January 26 & 27, 2024
6:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Doors open at 6 PM, Program starts at 7 PM
January 26: Big Grove Brewery Taproom in Iowa City (SOLD OUT)
January 27: Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids
Spend an evening at the Nature Center (or Big Grove Brewery’s Iowa City Taproom) as we host the Winter Wildland Alliance Backcountry Film Festival, a compilation of films that celebrate the human-powered experience through winter adventures.
Expect to be inspired to get outdoors! Win raffle prizes, grab a beer and popcorn and settle in to watch short films featuring outdoor sports in beautiful places around the world.
Tickets: $15
Raffles
Purchase raffle tickets at the event for your chance to win prizes:
Friday, January 26 at Big Grove Brewery
Scheels – $250 gift certificate
Scheels – Leki ultralite trekking Poles
Big Grove Brewery – Gift Basket
Fin & Feather – 23 Atlas Helium Snowshoe Kit
Fin & Feather – 26 Atlas Helium Snowshoe Kit
World of Bikes – $25 Gift Certificate
Active Endeavors – $50 gift Certificate & hiking poles
Saturday, January 27 at Indian Creek Nature Center
SOKO Outfitters – RollR 45 wheeled cooler & Corksicle Tumblers
Kieck’s – Outdoor Sports Gift Basket (includes $50 gift certificate)
Scheels – $250 gift certificate
Scheels – Leki ultralite trekking Poles
Coe College – Gift Basket (includes 2 tickets to Contemporary Issues Forum)
Big Grove Brewery – Gift Basket
Fin & Feather – 23 Atlas Helium Snowshoe Kit
Fin & Feather – 26 Atlas Helium Snowshoe Kit
Thank you, sponsors!
January 26 showing in Iowa City is sold out!
Tickets for the January 27 showing in Cedar Rapids are available online and at the door.
2024 Film Lineup
WHAT IF? (6:00 minutes)
Director(s): Josh Goldsmith
Human(s): Mallory (Mal) Duncan
Location(s): Oregon and Washington
Description: A countdown into the mind of a backcountry skier as he contemplates the delicate balance between risk and reward; confidence and apprehension.
BELOVED WHITEBARK: STALWART WITNESS (6:33 minutes)
Studio/Production Company: Creative Ascents Films
Location(s): Montana and Wyoming
Description: Having worked to protect whitebark pine in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem for
the last 23 years, Nancy Bockino invites you to get to know this charismatic tree in the alpine.
Learn about why whitebark is important and its present perilous situation. Nurture your own
connection to the alpine and its inhabitants.
109 BELOW (13:42 minutes)
Studio/Production Company: Stept Studios
Director(s): Nick Martini
Location(s): New Hampshire
Description: A tale of resilience, grit and elite rescue volunteers going out of their way to save
the lives of strangers, 109 BELOW traces how an attempted rescue on Mount Washington in
1982 changed not only the course of two climbers’ lives – but also the lives of the rescuers who
attempted to save them, and the future of prosthetics, forever.
BEYOND BEGBIE (13:36 minutes)
Director(s): Zoya Lynch
Location(s): Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada
Description: Climbing Mt Begbie is a “right of passage” for every hiker, climber, sledder, and
skier who chooses to make Revelstoke their home. While this peak has created an entire
contemporary culture in Revelstoke, its name and story only represent colonial history, with no
reference to the Indigenous heritage of this land. Is it the outdoor community’s responsibility to
help change this?
BLOOM (14:20 minutes)
Director(s): Kyle Hilken
Human(s): Sierra Schlag
Location(s): New Jersey and Colorado
Description: Bloom follows the life of Sierra Schlag as she navigates the world after losing her
father on 9/11. As Sierra matures, she explores her grief and identity as a Japanese-American
and finds herself under the cloak of depression. While she navigates these complexities, Sierra
finds a way to connect with her dad and heal through skiing.
CON ARTIST (12:00 minutes)
Studio/Production Company: MBG Motion Pictures
Director(s): Griffin Glendinning
Human(s): Addison Rafford, Ella Meade, Josie Petersen
Location(s): Colorado
Description: Three female freeskiers find themselves on a transcendental journey, crossing the
lines of reality and the subconscious mind in a heist for self-identity.
BURN. // A SKI FILM (11:22 minutes)
Studio/Production Company: above productions
Director(s): Kellen MacDonald
Human(s): Parkin Costain, Jake Hopfinger, Tristan Robles, Cameron Daley, Parker Norvell
Location(s): Montana and Colorado
Description: The story of how forest fires are impacting large swaths of terrain in the western
United States and Canada. In the wake of the fires, certain areas are transformed into beautiful
playgrounds for skiers and snowboarders.
RACHA (10:00 minutes)
Director(s): Andy Hardy
Location(s): Georgia
Description: Through stunning cinematography and powerful storytelling, this film takes you on a
journey of discovery, where the love of skiing leads to an unexpected education, and a story
that demands to be told.
THE REDLINE TRAVERSE – SHORT (6:33 minutes)
Director(s): Steve Seime
Location(s): California
Description: Jenna Kane and Greg Cunningham take on the Redline Traverse, the tallest and
longest ski tour in the Sierra Nevada. They pay tribute to the pioneers of the route, the spirit of
the tour and, of course, ski.
HAVE AN ADVENTURE (20:00 minutes)
Director(s): Colby Elliot
Location(s): Utah
Description: A human powered think piece that follows a collection of skiers as they explore
familiar terrain in search of new adventure around Utah’s famous backcountry. Join John as he
follows in his father’s tracks to turn new corners and explore the canyon he grew up in. Along the way John explores his father’s skiing philosophies while considering ways to nurture the rapidly changing culture of a growing ski community.
