Level 1’s Refresh was nominated for a slew of awards at the International Freeski Film Festival, and even took home the award for “Best Jib Flick.” Awards aside, director Josh Berman and crew may have created the greatest ski film of the decade. From the shots of Josh Bibby in waist deep powder to the incredible urban skiing provided by Tom Wallisch, Henrik Harlaut, Phil Casabon, and Will Wesson. Refresh even boasts the guest commentary from the greatest ski film maker ever, the legendary Warren Miller. Level 1’s latest ski film is sure to please. Refresh pack’s the ultimate punch of freestyle skiing; Josh Berman has a crew of twenty plus skiers to get the ultimate shots for Refresh, and has set the standard for freestyle ski movies.

Refresh starts off with an unforgettable intro where Josh Berman recalls his younger days of idolizing Warren Miller, sneaking into his favourite Warren Miller films, and his early days with the camera. Soon Warren Miller’s famous voice comes in to summarize what freestyle skiing is, and what it has become today. The intro certainly has many surprises, and gets you stoked for Tom Wallisch’s intro part.

The first ski part is that of Tom Wallisch’s, described as a “Jesus” among freestyle skiers, Tom’s part lives up to all the hype. Music by rap legend Talib Kweli kicks in, and the intro shot is the famous quad kink rail that Tom Wallisch made famous in his Superunknown, and last year’s Level 1 film Turbo. Tom’s part is mainly urban with some jumps and booters mixed in. To sum it up, “the pretzel man’s” part in Refresh is beyond marvellous.

From Wallisch the viewer gets transported to Haines, Alaska, which includes some epic powder shots. If you’ve seen a Level 1 film before, you should know what to expect as Berman gets exasperating shots of powder.

Level 1 newcomer Phil Casabon demonstrates that he may be new, but fits right in the Level 1 crew with his creative flair. He, like Wallisch hit mainly urban, but also some booters, and he had a couple park hits..

The viewer gets reintroduced to Warren Miller as he comes in to describe Chamonix, France, and its wonders as the best mountain in Europe. The big mountain skiing in this part, much like the powder shots were sublime. Berman does a great job showcasing Chamonix’s vast space, and leaves you drooling over the incredible terrain that Chamonix provides.

It isn’t all good though. The segment that features the likes of Tanner Rainville, Josh Bibby, and Cory Vanular is definitely the low part of the movie. Their tricks simply lacked innovation and were nothing special. It should be noted that Vanular has been injured for the past two seasons.

Next destination: Helenski, Finland. Described by Warren Miller as a place that nobody would ever want to go skiing there...until now. Tom Wallisch, Will Wesson, and others go to work on Helenski’s craziest quad kinks, and flat rails with twenty foot drops. This segment, mixed with the European song leaves you massively stoked, and made me want to pick up my skis and go ski urban immediately.

There is more to come with the introduction of Mike Hornbeck. Hornbeck is pretty much the master when it comes to nollie’ing onto and out of rails. He reminds the viewer again how he is bringing jibbing to a whole new level. A memorable moment from this segment is when Jon Brogan, who has a cameo in Hornbeck’s part, does an amazing un-natural 270 lip onto an urban downrail.

Yet another notable segment is that of Henrik Harlaut. Henrik is an incredible park skier, who has mastered the switch 1620, among other things. He brings “thug” to a whole new level with his “afterbang” out of almost every urban rail. This is Henrik’s first year on Level 1, and his part was nearly as good as veteran Tom Wallisch’s, which says a lot.

The final segment is that of Wiley Miller, which in my opinion was very dull. It was the typical tree skiing, and backcountry booter skiing that Wiley does. Unfortunately though, unlike the majority of the film, it lacked any memorable moments.

Overall, Refresh sets the standards for a freestyle ski film. The soundtrack was varied, from gangster rap to 70s hits. The urban is incredible, the powder for the most part is incredible, and each year Level 1’s line-up just keeps growing. If I could only purchase one movie this whole year, it would have to be Refresh. It was well...refreshing!