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The New Level 1

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dom_daq
Posts: 371 - Karma: 440
Being an avid Level 1 fan since the day I got Refresh for Christmas in 2009(? maybe 10)I have to say that for a while I believed Level 1 had fallen out as a crew. First they lost B dog and Edollo, then Wallish, then Hornbeck and Ahmet. Those guys were the fucking sickest riders out back in Refresh/Eye Trip. I honestly never thought a crew would quite compare to Level 1 back in those days.

That being said, when I saw some of the newer guys they are working with I was super stoked. LSM has always been a favorite of mine, as well as khai, Berman, Shay Lee, Magnus and Sandy Boville. So needless to say I was stoked to see Less.

I like to judge ski movies based on the first watch; if a movie has my jaw constantly dropping on the first watch I know it's a good one. I have to say that Less had me amazed more than any other ski movie I've seen (including Stept movies which, until today, were my favorite in recent history). I just can't get over the wild shit Shay and khai were doin on urban, the crazy innovative style LSM had (I think this was his breakout segment), and Berman.... there's nothin to be said that was the sickest segment ever. Then the segment where they were jumpin rocks in Norway (I believe) had such a fun vibe mixed with the wild tricks we all expect.

I know that was a dumb long rant that you probably won't even read but for all you lazy freeskiers I'm going to sum it all up:
TL;DR with all due respect to the OG's, as until now the Level 1 crew in Eye Trip was my favorite skiing group of all time, the new Level 1>Old Level 1 IMO.
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Oct 8 2014 9:09PM
124 38
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Kretzschmar
Posts: 6709 - Karma: 98,331
In all honestly, I thought less was *wait for it* less than stellar. Didn't really get me hyped up at all and just felt like a big build up to nothing. Essentially less gave me skiing blueballs. The soundtrack was meh, skiing was sick in some parts (Magnus and Khai stood out to me out of the new guys on the crew) but it was missing something that I can't put my finger on.

Eye Trip is the first full ski movie I ever saw so it holds a special place in my heart (my make me bias a tad here) but I would rather watch Eye Trip over less any day. Eye Trip had a bangin soundtrack, great diversity in the riding, and other things that get me hyped to watch it over and over again.
Oct 8 2014 9:16PM
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NSwidow
Posts: 888 - Karma: 3,223
Well, personally I was super bummed that P White didn't have a seg this year, and it was weird having shots of people like Ahmet and Torin in the credits... But they move onto other projects and create new things which is super exciting.

Wouldn't it be...mundane to have the same skiers in the movies 5 years later? I thought less was so different to the past couple of years and it was because of all the fresh blood. Some of my fav segs were rookies! Magnus' and Khai's segments were banger. And stoked to see Sig get a full seg. But defs still love all the OGs.
Oct 8 2014 9:24PM
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BWalmer
Posts: 9141 - Karma: 12,885
NSwidowWell, personally I was super bummed that P White didn't have a seg this year


He and C-Lo are doing their own thing this year. So between that and his Real Ski segment, he was focused on other things.


I love the old crew, I love the new crew. They both have their own thing going for them. The Refresh crew was awesome, but the new crew of people are raw and different. Change is an ok thing, people need to stop being afraid of it.
Oct 8 2014 9:32PM
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dom_daq
Posts: 371 - Karma: 440
KrotchIn all honestly, I thought less was *wait for it* less than stellar. Didn't really get me hyped up at all and just felt like a big build up to nothing. Essentially less gave me skiing blueballs. The soundtrack was meh, skiing was sick in some parts (Magnus and Khai stood out to me out of the new guys on the crew) but it was missing something that I can't put my finger on.

Eye Trip is the first full ski movie I ever saw so it holds a special place in my heart (my make me bias a tad here) but I would rather watch Eye Trip over less any day. Eye Trip had a bangin soundtrack, great diversity in the riding, and other things that get me hyped to watch it over and over again.


Good point, it's amazing how much impact a soundtrack can have on your overall feeling for a movie. I loved the Less soundtrack mostly because of the Underachievers and Freddie Gibbs(2 of my favorite artists and I thought they fit their respective segments perfectly) but I could see why you would like the movie less is you like the soundtrack less.
Oct 8 2014 9:40PM
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fredyferl
Posts: 2948 - Karma: 14,865
I think I prefer the previous crew a bit more, but at the same time I'm hyped that Shay Lee, Khai Krepela and Sandy Boville are now filming with Level 1, as they weren't really filming with anybody since TSP stopped making films.

