Sometimes when you want to watch a snowboard movie, you skip past the intro, fast forward through the talking and storyline setup, and jump straight to the good stuff. But in the Arc’teryx film “Aether 5,” you won’t have to. All 9.5 minutes of this abstract ski film are packed shot-to-shot with powder-slashing action — albeit in slow motion.
The film features snowboarder and Arc’teryx athlete Spencer O’Brien, two-time X Games world champion medalist and two-time Olympic competitor. In the film, O’Brien blurs the line between reality and the ethereal by doing what she does best: shredding gnar.
“Aether 5” is a trippy, abstract exposé of both O’Brien’s talent on snow and Leo Hoorn’s distinctive directing style. The combination lends itself to a film that’s equal parts art project and snowboarding movie. Every frame was captured in-camera and appears on screen, unaltered, exactly as it was filmed.
In “Aether 5,” Arc’teryx explores the ancient concept of “æther,” the fifth element (after fire, water, earth, and air). If it was ever possible to capture and bottle that element, it would probably look something like this Arc’teryx film.
For more video content from Arc’teryx, check out its YouTube page. And for more snowboarding from O’Brien, visit her Instagram.
Runtime: 9:28
