Torment Mag Issue SEVEN Release Party
The Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO
Photography by: Adam Concannon
Usually at snowboard premieres, when "doors opening" is approaching there's an air of nervousness—or at least I tend to feel that way. Here in Colorado though, I was on home turf and felt entirely comfortable. I knew a lot of the people that were going to show up, the videos playing were going to kick ass, and the restless streets of Boulder, CO felt particularly inviting on this Wednesday night.
That said, as soon as the doors opened I realized there was a massive line outside. Spanned the block, then some. Once you got in, the shoulder-to-shoulder energy continued straight to the merch booth. Seems like Coloradans are always interested in what new work shirts or hoodies are hung up, and I was on the front line with Caleb (Kamins) steering the ship. We chatted our way through sales pitches and gave away free headphones until we ultimately sold out of all the Issue SEVEN books we brought—before the movies even played. Honestly, that was a hectic first hour that certainly tightened the mental grip which had previously felt so loose.
Handshakes and hugs were flying all over the venue as Colorado’s finest snowboard fans packed the Fox Theatre in anticipation of Screwdriver and blitz!. But first, we had a local video to put on the big screen. Satellite Boardshop head honcho, Raul Pinto, introduced Ben Longley, aka Turbo. Turbo spent the summer strapped into his snowboard, forcing his friends to roll him around on top of a skateboard so he could hit big ass handrails with literally zero snow. His short film, titled UABACO, is out now, and is pretty insane when you think about what Ben actually did when it was 90+ degrees out in the Rocky Mountains.
We took a short break, during which I returned to the merch dungeon and slanged some more gear. I missed Ian’s speech, which I’m sure went well but who knows; only the people in the crowd that weren't too drunk to forget it have that knowledge.
The crew from Screwdriver took the stage with Ian leading the charge, introducing them to a very enthusiastic Fox audience. Nik Baden, Sam Taxwood, Parker Szumowski, Mason Lemery, and Sammy Rowse appeared and, without much more verbage, Screwdriver was off and running. An Ian Boll filmed, Brock Nielsen edited short, this video delivers in all the ways you’d expect a short from this crew to hit. Feel good moments, monster airs, some cutty street clips, and a banging soundtrack had the Fox howling.
Cue blitz!. Blake Paul, Mike Bogs, Kennedi Deck, Spencer Schubert and Mikey Leblanc were in attendance to represent the North Face project. With a crew like this, you already know what you're in for. You’re getting the best of both worlds, in the street and the backcountry. And sure enough, they delivered again. Colton Feldman was behind the wheel for this project, and similarly to Brock (as mentioned above), you know you're going to get a good result when Colton is in the driver seat.
At other shows, people leave as soon as the last video is done playing, but not Boulder. The crowd kept a the hype as we brought out all the prizes for the raffle. People left with boards, jackets, duffle bags, stickers, headphones, you name it.
Colorado has gotten a bad rap in the last decade or so, and subsequently lost out on a lot of snowboard events and culture. Knowing that we had one of the best shows of our season here in Colorado means a lot. Thank you everyone for coming out and showing love in Colorado. We really do care about this stuff, and our small crew tries hard to get it done every year. Can’t wait for next year.