The W: Finding Joy and Style Points with Apocalypse Snow

Let’s zoom in on at 1983 French ski film Apocalypse Snow, Le Film by Didier Lefond, starring snowboard pioneer Regis Rolland. 

The premise of Apocalypse Snow is this: A band of evil monoskiers attempt to capture a “snow surfer” to steal the secrets of skiing from him. Despite the obvious disconnect, the premise—mono skiers seeking the Truth of Skiing from a snow surfer—is quite spectacular, and the film is a delightful display of hilarious snow-sliding antics and an impressive showing of snow-riding prowess.

French culture and specifically French Cinema in the 1980s was a byproduct of the French Socialist Government undertaking several major social initiatives that had far-reaching implications, including raising the minimum wage, granting more paid vacation time to workers, establishing a 36-hour work week. Along with these more labor oriented initiatives, the government also invested in film and art—an iconic element of French culture. If French government subsidies helped greenlight gravity-fed snow sliding involving monoskis and snowboards, then we’re all for that type of government intervention.  

These social factors and the then-current French film style of Cinema du Look, a loud, bright, expensive, and stylized form of filmmaking, deliver us a brilliant piece of ski film. Cinema du Look is meant to be a spectacle, perfect for a film about snow sliders hunting for the secret of skiing, or dare we say life? 

To paraphrase French philosopher René Descartes, “I slide on snow; therefore I am.” Ponder that for a minute or five. Wild stuff.