We now have the line up of films for the next Backcountry Film festival. Nine films featuring skiing, boarding and climbing, spread over several continents.
You can find the details here.
The Backcountry film festival is put together by the Winter Wildlands Alliance, based in Idaho. It is a celebration of the human-powered backcountry experience, with a strong focus on skiing and riding.
The festival has been showing in Australia for the past five years.
We will aim to start screenings of the new season from April 2016.
In the past two seasons, we have included a brief Australian made film. In 2015 we showed Find Your Line, about spiltboarding the western slopes of the Main Range in the Snowy Mountains. In 2014 we showed OFF GRID, featuring skiing and riding on Mt Bogong in Victoria.
We would love to show one or two short (5 – 7 minute) Australian made films during the 2016 season. If you have something to suggest please get in touch: cam.walker@foe.org.au
And as usual, if you’d like to host a local showing or know a suitable venue in Melbourne, please get in touch. We generally get around 130 people to the Melbourne show, so looking for a theatre that’s large enough, cheap, and fairly central.
For further details on the festival, please check here.
We will post the 2016 line-up once its announced.
A new snowboarding and surfing film will have three premiere showings in Australia next week.
Filmed in the powder capital of Hokkaido, and focusing on the legendary Gentem Family, who have pioneered the ‘Snow Surf’ revolution epitomised by Gentemstick, this film features some of the very best Japanese and western Snow Surf riders.
Many of the key players in the movement are featured in SnowSurf, which was filmed over two years by Australian surf photographer, Shane Peel.
It features: Taro Tamai, Gerry Lopez, Ken Miyashita, Alex Yoder, Osamu “Om” Okada, Beau Young, Hideki Takeda, Hidehiko Wajima, Forrest Shearer, Makato Yamada, Par Dahlin, Timo Paarvala, Kazushi Yamauchi, Alex Lopez, Takuya Harayama, Tomomi Kuwahara, Toru Kuwahara, Toshiya Kasuga, Jarrkko Kauranen, Haruna Kito and the Gentemstick Family.
Patagonia, the major sponsor of the film, will be screening Snowsurf at their Sydney, Torquay and Byron Stores next week.
23rd September. Sydney store – 6pm (93 Bathurst St, Sydney)
25th September. Torquay store – 6pm (116 SurfCoast Hwy, Torquay)
26th September. Café Byron – 6pm (Shop1/ 58 Jonson st Byron Bay)
You can see the trailer here.
You can rsvp for the events on Facebook.
As we all know, backcountry is the new black. The ski and boarding magazines are full of stories about the western faces of the Main Range, Bogong and Feathertop. And while there are lots of new outdoor enthusiasts who are getting a good all round experience of conditions and terrain, as well as sound BC skills, we have probably all seen the 20 something (mostly male) boarders who are fresh out of the resort and ready to shred, but lacking in BC experience. This is all great. But what it does mean is that we are finding ever more good resort riders and skiers getting out into backcountry areas and big terrain, without having done any apprenticeship in the mountains. What this means is more rescues, injuries and other incidents.
As recently noted on Mountain Journal, there is now a site that reports on snow conditions for backcountry users in the Snowy Mountains, called Snow Safety Australia.
There is also a site that covers conditions right across the mainland Alps, called Snow Sense.
Snow Sense is the mastermind of Simon Murray. It seeks to cover weather as well as snow conditions across three key regions: the Kosciusko area, north east Victoria and the Central Victorian Alps. Regular updates are made, called in by ski patrollers, generally after the dawn patrol. It is a fantastic resource for all backcountry skiers, riders and snow shoers who like to get out into the higher country.
As we swing into the southern spring, it’s autumn in the northern hemisphere and everyone is gearing up for winter. All the magazines have their buyers guides and this year’s crop of mountain related films are doing the rounds.
Here’s a couple that have surfaced, for some late season inspiration.
