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Main Story. 11. 25.
It was the 90’s. The golden age of ski and snowboard film, with the freeriding movement taking off, and new camcorders bringing footage to the masses. Bigger air, deeper pow, and wilder characters abounded. Also a golden age for outdoor apparel, with new fleeces, softshells and futuristic technical fabrics taking over the mountains with their bright colors.Teton Gravity was launched into life from this frosty milieu in 1996 and immediately stamped their mark on ski cinematography. Hanging from helicopters and gondolas to get the shot, these gonzo philosopher-poets on skis would go on to redefine outdoor film.
So when it came time for TGR to celebrate their early days with an apparel collection that threw it back to their ‘90s roots, they opened up the flip phone and called Polartec. And the DVD Collection was born!
But first… let’s go back to the salad days.
Before DSLR cameras and camcorders, you really only had one option to shoot and edit movies: film. This presented a bit of a problem for a couple of broke twenty-something ski bums: Film was expensive. Very expensive. $12,000 for a camera. $35,000 for an edit bay. $100 for 3 minutes of film.
So when aspiring filmmakers and brothers Todd and Steve Jones and their buddy Dirk Collins found themselves in the epicenter of the freeskiing movement in Valdez, Alaska—riding the rowdiest lines in the world with their biggest idols from the magazines and the movies—they knew they’d better figure out a way to make some money for a camera. Quick!
After spending a spring season heli-guiding ski trips for 60 bucks a day with freeride legend Doug Coombs, the boys found themselves broke and dry-docked in Valdez. With no means to get back home, Dirk figured the crew could hitchhike the 996 miles over to Sitka, Alaska and look for work on a fishing boat. They hit the docks, begging any commercial fishing boat captain they could find for a job—and their gamble paid off!
For the next four years, Todd, Steve and Dirk fished all summer to make money for the year, then spent their winters heli-skiing. Fishing was so lucrative that they were able to pool their resources and buy a Vietnam-era Arriflex 16mm camera—which they took to the mountains of Valdez as quickly as possible to take turns filming and skiing lines. Many expensive rolls of film were destroyed in the process, but the crew eventually became masters of mountain cinematography, and bought many more cameras. A couple years on, they set up shop back home in Jackson, Wyoming at a desk made from plywood and milk cartons to release the first film: The Continuum. The film would go on to make it into the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame for its contributions to ski cinema. A couple decades later, it’s fair to say that TGR has redefined outdoor film.
TGR had a little saying about their gear, back in the day: that it could take you “straight from the gnar to the bar.” Clothing that wasn’t all dweeby performance. That had style and personality—but could hold its own for a lap or two of night skiing. This was the spirit TGR wanted to capture when they came to Polartec to create a collection celebrating their origins.So we decided it was only fitting that we matched up TGR’s original films with some of our original fleece flatforms. Without further ado, please allow us to present the DVD Collection:
It all started with the Continuum, TGR’s first film. And, like deep powder and couloirs of Jackson Hole, some things never go out of style. The Continuum ¼-Zip is TGR’s classic midlayer fleece—always ready for any sport and any conditions. For the DVD Collection, TGR decided to digitally remaster this iconic midlayer with some help from Polartec. And we had just the perfect fabric for this active midlayer: Power Grid™, our groundbreaking technical fleece, first launched in 1998.
Inspired by TGR’s mind-melting 1999 film, the Realm Pullover brings back the classic color-blocked fleece look—but with modern Polartec® performance. The 100% recycled Polartec® Micro Fleece is just about the softest fabric you’re ever likely to rub up against. When TGR’s founder Todd Jones put on the Realm, he remarked, “Holy $%*&, I have not felt this for years! This is the softest, most comfortable piece of clothing I’ve ever felt.”
Inspired by those days of youthful indiscretion, the Salad Days Fleece Shirt will leaf them stunned with its iceberg-cold looks. Perfect layered under a shell in the backcountry, over top for fly fishing on the river, or just looking fresh at happy hour. Its Polartec® Micro Fleece is incredibly soft, cozy and 100% recycled. This ain’t your granddaddy’s button-up. It’s a super-soft snap-up!
TGR’s film, Anomaly, saluted the outliers and the standouts who changed the game. So it’s fitting that the Anomaly Anorak sports the original outdoor game changer: Polartec® Shearling Fleece. Before Polartec invented the soft, smooth synthetic fleece we all know today, the bulky warmth of Shearling Fleece was the norm. This high-pile style blew away other mid layers of the time with its warm, lightweight and breathable qualities. Today’s Shearling still has that iconic throwback look—just with even more breathable and pill-resistant performance.
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