TB6
(Standard Films)
Shanti Sosienski
(October 03, 1997)
Riders: Jim Rippey, Tex Devenport, Tom Burt, Rocket Reaves, Nate Cole,
Victoria Jealouse, Circe Wallace, Andy Hetzel, Noah Salasnek, Juha
Tenkku, and many more.
Comments: Carpe Diem, the latest in the Totally Board series begins as all the TBs
before it have: a panoramic scan of the seemingly endless Alaskan
mountain landscape, showing a rider who is on the life threatening peak,
the guitar-heavy soundtrack gearing up, and then the rider drops. The
descent is terrifying and at the same time beautiful-we've seen this
before, yet every year we go back for more.
Unlike the last three years, TB6 attempts to veer away from being
exclusively extreme by throwing in some freestyle footage, however, what
keeps the viewers attention is the steep, deep, insane images of riders
being chased down the mountain by sluff. And TB6 has no lack of this. In
fact a majority of the 54 minute film is of snowboarders outrunning one
avalanche after another. In a way it's terrifying to see that this
sensationalism is what we crave in snowboarding, but at the same time the
terror emphasizes the fact that in less than a decade, snowboarders have
pushed snowsliding to a new level.
There is nothing soft or weak about TB6. Every scene offers excellent
cinematography with equally impressive riding. There are parts of the
film that drag, I mean how much Alaska can one viewer take, but at the
same time the awe of the images keeps viewers from becoming jaded toward
what these riders are doing.
Director Mike Hatchett chose to add sound bites from the riders this
year. While he says this increases the cost of making the film, he hoped
that the sections would help the viewer learn more about the sport.
As usual there is no doubt that TB6 is a keeper. Everything about it is
top quality, and even though the soundtrack can at times be reminiscent
of the 70s and there is a lot of Alaska, every other aspect of the film
makes up for it.
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