The best skiers in the world were in Aspen this weekend, but a lot of them weren’t just there for the X Games. Friday night, pipe athletes and big mountain skiers alike crammed into the Wheeler Opera House for the Powder Video Awards, Powder Magazine’s annual look at the best ski movies of the year.
A lot of familiar faces were in the crowd and on stage—perpetual Powder award winners Ingrid Backstrom and Sage Cattabriga-Alosa made multiple appearances—but there were also some surprises, including a new emphasis on park and urban skiing and a nod to a telemark movie.
The biggest shock of the night was Men’s Reader’s Poll winner. Tom Wallisch took top honors. He’s only the third skier ever to win. Seth Morrison and Shane McConkey have previously dominated the award.
Morrison came in second, and cemented his role as one of the biggest badasses in the industry by icing the host Mitchell Scott when he went to collect his award.
Ingrid Backstrom six-peated the Women’s Reader’s Poll, and Grete Eliassen won Best Female Performance for her movie Say My Name.
TGR Athletes Dana Flahr and Ian McIntosh took away the Full Throttle award and Best Line respectively, and both paid tribute to skiers who have passed away recently. “I think of those guys every day,” Flahr said, mentioning Arne Backstom, Jack Hannan and CR Johnson.
Ahmet Dadali, a Powder Awards rookie, won Best Jib and Breakthrough Performer of the Year, while Sage Cattabriga-Alosa won Best Natural Air and Male Performance of the Year.
Matchstick Productions walked away with the ultimate Oscar of the night: movie of the year for the Way I See It.
Ultimately, the evening was a tribute to the progression and stoke ski movies create. “We spend six months a year getting people psyched about skiing,” said Powder editor Derek Taylor. “Tonight, we get to celebrate the people who get me psyched to ski.”
See full results here.
2011 Powder Video Awards
Tom Wallisch and Ingrid Backstrom won the readers poll while movie of the year went to Matchstick Productions.
By Heather Hansman
posted: 01/30/2011
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