The following article was originally printed in the November 2024 Issue of Slush. To access the full article click here.
“What are dreams really? Are they merely the images, ideas, and emotions that visit us in sleep? Are they tied to our sense of self and existence? Or do they serve as a way to make sense of the universe? A compass, a guide, a pursuit of the light at the end of the tunnel. A reassurance that when we achieve them, they reflect what we hope for.
Should we choose to believe that dreams are more than wishes whispered in the dark? Some believe that dreams are reflections of our inner selves. Mirrors of our insecurities and desires, whether we welcome them or not. Dreams could also be glimpses of the future. Hints of what's to come. Unfulfilled desires. The things we chase and see. We know only what we know and feel what we allow ourselves to feel and acknowledge experiences when we find the words to discuss. Yet feelings remain worlds apart. A bittersweet place where consciousness slips away in waking and in sleep.” - Desiree Melancon
The words airily play amidst an ambient analog montage. Few riders successfully narrate in video, but Desiree’s is always genuine, appreciated, solemn maybe. Dissecting what a dream is feels deeply connected to any pro snowboarder in the sense of the aspirational kind of dream. Who wouldn’t dream of doing what we get to do? Travel to Japan. Hang out with your friends, laugh, challenge yourself, experience real bliss.
And then there’s the sleep kind of dream, and if I were to connect this movie to a dream metaphorically, there is certainly room for comparison. My dreams are often in chapters, one through-line perhaps composed in more detail of strikingly different elements, feelings, and sensations.
This dream starts with Iris Pham, a welcoming glow to the front of a dream whose appeal comes from watching a new rider blossom into their first video part before your eyes. The perceived bliss that comes from landing technical rails after sliding them perfectly sideways—the setting dances between Helsinki, Japan, and our own soil.
The dream moves into a shared section with Desiree Melancon and Sierra Forchheimer. Desiree’s footage is reminiscent of that part of the dream that seems familiar. For the viewer ingesting Desiree’s footage, it shows power above all. A sturdiness and backbone to the ethos of this project, and of filming snowboarding in general.
Cameos from snowboarding’s characters begin to appear: Kennedi Deck rides within a satellite, Ted Borland, Grace Warner, and Jeff Holce make notable, bright, joyous appearances.
Sierra brings deep presses and a type of new energy reminiscent of the dream’s first part—that bliss that comes with doing something, really doing it, for the first time. The two dance back and forth, the seasoned and the new, even trading off in a series of ender clips to signify a clear conclusion to the chapter...
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