For the first time in two decades of adventure filmmaking, the lead segment of Teton Gravity Research's annual action sports film features a woman. Angel Collinson was nominated for Best Female Performance at this year's Powder Awards and was a finalist at the Banff Mountain Film Festival for her skiing in "Almost Ablaze," which included some of Alaska's most-challenging peaks in the Chugach and Southeast Alaska.
Collinson, a 24-year-old skier who grew up in Snowbird, Utah, delivers a performance that suggests she's now one of the top big-mountain female skiers in the world. In her first year as a pro, she won the 2010 Subaru Freeskiing World Tour.
On its website, Teton Gravity Reseach offered a viewers guide to some phrases heard in "Almost Ablaze," which, in addition to Alaska, has scenes set in Wyoming, British Columbia, Sarajevo, Italy, and France.
• "I'm 100%: Refers to being both mentally and physically prepared to rip the (expletive) out of a steep gnarly line. Used frequently by TGR athletes Collinson and Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, the term originated on the high peaks of Alaska but can be heard while loading Subarus on an early-morning pow day or after a quick transition in the backcountry.
• "Reindeering": "Reindeering" is used to describe the moment when you get to a zone you want to film, such as a backcountry jump spot, and people start walking around all over the place, making the shot look all ugly-fied with footsteps. The result is not unlike a heard of reindeer (or elk, or jackalopes) walking through the shot. Needless to say, it's a bad thing.
• "In the flick:" Used by Teton Gravity Research athletes this year as praise when a line is stomped. It refers to a shoot good enough to be included in the film. Use in the ski community at large, "in the flick" could refer to a POV shot being rad enough to include in your season edit, or one good enough that your mom will email it to her work friends.
In the film's opening segment, Angel says: "All you can ever do is try your best. So I'm up here and I'm given 'er, having a great time, and I'm just trying to ski as fast as I can."
Beginning with "The Continuum" in 1996, Teton Gravity Research has released at least one film a year on skiing, snowboarding or surfing. Alaska's Olympic gold and silver medalist Tommy Moe is among the athletes who have been features in TGR productions.