While watching Teton Gravity Research’s latest ski and snowboarding adventure film, “Magic Hour,” those in attendance at the Thursday, Oct. 13 screening at Bellingham’s Mount Baker Theatre should expect to hear a whole lot of screaming.
But don’t worry, the featured athletes being shown at gnarly backcountry locales throughout North America aren’t in their death throes. They’re just amped up on the adrenaline that comes from hurling oneself down cliff faces and scarily steep mountains and coming out alive on the other side.
The 27th annual snow-focused series kicks off with a phone call from Ian McIntosh — who’s been featured in 21 of the Teton Gravity Research (TGR) films thus far — to his old buddy, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa.
“Pack your bags, buddy,” he says, “we’re going to Kaslo.”
In what is a recurring bit throughout the film, the legendary athletes are depicted as decades older than they actually are. Shown as geezers waiting for the perfect skiing conditions, they hunker down at a lakeside cabin in Kaslo, British Columbia. Although they pass the time with games of chess, dockside fishing and drinking tumblers of whiskey, it’s obvious they want to shuck their canes and walkers and replace them with skis. But they must be patient, and they are.
“Is there an age limit to pursuing our dreams?”
the narrator asks in a voiceover at the beginning of the movie. “To pursuing that fleeting feeling we all know and love?”
The answer, viewers will soon see, is that those featured onscreen will continue to pursue their passions for as long as they are physically able — even if they break an arm before the season has barely started, have to pop their shoulder back into place during an outing, or somersault their way down a steep slope in the Valhalla Range of British Columbia without ending up paralyzed.
In one segment, Griffin Post — he of the dislocated shoulder — makes it clear he knew of the dangers going into the backcountry. He and fellow skier Michelle Parker waited days for a blue window to open up in Cordova, Alaska, where heli-skiing has been a draw in the area for nearly 30 years. The recent lifting of some permits has allowed adventurers to expand their search for the perfect terrain, and they were anxious to explore.
“It’s one of those high-anxiety days,”
Post said. “Am I going to sit here all day, or ski the scariest thing I’ve skied in my life?”
Before ascending into the alpine wonderland, Parker echoed his concerns.
“You’re scared, you’re stoked, you’re fired up,”
she said. “It’s all the things. And then you snap back into it. This is the real deal.”
Both athletes descend the peaks they’re deposited on with lightning-fast speed, and despite knowing they’re risking their lives, they appear to be having a whole lot of fun.
That’s a recurring theme throughout “Magic Hour.” In a couple different segments, 15-year-old phenom Kai Jones proves that with youth comes elasticity. In his TGR debut, he flips through the air like a crazed gymnast, whooping it up all the way.
Amy Jane David, a pro skier and mountain athlete, is also shown for the first time on the TGR screen. In a press release for the film, she said her “magic hour” came on the last day for the crew filming the Cooke City, Montana segment.
“We started snowmobiling under the raven full moon as the sun rose,” she said. “All morning we hit a kicker with bluebird skies and snow sparkles flying, and in the evening we climbed up one of the most iconic peaks to each ski an untouched couloir just before sunset. This experience felt like our magic hour after weeks of tiptoeing around dangerous avalanche conditions and funky snow.”
By the time Cattabriga-Alosa and McIntosh leave their lakeside cabin on the way to their own magic hour — which comes complete with age-defying runs and an expected magic trick — all of the featured athletes have proven they’re willing to take risks in the name of the sport they love.
While films such as “Magic Hour” excel in showing feats of daring and winter terrain most of us will never encounter in our lifetimes, they also act as incentives for people to explore the world around them, whether it’s in Alaska, Montana, British Columbia or in our own backyard. Winter is coming, and this movie will likely get you excited about it.
“Magic Hour” shows at 7:30 p.m Thursday, Oct. 13 at the Mount Baker Theatre, 104 N. Commercial St. Tickets are $10–$15 and include the chance of winning a variety of prizes. Info: mountbakertheatre.com.
Winter is coming!
Northwest Avalanche Center will team up with Mount Baker Experience magazine and Boundary Bay Brewing Co. to present a Bellingham Winter Kickoff from 6–9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20 at the brewery’s beer garden at 1107 Railroad Ave. Watch Warren Miller retro moves and Mt. Baker Slush Cup videos, drink beer and enter raffles for outdoor gear from local businesses supporting outdoor recreation. Suggested donation is $5. Info: mountbakerexperience.com.
The 23rd annual Mt. Baker Film Fest shows at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 at the Mount Baker Theatre. Since 1999, the event has been the way indie filmmakers share their work with a local crew of winter enthusiasts. Tickets go on sale Oct. 20, and will be $8–$10. Season pass-holders will be eligible for a free ticket. Info: mtbaker.us/.