On a side note, I hope Wallisch starts filming with Level 1 again. After releasing hiw own project and not filming for a year, I wonder what are his plans for the upcoming season. Him back in a Level 1 movie, with a banger opening or the closing segment, would be pretty cool to watch.
Oct 8 2014 10:13PM
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Z_Benesch
Posts: 2028 - Karma: 2,683
KrotchEye Trip is the first full ski movie I ever saw so it holds a special place in my heart


I was the just like this. Except Less is the first complete level 1 movie I've seen, and really not many other ski movies at all. I think we all can a agree that that first movie we watch gets us hooked. And I think we can all agree that the first ski movie we see, gets us hyped whenever we watch it because we see things we have never seen before, and it just makes us want to ski like the pros. Just my 2 cents tho
Oct 8 2014 10:14PM
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Iraq_Lobster
Posts: 1866 - Karma: 4,904
Sunny was the first real ski movie I ever watched where I paid attention and knew what was going on. That being said it is still my favorite movie to day(biased opinion), and I haven't watched less yet. Is it worth it or not?
Oct 9 2014 12:04AM
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Hodor
Posts: 503 - Karma: 2,578
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/904420/Turbo---Henrik-Harlaut-and-Tom-Wallisch
i am sucker for the old level 1. this segment is what really got me stoked on park skiing. still my favorite jump segment of all time. young wallisch and henrik right when they were really blowing up
Oct 9 2014 12:48AM
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suup
Posts: 1485 - Karma: 4,367
Fuck you! I like it
Oct 9 2014 12:53AM
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Satans_anus
Posts: 158 - Karma: 380
skisocksFuck you! I like it


people have different opinions, no need to be butthurt
Oct 9 2014 4:50AM
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270on420out
Posts: 7514 - Karma: 51,161
I liked the crew in Sunny the most. Sunny still remains as my favorite ski movie.
Oct 9 2014 8:38AM
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rcasey
Posts: 347 - Karma: 1,575
Really wish hornbeck was still filming w level 1. His sunny segment was the shit
Oct 9 2014 10:23AM
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1990
Posts: 1787 - Karma: 52
KrotchEye Trip is the first full ski movie I ever saw so


there is your problem right there.
Oct 9 2014 10:38AM
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W.Fadeeff
Posts: 25 - Karma: 84
less really lacked variety. I love watching movies with a bit of everything, even though I am a big mountain skier. I think fresh blood is a good thing, and I like watching urban. But I love watching Wiley and Tanner, and I was disappointed that Delorme and Bibby didn't have their own backcountry segments this year. Level 1 needs to add some fresh blood that aren't urban or park skiers, theres lots of big mountain talent out there. less was so saturated with urban skiing that it all started looking the same to me by halfway through the movie.
Oct 9 2014 12:04PM
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Parks.
Posts: 5612 - Karma: 1,093
KrotchIn all honestly, I thought less was *wait for it* less than stellar. Didn't really get me hyped up at all and just felt like a big build up to nothing. Essentially less gave me skiing blueballs. The soundtrack was meh, skiing was sick in some parts (Magnus and Khai stood out to me out of the new guys on the crew) but it was missing something that I can't put my finger on.

Eye Trip is the first full ski movie I ever saw so it holds a special place in my heart (my make me bias a tad here) but I would rather watch Eye Trip over less any day. Eye Trip had a bangin soundtrack, great diversity in the riding, and other things that get me hyped to watch it over and over again.


