Since I can remember, I’ve gone to ski movie premieres to start the season. Even with no snow in the forecast, they get you charged up the upcoming season. Spark hope in your soul for a big winter. An opportunity to reconnect with the local ski community. For this year, we went to the Quality Ski Time Film Tour.
Quality Ski Time Film Tour – The Ska Show Of Ski Premieres
I’ve been to countless premieres and some are as wild as a Punk show in a dive bar. The energy is electric, and you don’t know what’s going to happen next. On the other side of the spectrum, you have Warren Miller shows. They’re like a rock show with band members in their 70s. The production is perfect and they’re fun, but it’s in a calm environment. The Quality Ski Time Film Tour was somewhere in between. It was family friendly and yet more grassroots, making it feel more authentic.
A Good Mix Of Snow Porn and Documentaries
What I was most impressed by with the Quality Ski Time Film Tour was their selection of films. It wasn’t all adrenaline pumping or slow story-telling. Rather, it was a great mix of ski movies for every age group and demographic.
Feel Real by Blank Collective was a classic snow porn flick. Big lines, fluffy pillow drops, and infinite face shots. For the kids, they had the film “A Little Rogue. A Little Rowdy.” by Luke Gentry, Wyatt Gentry, and Tucker Carr. It followed a pack of teenagers from Jackson Hole as they visited other parts of North America as part of the FreeRide Tour.
Cody Being Cody
Then they showed an unreleased episode of FIFTY by Cody Townsend. Hands down one of our favorite ski documentaries of all time. Cody might be one of best spokespersons / role models on how best to travel responsibly in the backcountry. This episode focused on returning back to the Sphinx in Alaska and showcased how you need to let the mountains pick when you go not the other way around.
Stepping Out: An Alaskan Ski Expedition
Speaking of backcountry skiing, our second favorite film of the night was Stepping Out: An Alaskan Ski Expedition. An all-girl film, this was a refreshing take on ski touring. It was an honest perspective on skiing big lines in the A-K when you are responsible for yourself and no one else is there to save you. It showcased the group dynamic and the importance of listening to each other. You might be amazing but is your entire group comfortable?
Mountain State
By far our favorite film of the night was Mountain State. Since I’ve seen Josh Daiek on film, I’ve always been a fan of his. Maybe because he’s originally from the Midwest. Or maybe that you can see the passion on how he skis the mountains. Confident and hard charging, he sees terrain in a creatively different way.
Peaks Are Endless In Nevada
Mountain State is about Josh’s journey to delve into the mountain ranges of Nevada. The entire state is FILLED with range after range after range and most of them are unexplored from a skier’s perspective. This is due to a combination of factors. The snow isn’t perfect. It’s challenging to get to many of them. And most of all, there is virtually no data about what there is to ski. You may get skunked, or you may find amazing terrain to shred.
Josh Takes The Next Step
Very rarely you see professional skiers evolve to the next stage of pushing the boundaries via exploration. It’s more time consuming. The snow probably won’t be as great. And most of all, you’ll need to use ALL the tools in your toolbox to make it happen. We can’t wait to see what Josh has next in mind.
Thank you, Alex. I wish this Quality Ski Time Film Tour would stop in Minneapolis, MN.