Meathead Films’ film of 2007: Wanderland is described as being an “East Coast Ski Thriller”. However, does it live up to its ambitious name? I think it’s important to distinguish films that are made by production companies with not a vast budget such as Matchstick Productions, Teton Gravity and so forth. Obviously for the less financially-supported companies heli-skiing all over the world isn’t really an option. Thus, if you were looking to find a film with some sick big-mountain lines throughout the movie, stop reading now. If, however, you wanted a movie with more raw footage, and some soul…then keep reading.

The meathead crew explore the Eastern coast of N. America by first exploring Tug Hill; an area in the NY state that is known for its extreme amount of snowfall. Luckily for the Meathead crew they managed to get there after a storm had dumped 140” of fresh powder! What ensues is the crew finding terrain which isn’t steep, but all the while still challenging. If you like tree-skiing, and you like deep powder shots; you will enjoy this film.

However, don’t be fooled. This film isn’t all tree-skiing, it definitely has its fair share of jibbing, park and urban in it. The park session didn’t strike me as being one of a kind but at the same time it definitely kept me entertained. Throughout watching the jibbing and park sessions you get the feeling that these skiers don’t take themselves too serious, unlike some of their competition, and because of that you get to see some really innovative moves. I particularly enjoyed the rails throughout the movie and although the moves they pull may not be “conventional” at some parts of the film, they certainly get your attention. That said, if you’re looking for some big air and sick transfers, this isn’t the one for you.

Anyhow, one of the things that strikes me the most about this film is that it has elements that other ski films out there lack, such as telemarking. Now although there isn’t a segment purely on telemarking you do get to see your fair share of it throughout the film. One also gets to see a bit of backcountry skiing where the Meathead crew put in some first descents in Newfoundland.

I can’t stress the rawness and soul that this film has. Which other film has two segments on two local skiers? Wanderland has a segment on the intriguingly different mogulist special “Radio Ron,” and another on Asia Magriby who was four months pregnant at the time of shooting.

Soundtrack-wise, there are no complaints. The songs fit with their segments well and the footage is also very well edited. My only complaint would be the cinematography. Although it’s not necessarily poor it definitely leaves something to be desired. Also, there seem to be a lot of random monochrome shots in the film, which more than anything was just annoying.

If you want a laid-back film to relax to after a long day skiing, this is it. This film has the soul that other films try so hard to acquire, the modesty that is often lacking and generally is a film where most viewers could ski the terrain that the Meathead crew do. However, I think the PR people got a bit carried away by calling it a "thriller."

The Lowdown:

60% Tree-skiing/Back-Country

15% Jibbing

15% Rails/Urban

10% Park