Level 1 movies are back! Kinda? Maybe, sort of? Wasteland is certainly close enough to the ‘old’ tried and true Level 1 flick to whet the appetite, although at under half an hour, this jaded old journalist wouldn’t quite call it a full length. Regardless, Level 1 has certainly been sorely missed in the past few years. Freeskiing has lacked a proper, aspirational full-length project each year since they left. Sure, there have been banger movies but mostly within a niche (of our niche of a niche). Level 1 movies past filled a space that has since been vacant, bringing a broader appeal to the freeski project. Not quite in the same space as TGR & MSP, and certainly far less generic, but more accessible than what has come since.

Wasteland is itself perhaps more niche than a ‘regular’ Level 1 offering but it certainly offers up a lot of what Level 1 always brings to the table, great skiing, cleanly presented, and with more of a variety of styles than other flicks. The movie has been available for purchase for some time now, so hopefully a lot of you have seen it and can tell me I’m way off the mark here, but with the public launch tomorrow and tradition of utmost importance, I figured I’d run you through this not-a-comeback comeback from our good friends in Denver.

Parker wild in the streets

Parker White opens proceedings with his first full street part, which is no mean feat at 30+. It’s no secret that we love Parker, and it’s clear that his skis did not enjoy his transition to the streets in Finland. Kudos to whoever had to sit in the editing booth and style that one out. IYKYK. He ends things with two switch two-sev bangers that show he’s done his research.

His part rolls into Oscar & Harald, also mostly Finland street shots. Personally, I would have slotted in C-Lo’s part here for some variety but that’s by the by. Honestly, I thought this seg was a bit underwhelming compared to Forre's back catalog and the rest of the film, but maybe it was the “backward goggles in the street”-induced rage. The spot selection was certainly interesting and there were some heater moments (the ender especially) but bookended by Parker and Mango (street-wise) it just didn’t quite have the same impact.

Speaking of Mango, he’s fully back. I have, in the past, expressed disappointment with Mango’s movies. Sacrilege perhaps, but my reasoning has always been the quantity of ski shots delivered, the quality has always been through the roof. Make no mistake though, the man is elite tier, one the best of the best. For me, this was his best work since Real Ski. His unique style permeates shots from the backcountry to the streets and honestly, this could have been the opener or the ender.

Taylor deserves extra props for making TNF fits look good

C-Lo and Lucas Wachs delivered exactly what you’d expect from them. HUGE sends and high-impact landings in the bc. Dakota attacked steet spots with some serious hammers too, and these parts made for a nice pairing within the movie. To me, similar styles of skiing applied to two totally different environments.

This leaves just two remaining segments, both of which stake their claim to being the segment of the year. Taylor Lundquist & Anni Karava share what can only be described as the heaviest female street segment to date. Taylor even works in some backcountry clips as she broadens her skiing, but I’d be hard-pressed to say whose shots were better (and yes, when NS awards come around, I think it’s likely I will have to make that decision). Both have style coming out of their ears and a unique vision for spots. Theirs was my favorite part of the movie, which is wild given what Mango put down… and, of course, the guy who did get the ender, Jonah Williams.

This Jonah guy just makes everything look good

Jonah is, in my experience at least, a humble, softly spoken kinda fella and you wouldn’t necessarily expect him to be one of the best in the game upon meeting him. However, his style in the backcountry is now second to none, with elements of Duncan Adams, Adam Delorme and Parker himself all coming together to be a thing of beauty. I love watching Jonah ski, despite how clumsy it makes me feel on self-reflection. I could watch this one every day and never get bored of how good he makes skiing look.

As a whole, Wasteland has a huge amount to be enjoyed and I hope this is something of a comeback for Level 1 movies with Owen and Andrew at the helm. I wouldn't call Wasteland flawless. It’s an understatement to say that I didn’t like some of the filters used (see movie rant last season) and to me, it missed one segment, perhaps someone like Tucker Fitzsimmons to fill the Wallisch role of just fucking with your mind in terms of technical mastery. However, as always, this is a heavy hitter from Level 1, and will no doubt be in the movie of the year conversation when the time comes. And as I alluded to in the introduction, I think this kind of project is vital for freeskiing. The gap between the underground/core/whatever-you-want-to-call-it-this-week side of the sport and the mainstream needs to be bridged, for brands to actually, you know, sell things. Level 1 has been the best at that for 20+ years now, and long may they reign.

Wasteland is live on YouTube TOMORROW. But throw Level 1 some $ here anyway.