This winter saw Keegan Killbride, Cam Willis, and the rest of the Slim to None crew treading a different path. There were plenty of ski crews hitting the streets and backcountry across the US, despite the restrictions of the pandemic. But they were the only squad doing it and releasing content exclusively on Patreon. The trailer for the movie dropped for subscribers a few days ago, but it’s now available to all and can be found just below. We caught up with the boys to find out how the winter went and what the experience of making a ski movie via Patreon was like.

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1009345/Embed-Code

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Interview by Jamie Walter @1337

Yo dudes! How did this winter go? Where are you guys right now?

Keegan: Great season. Things rarely go as planned but that’s always when the best opportunities show up. I’m back up in Maine now.

Cam: Currently back in Brooklyn. Winter was wild, definitely way different than what we expected, but it worked out. We had a banger first trip to Montana back in Jan, got a bunch of clips on the East Coast, wrapped it back up with a street trip to CO and just got a ton done. It was great. Covid put a halt to some of our plans but that’s the story of this winter for a lot of people.

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What was your favorite memory from working on Slim to None?

Keegan: Probably just watching Emoney and Cam hang. Kids are terrible together.

Cam: I can’t nail it down to just one, I think the memories / relationships you make while working on projects that involve this much passion are some of the most important experiences in life regardless of what the subject matter is. Keegan and I built a friendship that’s pretty damn unique. I got some memories from Montana that I could write a small book about that will never leave me.

In Maine, Keegan and I really worked 1 on 1 with a few other hands on deck (shout out to the Maine/NH boys for lending a hand). That really showed the dedication of both Keegan and I to just do something special and try to display it. There’s something special when you're an East Coaster, grew up watching all these segments / skiing-filming careers built here, then go out and try and put your own take on it. The East is cold with no goddamn snow, so it always feels like an accomplishment to actually make it happen in the streets. The CO trip was wild, and it really felt like a make or break situation on whether we had a movie or not. By the end of it we had way more than what we expected, and we filmed most of it in t-shirts. It was an excellent way to wrap it up. You can see bits and pieces of these memories sprinkled throughout the movie this fall.

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What was it like trying to make a ski film around the country during COVID? Were there any pandemic related challenges that you faced?

Keegan: Canada didn’t want us, so that hurt. It was nice to always keep a tight crew so we wouldn’t have to worry about it and we could forget about all the craziness in the world.

Cam: Yeah for sure, one of our biggest plans was to go to Quebec this spring. The borders are still closed and you basically can’t go without spending an insane amount of time isolating yourself, and/or money. In the end we did just fine but it was frustrating because being based on the East Coast it’s a no-brainer destination for street skiing, and the amount you can do on a short trip is pretty high. Maybe next year.

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Aside from anything COVID related, did you face any other issues?

Keegan: Hand full of staples up top, couple cracked ribs, nothing major though. Pretty smooth season. We really appreciate all the support from our sponsors.

Cam: Scheduling was tough, trying to line up time slots between work and general life stuff. It all worked out though

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What does it take to make a ski film in this day and age? Would you do it again?

Keegan: Oh yea. I’m still working two jobs but I don’t know what else I’d do in my free time. I love this shit. Feel like we got a lot more to do.

Cam: It takes patience and dedication. As it always has. The hardest part for me is trying to balance a sustainable career, and really something that's driven just by pure passion and an empty wallet. Hell ya I’d do it again, or at least want to.

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What’s the plan now? How long will the editing process take you?

Cam: Keegans going to come down to Brooklyn and ravage the delis/bars for a week and lay down the rough cut / outline for the movie. I’ll spend a good bit of time after that trying to wrap it up and put the finishing touches on in-between work here in the city. On top of that we are working with Orono Brewing to plan a premier tour of sorts, and we plan on being at High Five and IF3.

Keegan: Oh hell yea Cam, I forgot about the delis. I am so hyped to really start cutting up all this footage though.

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What’s the release plan? How and when can people catch Slim to None?

Cam: I think there's still a bit to figure out on the full-on layout of how this will be released. Patreon subscribers will get the movie with the subscription. Patreoners - Thanks for the support we couldn't have done anything this winter without you all. We will have the movie available for purchase on Vimeo and potentially on Itunes and/or Amazon depending on what we can cook up with the distribution companies. Updates can be seen on our Instagram and Patreon and if you want to see the BTS videos and truly dive into what Keegan and I have been creating this winter you should subscribe to the Patreon, plus it'll be cheaper than buying the movie on the other platforms this fall.

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What have you released on Patreon so far? How’s it been working out? How are people liking the platform?

Cam: Patreon has been a pleasant surprise. We really didn’t know what to expect. It was a lot of work to get the videos we have made up there, but it paid off and I think the people who did subscribe enjoyed them. We have four BTS / Update videos up there now, a bunch of photos from our trips. I’m sure much more will be added as we start shifting footage around and editing the movie.

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Any shoutouts or special thanks you guys want to give?

Keegan: Thank you Paul @talltproductions , Phil @armadaskis , Dan @arsenicanywhere , Will @wellslamontsnow , Abe @oronobrewingcompany, Connor @fulltiltboots and all my friends and fam who showed support. You’re all amazing

Cam: Yeah everyone, you all are legends thanks for hosting us, supporting us, and helping where we needed you.

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Subscribe to the Patreon now and get the movie as part of your subscription when it drops.