Thinking About Skiing in Japan? This Film Will Convince You
Anyone who has ever dedicated their life to the pursuit of a single thing will likely understand how burnout feels.
At first, you think that there’s no way you could ever get sick of pursuing whatever the thing is that you’re chasing, because you love it so much, but over time, as the pursuit of it takes over your life, it becomes more challenging to find balance between that pursuit and everything else. After all, humans are multifaceted—our minds are not single tracks, our existences not singularly focused. Burnout sets in, and suddenly, the thing you once pursued is the last thing you want to do.
What brings us back from burnout depends on a number of factors, but often it involves the pursuit of that thing with no stakes. Not for money, career, or award, but simply for joy, in its purest and most joyful form.
This is the theme explored in Alex “Army” Armstrong’s new film, Slipstream, which was featured at Banff Mountain Film Festival, Kendall Mountain Film Festival, and nominated for Best Editing and Best Short Film at the iF3 Awards.
You can watch the full film below. Kee reading for more.
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Watch: Slipstream | Alex Armstrong
Examining the burnout Armstrong felt in skiing led the group on the ultimate pursuit of joy—a girl’s trip to Japan with Lucy Leishman, Estelle Pensiero, Catty Agnew, Sam Tuff, Meg Cumming, and the incredibly good-natured and talented cinematographer and editor behind the film, Graeme Mieklejohn.
Both the film’s visuals and narration by Armstrong capture not just the antics of such a crew and dreamy powder skiing found on Hokkaido, but the notion that shared experience can be one of the best forms of rediscovery.
Slipstream most certainly isn’t your everyday ski porn, but there’s no doubt it scratches that itch with stunning visuals, deep snow, and a banger soundtrack. Watching it left me with my own inspiration to rediscover through community and a shared experience. It’s also a great thing that I’ve already got a plane ticket to Japan booked with three of my girl friends, because if I didn’t, this film would have me doing that ASAP.
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