| And
in the beginning there was duct tape and it was good...
by
Tara Nelson
In
the beginning there was snow, bungee cord bindings and
duct tape – at least according to a new film
documenting the history of the Mt. Baker Legendary Banked
Slalom.
In his film, “Platinum,” director Todd Soliday
successfully captures the soul and grit of Mt. Baker’s
hard core snowboarding culture and the beginning of a revolution
through stunning photography, vintage footage, and intimate
interviews with the race’s founders – Tom Sims
and Bob Barci, who help define much of what snowboarding
is today.
Soliday, a history major who grew up skiing near his hometown
of Bozeman, Montana, said he and his team of producers were
a bit bored with producing corporate-type documentary films
and decided to strike out on their own, creating a film profiling
the history of snowboarding.
“We had heard about Mt. Baker but none of us had actually
been there,” he said. “Within the first few hours
of being up there, we realized the gold mine of passion Mt.
Baker riders have. I mean, here we are standing there with
some of the most important riders of the world and they’re
all there just for the experience. It’s a story I think
anyone who’s interested in mountain sports should know.
It’s bigger than itself.”
The film traces back to the race’s humble beginnings
in January of 1985. Ski area manager Duncan Howat had originally
been skeptical when local bike shop owner Bob Barci and a
few other locals approached him sporting hand-made wooden
snowboards with metal fins and bindings fashioned from bungee
cords in the late 1970s. Eventually, though, Howat warmed
to the idea and gave the group permission granted they stay
off the groomed runs. Enthusiasm for the new sport grew to
the point that when Barci approached Howat in 1984 with the
idea for a race through the ski area’s natural half
pipe, he couldn’t refuse.
Twenty years later, the race, which is located at the top
of chair 5, has become one of the most popular snowboarding
events in the world with pro snowboarders traveling from
as far away as Germany, the Czech Republic, and the Haute-Savoie
region of France.
But perhaps the most poignant part of the documentary is
the entire segment of the film dedicated to the significance
of duct tape to snowboard culture.
“We almost called the movie ‘Duct Tape’ because
it was the tool that kept snowboarding together before the
industry caught up,” Soliday said, adding that the
name Platinum was given in reference to the tape’s
color. “Before you had bindings, you would duct tape
your boots to the board. It’s sort of a tribute to
the old days.”
Indeed, one of the most coveted prizes given at every slalom
race is a roll of duct tape (spray painted either gold, silver
or bronze by race coordinator Amy Howat) and affixed to a
wooden block.
Ski area office manager and race coordinator Gwyn Howat said
during the film that while larger ski areas offer cash prizes
of up to $100,000 for their snowboard races, the relatively
small and independently owned Mt. Baker Ski Area couldn’t
afford to compete. Instead, they created what is now known
as the “Culture vs. Cash” awards, giving hand-made
trophies, local art work, blankets and other goods in lieu
of a cash prizes. The irony is that those prizes have become
some of the most sought-after prizes in the world of snowboarding.
“(The duct tape trophy) has become such a symbol,” Soliday
said. “Pro snowboarders come from around the world
not because they’re getting paid, but because they
want that duct tape trophy.”
FlyingSpot Entertainment, the company that produced the film,
will host a free screening of Platinum at 7 p.m. Wednesday,
February 1 at Western Washington University in Arntzen Hall,
room 100. Copies of the film can also be purchased for $19.95
by visiting www.platinumthemovie.com.
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