El Sendero Backcountry Film Festival
Celebrates 12 years of the Snow Less Traveled
December 14, 2016
Wenatchee, Washington
Numerica Performing Arts Center – 7pm
Each year in December El Sendero hosts the Backcountry Film Festival. This year the Film Festival celebrates its 12th year with eleven unique films aimed to inspire winter adventurers to seek the 
snow less traveled. This annual bash is where the local backcountry skiers gather to usher in the coming winter. The Film Festival showcases inspirational and thought-provoking films that embody El Sendero’s mission to promote and protect quiet winter landscapes and access for human-powered snow sports on public lands. The films shown communicate issues that impact quiet winter recreation and the environment or tell an interesting story about fun on the snow. These films are as diverse as the winter backcountry experience and will put a smile on the face of even the most winter-averse viewer.
El Sendero represents winter backcountry recreationists in Washington State and national policy work through the Winter Wildlands Alliance based in Boise, Idaho. El Sendero is a non-profit all volunteer organization based in Wenatchee, WA; they are backcountry skiers, snowboarders, snowshoers, and outdoor adventurers.
The Backcountry Film Festival will be held on Wednesday December 14th at the Numerica Performing Arts Center located at 123 N Wenatchee Ave in downtown Wenatchee, WA – doors open at 6pm and the films start at 7pm. Admission is $12 and tickets can be purchased in advance from the Numerica PAC box office or online at http://www.numericapac.org/ . Raffle tickets can be purchased at the event for a chance to pick from a wide assortment of outdoor gear.
You definitely do not want to miss this exciting evening of raffles, socializing and a screening of the season’s hottest backcountry ski films. Come and rub shoulders with the finest gathering of winter backcountry enthusiasts and puffy jackets in Central Washington!
This year’s films include:
REFLECTIONS – Filmmaker: Ben SturgulewskI Duration: 3 min 42 sec
Filmmaker Ben Sturgulewski and DPS Cinematic present Reflections, the first of a three film series to be released this winter.
LIFE CYCLE OF A POWDER WHORE – Filmmaker: KGB Productions Duration: 6 min 12 sec
Jonah Howell grew up in a devout Mormon family in Salt Lake City, UT. He first started skiing in high school, but his mission, a mandate of the Mormon Church, took him far away from the powder of the Wasatch. Jonah realized that the church wasn’t for him and redirected his energy, pursuing skiing and the mountain life, with the piety of a true Jack Mormon.
AK GIRLS WAY – Filmmaker: Jason Thompson Duration: 4 min 58 sec
AK Girls Way features Liz Daley and Caroline Gleich. Liz is remembered as a consummate mountain guide with an infectious enthusiasm for life. The Live Like Liz Scholarship fund is awarded to women who want to enter the profession of alpine guiding.
SNOWSCHOOL – Filmmaker: Scott Rulander Duration: 7 min 5 sec
The first-ever film to feature Winter Wildlands Alliance’s National SnowSchool program. This story details one of the sites located in Northern Idaho. As the snow flies each winter students head out to the field to explore winter landscapes on snowshoes and learn about winter ecology, outdoor living, travel skills, and avalanche awareness.
THERE ON THE PERIPHERY – Filmmaker: Joel Wolpert Duration: 5 min 12 sec
Filmmaker Joel Wolpert takes us on a midwinter dream with professional trail runner Ricky Gates.
AN EDUCATION – Filmmaker: Mike Schirf Duration: 9 min 7 sec
What does it take to complete Lilliana’s goal to backcountry ski in Antarctica at the age of 11? Follow daughter-father duo Lilliana and Mike Libecki on their journey to the far corner of the globe.
SEASON ON THE BRINK – Filmmaker: Dogy Down Films Duration: 11 min 45 sec
Mother nature is neither for you nor against you, just indifferent. A lot happened last winter in the northeast; some of it great and some of it terrible. Come along for the ride with a group of close friends who set out to explore deeper into the northeastern backcountry, and along the way came face-to-face with the harsh realities of making sound decisions in the mountains.
THE LOST SIERRA – Filmmaker: Colby Elliot Duration: 7 min 5 sec
The U.S. Forest Service is currently planning for the future of winter use on public lands across the country. The process has begun on five forests in northern California, including the Plumas. The Lost Sierra gives us a snapshot of the history and of the current day culture of skiing in the Sierras.
CHINA, A SKIER’S JOURNEY – Filmmaker: Jordan Manley Duration: 16 min 19 sec
Skiing as sport is in it’s infancy in China, a phenomenon of the country’s exploding middle class. As a means of survival however, it is thousands of years old, a stone age hunter-gatherer technology born in the Altai mountains. On a vast trajectory that spans 11,000km of Northern China, Chad Sayers and Forrest Coots touch down into the rich past and dizzying future of these two respective Chinese ski cultures. As one rapidly expands, they find the other is at risk of disappearing.
SNOW ARTIST – Filmmaker: Sindre Kinnerød and Audun Fjeldheim Duration: 5 min 59 sec
By creating mesmerizing designs in the snow by walking in a pair of snowshoes the British artist Simon Beck takes hiking in the mountains to a whole other level. Simon Beck was one of 4 artists that were invited to Stryn in Norway. The inspiration they found here led to unique art projects.
PACE – Filmmaker: Joey Schusler Duration: 2 min. 12 sec
Follow athlete Brody Leven in his three year project of summiting peaks by human-powered travel. Project Pedal to Peak.
The Backcountry Film Festival is sponsored locally by:
WenatcheeOutdoors
Arlberg Sports
North 40 Productions
Pacific Engineering and Design
Alpine Lakes Protection Society
Mountain Equipment
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