Black Winter was one of this year's films I was most excited to see, entirely based on the trailer. The intro starts out with what I would describe as a classic Standard Films opening, harkening back to the early TB films; a series of mountains, cityscapes, and time-elapse weather patterns, which gives way to a montage of the rider sections. It has that feel that tells you a classic Standard Films video is coming.

Standard's roll in the history of the snowboard video is undisputed, but over the last few years it has seemed like they had lost some of their footing. My impression has been that they've had a hard time keeping up with the deluge of new films coming out every year, and that in an attempt to stay on top have tried some different filming styles and concepts that haven't really worked out very well. Black Winter is the first Standard Films video in a long time that's felt like a classic Standard Films video.

I usually just mention the really notable sections from a movie; in the case of Black Winter that's almost every part; it never really lets up. From the solid start with Torstein through the credit roll, I was fully immersed.

Torstein Horgmo has the opener, and absolutely slays it. For many viewers this will be the first time they see Torstien's riding outside of the X-Games, and he doesn't disappoint. From backcountry jumps to rails to park tables, he rides it all, and comes away with a section that has my vote for best video part of the year. Back-to-back with Torstein is another scanner, Andreas Wiig. Xavier Delerue's section includes footage from the 09 Freeride World Tour, and is a death-defying mix of awesome and insane, reminiscent of some of Jeremy Jones' big mountain parts from previous years; especially when he's riding the fine line between safety and his sluff-started avalanche. Jason Dubois part goes to the other end of the spectrum, with a part full of mostly urban and street footage, including some great wall-rides. Andrew Geeves, who we've previously seen in Sandbox films, shares a song with Leanne Pelosi. Mark Landvik, who you probably remember from That's It That's All, has a banger freeride part that really showcases his riding style; it's a fun part with a good mix of heli and helmet-cam footage. Chas Guldemond follows up with another killer part.

The music is a great mix and fits well throughout Black Winter. Editing is artful without being over-done, cuts are well timed, and the movie flows well.

Basically this movie rocks, and is definitely in the top 5 for 2009/10.