Reimagining how we do what we do from home – balancing both our work and personal lives from our couches and new at-home offices; how we entertain ourselves as films and TV show productions were put on pause; what we look forward to as trips were cancelled and events effectively postponed until who knows when; what the backcountry will look like each season moving forward with more usage and less opportunity to educate; and how we all do this together, in a world that’s asking more of us in terms of assessing safety and security, emotional intelligence, historical understanding, and requesting skill sets in listening and compassion be at the forefront of all conversations.

At Winter Wildlands Alliance, all we’ve been doing is asking these questions – over and over and in a variety of forms: What will our policy and advocacy efforts look like in a virtual business world and in an outdoor industry where more people are wanting to get outside without much access to education and resources? How do we bring K-12 students outside to learn about snow science, watersheds, and avalanche safety when they aren’t even allowed inside a classroom? How do we provide a film festival experience that still connects our audiences to the backcountry spirit, without risking their safety and health? How do we ultimately provide support for our grassroots groups, backcountry partners, and member community when we’re not sure what tomorrow will look like?

Everyone is reimagining. As we get closer to our favorite season (winter, did we really have to say it?), Backcountry Film Festival has reimagined our emphasis on bringing backcountry communities together to hoot and holler around a screen filled to the brim with human-powered storytelling. Our ask now is that you do so, instead of from the edge of your seat in your local theatre, but rather from the edge of your couch in your living room. Or from the edge of your camper chair in your backyard. Or from the back of your tailgate at a drive-in. The reimagining never ceases of places we can all still come together and celebrate human-powered, winter stories.

One way we’ve reimagined how we come together (virtually and in-person as deemed safe and smart to do so) is to provide more opportunities to celebrate this season. How about we start with a collection some of the best films from the past 15 seasons? While we wish we could engage you all in a binge-watching fest of all seasons past, we figured this would be the next best thing. So here it is: our Best of Fest trailer and film line-up announcement. We hope to see you “here” soon.

*Our Best of Fest will be hosted by local grassroots groups, backcountry retailers, and other community members. Please visit our tour page for more information on local screenings. We highly encourage you to attend your local screening or intentionally choose what screening you purchase tickets for (and if you don’t have one, reach out so we can schedule one for you!). Funds raised go back to your local backcountry community, so it’s vital you “show” up from the comfort of your own home for the host(s)/location(s) that are near and dear to your heart. Some of these screenings will also be “geofenced”, which requires you to be located within the state we designate for a specific screening to be screened in and will be denoted in the event title if it is geofenced.

Film Line-Up’s*

1. PG13 Version
   • “Red Lady: The Battle for Your Mountains”(2009-10 lineup)
   • “Cross Country Snowboarding”(2010-11 lineup)
   • “Seasons: Winter”(2011-12 lineup)
   • “Bolton Valley”(2013-14 lineup)
   • “Out on a Limb”(2014-15 lineup)
   • “Afterglow”(2014-15 lineup)
   • “I Love Splitboarding”(2015-16 lineup)
   • “China: A Skier’s Journey”(2016-17 lineup)
   • “Snow Art”(2016-17 lineup)
   • “There on the Periphery”(2016-17 lineup)
   • “Adventure Not War”(2017-18 lineup)
   • “Blue”(2018-19 lineup)
   • “I Am Here”(2018-19 lineup)
   • “Can’t Ski Vegas”(2019-20 lineup)
   • “Soundscapes” (2019-20 lineup)
2. Kid’s Version
   • “TRUST: Colorado”(2012-13 lineup)
   • “IRS Traverse: Insert Coin”(2014-15 lineup)
   • “Out on a Limb”(2014-15 lineup)
   • “Sun Dog”(2014-15 lineup)
   • “I Love Splitboarding”(2015-16 lineup)
   • “Snow Art”(2016-17 lineup)
   • “An Education”(2016-17 lineup)
   • “Blue”(2018-19 lineup)
   • “I Am Here”(2018-19 lineup)
   • “Drawn to High Places”(2019-20 lineup)
   • “Backflippers” (2019-20 lineup)
   • “Soundscapes” (2019-20 lineup)

*Subject to change as of 8/21/2020