Why did you decide to enter TGR s grom contest? Did you think you had a chance of winning? I love how these comps present you with the terrain but the route finding is all up to you. I love big-mountain skiing and competitions, because it feels so free. For several years I competed on the Canadian circuit because they did not have a 7-11 age division in the U.S. I started competing on the IFSA circuit after a friend took me to one when I was seven years old and have competed every year since.
What draws you to big-mountain competitions? That is probably what led to my addiction to skiing. At about 6 months old, my parents put me in a Kelty backpack (back when it was legal to ski with your kid that way) and my mom said I would smile and yell with happiness on every turn. I ve lived in Whitefish Montana my entire life and have grown up skiing Whitefish Mountain Resort. You re from Whitefish, Montana, so you must have grown up skiing? We spoke to Parkin about filming with his dad, getting a call from Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, and attending the world premiere of TGR s new movie, Paradise Awaits, which debuts this Friday in Jackson, Wyoming. In 2014, he won the finals of the International Freeskiers Association junior contest at Snowbird, Utah, for his age group and he recently became the grand prize winner of Teton Gravity Research s 2015 grom contest for riders under 18, which means he ll have a chance to film with TGR this winter.
The 16-year-old freeskier from Whitefish, Montana, may be the next ski movie star. Fire On The Mountain takes this notion to incalculable heights, and spectacular places.Get to know the name Parkin Costain, because you ll be hearing a lot more about him in the near future. Add in Bill Walton’s iconic voice on commentary and you have a one-of-a-kind experience, not unlike going to a Grateful Dead live show.”Īdds Bill Walton, “this project is one of the coolest things that I have ever been involved with, and it validates my criteria for why I do things-people, passion, and purpose.
“After years of hearing many action sports athletes cite the Dead as their soundtrack of choice, it’s exhilarating to see these worlds come to life together on screen in Fire On The Mountain.
“Grateful Dead and action sports have always been kindred spirits, both celebrating life and the beauty of experimental improvisation,” says Rhino President Mark Pinkus, who also oversees Grateful Dead Properties. Captured over the course of the winter by cinematographer Tyler Hamlet the visual journey features never seen before visual effects within nature and original artwork by Benchetler and Skye Walker.
Narrated by Hall of Fame basketball player and television sportscaster Bill Walton with music supervision by David Lemieux, audiovisual archivist and legacy manager for the Grateful Dead, Fire On The Mountain features some of action sports’ most legendary athletes: snowboarding’s Jeremy Jones, Danny Davis, Kimmy Fasani, surfing icon Rob Machado, and skiers Michelle Parker and Chris Benchetler. Similar to a Grateful Dead show, they start and end in the same place but each of their respective experiences is a journey of their own. Mid-film finds the cast caught in the remote waters of the North Pole followed by a psychedelic dreamscape as they appear as skeletons shredding under the moonlight at Mammoth Mountain, and surfing in Indonesia. Shot during a snow and surf road trip, the journey starts in California where the athletes embark on a mission into the mountains. Just as the Grateful Dead did not fit their music into an established category, this short film finds a cast of some of the world’s best athletes on an improvisational journey of skiing, snowboarding, surfing, and music, complete with a soundtrack comprised of only Grateful Dead music. Improvisation is the silver thread that weaves this film together.