[Review] Women’s Snowboarding Film: Full Moon

By Sadie Maeda

“There is no present without the past and no future without the present.”

Full Moon is the culmination of three generations of women’s snowboarding coming together and representing past, present, and future. The rich history of women’s snowboarding is one that has rarely been told and Full Moon gives you first accounts of moments when history was being made. The crew of riders in the film are made up of some of the best female snowboarders to step foot on the mountain, from the pioneers of the sport to today’s most talented riders, including cameos and interviews from legends, Barrett Christy, Tina Basich, Tara Dakides and Circe Wallace.

Photo by Tim Zimmerman

Full Moon’s producer and director is none other than powerhouse, Leanne Pelosi. Highly respected as one of the most well-rounded snowboarders in the world, with the rightfully earned awards and recognition to back it up, Leanne knows her way around a mountain and behind a camera. In fact, Full Moon will mark Leanne’s third film with Runaway Films as a producer and director and her 11th video feature.

With humor, class, and humility, these women show us exactly what a women’s snowboarding film should look like. It’s a mix of some extraordinary footage of them sending it on massive lines but also, a look into the fun and camaraderie that comes with travelling around the world with your crew. It’s a beautiful betrayal of what it means for a sport to become your life and the connections you can find through one shared passion. For the ladies of Full Moon, that meant finding a group of badass and supportive women all chasing the same dream.

This movie isn’t all about the triumphs — they talk about what it means to have a passion that constantly brings them into the face of danger. It’s the bad falls, the almost huge mistakes, and unlucky situations that also make up a life of snowboarding. Instead of shying away from it, Full Moon makes it a conversation because fear and risk are not something to be ignored and even the pros have to find ways to approach it.

Photo by Ben Girardi

In a male dominated industry, having strong women to look up to is essential to the growth of women’s snowboarding. In the film, each rider — past and present, discusses the importance of having role models  growing up.  Even our heros started somewhere and once upon a time, they looked up to some else. The cycle of role models, being inspired to inspire others, is central to the concept of Full Moon and these fearless women have created a film that will inspire generations to come and hopefully embolden potential mini shredders to get out to the mountain and go for it.

If I had one criticism for this Full Moon, it would be that I wish it was longer. But this only calls for more women’s snowboarding films in the future. Honestly, thank you Leanne Pelosi and the ladies of Full Moon for bringing to life a neglected part of snowboarding’s history.

Watch Full Moon today for free with a 7 day trial to Outside TV’s Features channel on Amazon. If you are local to the San Francisco Bay Area, join MAHFIA.TV and the Women’s Sports Film Festival on February 28th at the New Parkway Theater in Oakland, CA for a special screening with the film followed by a panel discussion moderated by Margaret Seelie of The Other Project. Panelists will include Kim Woozy, founder of MAHFIA.TV, Rachel Friedman of Stoke Coaching, Jen Gurecki, Co-Founder of Coalition Snow and Katie Babineau, Athlete Relations & Social Media Team, GoPro.

Details and Tickets here: http://www.mahfia.tv/event/women-sports-film-festival-full-moon/

To learn more about the film project, check out their website and be sure to watch the trailer below!