Videos

Jazz & skiing

The Blackcountry Journal | The Music Within the Mountain

By: Ethan Stone November 18, 2023

I’ve written the words “unlike other ski movies” a couple of times already this year, amidst the seasonal drop of ski movies falling like leaves. I won’t write them about the Blackcountry Journal however, because frankly, they don’t do it justice.

This personal project from Mallory R Duncan defies easy description. It’s not the ski movie you might expect it to be—not focused on ski action, but also not, as some might expect, focused on a racial dynamic. Instead, it is a lyrical ode to the mountains—a melodic outburst of poetry and music that’s as much a treat for the ears as it is for the eyes. Whatever it is, I can say with certainty: Skiing needs more of this.

From YouTube: A skier contemplates his connection to skiing and the mountains. As he hurries through the streets of LA, his path takes a turn after bumping into a jazz musician who helps him discover the correlation between jazz and skiing—an expression of art, skiing, and black culture.

Winner ‘Best Film’ BANFF Film Festival – Snow Sports

Supported by:
4FRNT Skis
Strafe Outerwear
Folkrm MTN
Oregrown Industries

Dir: Mallory Duncan & Patrick Elmore
DP: Patrick Elmore
EP: Mallory Duncan
Editor: Patrick Elmore
Additional cinematography:
Neil Provo
Oli Rye
Tyndall Wells
Ian Provo

Original Score:
Kaz & Bad Turner

Written by: Mallory Duncan
Featuring: Chazz & Alex Collins

Skiing & Snowboarding by:
Mallory Duncan
Ian Provo
Zak Mills
Neil Provo