Fast Forward
2016 USA / Duration: 8 mins / Directed by: Ryan Heffernan, Grayson Schaffer
Ultra-long-distance bikepacker Lael Wilcox has spent six months of each year pedaling around the world and drinking in the bounty of travel from the special vantagepoint of her bike seat. “It’s kind of like a feral existence,” she says. In 2015, she started racing in bikepacking events. That year, she shattered the women’s course record by two days in her first-ever attempt of the epic 2,745-mile, self-supported Tour Divide — a mountain bike race that traces the Continental Divide from Banff, Alberta, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Following that win, she attempts to break the women’s record for the 800-mile Arizona Trail, a recently designated National Scenic Trail. Fast Forward follows Wilcox as she pushes her limits in the Arizona desert.
Sierra Quitiquit: How Did I get Here
2014 USA / Duration: 58 mins / Directed by: Chris Kitchen
Sierra Quitiquit: How Did I Get Here is an intimate portrait of a woman from humble beginnings whose devotion to her family leads her to hoist a huge amount of responsibility on her shoulders. This coming-of-age film follows Quitiquit on far-flung adventures, through heartbreak and exploration and, ultimately, to a place of real growth.
Trail to Kazbegi
2015 USA / Duration: 16 mins / Directed by: Joey Schusler
The former Soviet Republic of Georgia, which is located in the heart of the Caucasus Mountains and has a complicated past, is a mostly forgotten pocket of the world. But for four American adventurers, it’s ripe for exploration. They plot out an ambitious plan to transect the rugged Caucasus, a raw landscape filled with rocky passes and sketchy border regions, before ending their journey in the beautiful Kazbegi region. On mountain bikes. And unsupported. What they encounter are colorful locals, ancient trading paths, snowfields, stone-faced border patrolmen, a fair amount of suffering, wild storms and a host of unknowns. All the ingredients, in other words, of a great adventure.
Darklight
2015 USA / Duration: 8 mins / Directed by: Mike Brown
The team that brought us Afterglow returns with another surreal cinematic painting of light, motion and landscape. Only this time, they swap skis for bicycles and snow for Ewok forests and desert rocks.
Iceland Proven Here
2015 USA / Duration: 6 mins / Directed by: Craig Grant, Joey Schusler
The moss and mountains of Iceland make for an otherworldly landscape. Add Yeti ambassador Sam Seward,
riding swooping singletrack, and you’ve got yourself mountain biking eye candy at its best.
Kelly McGarry Rampage
2013 USA / Duration: 2 mins
In February, the mountain bike community was shocked and saddened by the news that Kelly McGarry — the fearless and deeply talented Kiwi freerider who was known as McGazza — passed away after collapsing on a ride at the age of 33. Mountainfilm will honor the memory of the great rider with this GoPro video that shows, firsthand, his prowess.
Heavens 11
2016 USA / Duration: 7 mins / Directed by: Wes Coughlin
Matthias Giraud — aka Super Frenchie — is a pro skier and BASE jumper who was the first person to ski BASE the Matterhorn. Six years ago, he skied off of Ingram Peak in Telluride and returned to do the same on the Heavens Eleven in 2016. The line, which can be seen from the top of Lift 9, features a narrow, rocky, hairy descent, made even more so when the egress of choice is flying. Local filmmaker Brett Schreckengost worked on this film and local skier Herb Manning guided Giraud into the Elevens.
One of Those Days 3
2016 France / Duration: 5 mins / Directed by: Candide Thovex
A manhunt is underway in the Alps to arrest French skier Candide Thovex. His crime? Where do we start? Dude skis over a helicopter, into camera vans, hits trees, interrupts races and busts through barns.
Angel Collinson Annihilates Alaska
2015 USA / Duration: 4 mins / Directed by: Teton Gravity Research
In 2015, Angel Collinson won the award for the Best Female Freeride Performance at the International Freeskiing Film Festival. It’s not hard to see why: She’s fast, fierce and can send it with the best of them. The spines of Alaska don’t stand a chance against her.
Guest Speaker
Sierra Quitiquit, extreme skier and the subject of the film Sierra Quitiquit: How Did I Get Here
