PRESENTED BY ICELANDIC GLACIAL

Two Plank seals the deal on first Powder Award receiving the blow out win for Best POV featuring Corey Felton and Topher Plimption. Two Plank also stoked with a nomination for Best Line as well as multiple athlete nominations. “It’s a true honor to be considered by Powder and the voting members. We are truly humbled by the experience and are greatly looking forward to the awards show. I am personally very proud of the work Corey Felton and Topher Plimpton have done since teaming up with us, as well as the entire crew. We want to thank Tyson Bolduc for pioneering the line in 08, as well as all the athletes, fans, and supporters over the years for helping to get us here and earning our first Powder Award nominations; and first company WIN!.”

Press Release-
PARK CITY, Utah. (Jan. 18, 2013) - Candide Thovex, Sunny (Level 1 Productions), Tom Wallisch and Ingrid Backstrom earned top honors last night at the 13th annual Powder Awards presented by Icelandic Glacial natural spring water. The event, coined the Academy Awards of skiing, debuted on opening night of the Sundance Film Festival in powder capitol Park City, Utah, to a sold out crowd of athletes, industry insiders, celebrities, media and ski fans.

France’s Candide Thovez big winner of 2013 Powder Awards with four honors. Photo: Powder
“It was a beautiful night celebrating skiing at a new venue in a new town,”said Powder Editor John Stifter. “It was a night of firsts, from Candide collecting four awards to the Level 1 crew bringing home their first Movie of the Year award after a decade of making films.”

The big winner of the evening was the enigma that is Candide Thovex. He tracked the longest voyage to Park City, importing all the way from La Clusaz, France, to accept four awards including Best Male Performance and the Icelandic Glacial Full Throttle Award for his role in Few Words from Process Films. The film also earned the Best Documentary title and Best Cinematography.

“Once more, thank you,”said Thovex upon accepting the Best Male Performance award. “That’s a big one, right there. I think a lot of people actually deserve this one. Thanks for choosing me.

Sunny, the latest from Level 1 Productions, claimed the prestigious “Movie of the Year” video award as well as a nod for “Best Editing”. It was the first Movie of the Year award for Level 1 Productions with over a decade of filmmaking under their belts. Others nominated in the category, an honor in itself, included The Dream Factory (Teton Gravity Research), The Eighty Six (Stept Productions) and Few Words (Candide Thoves).

“We wanted to make something that wasn’t epic,”says Jeff Berman, who snuck into the first Powder Awards in 2001. “We were going for a relatable and accessible film. This award is humbling, yet reassuring to know our vision of skiing is something that other people are appreciating.”

In the Men’s Reader Poll, fans voted Salt Lake City local Tom Wallisch to the top of the chart for the third consecutive year. The top 10 men were rounded out by Seth Morrison (Frisco, Colo.), Sean Pettit (Whistler, B.C., CAN), Eric Hjorleifson (Canmore, Alberta, CAN), Sage Cattabriga-Alosa (Salt Lake City, Utah), Cody Townsend (Olympic Valley, Calif.), Henrik Harlaut (SWE), Mark Abma (Whistler, B.C., CAN), Tanner Hall (Park City, Utah) and Eric Pollard (Hood River, Ore.)

Three-time Men’s Reader Poll winner Tom Wallisch Photo: Powder
“Awesome. Third time, really stoked. This is amazing. Mahalo. Party on. Get drunk,”said Wallisch. “Thanks to all the readers and the fans. You guys are why I do what I do.”

Ingrid Backstrom of Olympic Village, Calif., claimed a record eighth consecutive win In the women’s Reader Poll, further solidifying her dominance and popularity as one of the best female skiers of all time. The late Sarah Burke maintained her number two spot on the Poll followed by Kaya Turski (Montreal, Quebec, CAN), Michelle Parker (Tahoe City, Calif.) and Elyse Saugstad (Olympic Valley, Calif.).

“It feels amazing,”said Backstrom. “I’m overwhelmed. It feels great to be honored by the readers of Powder Magazine and the Magazine itself.”