yeah that was my first reaction too. some parts were sick but as a whole it seemed a lil meh to me. not level 1's best film but also not the worst....
Oct 9 2014 1:10PM
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CashmereCat
Posts: 2211 - Karma: 2,394
In my opinion less was a disappointment. Nothing really stood out to me as super crazy or innovative except the jump over the lift.
Oct 9 2014 1:14PM
2 0
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Davy.Crockett
Posts: 5373 - Karma: 324
i watched less the other night and it was the first level 1 flick i've watched since after dark and i was pretty disappointed. there were certainly some dope ass segments but i spent the whole movie waiting for wallisch, hornbeck, p white, all the classics and when the credits rolled i was pretty surprised
Oct 9 2014 1:46PM
0 0
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.GUCCI.
Posts: 1297 - Karma: 6,049
im a giant level 1 fan, and less didnt really strike a chord with me. it just seemed flat. I really liked last years crew in partly cloudy, its my favorite level 1 movie so far.
Oct 9 2014 3:19PM
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codizzle
Posts: 900 - Karma: 2,251
Less was the most fun ski movie i've seen in several years.
Magnus just killed it. He had my aw dropped.
Oct 9 2014 4:07PM
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kemosabe
Posts: 449 - Karma: 1,309
if only magnus was in the old crew. then it would be the most elite ski group ever existing
Oct 9 2014 7:38PM
1 0
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BROLF
Posts: 1598 - Karma: 5,098
Magnus and Berman's segments were the only ones that got me hyped, overall it was my least favorite level 1 movie of the 5 or 6 I've seen.
Oct 9 2014 7:49PM
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Jcollette44
Posts: 122 - Karma: 77
less sucked.
Oct 9 2014 7:55PM
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JLev
Posts: 872 - Karma: 4,795
I'm sorry but all of these movie companies are expected to do the impossible each year. These guys work their asses off 12 months a year (not just a couple of mths during winter) & they can no longer be expected to progress with mind blowing content like we've come to expect because the sport's progression of introducing new tricks, cameras tech, etc. simply can't maintain the previous pace. skiing will continue to evolve but not at the pace of the past 10 years. On top of that sponsors and athletes are now pulling their $ and time out of these films & doing their own projects, releasing shorter vids more often as they should be leveraging social media & today's digital FREE distribution to get the word out to more people more often. No longer does a company need to pay a movie company to show their athlete skiing on their product. But this also puts the film co's at a disadvantage trying to impress more than the last year, with less money and less athletes to pull from.

For all of the above reasons, especially because of free digital distribution and lower cost vid creation wiithin 3 years the full length annual ski movie format will no longer exist. Level 1 is one of the few that due to their popularity and hard work actually have another side of their business that will quickly if not already become their main business (clothing) of which any and all vids they put out only strengthens. TGR has their website and messageboard that they'll need to make a priority and I'm sure all of them will quickly learn to capitalize on the year round, multiple short edit release format that guys like Stept are eager to master next season so that you can watch it as it is. . . a really talented dude or two doing some sick skiing for a couple of days without the unrealistic expectations of 40 minutes of never before seen mind blowing experience we've been trained to expect. Stoked to see the evolution!
Oct 9 2014 9:35PM
14 1
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Mayrandpodcast
Posts: 784 - Karma: 13,823
JLevI'm sorry but all of these movie companies are expected to do the impossible each year. These guys work their asses off 12 months a year (not just a couple of mths during winter) & they can no longer be expected to progress with mind blowing content like we've come to expect because the sport's progression of introducing new tricks, cameras tech, etc. simply can't maintain the previous pace. skiing will continue to evolve but not at the pace of the past 10 years. On top of that sponsors and athletes are now pulling their $ and time out of these films & doing their own projects, releasing shorter vids more often as they should be leveraging social media & today's digital FREE distribution to get the word out to more people more often. No longer does a company need to pay a movie company to show their athlete skiing on their product. But this also puts the film co's at a disadvantage trying to impress more than the last year, with less money and less athletes to pull from.

For all of the above reasons, especially because of free digital distribution and lower cost vid creation wiithin 3 years the full length annual ski movie format will no longer exist. Level 1 is one of the few that due to their popularity and hard work actually have another side of their business that will quickly if not already become their main business (clothing) of which any and all vids they put out only strengthens. TGR has their website and messageboard that they'll need to make a priority and I'm sure all of them will quickly learn to capitalize on the year round, multiple short edit release format that guys like Stept are eager to master next season so that you can watch it as it is. . . a really talented dude or two doing some sick skiing for a couple of days without the unrealistic expectations of 40 minutes of never before seen mind blowing experience we've been trained to expect. Stoked to see the evolution!



