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Time to get stoked: Matchstick Productions presents ‘Anywhere From Here’

Matchstick Productions presents ‘Anywhere From Here’

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Mark Abma, Mathea Olin and Lucas Wachs ski at Nootka Wilderness Lodge in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, in Matchstick Production's 'Anywhere From Here.'
Anatole Tuzlak

Just in time to pump up your adrenaline for Vail’s Nov. 11 opening, Matchstick Production’s “Anywhere From Here” explodes onto the big screen with plenty of face shots, big air and terrain park tricks.

One of the most exciting moments of pre-season involves sitting in a theater at the edge of your seat with likeminded snow lovers who cheer and audibly show their appreciation for standout footage during the film. Be it pounding big pillows of powder over huge boulders, getting big air in the park or floating through cascades of snow, “Anywhere From Here” has all that and more.

While some ski flicks resort to basic ski porn full of big mountain skiers and riders flying down impossible lines over and over again, Matchstick Productions adds story, along with a variety of athletes (gender, age and race-wise) and a variety of styles. It’s harsh to say it gets boring to watch top athletes scream down big mountains, outrunning avalanches, but … it does. Matchstick changes it up.



It begins by viewing the world of possibility through 12-year-old hotshot freestyler Walker “Shredz” Woodring contemplating the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

It’s ultimately a no-brainer for the kid who skis year-round, now spending winters at Copper Mountain and summers in Mt. Hood or Europe and recently signed by Oakley: He wants to freely explore, stand on top of the world, fly and most of all NOT grow up, but rather surround himself with skiers and riders who never grow up either.

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“All I know is that I’m a skier, and it feels like with this sport and these crazy magic shoes, I can pretty much go anywhere,” he says in the film.

And that he’s doing, along with a host of fellow athletes, including Sam Kuch, Tonje Kvivik, Eric Hjorleifson, Markus Eder, Emily Childs, Lucy Sackbauer and many more.

Caite Zeliff in Seward, Alaska with Third Edge Heli.
Eric Berger/Courtesy photo

As they travel through Alaska, British Columbia, Austria, Colorado and Oregon, captivating camera angles make audiences really feel the action, unlike some films, which rely predominantly on footage that makes you feel like you’re watching a relatively small dot race down the mountain. Matchstick footage begins viewing tips of skis as a skier launches into the steep terrain and follows that eyeball-point-of-view for a while, giving you a visceral feeling. Drones follow riders, providing yet another vantage point.

Cameras also capture the athletes tumbling through horrendous yard sales or outrunning an avalanche. You even hear the crack of a skier hitting a tree and witness the consequences of a little “too much stoke.”

And then there are the artistic shots, with large snowflakes drifting toward a skier’s upward-turned face, reflections of the mountains in goggles and sea lions and whales filling the frame.

Honestly, if this film doesn’t psyche you up for the season, it may be time to hang up the boards.

If you go…

What: ‘Anywhere From Here’

When: Friday, Nov. 4; 6:30 and 9 p.m.

Where: Riverwalk Theater, Edwards

Tickets: $12 adults; $10 seniors; $8 kids

Pre-Show: Winter Stoke Happy Hour, with first 100 beers free, starts at 5:30 p.m. Benefits Gore Range Gravity Alliance, which encourages women doing rad things in the backcountry, supporting and learning from one another.

More info: RiverwalkTheater.com

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