I’m almost at the top, trying to avoid glancing down. The bootpack is so steep that my skis, strapped to my pack, brush the snow above my head. The guy in front of me is sporting jeans and somehow managing the climb with what must be a pair of at least 190s nonchalantly slung over his shoulder. Crushed cans of Coors Original rattle in the cargo pocket of my ski pants. This is New Hampshire. This is Tuckerman’s.
Having spent nearly a decade skiing the Rockies, I often and only half-jokingly espoused the virtues of my East coast roots. So it always bothered me that I had never skied the East coast’s premier test-piece – the headwall of Tuckerman’s Ravine on New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington. Read More …
Ski-sploitation: The Best and Worst Ski Movies of All Time
By: Daniel Boccia | February 24th, 20103 Comments »
Hollywood’s periodic attempts to co-opt the popular image of skiing usually result in straight-to-video disasters that do more damage than good to our sport’s reputation. Many of these cinematic train wrecks fall squarely in the ‘so-bad-it’s-awesome’ category, and a select few manage to capture the inherently epic culture of skiing. With that in mind, we present to you our Top 10 picks, in (more or less) descending order of greatness.
1. Aspen Extreme (1993)
This early ’90s gem scores major points with stunt skiing by Scott Schmidt and the late, great Doug Coombs, who star side-by-side in several truly epic scenes, one of which led to the coolest ski poster ever. Sure, the drama is overly cheesed and the cast unmemorable, but this movie has it all: Guys ripping bumps in jeans, cougars with names like Bryce Kellog, cocaine addiction, villainous Euro-dicks, and heroic redemption via Powder 8 Championships.
Classic quote: “We got a renegade going OB. We’re after him.”
Truly a classic, this comedy calls out the good-time party side of skiing with a heavy emphasis on frontal nudity, recreational drug use, and politically incorrect ethnic stereotypes. With a dangerous dose of ski ballet, stretch pants, and twister-spreads, Hot Dog won’t disappoint those looking for quality ski action either. Euro-dick arch nemesis, you ask? Hot Dog’s reprehensible Rudy all but invented the role. The film’s Chinese Downhill climax continues to encourage poor decision making by skiers around the world.
Classic quote: “Yeah, best run of the morning, man. Hey, were you on ‘shrooms or what?”
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Tags: humor, skiing
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