Sinners

"Well, if I didn't have the capacity to ski, let's say, life would become monotonous and boring, and that I don't like… I probably wouldn't last long."

Dr. A.J. Snow, 100-year-old mountain physicist

Since age 12, Bill Heath has been flailing in film, in one way or another. He made the leap from self-described "projector nerd" to professional when ski-film mogul Warren Miller gave him an assignment after watching Heath's film Ski Your Ass Off. On that first job, Heath smashed Miller's Arriflex camera into shards of cast aluminum and optical glass. Heath did this by committing the most heinous of all camera crimes - what he calls "the-camera-on-the-roof-of-the-car-drive-off". He recalls hitting 80 km/h and hearing the horrifying thud as the camera pack gently rolled from the roof to the trunk lid, then fatally to the asphalt.

From that auspicious beginning, Heath has become a well-respected cinematographer and award-winning filmmaker. In 2003 he produced the multiple-award-winning film Pororoca: Surfing the Amazon, and recently he released his new ski film, Sinners. It's best described as a contemplative look at winter sports. This is not your typical Miller ski film. In fact, it is anything but. Sure, there are shots of big air, hard landings, and incredible aerial manoeuvres. However, this film is much more than just tricks and spills. Sinners boasts an awesome vibe partially inspired by a solid soundtrack featuring The Frames, Josh Ritter, and Canadian roots musician Lester Quitzau. The magnificent backdrop for most of the footage is the Whitewater Ski and Winter Resort in Nelson, British Columbia.

Recently, we caught up with Heath to find out more about his new film and to get the lowdown on his next adventure. "I hope Sinners will remind people of their good fortune for being able to stand around in the snow laughing their ass off with good friends," Heath says.

Q: Why did you create this film?
A: It's quite simple, actually. I had a desire to convey - through film - an experience in the mountains with friends. For years I shot films for Warren Miller, which was great. However, the simple thing never appealed to the boardroom focus group, so I just enjoyed doing what they wanted me to do, which was travelling and making ski films.

Q: What other films have you created? What is your next project?
A: My favourite film is Ski Your Ass Off. Like Sinners, it says it all in a simple way. And I especially love it now because it was filmed from 1978 to the end of the '80s - much like Sinners, which was filmed over a number of years without corporate sponsorship or outside underwriting of any kind. Sinner is my swan song in skiing; it says it all for me and perhaps for a few others. I did a film last year in the Amazon called Pororoca. It was kind of a surfing version of Heart of Darkness. There is a terrifying tidal bore [high wave] that occurs only at the flashpoint of the lunar equinox. Now I'm working on more socially conscious documentary material. I hope to follow the same path of cinematic distillation - find a simple approach to a variety of complex subjects. But for now, my kids are keeping me occupied.

Q: Dr. A.J. Snow, a 100-year-old mountain physicist, is certainly an interesting character in the film. Where did you meet him?
A: I think meeting A.J. was the result of some early good karma. I just happened to run into him in Quebec several years ago on a Warren Miller shoot. There is a lot to know about A.J. I spent a week just sitting by the fire and chatting with him. I was very grateful when he said I could record our talks, because he was such a lively, inspiring and funny individual. I listen to the tapes quite often and hear new bits of wisdom every time. I really think we should pay attention to our elders and our children much more.

Q: Speaking of your children, how are the "Little Sinners" coming along since this was filmed? Should we expect to see them headline the next film?
A: The "Little Sinners" are everything. Last winter was my best ski year ever with them. We have this ramshackle little posse of kids that flail all around Whitewater, hitting little jumps and imagining them as twice the size. Hilarious!

Q: Excellent soundtrack to accompany this film. It is definitely not your typical ski film soundtrack. Why did you choose to highlight these musicians?
A: The soundtrack to this film is more than half of it to me. I simply chose contemplative music to suit the nature of the footage, which I hope has some of these qualities. As far as Josh Ritter is concerned, well, he's an enormous inspiration to me. I would recommend buying the CDs of all these artists.