Log onto PowderAwards.com to watch the show in its entirety with additional behind-the-scenes photos, complete results and more. Follow Powder on Facebook Facebook.com/PowderMag and Twitter @PowderMagazine and start the conversation with #PowderAwards.

Special thanks to presenting sponsor Icelandic Glacial, as well as supporting sponsors GoPro, Kru82 Vodka, Paradigm Audio, and Red Bull.

2013 POWDER AWARDS RESULTS

Reader Poll Top 10 Men
1. Tom Wallisch
2. Seth Morrison
3. Sean Pettit
4. Eric Hjorleifson
5. Sage Cattabriga-Alosa
6. Cody Townsend
7. Henrik Harlaut
8. Mark Abma
9. Tanner Hall
10. Eric Pollard
Reader Poll Top 5 Women
1. Ingrid Backstrom
2. Sarah Burke
3. Kaya Turski
4. Michelle Parker
5. Elyse Saugstad
VIDEO AWARDS

Best Female Performance
Michelle Parker - Superheroes of Stoke - MSP Films

Best Male Performance
Candide Thovex - Few Words

Breakthrough Performance
Sandy Boville - Act Natural - Toy Soldier Productions

Best Natural Air
Sean Pettit - We - Poor Boyz Productions

Best Manmade Air
Henrik Harlaut - The Education Of Style - Inspired Media Concepts

Icelandic Glacial Full Throttle
Candide Thovex - Few Words - Process Films

Best Line
Eric Hjorleifson - Superheroes of Stoke - MSP Films

Best Jib
Clayton Vila - The Eighty Six - Stept Productions

Best Powder
Jay Peak - No Matter What - Meathead Films

Best P.O.V.
Corey Felton and Topher Plimpton - Because - Two Plank Productions

Best Editing
Sunny - Level 1 Productions

Best Cinematography
Few Words - Process Films

Best Documentary
Few Words - Candide Thovex

Movie of the Year
Sunny - Level 1 Productions

OTHER AWARDS

Best Web Series
Salomon Freeski TV - Switchback Entertainment

Photo of the Year Award
Jordan Manley and Dave Treadway

GoPro Award
Brody Leven

We talked with our newest athlete addition, Aaron Blunck, just coming off of an amazing 2nd place competition result at the Grand Prix in Copper for super pipe. Also, while as we are talking, you found out you just got an invite to compete in Winter X Aspen! So proud of this little ripper and show the support @Aaron_Blunck!

· When/where/how did you develop your passion for dominating snow?

I started skiing when I was 18 months old! I started competing when I was 8 years old in Crested Butte and have loved it ever since then!

· What’s the worst spill you’ve taken?

The worst spill I ever took was in the North Face Open series in slopestyle I did a dub twelve and landed side ways on the knuckle about two feet away in and flipped straight to my shoulder.

· What’s the most impressive run you’ve crushed?

The Best run I have ever taken was in The Copper Grand Prix 2013. I was so stoked! [2nd place]

· When you see snow, you think/feel…?

I think about fun and feel a huge amount of excitement.

· Where is your favorite fresh powder location and why?

My favorite spot for fresh pow is morning glory in Crested Butte, Co.

· What is the best advice you can give to a person learning to ski?

Keep weight on your downhill ski hands in front and just go!

· What do you think are your biggest strengths as a skier? Weaknesses?

Strengths are definitely going big and getting landings! Weaknesses are not going as big as some people in the comps.

· What do you think are your biggest strengths as a human? Weaknesses?

I think being humble is my biggest strength, Weaknesses are doing to much for people and not for my self.

· What is the best way to approach an epic run?

Get in the mind set and listen to my music and just send it!

· Oh yeah, and how young are you?

I am 16 years old!

Cheer Aaron on as he competes in Whistler before arriving at Winter X Aspen!

