Just in time for the spring touring season, the long awaited follow up to our favorite splitboard movie is here. To celebrate the occasion, we caught up with Levi Luggen and Gregi Betschon for a little interview. But first things first — enjoy the show…
Hey Levi and Gregi… TWNTY came out so good! What’s the idea behind the name?
LEVI – The title of the film was a happy coincidence. Andreas Achermann composed the soundtrack, and the final track is called *The Things We Never Told You*. When we heard it, we felt that this title fit the film perfectly. Snowboard films often only show the bright side — deep powder, spectacular action, and perfect conditions. Since these were very rare during the two years of shooting, we also wanted to show the other side — what it looks like when winter doesn’t cooperate: bad snow, warm temperatures, and little snowfall. That’s why the title made perfect sense for us.
Yeah, we don’t always see the struggles that go into making projects like this. Can you tell us about the hardest day you guys had?
GREGI – Clearly, the descent from Mt. Grammont. We had already filmed several days in the area, and on the last day, we went to the peak to make the descent to Lake Geneva on the north side. We started at 2170m with the goal of reaching Saint-Gingolph at 386m. From about 1400m, there was no more snow and we had to walk. On the way down, we lost our drone and had to climb another 400m to find it. We found it, but then we couldn’t find the hiking trail for a long time, and as it got dark I started to feel a bit uneasy. But we found the trail and descended the remaining 1000m in about an hour, rushing to catch the train. The pizza in Sitten was one of the best I’ve ever had. :)
I bet! But definitely worth it for those shots above the lake…
How about some of the highlights?
LEVI – There were plenty! Our trip to Phil’s hut was pretty special. Despite some rain, we still found surprisingly good snow conditions later in the week. And the hospitality was next level — great vibes, delicious food, and amazing company. I highly recommend it!
A literal highlight was our tour in Val d’Arpette, where we climbed a beautiful couloir and then rode down in soft, perfect powder. That was actually our very last filming day — a truly fitting end to the project.
And of course, the premiere tour was a major highlight. After all the struggles, seeing the happy faces and receiving so much positive feedback made it all worthwhile. Sharing the film with so many people—friends, family, and the community—was just incredible.
Yeah, that’s actually pretty special these days. Not so many people are doing premiere tours anymore. How did that come together?
LEVI – For a while, the tour was on the brink of being canceled because we were all pretty exhausted from the whole project. But in the end, we pulled ourselves together and went through with it. Looking back, we’re incredibly happy that we did!
The tour really put the finishing touch on the project. It was an amazing feeling to welcome so many people at the different events. We created more of a community event, rather than a single film screening and it added a whole new level of meaning to the project.
In hindsight, it would have been a huge shame if we hadn’t done it. We had so many memorable encounters and unforgettable nights. Andreas kicked off each event with his set, followed by the screening of the film. Afterwards, we usually shared a drink and had great conversations with the audience at the bar. The premiere tour was a fantastic experience. It would have been a mistake to skip it.
GALE and TWNTY have a similar vibe, but I’m sure that behind the scenes the process of making these movies was quite different. How would you compare the two projects?
GREGI – For GALE, we filmed spontaneously. The concept developed during the shoot and we went with the flow. This had its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand we could always focus on the conditions and had less of a storyline in mind. But that led to a challenging post-production process.
We wanted to change that for TWNTY and spent a lot of time on a storyboard and concept, thinking it would save us time in post-production. That may be true in theory, but in the end, we made three storyboards over the years, only to edit a completely different film :) so yeah…
One difference was important to us right from the start, and it’s quite obvious now: We wanted less blue and white in the film and more colors. Gale had blue skies and the white of the snow as two very dominant colors. We found that a bit boring over time and our goal was to get more color tones into the film with the help of a storyline. We didn’t plan for it to be that much brown though…
The workflow with the soundtrack was also different. For GALE, the soundtrack was an important stylistic device and was designed for a live show. This brought some limitations that we didn’t want for TWNTY.
Tell me something about this project that you’ve never told me.
GREGI – What I haven’t mentioned yet is that I was filming our last month of shooting in spring 2023 with a torn ACL and didn’t know it! My kneecap kept slipping to the side, and I repeatedly had pain in the back of my knee. Despite two MRI scans, it wasn’t until last fall, with a new doctor, that it was discovered that my ACL was not intact. Fortunately, I found a great physiotherapist and chiropractor who helped me get fit for this season without surgery.
LEVI – There are also two important things that we haven’t mentioned yet:
First, the soundtrack, composed by Andreas Achermann, is available on Spotify! You can check it out there anytime.
Second, we made some merch! We’ve got T-shirts, beanies, and neck warmers available. Every purchase helps support our passion project, cover costs, and make future films possible. Plus, you get a cool souvenir from our film!
Sounds great… so what’s next?
GREGI – Last year, I was pretty sure this would be my last snowboard film. The effort over the years is enormous and requires a lot of energy. I missed just going powdering with Levi for a few days without a camera. This year we had a few days together, still without powder, but with new ideas for another film. It’s really fun with him, and we’ll see what the future brings. Thanks for your effort all the time and being such a rad dude Levi! Merci!
Anything else that you’d like to add?
GREGI – We’ve talked a lot about the filming, but also I want to mention that without Andreas Achermann, this film might never have been made. It was also his willingness and joy to provide another soundtrack that pushed us to realize the film. With his musical talent, he composed the entire soundtrack himself and played many instruments. I have deep admiration for his skills and always look forward to working with him again. Thanks, Achi!
LEVI – I want to give a huge thank you to everyone involved in this project—especially Gregor for his incredible effort, his motivation, and his patience with me. And of course, a massive shoutout to Andreas for the amazing soundtrack. I’m always blown away by his ability to craft the perfect score for a film. Thank you so much for that!
Also a big thanks to everyone else who played a part in this film. And last but not least, Ahriel from Whiteout — thank you for giving us the opportunity to share our project on your platform!
