Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Mountain Celebrations

Today in Boulder it is definitely fall.  I awoke to low, heavy clouds, falling rain and crisp temps that all say summer is over.  One of the best things about this time of year is the occasion for gathering to celebrate with other like-minded folks the past season in the high country.  The next few months offer many opportunities for that here in Boulder.

The REEL ROCK Film Tour World Premiere is next Thursday (September 15th) at 6:00 and 8:30pm at the Boulder Theater.  Sender Films and Big Up Productions present six brand-new diverse climbing films from speed climbing the Nose on El Capitan to summiting Pakistan's 8000m+ Gasherbrum II in winter to a nine-year-old bouldering prodigy in NYC.  As someone who draws motivation from all forms of inspired movement in the mountains, I'm very excited about this.  Additionally, the founders of Sender Films are fellow alums of Colorado College.  Check out the trailer.



Tickets are $15 from The Spot, Boulder Rock Club, Movement and Neptune Mountaineering in advance, and $20.75 at the Boulder Theater.  This is sure to sell out, though.

The outdoor industry must be at least one context where a liberal arts education finds some utility, as a week later Sweetgrass Productions has a showing of their beautiful new film Solitaire at the Boulder Theater on September 22nd. Nick Waggoner--a former XC teammate of mine at CC--is the founder and director/producer at Sweetgrass, and as anyone who has seen their previous efforts in Handcut or Signatures knows, these guys aren't just cranking out more of your high-adrenaline, Warren Miller-esque, standard fare sicky gnar.  Instead, Sweetgrass brings a much appreciated artistry and a focus on mountain culture to the genre of backcountry ski film. Here's the trailer.


SOLITAIRE: A Backcountry Skiing, Snowboarding, and Telemark Film from Sweetgrass Productions on Vimeo.

Finally, in more of a mountain running vein, there will be a reprisal of the Front Range Fat Ass Series again this off-season, kicking off with getting back to the Basics here in Boulder at the end of October, and then moving on to The Chubster up in Fort Collins on December 10th and finishing up with The Ponderous down in Manitou Springs on January 14, 2012.  We'll be running the Ponderous loop in the opposite, clock-wise direction this year, which means we might as well get the tradition off on the right foot and make a mandatory ascent of the Incline the official course if one is planning on completing the full 30ish+ mile/8000'-ish loop.


13 comments:

Anonymous said...

good stuff man, thanks for sharing. many a good memories at ponderous last year. if all works out, had chubby cheeks in mind this year and if possible, a peek at Fern the following day. is the body still progressing right on track?

Wyatt Hornsby said...

Anton: I'm thinking I want to participate in all three races. Where do I go to get the logistical info? With a wife, kid and job, I need to get these races on my calendar ASAP.

Wyatt

Anton said...

Jake--Yeah, body is feeling good. Just trying to build slowly. You'll love Fern. It will probably redefine what you think of as "technical" and "steep" trail.

Wyatt--These aren't really "races" in the conventional sense, no aid stations, no t-shirt, no awards. They're more orchestrated group runs with a gathering afterwards for smack-talking and story-telling. The courses will be lightly-marked (if at all) with any aid stations being impromptu. In terms of "logistics", as dates get closer starting times and locations will be more specifically detailed, but somewhere between 7-9am is when the running usually gets going. For the Boulder rendition, keep your eye on the BTR listserv. The Chubster and Ponderous dates are pretty much firm, though.

brownie said...

Hoping to have two aid stations at the Ponderous this year. South CRUD must be getting weak with age.

Aid one will be at the base of the Incline. Aid two will be the parking lot of Waldo Canyon.

Dylan Bowman said...

Dean Potter is a freak. That Solitaire flick looks sweet also. You know it's almost time to dust off the shred sticks when ski films start showing in Boulder.

Would love to be kept abreast of details for the Basic as they materialize. That's usually a slightly secretive affair, no?

Pez said...

Take a look at this, I hope you'll enjoy.
Regards from Spain.
It's fantastic to read you back in business!
:)

http://www.selectism.com/news/2011/09/08/selectism-around-the-web-582/

Roys said...

This is good stuff.
Anton, I dont know if you already know about him but, you should give a look to Jimmy Chin's website-blog. I'm sure you'd love his videos.

Anonymous said...

Ankle, training, Cumbrian weather permitting, I might try and set-up a UK mirror event to The Ponderous! (I would really enjoy running the actual Ponderous but my Carbon footprint for getting there would be through the roof.)
Iain.

Larry Linux said...

Thanks for the great videos Tony. We get snow here in the Blue Ridge, but nothing like what you all get there.

Don't know if you interested, but if you ever want a custom banner for your blog just let me know. I would love to work something up with that cool Lieh-Tzu quote you have on there now. I did the banners for Jake's blog and also for Geoff's if you are interested.

Also, a head-ups for all you Boulder dudes - The Chris Robinson Brotherhood (lead singer for the Black Crowes) is coming your way in October. My wife and I saw them this past weekend in Asheville, and it is well worth the modest ticket price.

mtnrunner2 said...

It was kind of a shock to come back to the Denver area from the weekend and see the SNIAGRAB (ski sale) billboards. Where did the summer go?

Those outdoor film screenings are a lot of fun, also The North Face speakers, Chris Davenport when he skied the 14ers in one year, and so on. The Boulder audiences are usually great and I like the venue.

Daniel said...

getting my ticket for the Reel Rock showing at the tour stop in Bozeman! It looks like an inspiring night of films.

Derek said...

These videos are excellent. Thanks for sharing.

Barry Bliss said...

Yeah, I find Dean Potter inspiring even though I never climb mountains.
It's just the attitude and the getting out there and going for it that I like--in whatever form.
Running hills doesn't hurt them and neither does climbing rocks--even if the rock's picture is on a license plate.
That's what hills and rocks are for and that's what we are for--to live in active community with one another.