Poor Boyz World Premiere

Words & photos: Jeff Schmuck

As the bright lights began to dim and the capacity crowd roared in anticipation at the King Cat Theater in beautiful Seattle, Washington this past Saturday night, it was once again apparent that the time honored annual tradition that all skiers cherish and love was upon us. That's right...premiere season has officially begun.

Just one night after Josh Berman & Co at Level 1 Productions premiered their latest offering of ski porn a short plane ride away in Denver with Eye Trip, Poor Boyz Productions herded in skiers of all ages from all over the Pacific Northwest and beyond for the World Premiere of their highly anticipated new film Revolver.

Seattle

The kick off of the fabled Triple Threat Tour is always a memorable one (as memorable as PBP premieres can be with all the Red Bull and Vodka's floating around that is), and this year's sixth consecutive installment in Seattle was no exception, as the boyz from Poor Boyz executed a fun-filled weekend jam packed with activities that left as many smiles in its wake as there were hangovers.

After a lengthy checklist of athletes, filmmakers, photographers, sponsors, media and other characters from the ski industry made the pilgrimage to the town that gave birth to Boeing, Microsoft, Starbucks and salmon tossing, the Revolver World Premiere Weekend began. Following check-in at the Holiday Inn on Friday afternoon alongside a creepy looking death metal band, everyone piled into a champagne-filled short bus and convoy of sport utility vehicles bound for nearby Everett, home of Grass Roots Outdoor, a gorgeous ski shop that warmly welcomed everyone with open arms for the weekend's first order of business and pleasure.

Taking the short bus to Grass Roots Outdoor...

Grass Roots Outdoor

As Hathbanger fired up the wheels of steel next to a tower of Red Bull's and a keg of beer, a line-up of athletes from the film laid down their best John Hancock's and posed for many a Facebook profile pictures for an even bigger line of fans.

Hathbanger

Following the signature fest, the meet and greet continued as the kids got acquainted with their heroes and industry types caught up with each other by sharing stories from the off-season while consuming a few adult beverages.

TJ Schiller & Nate Abbott

PBP's Tyler Hamlet, Jeff Thomas, Johnny Decesare and Cody Carter with the PBP World Premiere Ticket Giveaway Contest winner Joe Stavig.

Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny (a rarity this time of year in the PNW as Old Man Winter approaches), and prior to the evening's big show, another afternoon pre-party and autograph signing took place at evo, birthplace of the Triple Threat Tour and the go-to shop in Seattle for all things ski.

evo

As more athletes arrived and even more kids lined-up to meet them, Poor Boyz Productions' Johnny Decesare, Tyler Hamlet and Jeff Thomas fondly looked on in approval and anticipation for the big night ahead.

Everyone then headed back to the hotel to get a bit loose at the bar before making the four-block stroll to the glamorous King Cat Theater, where a line-up of eager skiers awaited their arrival.

As the 21+ crowd mulled about the bar in the lobby while waiting for the show to begin, the biggest autograph session yet went down in the theatre as Daywalker (aka Matt Walker) and Hathbanger (aka Andrew Hathaway) provided some not-so-mellow music to help set a rowdy tone for things to come.

Matt Walker

Andrew Hathaway

Ian Cosco, Pep Fujas, Sammy Carlson, Riley Leboe, TJ Schiller, Dane Tudor and Josh Stack sign more autographs...

...after every autograph he signed LJ Strenio asked the receipents to sign his cast.

Chug Life, Esquire.

As Triple Threat Tour mastermind Cody Carter took the stage and introduced the riders and filmers, the excitement in the air rose to a fever pitch as Poor Boyz Productions' sixteenth film began.

The film opened with a tribute to CR Johnson that left everyone's arm hairs standing at attention, before breaking into the Lord of War-style intro set to a powerful track from The Glitch Mob that you have to see to believe, and appreciate.

Dane Tudor and Johnny Decesare ask the crowd to make some noise for CR Johnson and Eric Simard, because there was no doubt in anyone's mind that they were listening.

Sammy Carlson then opens the film, and continues to prove just how damn good and busy he is each and every winter. JP Auclair follows with one of, if not his best segment ever, before Bene Mayr’s official coming out party explodes onto the screen with a segment that many later hailed as their favorite of the movie. Following that triple threat and a ground-breaking urban segment in Edmonton, Alberta that proves that the highly underrated Mike Henitiuk may just be one of the most well-rounded skiers in the world, it was all about the pow, much to the delight of the crowd who spend their ski season slaying some of the deepest snow in North America at nearby Mount Baker and Stevens Pass. Austria, Japan, Whistler, a nighttime pillow session, Dane Tudor and 'Gnarly' Charley Ager got all the powderhounds salivating for winter with some of the best backcountry footage ever captured, while Charles Gagnier, Alexis Godbout, Matt Walker, Nick Martini and LJ Strenio more than satisfied the die-hard jib enthusiasts in attendance. Near the end of the film, Jossi Wells showcases his unparalleled style, Riley Leboe unleashes his best and most powerful skiing to date, Julien Regnier's nearly all helmet cam-based part proves just how intense Alaska is, followed by yet another amazing performance by Tim Durtschi and capped off with Simon Dumont's eye-popping closing segment.

Tyler Hamlet

Throughout the film JP Auclair, Nick Martini, Simon Dumont, Charley Ager and others offer some insightful perspectives on how skiing has revolved, from young skiers emulating the ones that came before them, and how technology has played one of the biggest roles in the progression of our sport.

Dane Tudor leads the charge during the swag toss.

After the film and the quintessential swag toss, the third aspect of the Triple Threat concept went down, the after party, where everyone in attendance traded many a high fives while discussing their favorite parts of the film and the upcoming season, and realizing that above all else, there's nothing better than being a skier.

Big thanks to Poor Boyz and all their athletes for once again working their asses off all year long and doing a fantastic job on a film that will surely make everyone that much more excited for the snow to start falling. Old Man Winter...bring it on.