Courtesy/PEEC

PEEC News:

The Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) and the Reel Deal Theater are teaming up to bring the popular Backcountry Film Festival to Los Alamos for the fifth year in a row.

Produced by the Boise-based nonprofit Winter Wildlands Alliance, the touring Backcountry Film Festival will make its way to more than 100 locations around the world. The screening at the Reel Deal at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21 will be the only one in New Mexico.

The Pajarito Brewpub will sell beer and wine before the show and at intermission. Also at intermission, PEEC will raffle prizes donated by local businesses and national sponsors. Prizes include gift cards from the Los Alamos Co+op Market, cool camping gear from CB FOX, Hydro Flask growlers from Fusion Multisport, gift cards from Smith’s, skis from Pajarito Brewpub, a daypack from REI, and outdoor items from national sponsors. Raffle tickets will be sold before the show.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Reel Deal Theater for $12, or at the door on the day of the show for $15. As in years past, the film festival is expected to sell out, so it is recommended to purchase tickets in advance.

The Backcountry Film Festival is renowned for its mix of professional and grassroots films – from well-known filmmakers who search backcountry corners across the globe to submit their best work, to first-timers who take a video camera out on their weekend excursions. This year’s program features the following nine short films, aimed to inspire winter adventurers to seek the snow less traveled:

• Winner of Best of Festival, Japan by Van immerses us in the head-deep powder of the Shirakawa backcountry. A Sweetgrass Productions film.
• Winner of Best of Grassroots Award, Shared Lines features the story of Vermont Backcountry Alliance and their community in a short film by T-Bar Films.
• Winner of Best Environmental Message Award, from filmmaker Kt Miller, Shifting Ice is an all-women team on a journey at the intersection of scientific exploration and, of course, grueling fun.
• The Weight of Winter, filmmaker Ben Sturgulewski brings us a ride to tune in, sit back, and enjoy.
• I Love Splitboarding, a fresh way to play in the backcountry along with a fresh way of living. A film by Right on Brother opens up the world of splitboarding.
• 55 Hours in Mexico, in true tribute to weekend warriors, Joey, Karl, Thomas, and filmmaker Max Lowe take us on an adventure of 55 Hours in Mexico.
• Always Above Us, gives us a glimpse of the tremendous amount of sacrifice and hardship involved in the life of a climber. Sherpas Cinema follows Kris Erickson and Conrad Anker in a memoir for David Bridges and Alex Lowe.
• Connections, the Dynafit team shares the story of the simple “low tech” design that changed the face of backcountry skiing.
• The Forecaster, expert Avalanche Forecaster Drew Hardesty leads by example, paying respect to the responsibility that comes with our backcountry freedom. From Spindle Productions.

For more information about the Backcountry Film Festival and the tour, visit www.backcountryfilmfestival.org. To learn about the local screening, visit www.PajaritoEEC.org.

PEEC was founded in 2000 to serve the community of Los Alamos. It offers people of all ages a way to enrich their lives by strengthening their connections to our canyons, mesas, mountains, and skies. PEEC operates the Los Alamos Nature Center at 2600 Canyon Road, holds regular programs and events, and hosts a number of interest groups from birding to hiking to butterfly watching. PEEC activities are open to everyone; however, members receive exclusive benefits such as discounts on programs and merchandise. Annual memberships start at $35. To learn more, visit www.peecnature.org.