Binge (binj) noun - a period or bout of excessive or uncontrolled indulgence.
The American Heritage Dictionary
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In a scene taken from Binge. Productions' most recent release “Cubed,” snowboarder Sergey Nefedof launches himself off a rock face in the Chugach Mountains. Binge. is based in Eagle River.
Photo courtesy of Binge. Productions
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Binge. - an Eagle River based filmmaking crew that exists to explore Alaska's backcountry with the intent of snowboarding and skiing in any and every way they see fit. The primary goal of the thrill-seeking group is to find and document the best snow in Alaska with the best snowboarders, skiers and snowmachine riders in the state.
However you define them, the Eagle River duo of Chase Landmesser and Erik Gabrielson is making a name for themselves in the extreme snowboarding and skiing film genre. The release of their third film, “Cubed,” was held Saturday at the Wendy Williamson Auditorium at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and they have their eyes set on breaking into the national and global market in the near future.
That's not too bad for two young men who grew up on Skyline Drive in Eagle River.
Gabrielson and Landmesser teamed up three years ago after graduating from college to share their passion for skiing and snowboarding in Alaska's backcountry, forming Binge., an independent filmmaking company.
The friends graduated from Chugiak High School in 1999 and went off to college in the Rocky Mountains, seeking both an education and ideal snow conditions to pursue their passion for skiing and snowboarding.
Landmesser graduated from Colorado College with a degree in International Political Economy and planned to attend law school. Gabrielson went to the University of Utah, where he earned a mechanical engineering degree. He also worked with CKC Productions making skiing and underground mountain biking videos.
Both returned to Alaska after college because it was home and for another important reason.
“The Alaska snow is so much better than it is Outside,” Landmesser said.
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Binge. Production co-owner Chase Landmesser sets up for the perfect shot while filming in the Chugach Mountains. Landmesser and friend Eric Gabrielson founded the film company three years ago to capture Alaska and backcountry skiing and snowboarding on film.
Photo courtesy of Binge. Productions
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Gabrielson agreed.
“We take for granted how good we have it in Alaska,” he said. “We tend to think the grass is greener, and it is. But the snow in Alaska is by far the best around.”
Back in Alaska, the longtime friends each bought snowmachines and began to explore backcountry skiing opportunities and figured they could capture their adventures on film and make a movie.
The result of filming their adventures led to the formation of Binge. and the release of their first movie “Autopilot” in 2005.
“That was really rough compared to our new movie,” Landmesser said. “We were just learning how to go about getting quality shots and how to make a good movie.”
According to Gabrielson, when they finished editing, they were lacking the footage for a complete film and were helped out by the snowmachine film production company Turnagain Hardcore.
“They contributed a lot to our first movie,” he said. “But we're shooting everything for our movies now.”
To get all the footage necessary to make a movie dedicated entirely to backcountry and powder skiing and snowboarding, the pair have taken seasonal jobs, which allow them to work all summer and then spend the winter in Alaska's backcountry. Gabrielson works as a mechanical engineer for an oilfield services company, completing projects on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.
“It's my dream job,” he said. “I work 12 to 14 hours every day between May and October and have all winter to spend making movies.”
Landmesser put his plans to attend law school on the back burner and works full time during the summer doing asbestos abatement and hazardous-materials handling work in the Bush.
“It's all part of our business plan,” he said. “We're not doing this movie thing just to pass time while we're young. We want to make this what we do.”
To that end, they've invested more than $20,000 in Panasonic DVX cameras and other filming equipment, state of the art computer video editing software and snowmobiles.
They've also enlisted the help of a national marketing firm to help promote their films nationwide.
“L.A. (Los Angeles) -based Spyship Marketing has been a big help in the launch of our latest film,” Gabrielson said. “We've been working with them for the last two months. They've provided a lot of insight in how we can better promote our movies.”
In addition to making a movie, the company has also produced a limited clothing line.
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Dan Lutz, above, soars above members of the Binge. Production film crew during the filming of “Cubed”, the third movie released by the Eagle River-based company.
Photo courtesy of Binge. Productions
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However, breaking into the extreme skiing and snowboarding industry hasn't been all smooth sailing for the duo.
“We've crashed a couple sleds, broke some skis and even a couple cameras,” Landmesser said. “When you're filming and its minus 10 and minus 20 degrees the video cameras don't work too well.”
In addition to the challenges of working in the cold of Alaska, filming first runs over fresh powder poses a risk of starting an avalanche.
“Safety is our first concern,” Landmesser said. “We'll get a big dumping of snow and want to go right out and film. But we have to wait a couple of days for the snow to pack and cut the avalanche risk. And then we all wear (avalanche locator) beacons when we're filming.”
Last winter, they spent 90 days filming all around Alaska, including some spots in the Chugiak-Eagle River area. All that footage was condensed to 46 minutes for their latest film.
“Cubed” will be one of more than 150 films shown at the 7th Annual Anchorage International Film Festival which begins Friday. It will play at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the Wilda Marston Theatre in the Z.J. Loussac Library.
“Cubed” can be purchased locally at Eagle River Polaris or at Valley Home Center. Binge. apparel can be purchased online at www.akbinge.com.
Reach the reporter at darrell.breese@alaskastar.com.
