Back in the 80’s and 90’s, the idea of a movie premiere that showed BOTH a Ski flick AND a Snowboard movie in the same event would have been next to impossible.  Dr. Peter Venkman from the movie Ghostbusters said it best – “Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!”  Boy have times changed.  On a cold evening with snow falling from the sky, the final installment of the FNCTN crews’ winter series premiered TGR’s latest movie “Tight Loose” along with Transworld Snowboarding’s newest film “Insight” in South Lake Tahoe, CA.  A Ski AND Snowboard flick in the same event…  Shocking to say the least yet the crowd seemed to watch both films with open minds.

Premiere of Tight Loose & Movie Review

How did you celebrate your 21^st?

After Mike Peron of FNCTN stepped up front to introduce the films and warm up the crowd, the lights dimmed and TGR’s film started.  The movie begins with massive Alaska lines pumping your adrenaline as you watch each of the pros destroy it on some of the toughest terrain on the planet.  Since its Teton Gravity Research’s 21^st film, it makes sense that each of the pros talk about their personal experience on their 21^st birthday.  It’s funny to hear how different each person celebrated their special day.  The stories ranged from excessive drinking and blacking out to drinking their 1^st margarita and going to bed early and even being Canadian so your 21^st birthday really didn’t matter.

It’s a Hut Life

Fading out of the short clips, we’re transported to the Powder Highway with massive white mountains looming everywhere.  Ian McIntosh is a seasoned vet on the Teton Gravity roster and this season’s film exposes us to his love for the “hut life.”  He grew up hanging out in remote mountain huts that give you quick access to amazing terrain, time with the “boys”, and most of all a good time.  The most creative part of the hut scenes were seeing the drone shots of Ian and the crew skiing through the glades.  It made you feel like you were watching a cat and mouse game.  Lucas Debari joined him on this particular hut trip and in Ian’s words… “Lucas goes the biggest off of a micro-tranny.”  And trick after trick, Lucas shows you that it’s true.

What makes “Tight Loose” Different?

Besides the amazing skiing and snowboarding, what makes TGR’s latest installment different?  I would say the themes throughout the film provide a great view into the culture we love which I personally haven’t seen before.

Peer Praise

At the beginning of each scene, there are short clips with the pros talking about why a fellow skier/snowboarder is amazing.  It really gives you a glimpse into who that person is and the type of character they are.

Glimpses of the Past

Twenty-one years is a long time to be in business especially if you’re an extreme sports media company such as Teton Gravity Research.  This installment was the perfect opportunity for them to look back and reminisce on some of the funnier/amazing parts from their prior films.  There is even an homage to our favorite Nitro Circus cast member Erik Roner during his stint with the TGR crew.

Funny Definitions

Skiing and snowboarding have a ton of crazy terms that only a few folks understand.  It gets even crazier within each crew and region.  I personally remember being in Colorado and someone saying that the glades were “a total Bro-fest” which translated to a crowd of dudes chilling/relaxing in a certain place.  In “Tight Loose”, they expose some of the more unique definitions in their squad.  Here’s a couple of the more memorable ones from the film:

Chimp – A gathering around the camera to see the footage

Pepperstein – Presence of peppers or rocks on a slope

From Jeremy Jones visiting Patagonia during a 40 year storm to a squad of skiers checking out Gulmarg and its surrounding backcountry, there’s a lot of great footage to watch with some funny anecdotes in between.  The flick finishes with the entire cast of ALL 21 years of films meeting at the Palisades in Squaw Valley.  A true celebration of fun, sun and most of all, spring time skiing.  It’s fitting that the epicenter of spring skiing finishes up the film.

If you saw the film, let us know what you thought of it.  Also, be on the lookout for our review of Transworld’s film “Insight” in our upcoming posts.