The economy is worse than we thought!
So foretells the plot of “How The Northwest Was One,” a new snowboard video by filmmaker and rider Kurt Jenson and featuring the likes of local extreme sports guru Nick Ennen and a heralded crew of wiley rippers, where a Mad Max-type existence takes over as soon as 2012 and is sparked by the collapse of the U.S. financial system.
The resulting mayhem during this roughly 30-minute flick, a Wildcard Productions offering, sees the state of Washington devolve back into the time of the old Wild West, when renegades and outlaws roamed and ruled the mountain terrain. The only real difference this time around is men wearing Stetson hats and brown dusters wield film cameras as often as they do six-shooters. And rare footage of snowboarders dinking, dunking, flipping and twisting over some of the Northwest’s most exciting terrain is treated like it’s gold.
There’s even a bounty for the goods and riders Ennen, Jenson, Patrick McCarthy, Tim Carlson, Andy Stern, Lucas Debari, Andy Bergin-Sperry, Scott Witsil, Shaun McKay and Manuel Diaz are all “wanted” for “killing it.”
“It’s actually a spaghetti western snowboard video,” said Ennen, who contributed action to the film on both sides of the lens.
On the snow, Ennen leads a contingent of riders with local ties through the film: Bellingham residents McCarthy, Debari and Stern, who attends Western Washington University.
There are local haunts on display, too, with footage of Mount Baker and the surrounding backcountry and launch points off well-known places like cat-track gap and grandma’s. Local snow bugs will probably also recognize terrain from Stevens Pass.
A pro snowboarder and pro wakeboarder, Ennen is particularly stoked that the project, which will premiere on Friday, Oct. 2, in Seattle, came together so well.
Bellingham will receive its own screening of “How The Northwest Was One” on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 9 p.m. at the Wild Buffalo.
“The professional level and the quality is a step above anything else we’ve ever done,” said Ennen, who has also contributed to the making of Funner films “Sentimental Values,” “Smokebomb” and “From Baker to Chili.”
The footage for “How The Northwest Was One” was filmed throughout last season, and Ennen is quickly learning he enjoys wielding a camera almost as much as he enjoys tearing up terrain on any kind of board.
Especially when he feels the adrenaline from capturing a perfect take on film. And this is from a guy who’s been feature twice on the cover of Wakeboarding Magazine.
“It’s almost as cool to be filming something and capture a banger shot as it is to drop in and do that back-seven and get that back-seven,” Ennen said. “It’s almost the same feeling for me.”
And you never know. If the video’s plot comes true, footage like this could be worth something fierce come 2012.
