Two film screenings in the coming week aim to raise awareness and adrenaline levels among Squamish skiers and riders who are ready for some pre-season stoke.
The fourth annual Spearhead Huts Winter Kick-Off Party hits the Howe Sound Inn and Brewing Co. on Saturday (Nov. 5), bringing with it Teton Gravity Research's (TGR) latest HD ski film One for The Road.
On Wednesday (Nov. 9) at Quest University, the ground-breaking film team Sherpas Cinema presents its newest film, All.I.Can.
"They're both action-packed ski movies with some local talent, but global scale," said Jamie Bond of Doglotion Media, who is promoting both events. "A bit different than just your run of the mill ski film evening."
The Spearhead Huts party is an annual fundraising event in honour of Kees Brenninkmeyer and Claire Dixon, two skiers who died on a backcountry traverse in 2007. Hosted by the Kees and Claire Memorial Hut Society (KCMHS) - a group made up of six of Kess and Claire's personal friends, including Bond - the annual event raises awareness and funds for the society's backcountry ski hut project in memory of the adventurous couple. KCMHS has recently joined forces with larger entities such as the Whistler and Vancouver sections of the Alpine Club of Canada and the British Columbia Mountaineering Club in a co-operative effort to make a backcountry hut system on the Spearhead Traverse a reality.
For the party, TGR has donated the screening of One for the Road, an international ski film that follows some of the world's most progressive skiers to epic destinations such as Japan, Iceland and Jackson Hole, and documents their lives on the road while capturing some of the most stunning free skiing to date.
"This year's [film] is particularly unique because there are quite a few local athletes in it that have really key parts in the movie and some of the biggest most exciting segments of the movie are filmed in Pemberton, in our neck of the woods," said Bond, adding that One for the Road marks the first TGR film appearance of Squamish-based pro skier Rory Bushfield.
The evening, which follows a similar fundraiser in Whistler on Oct. 14, also includes a silent auction with prizes donated by Surefoot, Whistler Blackcomb, Whistler Alpine Guides Bureau, Extremely Canadian, Mountain Hardwear, Escape Route and G3 Genuine Guide Gear. All proceeds go toward the hut project. Tickets are just $10 and available at the door, which opens at 8 p.m. Don't be late - there are no advance ticket sales and this event sells out each year. The film starts at 9 p.m. followed by live music from The Stumbler's Inn. For full details on the hut project, visit www.SpearheadHuts.org.
All.I.Can. - produced and co-directed by Squamish residents Malcolm Sangster and Dave Mossop, and starring Whistler and Squamish athletes - endeavours to unite mountain cultures around the world and inspire viewers to do all they can for the environment. Filmed over two years in five countries with more than 15 skiers, the movie features mind-blowing skiing from Chile to Greenland, stunning scenery, incredible cinematography and a profound environmental engagement for the viewer.
The film is broken into three areas of focus: "All" of the human impact on the environment, the recognized issues by "I"ndividuals in the mountain culture, and the positive changes that "Can" be made in everyday life.
Known for producing movies with a message, Sherpas Cinema, by integrating environmental awareness, social responsibility and a passion of skiing, take the ski movie genre to a new level and, beyond the tricks and big lines, strives to find a common ground between the global situation and the individual.
The international film premiere of All.I.Can. sold out to a 1,600-person show in Whistler at this year's Telus Ski and Snowboard Festival, and screens on Wednesday (Nov. 9) at Quest University's Multi-Purpose Room. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the film starts at 8 p.m. with plenty of give-aways from the local event sponsors including The North Face, Surefoot, Escape Route, Whistler Blackcomb and more. Tickets are only $10 and available at Escape Route, online at Doglotion.com, or at the door if it's not sold out in advance.
For more information on either event, contact email [email protected] or visit www.doglotion.com.