this pretty much sums up the state of ski movies today
Oct 9 2014 9:42PM
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SkiTheYeast
Posts: 2310 - Karma: 391
to me the biggest let down was the lack of park shoots
Oct 9 2014 9:50PM
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hi_vis360
Posts: 5104 - Karma: 51,815
As someone who has been watching level 1 movies since High Five came out, I see less as level 1 returning to their more underground urban oriented style they had in the past. Less isn't as palatable to the mainstream as movies like sunny and refresh are.
Oct 9 2014 10:39PM
0 0
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Bombay
Posts: 45 - Karma: 30
I like the new level one but still miss the old crew.
Eye Trip>>Less
Oct 9 2014 11:29PM
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gingaskier
Posts: 623 - Karma: 263
As far as skiing goes, level 1 never seizes to amaze me! Hammers upon hammers were dropped in Less. My jaw was on the floor for almost the entire movie but with that being said, I thought the soundtrack was sub-par. The soundtrack made Less a disappointment. IMO I thought Partly Cloudy's soundtrack was fuckin' baller. I'd have to say that Partly Cloudy was my favourite level 1 flick of all time. However, Eye Trip was sick! The soundtrack and the skiing mixed so well. Also, all the OGs slayed that film.
Oct 10 2014 1:52AM
0 0
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zsturtevant
Posts: 244 - Karma: 231
Definitely miss seeing some of the older guys. I thought the movie was definitely good but, imo just not enough variety. I wish there was more back country and more park shoots. Also wasn't a huge fan of most of the soundtrack they had. That all being said, my jaw was on the ground half the movie with some of those absolutely insane urban shots.
Oct 10 2014 2:46AM
0 0
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Gharf
Posts: 1390 - Karma: 983
shanghai 6 is my first love.

long story short and turbo were damn good too.

i feel it was another era though.
not as much free content on the internet.
Oct 10 2014 9:04AM
0 0
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butteredpretzel
Posts: 1485 - Karma: 866
Davy.Crocketti watched less the other night and it was the first level 1 flick i've watched since after dark and i was pretty disappointed. there were certainly some dope ass segments but i spent the whole movie waiting for wallisch, hornbeck, p white, all the classics and when the credits rolled i was pretty surprised


That's your fault then. The lineup for the movie was released weeks before it came out.
Oct 10 2014 9:19AM
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wesley.
Posts: 6483 - Karma: 1,049
refresh>less>eye trip

people liked eye trip?
Oct 10 2014 9:48AM
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[Steeze_Please]
Posts: 281 - Karma: 279
I think it is all a matter of personal preference. The guys like Wallisch, Edollo, Bdog and Hornbeck were what got me into skiing. Obviously I have a soft spot for those guys and I will always probably prefer them over the new crowd. That being said I think Less marked a changing of the guard for Level 1 and I think many kids that get into skiing through watching these guys will have the same desire to see those guys ski once the next crowd comes in. I feel like people just have have to get used to the new kids on the block and the new style they are bringing and accept that it's different then those guys from before but that Level 1 has to keep evolving and has to keep it fresh or risk becoming stale. Just my two cents.
Oct 10 2014 11:14AM
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La_Chapa
Posts: 37 - Karma: 1,273
I might be by myself with this opinion, but I believe that Inspired wouldn't be what it is today if Henrik and Bdog stayed.
Oct 10 2014 11:14AM
0 0
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K-Dot.
Posts: 3743 - Karma: 7,771
dom_daqGood point, it's amazing how much impact a soundtrack can have on your overall feeling for a movie. I loved the Less soundtrack mostly because of the Underachievers and Freddie Gibbs(2 of my favorite artists and I thought they fit their respective segments perfectly) but I could see why you would like the movie less is you like the soundtrack less.


What's the name of the song from Magnus's segment?
Oct 10 2014 11:25AM
0 0
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TJenkins8
Posts: 103 - Karma: 197
JLevI'm sorry but all of these movie companies are expected to do the impossible each year. These guys work their asses off 12 months a year (not just a couple of mths during winter) & they can no longer be expected to progress with mind blowing content like we've come to expect because the sport's progression of introducing new tricks, cameras tech, etc. simply can't maintain the previous pace. skiing will continue to evolve but not at the pace of the past 10 years. On top of that sponsors and athletes are now pulling their $ and time out of these films & doing their own projects, releasing shorter vids more often as they should be leveraging social media & today's digital FREE distribution to get the word out to more people more often. No longer does a company need to pay a movie company to show their athlete skiing on their product. But this also puts the film co's at a disadvantage trying to impress more than the last year, with less money and less athletes to pull from.

