2015 Sledder Mag Film Awards
We all know that winter 2015 was a bit of a struggle, but when you sit down to watch a film in the fall, all you care about is getting stoked on the upcoming season. Here are the 2015 Sledder Mag Film Awards. All these flicks will get you pumped up in some way. We also want to say props to all the directors, producers and athletes who put blood, sweat and tears into making these films. We know it ain’t easy and we salute you all. Thanks for stoking us and showing us what can be accomplished when everything goes right.
And the nominees are:
Boondockers 12
Was it a bad winter last year? You’d never know it from watching Boondockers 12, which is the way things should be (nobody feels sorry for film crews struggling to get shots). In their 12th offering, the Boondockers crew mostly follows their format from previous years, which is chasing storms in Utah and Wyoming with good buddies. There’s nothing that absolutely blows your mind in this video but there is a lot of deep powder and some rowdy cliff drops. Expect to see a lot of turbo RMKs in the trees. Props to the Boondockers for getting it good when it was good and keeping last year’s struggles away from the edit. -TG
509 Volume 10
509’s 10th film is nothing short of impressive. The riders talk about how the season is going and the story of a low snow year is established, but it doesn’t seem to stop the crew from pushing it. Vol. 10 contains flowy technical riding and climbing, hillcross and badass jump segments that have creative use of terrain and big tricks thrown in. The film is packed with grade A shots, edited together seamlessly with a diverse, memorable soundtrack that gets you amped to ride. This is the one to watch if you’re only going to see one movie this year. -BW
Thunderstruck 14
Once again the Thunderstruck crew are back and charging the steepest and meanest chutes the mountains have to offer in their 14th no shot left behind, production. Clocking in at just shy of two hours means that only the most dedicated make it to the end of this movie without a pee break. If you want to see hill-climbing, this is the most dedicated show for you. There are a lot of rowdy shots in this flick but there are also a lot of stucks and non-make shots too, which dilute the impact of the high quality action. For a movie named after an AC∕DC song, this sure had a lot of songs that sounded like Creed. Drinking game suggestion: take a swig for every use of film burn. -SG
Followcam 6
Followcam 6 is exactly as it says on the DVD’s cover; ‘another fine snowmobile film by Hickshow Productions.’ The overall vibe of the movie is fun; it doesn’t try to be over-dramatic, and yet the riding is far from trivial. The movie has a crew of riders that is stacked. Production quality is upped once again with a mix of unique drone shots, on-board following shots, clean filming and flowy editing. The soundtrack could have used a little more variety but it was easy to listen to with indie/rock style songs that fit the riding well. -BW
Braaap 15
This year Braaap Films dropped their 15th film, Rise. There’s no denying the riding is more solid than ever with a bunch of top-notch riders pushing it hard. The snowbike segments also add something fresh to it. The film has a raw, core style to it that focuses on banger riding shots with minimal scenics. There is no talking or engine noise and no story is established. The soundtrack is best summed up as ‘shut up and let my dub-step do the talking.’ If you’re looking for some solid, pure riding to get pumped for winter, Rise is worth a watch. -BW
Alpine Assassins 6
AA6 has a documentary, made-for-TV feel that sets it apart from the other flicks. It’s hard not to sense the positivity of the main host, Randy Sugihara, and you can tell these dudes love to snowmobile. Unfortunately, there’s a little too much ‘no snow’ documenting in this one, which plays off as a downer. What does get people stoked? Brett Turcotte. While the State-side AA crew are struggling to get it good, Brett Turcotte’s segment shows that snow could be found and natural, tricked landings could be stomped. -TG
Slednecks 18
Slednecks 18 is a badass compilation of hard-charging, big mountain freeriding, with air miles for days and some technical climbing and snowbike action mixed in. The filming is solid but the editing is a bit strange. There are a few creative touches that add style, all set to a punk/metal-infused soundtrack, but it almost feels like we’ve seen it before. Maybe it’s the excessive use of sequential naming or maybe their usual formula needs a fresh change. Still, with heavy-hitting riding, it’ll definitely get you fired up for the winter. -BW
Trax – The Evolution of Snowbikes
It’s rare you sit down to watch a sledding movie and actually learn something, but that’s exactly what happens with Trax. There’s a lot of hype around snowbikes these days and Trax shows that it’s been a long time coming. The detailed history of the variations of snowbikes over the last couple hundred years is an interesting departure from regular action porn. But don’t fall asleep just yet, there’s still a ton of wild riding in this film and Reagan Sieg and Brock Hoyer put on quite a show. This is the extended version of what got included in Braaap 15: Rise. This movie will definitely make you want to snowbike. -TG
Next week we’ll have the list of the 2015 Award Winners in anticipation of the release of the upcoming 2016 feature-length films! Stay Tuned!
