feel slightly misled.

Conspicuously missing.

Luckily, this is one of few missteps taken by Geoff McDonald and co.

Let’s also get this out of the way: I knew I was going to love this movie before it turned up in my mailbox. One of the first things I heard about “WS” was that there would be a segment filmed at my very own home hill- Blue Mountain, PA. After that segment I’m left with the realization that there’s really no such thing as a shitty park, or a shitty mountain, only shitty skiers (read: me). Moving along…

In the past, I’ve neglected to buy the annual Meatheads’ flick until I’ve watched pretty much every other movie I could get my hands on. This is likely a function of the other studios’ relatively sizable marketing budget, and doesn’t speak at all to my expectations. Invariably, when I get around to watching them, I’m relieved.  You see, as fantastic as Wild Stallions is, it’s also notable for what it isn’t.  You will not find any of the following in Wild Stallions: overly saturated colors, mute grabbed dub cork 12s, embarrassingly irony-free mental masturbation , Alaskan first descents, JOSS footage, or awkward interactions between the cast and random Japanese ski resort employees.

If you’re bummed by the aforementioned, there are a number of films that are currently shipping that you’ll find at least “Pretty Good” or “Refreshing”.  See what I did there?

Ok, enough bullshit.

My EC roots and countless winters spent building backyard jibs and jumps have probably made it impossible for me to maintain any sort of objectivity. Nonetheless, I love watching people jump over, and on to, weird shit with skis on their feet.  Wild Stallions features plenty of both.  More importantly, it features people doing those things consecutively. I’m talking about skateboard-flick style “lines.”  I know, it’s exciting.  I’m so tired of watching riders FS switchup a 30ft. down rail as many times as possible, only to watch the next three riders in the next three segments do the same thing, on the same rail, from the same angle. Never fear, Will Wesson and LJ Strenio are in this movie so switchups abound, but they’re bookended by bizarre and increasingly amazing jibs. By the time LJ nosetap 180’s a giraffe (yes, a giraffe) you’ll have seen a handful of the most impressive “urban” shots ever caught on tape—not the least of which involves gapping up some stairs into a quarter-pipe thingy, before sliding a rail.

Buying that winch was a goooood investment.

The Meatheads/Ski the East family is ever growing, and this year marked the addition of some incredible talent. I’ll venture a guess that adding Jon Brogan, Sean “Child Prodigy” Jordan, Matt Pothier, and Clayton Vila will move a few extra copies of WS—and it should, they all slay. Garrett Russell is also new to the squad, and despite a relatively small part, definitely leaves an impression. I’m fairly certain I’m referring to his skiing and not his mustache. A name that may not be as familiar or as marketable as the above is Dan Marion. It should be next year, as Dan kills everything.  Speaking of killing everything, what’s with these Canadian sonsabitches?  Cedric TF, JD Zicat, and Alexis Godbout are obnoxiously good.  Most of the Meatheads from season’s past are on board (Shea Flynn, Giray Dadali, Nick Martini, Andy Parry, The Hammer, etc.), but a few are conspicuously absent(ish). Jeff Curry is nowhere to be found, and Erik Olson’s screen time is way down from Head for the Hills. I’m disappointed about both. It’s worth mentioning that Maude Raymond reps the ladies exceptionally well.  I think she only has three shots, but they’re all good.  And, I mean “good”, not “good for a girl”. Is she related to Frank Raymond? She slays urban like she is. Hi Maude. You’re pretty.

One of my problems with Head for the Hills (Meatheads’ 2008 flick) was that there were some segments that were only really worth watching once. Yea, cutting a snowboard in half, throwing tele-bindings on it, hiking the glades behind your house, and drinking beer is charming and probably a hell of a good time.  Unfortunately, it didn’t make for particularly compelling viewing and I ended up skipping the segment (and a couple of others) on repeat viewings.  WS finds the Meatheads streamlining their focus and appears to be less concerned with appealing to every person who could conceivably be interested in watching a ski film. WS is stronger for it. There are still some misses for me, mostly in the form of the big mountain segments that show up towards the end. What it comes down to is simply this: a movie about the east coast ski scene, filmed almost exclusively on the east coast (they make it to Michigan!), just isn’t going to yield very many jaw dropping shots of “epic” lines. My guess is that these segments will be much more entertaining for those that have actually skied those lines. That said, the footage snagged at Mt. Bohemia features some ridiculously good glade skiing in shitty snow that is downright scary, and the shots from Jay Peak confirm what any EC skier already knows: they get lots of snow up there.

I think Wild Stallions is so effective because it’s so accessible. For the most part, anyone of us could have snagged the shots that fill this movie.  Unfortunately, most of us aren’t talented and/or ballsy enough to try half of what goes on (read: me). Still, WS is infinitely more relatable than the bulk of ski films that are churned out each year, and in that regard, it’s unbelievably successful. After all, I’m of the opinion that the loftiest things a ski movie can hope to do are:

1. Remind me just why I love skiing in the first place.

2. Make me want to go ski.

Mission Accomplished.

The movie looks great, sounds great, and is well paced. The entire movie is shot in HD, but I don’t know enough about any techy stuff to talk about any of those things in great detail. The skiing, and the personalities — cough*Radio Ron*cough — are the focus and nothing detracts from that. Wild Stallions, like all Meatheads flicks, is a decidedly EC ski movie. It certainly resonates with me, and provides a scarily accurate snapshot of what it’s like to live for skiing in a place where skiing barely lives. 

www.skitheeast.net

www.meatheadfilms.com

In the interest of keeping it all legal, Chris got this film straight from the Meatheads.