Lead Photo Credit: Shannon Corsi
I have long been a fan of ski movies. From the great Warren Miller films to the new age Teton Gravity Research and Match Stick Production films they have always been an integral part of my ski culture.
Now my long-standing love for these films has been passed along to a new generation...my three daughters.
We love ski movies in our family, especially après ski where you can often find them on loop while we sip beers and socialize at our house in Vermont. We definitely find that it only adds to the atmosphere at day's end.
As good though as all the skiers in these films are, my girls get even more pumped when a scene featuring female skiers comes on. They are mesmerized by their ability to ski the steepest lines right alongside the boys.
However, for a long time, women-only scenes have been few and far between.
That is until now.
This fall, Nexus, a feature-length ski film featuring an all-female cast of
skiers will make its debut.
One Girl in the Ski Movie is Enough
Photo Credit: Shannon Corsi
“For years, top women in the ski industry have heard the same sentiment ‘we already have a girl in this segment, one is enough,” said Michelle Parker, one of the industry’s most prominent freeskiers and Nexus athlete.
This is all about to change.
Nexus follows five distinct groups of female skiers, their connection to the mountains and how the sport shaped their relationships. From the Chugach
Mountains in Alaska to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming, Nexus uses these dramatic backdrops to explore the lessons these athletes have learned on their skis.
From adversity to strength and friendship the film navigates each theme from powder stashes to couloirs and everything in between.
The First Ski Film of Its Kind
Nexus is not the first ever all-female ski film. That distinction goes to Lynsey Dyer and her movie Pretty Faces. Nexus is, however, the first high-budget feature film, both directed and produced by an all-female team.
That is something to be celebrated as it definitely shows a positive change in the industry.
“If we want to see a change in this industry, we need to be the ones out there moving it forward. Nexus is a milestone this industry was long overdue for," says Parker.
Nexus director and executive producers Shannon Corsi echoes this sentiment.
“It’s been incredible to have the opportunity to bring it to life and to have seen such support from athletes, brands, and other creatives along the way. To be part of the team who brought this concept from ‘I wish there were more women’s
ski films’ to a year and a half later, standing on top of Alaskan ridgelines with some of the best action cinematographers in the game has been a surreal journey.”
Five Scenes, 10 Totally Rad Women
The journey begins in Jackson Hole. There, Wyoming locals Jane Gallie and Margo Krisjansons (who are now in their sixties) set the stage for the remaining epic four segments. They have been skiing the backcountry of the Tetons for 40 years and still get out as many days a year as they can. Jane and Margo also happen to be the tie that binds the film together, introducing each of the remaining segments of Nexus.
The other four scenes include Michelle Parker and Brooklyn Bell in Alaska; Queens of Corbett's winners Veronica Paulsen and Caite Zeliff in Revelstoke; big mountain skiers by day and nurses by night Lucy Sackbauer and Ingrid Stensvaag; and two Vietnamese sisters whose parents escaped from the Vietnam war, Krystin Norman and Sasha Dingle.
Arc’teryx is the principal sponsor of the film and will be hosting a North American film festival where Nexus will be debuted, followed by a regional film tour. The film will be digitally released this winter.
"The Film We All Wished We Had"
Photo Credit: Leslie Hittmeier
“Nexus is the film we all wished we had growing up,” says Shannon Corsi, director and executive producer of Nexus.
I'm just stoked that this ski movie has come out now while my daughters are still young. Finally, they'll no longer have to wait for the one or two scenes in ski movies that feature a female skier to get pumped and see that a girl can ski just as well as the guys. That feeling will be there the whole time and I can't wait to watch it with them this winter.
The Après Ski Hoodie You Need
As I mentioned earlier, ski movies are constantly on loop at our place in Vermont. There is nothing like coming home after a great day on the mountain, getting out of your ski clothes, cracking open a cold beer and watching some sick footage. We love throwing on our ski hoodies and all have our favorites. But, my girls absolutely love our Happily Ever Après Ski Hoodie.
Why?
Because après ski is always the happiest time of day.
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