Raw multi-angle edit!

http://vimeo.com/53721789

Wish us luck Jan. 17th in Park City, UT

Once again, Crested Butte film companies will be represented at this year’s Powder Awards. No stranger to the Powder Awards, Matchstick Productions continues it’s legacy of greatness in their 20th year. Superheroes of Stoke received seven Powder Award nominations in six categories: Best Line (Erik Hjorleifson) Best Powder (Chatter Creek) Best Air (Russ Henshaw) Best Editing (Superheroes of Stoke) Best Female (Michelle Parker) (Ingrid Backstrom), Best Male (Erik Hjorleifson). One notable MSP snub was Richard Permin, who put together a very complete segment that opened Superheroes of Stoke with a bang.

This year, Two Plank Productions joined the big boys of the ski movie industry, receiving two Powder Award nominations for their first major feature production, “Because.” Corey Felton and Topher Plimpton’s tandem straightline in the Crested Butte backcountry has been nominated for Best Line as well as Best Point of View. This comes as no surprise as the shot drew the most cheers when the film made it’s debut in Crested Butte. Two Plank’s founder Corey Tijblas expressed, “It’s a true honor to be considered by Powder and the voting members. We are truly humbled by the experience and are greatly looking forward to the awards show. I am personally very proud of the work Corey Felton and Topher Plimpton have done since teaming up with us, as well as the entire crew. We want to thank all the athletes, fans, and supporters over the years for helping to get us here and earing our first Powder Award nominations.”

Congratulations to Two Plank and Matchstick for their achievements. We’re looking forward to their future projects, especially McConkey, MSP’s documentary of everyone’s hero Shane McConkey (see trailer below).

Check out the full list of Powder Award nominations here. You can purchase both films at the Colorado FreeSkier.com

Two Plank thanks Ed and the entire crew at The West Elk Project.com for their continued support!

Powder Magazine has names “BECAUSE” an official nominee for Best Line and Best P.O.V. shots for the 2012 international ski film season. Cheers to Corey Felton, Topher Plimpton and the TwoPlank crew for picking up our first Powder Magazine Award Nominations; and to Tyson Bolduc for finding the line!

Press Release:
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (January 3, 2013) - With just two weeks remaining until the 13th annual Powder Awards presented by Icelandic Glacial natural spring water, POWDER magazine is pleased to announce the nominees for the 2013 show. The prestigious event will take place for the first time ever on opening night of the Sundance Film Festival at Park City Live in Park City, Utah. The event is open to the public this year with select tickets going on sale this Friday, Jan. 4 at PowderAwards.com.

Photo by Adam Clark
A judging panel that included the POWDER staff, ski-industry veterans, photographers, filmmakers, and ski-film savants reviewed hundreds of entries to determine the nominees.

“After receiving nominee clips from 20-plus filmmakers, a comprehensive panel of judges has viewed hours of footage and the votes have been tallied,” says POWDER Editor John Stifter. “We’re pleased to announce the 2013 nominees and are eager to award winners at the show in Park City.”

Official 2013 Powder Awards presented by Icelandic Glacial nominees:

Best Line
Pep Fujas - WE - Poor Boyz Productions
Parker White - Sunny - Level 1 Productions
Corey Felton and Topher Plimpton - Because - Two Plank Productions
Erik Hjorleifson - Superheroes of Stoke - MSP Films

Best Powder
Chatter Creek - Superheroes of Stoke - MSP Films
Griffin Post and Todd Ligare - The Dream Factory - Teton Gravity Research
Jay Peak - No Matter What - Meathead Films
Erik Roner - The Dream Factory - Teton Gravity Research

Best Natural Air
Sean Pettit - WE - Poor Boyz Productions
Tim Durtschi - The Dream Factory - Teton Gravity Research
Parker White - Sunny - Level 1 Productions
Max Hammer - The Dream Factory - Teton Gravity Research

Best Manmade Air
Russ Henshaw - Superheroes of Stoke - MSP Films
Henrik Harlaut - The Education of Style - Inspired Media Concepts
Karl Fostvedt - WE - Poor Boyz Productions
Dana Flahr - The Dream Factory - Teton Gravity Research