Continue reading “It’ spring – so it’s time for ski/ boarding films”
Anyone who backcountry skis or rides outside Australia will know about the need to be careful of avalanche risk. Many regions around the world with lots of backcountry or mountaineering terrain will have online or phone service avalanche information which can be consulted before heading out into the hills.
With our moderate sized mountains and lower avalanche risk, many Australians are not aware that there are actually dangers to be found in our backcountry.
Now we have our first avalanche/ conditions info service: Snow Safety Australia.
Mt Hotham Ski Patrol is offering a weekend backcountry skills course.
September 11 – 13.
It will provide training in snow safety, and features an overnight camp.
It starts at 5pm on friday September 11, at Mt Hotham resort, then has a weekend of activities in the backcountry, returning at 3pm on the sunday. This will be a fantastic opportunity to learn hands on skills with experienced people from the Patrol.
Ideally people will be able to provide their own camping gear and tents, although some equipment can be arranged. Participants will need either touring skis or snow shoes.
There is room for up to 8 people to attend the course, and the cost is $300 per person.
To register, please contact David Wilson, Mt Hotham Ski patrol. davidjwilson921@hotmail.com
There has been a good outcome in the case of the skier who was injured on Mt Bogong, after a rescue yesterday.
The following comes from the ABC.
Rescuers praised for ‘incredible effort’ to help injured skier from Mount Bogong
Mount Beauty police have praised the work of volunteers and personnel who rescued an injured skier from Mount Bogong, in north-east Victoria, yesterday.
The 44-year-old Albury man broke a leg while skiing with friends late on Tuesday afternoon.
This is the premier backcountry touring destination in Victoria.
The high ridges that stretch from The Bluff to Mt Howitt sit to the south and east of Mt Buller ski resort in north east Victoria. The Bluff ridge stretches towards the Great Divide, where Mount Howitt provides incredible backcountry skiing. From here the impressive Crosscut Saw leads north to Mount Speculation and more forested plateau country to Mt Cobbler. The area has a feeling of winter induced remoteness (no trail bikes or 4WDs in winter!), wonderful skiing and camping, and relatively easy access.
An average trip would involve a minimum of four days, as the approach is slow (from the Snowy Plains to the south, via the Howqua River on the Mansfield side or in through the Cobbler plateau to the north).
Plans are shaping up for the first World Telemark Day gathering in the southern hemisphere.
It will be held over the weekend of September 5 and 6.
There is an event planned for the Hotham area in Victoria, and possibly the Main Range in NSW.
All backcountry skiers/ splitters welcome. Come along, pitch in, and meet like-minded people.
Full details here.
The NSW Splitfest DownUnder will be held on weekend of the 21-23rd of August in the NSW main range.
You can
Register here.
We will be holding the Friday night entertainment at the Banjo Paterson Inn in Jindabyne, Starting @ 6pm
1 Kosciuszko Road, Jindabyne
The weekend will be spent out on the Main Range.
You have the option to stay in Jindabyne, camp in the National Park or out on the peaks.
There will be rental gear available to those who need it. Jump on board and meet some new touring partners, the more the merrier!
This is a free event, there are no guides so you must be able to make your own terrain decisions.
Further information available here.
Sugar Mountain is an Australian ski film set in the wilds of Alaska. Described as a ‘cosmic ski odyssey’, its a great film about a bunch of Australians who head to Alaska in search of the mythical peak. It is directed by Richard James, and produced by Oscar and Watkin McLennan.
Now its being toured through the Australian Alps, with three shows planned for this winter.
“Now is the time to hit the Australian slopes and here is where you can couple your Aussie skiing adventure with a quite or rowdy night at the movies”.
MT Hotham – With DJ EDDY
- MON . JUL 13 | The General, Mt Hotham | 8:00 pm
Mt Buller – Cinema
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SAT . JUL 18 | Cinema, Mt Buller Community Centre | 8:00 pm
Jindabyne
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SUN . JUL 26 | Banjo Paterson Inn | 8:00 pm
Mountain Journal 
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