Signatures- A new film by Sweetgrass Productions

The highly talented folks at Sweetgrass Productions are releasing their second film on the 19th of September and have kindly sent me a link to a sneek peek!

The film, titled “Signatures”, was shot in the backcountry areas of Niseko, Japan.  Shot in HD, the footage shot is beyond spectacular with a beautiful sound track to boot.

I love the idea of skiing as art and that the way you express yourself on the slopes can reflect the person you are. I’ve never been one for going down a slope at full pelt. I like to take my time and enjoy the feeling of skiing and honing my technique. I guess I’m not too far off from it. The next time I go skiing I might try thinking a bit more wholistically and enjoy the moment.

Do you ski with this philosophy in mind?

“Signatures” premieres September 19th, 2009 at International Freeski Film Festival in Montreal, Canada, and in Aspen, CO.. For those overseas, catch the film on tour in the United States, Canada, and Japan in Fall 2009. You can also pre-order a  DVD of  “Signatures”, as well as their first film “Hand Cut”, at Sweetgrass Productions.

Take a look at the trailer and press release below:

From deep in the coastal mountains of Niseko, Hokkaido comes a backcountry documentary full of remote freeride lines, deep powder, and mountain culture. Amongst Japan’s northern hardwoods, along a misty coastline, Signatures tells a story of seasonal shifts and the snowy brushstrokes of renowned alpine athletes. On the heels of their break-out film Hand Cut, a rugged, hand-hewn homage to frontier life released to great acclaim in 2008, the Sweetgrass Productions family brings you a soulful look at life in the Japanese mountains.

After a chaotic fall in the wilds of the American West, spreading the gospel of Hand Cut in their 1987 Dodge Colt, Sweetgrass founders Nick Waggoner and Ben Sturgelewski settled in the town of Niseko, Hokkaido for the winter. Through conversations with local athletes and artists, and in the visual exploration of fall, winter, and spring in the mountains, Signatures delves into the cultural connection to seasonal rhythms, exploring the influence of the physical and cyclical world on artistic and physical expression. Signatures documents the relationships of local snowsurfers, photographers, and riders to mountain, sea, and season. Shot in vibrant HD, with breathtaking cinematography, Signatures is human-powered riding in all snow-sliding styles: board, noboard, ski, and drop-knee.

A Taste of What’s To Come:

* Atrociously deep, mind-numbing snow from the Niseko backcountry in January? and February

* Hand-carved“yukita”bindingless, ropeless noboarding from Atsushi Gomyo

* Deep winter freestyle and night shots in the Niseko backcountry with Matt? Philippi and folks

* The art of the snowsurf turn with Taro Tamai and the Gentemstick crew

* Cold water surfing off the the Hokkaido shores

* Pillow lines in Tokachidake with Jess McMillan, Sonja Lercher, and MC Larivee

* 50 degree spines and massive sloughs in early spring with telemark specialists ?Nick Devore, Will Cardamone, Jacqui Edgerly, and Lorenzo Worster

* Golden corn snow-skiing as the sun sets over the Japan sea

* Snowsurfboard shaping by Taro Tamai as he carves solid wood into Gentemstick?boards

* Fall and winter Hokkaido fly fishing

Director: Nick Waggoner Producer: Ben Sturgelewski.
Featuring: Taro Tamai, Lorenzo Worster, Nick Devore, Will Cardamone, Jacqui Edgerly, Matt Philippi, Jamie Laidlaw, Jess McMillan, Yutaka Takanashi, Charlie Cannon, MC Larivee, JT Robinson, Jake Sakson, Adam Mosynski, Caroline Gleich, Forrest Coots, Jake Sakson, Orry Grant, Mike Coletti, Shunichiro Kikuchi, Osamu Ommu Okada, Tomomi Sheesa Kuwahara, Nobu Ohe, Kenichi Miyashita, Hayato “Bubbles”Maruyama, and Atsushi Gomyo.

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