Best Jib
Clayton Vila - The Eighty Six - Stept Productions
Tom Wallisch - Sunny - Level 1 Productions
Will Wesson - No Matter What - Meathead Films
Leigh Powis - WE - Poor Boyz Productions

Best P.O.V.
Dana Flahr - The Dream Factory - Teton Gravity Research
Corey Felton and Topher Plimpton - Because - Two Plank Productions
Mike Henituk - WE - Poor Boyz Productions
Russ Henshaw - Superheroes of Stoke - MSP Films

Best Cinematography Presented by GoPro
The Eighty Six - Stept Productions
Few Words - Process Films
Sunny - Level 1 Productions
The Dream Factory - Teton Gravity Research

Best Editing
Act Natural - Toy Soldier Productions
Superheroes of Stoke - MSP Films
Sunny - Level 1 Productions
The Eighty Six - Stept Productions

Best Female Performance
Michelle Parker - Superheroes of Stoke - MSP Films
Angel Collinson - The Dream Factory - Teton Gravity Research
Elyse Saugstad - Kill Your Boredom - Voleurz
Ingrid Backstrom - Superheroes of Stoke - MSP Films

Best Male Performance
Eric Hjorleifson - Superheroes of Stoke - MSP Films
Candide Thovex - Few Words - Process Films
Sean Pettit - WE - Poor Boyz Productions
Dash Longe - The Dream Factory - Teton Gravity Research

Best Documentary
Tempting Fear - Switchback Entertainment
Choose Your Own Adventure - Powderwhore Productions
Few Words - Process Films

Movie of the Year
The Dream Factory - Teton Gravity Research
The Eighty Six - Stept Productions
Few Words - Process Films
Sunny - Level 1 Productions

Awards will also be presented for Full Throttle presented by Icelandic Glacial and Breakthrough Performer and Best Web Series, as well as Reader Poll honors for the top 10 men and five women as voted on by fans and POWDER readers.

Kicking off the opening night of the Sundance Film Festival, the biggest night in skiing will honor the world’s best skiers, filmmakers, and photographers with a celebration extraordinaire at Park City Live on Jan. 17. Attendance is open to the public who purchase tickets and a live-streaming webcast will begin at 7 p.m. (MST) at PowderAwards.com. A limited number of tickets will go on sale this Friday, Jan. 4 exclusively at PowderAwards.com for $10. All ticket proceeds benefit the Wasatch Backcountry Rescue (WBRescue.com). Tickets will be available for pick up at Will Call at the Park City Live venue the night of the show. Doors will open to ticket holders at 7 p.m. before the live show starts at 8 p.m.

For Media credentials and registration, contact Dawn Hamilton at dhamilton@khpublicrelations.com.

Click-in to PowderAwards.com for more information, follow Powder on Facebook Facebook.com/PowderMag and Twitter @PowderMagazine and start the conversation with #PowderAwards.

Two Plank asked contributing athlete Elyse Saugstad about skiing, life, and favorites.

TP: When/where/how did you develop your passion for dominating snow?
ES: At the ripe age of 3. Before I was capable of keeping up with my Dad he would throw me in his backpack and take me skiing. So, by the time I was three I was shred-ding. Growing up in Alaska in a ski-loving family made it easy for my passion to grow through my childhood, and it’s never left.

TP: What’s the worst spill you’ve taken?
ES: Well, if you ask one of my best girlfriends she’d probably recall a story from when we were about 22 years old. I took a couple of nasty diggers on the dance floor due to my heightened state of inebriation, but she was there to pick me up so I could keep shaking my booty. I definitely had bruises the next day.

TP: What’s the most impressive run you’ve crushed?
ES: Charging the Bec de Rosses for the Verbier Extreme competition. As Jeremy Jones says, “It is the only true extreme ski/snowboard contest in the world.”

TP: When you see snow, you think/feel…?
ES: Calm, pureness, beauty… and heaps of excitement!

