BRAAAP Lucky 7
PRODUCED BY BRAAAP FILMS
BY DEVIN HESS, SLEDHEADS’ OFFICIAL DVD REVIEWER
DANIEL CEDOLIA gets your adrenaline flowing right at the start by opening BRAAAP Lucky 7 with a rapid fire collage of footage showing some of the most incredible jumps, drops, and powder busting you’ve ever seen caught on film. These action pack images include an occasional gnarly hillclimb and an avalanche scene that is every backcountry rider’s worst nightmare. We’re just guessing, but this avalanche footage is probably the reason for the film’s “Lucky 7” name. After the opener, the film keeps the action moving for 60 minutes with over 15 different riders, and these guys are definitely storm chasers. You’ll watch them float through fresh powder, see snow covered trees, and land jumps where you can’t even see the rider as the snow comes up over the handlebars and wraps a white blanket around them and their sleds.
This film has a lot of great cinematography including awesome helmet cam shots. For instance, the view through Tim McGregor’s helmet cam as he pulls a never-been-done-before line, gets his track to far off the ground, loses momentum, lets off the throttle, looks to his left, and then bails off and slides down the mountain hitting rocks and launching off a cliff. You get to watch this action through three different cameras: one from the bottom of the mountain, one heli cam, and McGregor’s helmet cam. From these multiple angles and tight shots you’re more aware of what’s happening during this pull than is McGregor. This is a great pull and Dan Cedolia has put you right on the sled with McGregor—it’s a great ride! The music for McGregor’s ride goes right along with him as it says “I can’t feel nothing,” and when he stops sliding he gets up, holds up his hand and gives the camera the thumbs up. As you will see, he “can’t feel nothing.”
All the film’s music is a mix between rock and hip hop, and it goes well with most of the riders sections. One of our favorite sections matched with music was Rob Alford’s as he is tearing up the powder and hitting big jumps to some pretty sweet music by “2nd Half.” There are some awesome scenery jumps and also some sweet overlooks of other mountains. Also, in the Whistler Helisledder section is some of the coolest snowboarder/ sledding footage we’ve seen, which shows a guy that rides to the top of treeless hill then pushes his sled down the hill, and he snowboards down keeping in front of the sled. This film just goes on and on with cool footage like this.
Now of course, let’s not forget the avalanche. Dan Treadway is busting through some of the sweetest powder ever on his Ski-Doo rev, does some insane downhill carving, and then he drops down another mountain and starts playing in the powder. Then you see the snow start to crack around him. You know what it is, an avalanche, but this isn’t just a regular avalanche; this avalanche is massive! You see Dan pin the throttle, hit the roll over at the front of the avalanche, then launch off his sled and disappear! You seriously start holding your breath at this point.
Avalanches are a serious reality of backcountry riding. Cedolia does a good job portraying the seriousness of this situation and not glamorizing such events. This scene should motivate every viewer to purchase avalanche safety equipment and learn how to use it.
The bonus footage is put together very well, while most other DVD’s bonus footage is just a whole bunch of stuff strung together, BRAAAP bonus footage is well-edited and also has music put to it. The film is G rated until you get into Dan Treadway’s raw avalanche bonus footage, which records the crew’s background noise that bump it up to an R rating, but that’s secluded to the bonus footage.
The movie is excellent. www.snosled.com
