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Backcountry film festival – call out for local films

The Backcountry Film Festival is produced each year by the Winter Wildlands Alliance as a celebration of the human-powered experience and a gathering place for the backcountry snowsports community. The 2018-19 Backcountry Film Festival will tour over 100 cities around the world, including Melbourne.

The Melbourne show of the backcountry film festival (the BCFF) will happen in April or May 2019. Location will be in the inner city (to be announced soon).

Check the trailer for the season here.

Do you have a film we could screen?

The BCFF package is put together by the USA-based Winter Wildlands Alliance and has 10 films in the 2018/19 season.

We normally introduce the festival with a locally made backcountry film.

Last year we screened Mount Townsend 2209 – an Australian Freeride Story. (available here).

If you would like to offer a film for a screening, and its suitable to show an all age crowd of backcountry enthusiasts (and its under 7 minutes long) please get in touch.

Get in touch

If you would like to go on the announce list for the 2019 screenings or want to offer a film for the screening, please email Cam: cam.walker@foe.org.au

Full details on the 2019 screening will be announced here soon.

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Ignition Mountain Bike Festival

From the organisers:

‘You like to ride bikes? You like to party? Well this is the biggest and best bike riding party around!
Blue Dirt Mountain Biking presents Ignition, a mountain bike event hinged on the core social elements of the rider lifestyle.

Join us at Falls Creek 17-18 November 2018 to celebrate all things MTB’.

Full details here.

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Winter Dreaming revisited

Back in 2008, Stephen Curtain released ‘Winter Dreaming: an Australian Alps freeheel film’. It was a telemark ski movie which was filmed largely in the Snowy Mountains and a number of spots in north eastern Victoria, including the iconic eastern face of Mt Feathertop.

Ten years on, Stephen revisited some of the footage from the Feathertop scenes and re-packaged it into a 10 minute film called ‘Winter Dreaming. The backstory, Feathertop backcountry and beyond’ for the inaugural Victorian backcountry festival, held at Falls Creek in September 2018.

Continue reading “Winter Dreaming revisited” →

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The 2018 Victorian backcountry festival

Thanks to everyone who made the effort to come along to the inaugural Victorian backcountry festival (BCF). More than 200 people attended over the two days, with more than 20 sessions being held, including clinics, tours, skillshares, presentations, and a film festival.

BCF grew from the world telemark day celebrations that have been happening at Mt Hotham the last 5 years. After deciding to bring it to Falls Creek, the idea morphed into an ‘all things backcountry’ event which would aim to bring together some of the backcountry (BC) community and offer an opportunity for ‘first timers’ to get involved. We focused on many forms of human powered winter adventure – including cross country, snow shoeing, alpine touring, telemark and splitboarding.

Continue reading “The 2018 Victorian backcountry festival” →

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Drink local.

Whenever I head into the Ducane Range in the southern end of the Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair national park, I always stash a couple of beers under some rocks in the river at Narcissus hut, where the hikers ferry drops you. There are few things better than a swim and a cold beer after four or five days of camping, hiking and climbing in beautiful mountains.

I have to confess that the best beer I ever drank (so far, anyway) was at Uncle Buds hut, at about 3,400 metres in the central Rockies. It was my first overnight trip in winter in Colorado. It’s a long approach around a lake, then a long climb up a ridge, and it was a perfect, mild sunny winters day, but slow going as we broke trail through fresh snow. We got to the hut and Donny produced some beers, including a classic US dirtbag brew, a PBR, and we sat on the verandah looking at the highest peaks in the state as the sun slid behind Galena Peak. We skied some insanely good powder the next day, but that’s another story.

There’s nothing quite like a beer after a long days ski, ride, hike, climb or paddle. And of course, if you’re out bush or in the hills under your own steam, that means cans. Which recently got me thinking about the environmental impact of cans vs bottles.

Continue reading “Drink local.” →

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One month til the inaugural Australian backcountry festival!

Media release. August 1, 2018

Ski / Ride Hard. Do Good.

The Backcountry festival will happen at Falls Creek, over the weekend of September 1 and 2, 2018.

It aims to celebrate all things backcountry – telemark, split boarding, cross country, snow shoeing and alpine touring.

Festival organiser Cam Walker said “our vision is to host a grass-roots gathering at Falls Creek for backcountry skiers and riders of all abilities.  If you’re interested in any form of human powered adventure in the winter backcountry, you should be there. Beginners to advanced, all are welcome.

Continue reading “One month til the inaugural Australian backcountry festival!” →

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Boothy’s Blog – 5 Ideas to Make Skiing in Australia Better

There are many good reasons to love Mountainwatch. From the snow season forecasts from The Grasshopper to the ‘every snow cam you need to see in the one place’ coverage of resorts, to lots of snow community news, there is always lots going on.

I recently spotted this post from Chris Booth, who asked five ‘snow personalities’ about what would make skiing in Australia better. The response I liked best was that we should tow Australia 15 degrees south towards Antarctica.

Continue reading “Boothy’s Blog – 5 Ideas to Make Skiing in Australia Better” →

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Finding the Line screenings in Bright, Mt Buller, Melbourne and Thredbo

FINDING THE LINE is a ‘film about fear, it’s paralyzing grip on humans and how it affects our decision-making. Olympian and X Games Slopestyle champion Anna Segal and her Freeride World Tour, big mountain skiing sister, Nat Segal, use their skiing to understand fear and how it manifests in the two siblings’ lives’.

After a successful Australian premiere of Finding The Line at the end of May, there are additional screenings of the film coming up very soon:

  • Mt Buller – July 7th – Tickets at the door
  • Cloud 9 Cinema, Bright – July 7th – Tickets at the door
  • Melbourne Documentary Film Festival – July 14th – Tickets online
  • Thredbo Resort – July 20th – Free entry!

More screenings are in the works so for all ticket details and events – check out www.findingthelinefilm.com !

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Presenting Conrad Anker: A Life in Adventure, Live in Sydney and Melbourne

The North Face has announced The North Face Speaker Series Australia, welcoming Conrad Anker, Captain of The North Face Global Athlete Team, on his first visit to Australia to present an inspiring presentation in Sydney and Melbourne – Conrad Anker: A Life in Adventure.

The master of technical mountaineering, Conrad has over 30 years of climbing and mountaineering experience under his belt, and is still chasing first ascents. He’s a visionary, a champion for the environment, a pioneer and the best comrade you’ll find at 25,000 feet—he’s dedicated every ounce of his being to this life.

Continue reading “Presenting Conrad Anker: A Life in Adventure, Live in Sydney and Melbourne” →

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The inaugural Australian backcountry film festival

Its time for our own festival! This set of short films comes from a number of different producers and features some lovely stories and stunning scenes from some of our grandest skiing and riding terrain.

Continue reading “The inaugural Australian backcountry film festival” →

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Splitfest 2018

The NSW ‘Splitfest DownUnder’ will be held on the weekend of the 24-26th of August in the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains.

It’s always a great event – meet some great crew, camp out at Island Bend up in the Park, and join a tour on the Saturday that leaves from the Guthega resort. Splitfest is organised by Adam West. You can Register here.

The weekend kicks off on Friday night at the Jindabyne Bowling Club in the downstairs room starting @ 6pm.

Full details on what’s going on and what to bring can be found here.

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Lamont magazine #2

Lamont magazine is only in its second edition but it already feels like it has become an institution in the Australian alpine community. Issue #2 is now available free at a wide range of city and mountain outlets (check here for locations) and has a great cross section of stories, largely focused on people who have turned their passion for the mountains into lifelong connection.

Continue reading “Lamont magazine #2” →

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