WB Network Unveils Plans For Snowboard Drama
4/1/99
by Shane O'Leary

The rumors that first surfaced on the alt.tv.party-of-five usenet forum have been confirmed by Art Wentley, president of Sony and Columbia Tristar Television: a new television drama entitled Sierra High Extreme will debut on the WB Network this fall.

The series, which traces the lives of five pro snowboarders in the fictitious town of Sierra, will follow top-rated WB show Buffy The Vampire Slayer every Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. "We’re going head-to-head with Frasier, but our test demo numbers look strong," says Wentley. "We think we’ll have an immediate eleven share for the time slot."

In a press release Sierra Executive Producer Phillip Lech noted: "We think teens are hungry for a television show that both speaks to them and highlights the exciting and dangerous world of extreme sports. The tie-in with real pro riders gives us tremendous credibility with youth culture."

After writing a snowboarding screenplay but losing his financial backing, former TransWorld SNOWboarding Editor Eric Blehm has been hired to be creative consultant and first assistant director. The show’s second-unit team is already at work in the Mammoth backcountry filming action shots and the season-finale avalanche rescue in which snowboarders living in a snow cave are buried alive.

Pro riders involved include Peter Line, who will play a dysfunctional deaf-mute; Terje Haakonsen, the boy-genius recluse; Circe Wallace, the no-nonsense town mayor; and Tex Davenport as a larger-than-life avalanche-control specialist and paramilitary hobbiest.

The first episode also features a cameo by Tom Sims, who plays a Svengali-like shop teacher who builds snowboards in shop class then introduces his students to the wonders of the backcountry.

"I was skeptical at first that the show could truly capture the snowboarding vibe, but after reading the script it’s clear that this is one hot show," Lech said.

The show begins airing in September 1999. Check you local listings.