TP: Gear you swear by? What are the essentials?
ES: Salomon Rockette 115s or Rocker 108s
ABS Backpack
Arcade Belt
Hestra Mittens
Scott Googles and Poles
Kask Base layers and Hats
Thermic Boot Heaters
Ski-Doo Rev 600
Hand Warmers, affectionately known as cha-cha machines

TP: Where is your favorite fresh powder location and why?
ES: 1st place: North Face tram laps at Alyeska Resort because it’s the longest sustained vert run in North America. 2nd place: KT-22 storm skiing at Squaw Valley. 3rd place: Anywhere that has heaps of snow, great terrain, and smiling friends to share it with.

TP: What is the best advice you can give to a person learning to ski?
ES: Go ahead and fall. A lot. It will help get you over your fear of crashing by realizing it’s not that bad! Otherwise, skiing should be fun, no matter what your ability is. If it’s not, there is always that wonderful thing called apres.

TP: What do you think are your biggest strengths as a skier? Weaknesses?
ES: Strengths- I ski fast, hard, and like to jump off of things.
Weaknesses- Well, all those strengths become weaknesses when my husband, Cody Townsend, can’t keep up and I have to rub his ego after a day of skiing. He’s a good sport though, he thinks it sexy I give him a run for his money.

TP: What do you think are your biggest strengths as a human? Weaknesses?
ES: Strengths: I have the confidence to keep up with the boys and don’t mind getting pummeled.
Weaknesses: I’m not a superhero, what a bummer.

TP: What is the best way to approach an epic run?
ES: With confidence and joy. Also, don’t think about what you should avoid but rather what you need to do to nail the run.

Congrats to Elyse on her Power Award Nomination for Best Female Performance!

Two Plank Productions announces our first iTunes release is now live for Full HD download and rental. Bonus content, additional formats, and more at the link below! Special thanks to our online partner Danny Grant and The Orchard! Also coming soon to Hulu, XBOX, and Playstation Networks.

NOW on iTunes for HD Download and Rental: “BECAUSE” on iTunes®

“BECAUSE” in full HD now on iTunes for download or rent at special price!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/because/id578575773

‘Because’ by Two Plank Productions
Two Plank Productions plans to reinvent their company with new ski film “Because”

By Colin Bane - ESPN

Director Corey Tibljas founded Two Plank Productions with a crew of classmates from Western State Colorado University in Gunnison, Colo., back in 1997, making the most of the local backcountry terrain around nearby Crested Butte. Tibljas — who also works as a firefighter and EMT for the Crested Butte Fire Protection District and EMS divisions — has released just five short films over the 15-year span, running the company as something of a side project for most of that time, but he says his latest labor of love represents a shift in focus and a determination to start doing things differently. ESPN.com caught up with him to find out why he’s changing gears as a filmmaker and re-investing in his business and why he took more than two years to film his latest movie, “Because,” which premiered last week.

It seems like we haven’t heard much from Two Plank Productions in a while. What have you been up to?
Our previous films, going back to when we first started as students, were always about 30 minutes long and our approach was, basically, to go out and shoot as much as we could without much of a plan and then try to sort it all out in post-production. At some point we started to ask ourselves why were doing what we do, and this film is the answer: “Because.” We spent a year in pre-production, setting up some really great trips with a tremendous group of 22 athletes and an awesome crew, and spent two years in production and post-production to get it right. We invested in a bunch of new technology, including some RED digital cameras and all-new edit equipment, and set out to reinvent Two Plank from what we’d done before.

The list of locations for this film includes Japan, British Columbia, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming, as well as Colorado spots closer to home including Aspen, Silverton Mountain, and right there in your own backyard. What’s kept you and your company in Crested Butte after all this time?
Out of every place I’ve been in the world I’ve never found an easier backcountry work environment than the one right out my back door. Geographically the terrain is just amazing, with all these different peaks and valleys, and it’s super-accessible. For us it’s a no-brainer, and we’re not the only ones who’ve noticed: We’re about a mile from Matchstick Productions, and we hang out and bounce ideas off each other with those guys all the time.