For all of the above reasons, especially because of free digital distribution and lower cost vid creation wiithin 3 years the full length annual ski movie format will no longer exist. Level 1 is one of the few that due to their popularity and hard work actually have another side of their business that will quickly if not already become their main business (clothing) of which any and all vids they put out only strengthens. TGR has their website and messageboard that they'll need to make a priority and I'm sure all of them will quickly learn to capitalize on the year round, multiple short edit release format that guys like Stept are eager to master next season so that you can watch it as it is. . . a really talented dude or two doing some sick skiing for a couple of days without the unrealistic expectations of 40 minutes of never before seen mind blowing experience we've been trained to expect. Stoked to see the evolution!


JLev = Smartest business guy in the industry. Dude gets it!
Oct 10 2014 12:50PM
0 0
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JJ.
Posts: 183 - Karma: 667
Less really got me hyped for skiing. I loved it. Maybe it wasn't the banger some people were looking for but I would definitely watch it again.
Oct 10 2014 12:59PM
0 0
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brandonhausner
Posts: 201 - Karma: 837
I honestly love what level 1 is doing. With the exception of a couple veterans in the crew, they have great young talent that are dropping bangers. love level 1 and what they are dropping year to year. Only good things to come in the future.
Oct 10 2014 1:33PM
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dom_daq
Posts: 371 - Karma: 440
K-Dot.What's the name of the song from Magnus's segment?


BFK by Freddie Gibbs
Oct 10 2014 2:34PM
1 0
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M3TRO
Posts: 645 - Karma: 5,404
Less opened the door!
progression doesnt have to be at its peak for someone to be "pro"
look at skateboarding and snowboarding... guys have pro models, full parts, and get paid to do things that look cool!
The fact that Level 1 has already made so many movies that the general free ski population can relate too and share interest in says a whole lot! Style is the new dub 10, and as they said in there movie,
Less is MORE!

I can only hope that one day the industry can expand in that way!
Oct 10 2014 3:59PM
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YDKS
Posts: 330 - Karma: 357
Tough comparison. It's just...they're different, you know?
Oct 10 2014 5:03PM
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lurking
Posts: 2222 - Karma: 6,788
I prefer the old Refresh and Sunny crew to the new one, but I could learn to love the new guys
Oct 10 2014 5:52PM
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BWalmer
Posts: 9141 - Karma: 12,885
I've now watched Khai's segment like 8 times, Magus' segment probably 12 times and LSM's like 15...still not getting old.
Oct 10 2014 6:04PM
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CartCal
Posts: 220 - Karma: 724
i personally really liked less, i just dont get the hype about lsm. He's a good skier and hes creative, but nothing he does really blows me away
Oct 10 2014 6:17PM
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Wrenn
Posts: 226 - Karma: 915
I'd probably say that Partly Cloudy is my favorite mostly because it's the first one I watched and Banks Gilberti gave it to me
Oct 11 2014 3:19AM
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gerbear
Posts: 435 - Karma: 397
I have bought a shit ton of ski flicks over the last 10 years...But I will not be buying Less...

I bought After Dark, which I thought was kinda cool

I bought Sunny, which started to lose my attention

I rented Party Cloudy on iTunes and I did not like it at all.

Less looks like shit, to be completely honest.


I'll just go ahead and hold onto my Refresh and Eye Trip DVD's.
Oct 11 2014 4:23AM
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zwilly
Posts: 635 - Karma: 1,908
I think people expect more and more out of Level 1 each year. Level 1 came out with some crazy stuff and had an awesome crew. And now it looks more like they are starting over almost with a new crew and new style.
Oct 11 2014 1:13PM
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AttorneyGeneral
Posts: 26 - Karma: 14
The review for Less is up at SkiStarMovies.com.

http://skistarmovies.com/review/less

LSM is the best thing about Less and that's saying something because everyone of those guys shreds.

JLev could be right though...we may be in the twilight of the longform ski movie as an artform. Let's see what comes.

The Attorney General
SkiStarMovies.com
Oct 11 2014 8:09PM
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brend
Posts: 779 - Karma: 3,608
I am watching less for the first time at freshtival a week from now and this got me stoked.
Oct 12 2014 12:00AM
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myllhouse
Posts: 1064 - Karma: 2,157
Not having full parts from PWhite and Ahmet ruined it. (Yes we know they did their own thing.)

Really though, After Dark and Sunny were great. Partly Cloudy was pretty good.

Gradually they're getting worse.

The combination of riders is decent still.

Magnus should've had the opening segment this year, not to take away from Duncan.

Other than Adam no one in L1 now can hold together a segment of backcountry, street, and

park like PWhite or C-Lo.
Oct 12 2014 12:50AM
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