I’ve been hearing that a lot lately, this notion of collaboration between potentially competing companies — it seems like there’s a lot of that going on. What do you think is driving that?
The synergy in Colorado among companies who share our demographic is second-to-none. There are just so many like-minded action sports companies here, film production companies and otherwise, and I just feel like there’s been a realization here that we can collaborate together in a non-competitive basis without losing anything to each other. Everyone wants this whole thing to keep getting bigger together. Colorado’s just a real fostering place to run a small business and, obviously, a great environment for making ski films: You look at companies like Matchstick, Level 1 Productions, Sweetgrass … it’s not an exaggeration to say that Colorado’s becoming the center of it all.

Outside of the local spots, what were your favorite trips for “Because”?
Going to Japan had always been high on my list and our trip to Niseko was a first for everyone on the trip. We didn’t get any of the four-foot dumps you always hear about, but we had some really good snow and everybody was thoroughly impressed. Another great trip was to Haines, Alaska, with Ben Furimsky. He’s a Crested Buttian who’s pretty much been with us since day one. He’s like 41 now but his skiing has just gotten better progressively every year, so we took him on a ski plane expedition for two weeks, touring around and living out of tents on the glacier.

What is your overall impression of the film?
We started with this question of “why do we do what we do?” And hopefully our answer — the “Because” — will resonate with people who understand that the adventure along the way is everything. This film is really a sum of all the parts that have come together over the last two and a half years. The athletes have pushed themselves to the edge physically, mentally, and financially. I really feel like it’s not my movie: It’s everybody’s movie who’s in it or was involved in it.

By Ed Dujardin - Courtesy of WestElkProject.com

This Friday night, Two Plank Productions held the world premiere of their newest feature film, “Because,” in a buzzing and packed Grand Ballroom in Mt. Crested Butte, Colorado. Anticipation was high as “Because” is Two Plank Productions biggest project to date, with filming spanning over the past two seasons. The addition of a third unit film crew allowed Two Plank to extend its coverage of the ski world to heights never before reached by the small film company from Crested Butte. This fact quickly became evident to the people in the crowd who have watched Two Plank grow from an operation run by two teenagers (Corey Tibljas and Ben Somrak) in 1999, to one that uses the highest grade equipment in remote regions all over the world.

After the large gathering of excited viewers settled into the venue, they were treated to a surplus of giveaways and raffles that added to the stoked atmosphere. Following a quick intro, the film opened up to the Run-Around crew shredding jaw-dropping lines on sled access terrain in the Tetons. However, the noise amplitude went through the roof when the crew moved south to the Crested Butte backcountry, where Topher Plimpton and Corey Felton point it down an enormous yet incredibly skinny straight-line on Purple Mountain (one of the more notable peaks in the CB backcountry). The film travels on to various locations around the globe, including British Colombia, Japan, Montana, the Pacific Northwest, and closing in Alaska. “Because” goes out with a bang, where Lexi Dupont, Colter Hinchliffe, and Leo Ahrens take advantage of perfect conditions to ski incredible spines in Haines, AK.

In “Because,” Two Plank Productions does well in sticking to its roots of big mountain skiing. The film does not feature a park segment (backcountry booters are), which was fine with the Crested Butte audience of predominately big mountain oriented skiers. While the film does access remote locations, it is done so without the budget of the bigger ski movies. In “Because,” Two Plank demonstrates that the right skiers with a strong desire to get to the goods can produce a very strong and appealing movie, as was demonstrated by the crowd enthusiasm. After the show, owner Corey Tibljas commented, “The evening went great. I believe the stoke of the crowd reflected the extra effort and quality that went into this movie.”

“BECAUSE”
A New Motion Picture Adventure FreeSki Film From Two Plank Productions

-PREMIERE Tour Tickets for “BECAUSE” Order Online Tickets