Category Archives: Scene

The Mountains by Denis Barbas

People are always asking me “Why are you always in the mountains? Don’t you get tired of it?” Hope this videos answers that question and explains why extreme adventurers do what they do and what the mountains mean to them.

Music from – https://bit.ly/3yhoLw6 Cinematic Luts – https://denisbarbas.gumroad.com/l/ZTBlX DJI Mavic 3 Cinematic Luts – https://bit.ly/3AQTov0 Vintage Film Overlays – https://bit.ly/34Sag93 Mobile Cinematic Luts – https://denisbarbas.gumroad.com/l/XewYR

Utah’s Big Gear Show Concludes

big gear show overlook

And that’s a wrap for the second annual (?) Big Gear Show. The outside off shoot that sprung up at Deer Valley last year after the Outdoor Retailer Show in Denver drove major outdoors brands to flee the Colorado Convention Center is starting to find its footing. Even more brands than last year turned out to appreciate the ability to connect with outdoor shop buyers and media.

big gear show booths

Brands like Mountain Hardwear and Black Diamond joined more than 200 gear manufacturers in the lower parking lot of Deer Valley to showcase their 2023 lines to prospective and current retailers. It was an opportunity not only to see what will be in stores like REI and Sportsmans Warehouse but to feel them as well. You could demo trail running shoes from Adidas by jogging the singletrack above the Lodges, take eBikes to Main Street or float a kayak in the Deer Valley pond. Paddle brands like Aquaglide and Solstice settled along the edge of the water just like in days past when the Utah Outdoor Retailer Show hosted their “demo day” at Pineview Reservoir.

deer valley pond

Attendees to this year’s BGS noted the relaxed atmosphere, the bigger selection of gear brands over the inaugural year and the congruency of hosting an outdoors experience outdoors instead of in a convention center. It certainly wasn’t busier than the ghost-like aisles of the OR convention but organizers are taking feedback and making changes to move in that direction. Parking, however, could be an issue in the future if that happens. This year, the lots of DV filled up by 10 a.m. and people took to the sides of public streets.

Several Utah-connected brands made a showing for the two-day event including Camp Chef, Petzl, Magnum Bikes, Uncharted Supply Company, Hydrapak, Goal Zero, Liberty Mountain, Scott Sports, POC, Klymit, Peak Refuel, Black Diamond Equipment, Chums. Missing from the roster though were Altra, Lowa Boots, Coalatree, Kuhl, Cotopaxi, Gregory Mountain Products, Lizard Skins, Lone Peak Packs, Cypher Climbing, and Salomon.

utah beer at the big gear show

Like the OR Show demo day (which is coming back to Utah this January!), the Big Gear Show gives attendees that hands-on session with the brands. We took a sunrise trail run with Uncharted Supply Co’s Christian Schauf and Utah Olympic Nordic gold medalist Billy Demong off Guardsman’s Pass to test Uncharted’s Park Pack hip back and hiked to DV’s Royal Street Cafe with wearing Mountain Hardwear’s butter-soft Crater Lake Tank and Scarpa’s Ribelle Run trail runners.

scarpa trail running shoes

No one’s pontificating on the future of the BGS now that the OR is returning but those who attended seemed to enjoy the slower pace, the less-hurried meets with buyer and the mountain breezes wiggling their tents. I do have to say that for an outdoor event I was sadly sunburned after expecting at least a dozen sunscreen brands to attend and not a one could be found. Really, Guys, how can you play outside without sunscreen? Perhaps next year.

Ski Play Live TV at the Big Gear Show

Let’s meet some of the brands who attended-

High West’s Dead Man’s Boot

deadmans boot cocktail

There are two drinks in Park City I dream about. One is Pimp My Ride from Billy Blanco’s and the other is courtesy of High West Distillery. These days, however, between the tourists and the bougie waitstaff, it’s impossible to get a table at High West or even a seat at the bar.

So now I make the Dead Man’s Boot at home…and you can too.

DEAD MAN’S BOOT

1.5 oz Double Rye! (or whatever your favorite whiskey)
1 oz Reposado Tequila
0.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice
0.5 oz Simple Syrup
Fever Tree Ginger Beer
Lime Wedge Garnish

Add all ingredients except ginger beer in a cocktail shaker. Add chip ice, shake, strain over ice, and top with ginger beer. Garnish with a lime wedge. 

Watch it being made at 1:10-

Rare Enough Short Documentary

Rare Enough Short

“Do yourself a favor and take 12 minutes to watch Rare Enough. A short story of @djaystewart, as he battles the unimaginable while finding joy through friends, family and skateboarding,” Tony Hawk.

Imagine having your life be everything you always dreamed. New wife, new house, great job, good friends and an athletic life.

All of the sudden, darkness washes over you.

Groggy, you wake up in a hospital bed. The doctor walks in and says that you had a seizure, you have brain cancer and 13 months to live.

That’s what happened to DJ Stewart in May of 2019. Skateboarder, business owner, husband, friend, family man, and overall life enthusiast, DJ was living the dream with a lot of life ahead of him. That was until the unthinkable occurred.

RARE ENOUGH— a short documentary directed by Ryan Lovell—takes you on an intimate journey through DJ’s story with DJ himself in the driver’s seat.

From his initial diagnosis to countless treatments, this visually compelling film documents how DJ’s attitude, friendships, and the Kansas City community are helping him beat the unbeatable.



Directed by Ryan Lovell
Director of Photograhpy: Chris Durr
Editor: Ben Kaplan
Sound Design: Ben Kaplan and Connor Birch
Audio Mix: Connor Birch
Audio Post Production: The Post Haus
Colorist: Matthew Filipek
Key Grip: Pat Monroe
Camera Operators: Tyler Krupski & Shawn Wright
Art Department: Cory Hinesley
First AC: Evan Wunsch
Main Title Design: Mitch Durr

38th Sundance Film Festival Off To A Rocky Start

38th Sundance Web Page

It may be Day Three but there’s still plenty of time to get in on the Sundance Film Festival game. Unlike the in-person experience where everything is sold out months in advance and people wait hours in a freezing-cold standby line, hoping package holders don’t show up for a particular screening, the online or “virtual” Sundance Film Fest is the ultimate version of “inclusive”. No matter where you live, your socio economic status or the company you keep, the only thing holding anyone back from watching a Sundance flick will be their tech savviness.

Only Buffers a Few Times

The complaints and drama abound regarding the 38th Annual Sundance Film Festival. In an effort to “do the right thing”, organizers killed the live part and went virtual without much notice. The technology was in place thanks to last year’s Covid chaos but visitors expecting to finally travel to Park City, Utah, for January had purchased ticket packages upwards of $750 for live screenings and events that would not happen. Sundance’s response to the request for refunds was to thank everyone for their donation; leaving people with only one option – rage on Facebook and dispute the charges with their credit card companies.

Then there was the automatic cancelling of everyone’s ticket selections (including thoses who only had online tickets) in order to transition to their online platform and forcing everyone to start anew. Because the live screenings moved to virtual, there was shuffling to be done and it wouldn’t be fair to make those with live tickets have to take the leftovers.

Another issue that was immediately apparent were the struggles older generations faced trying to link computers to smart TVs. Sundance developed a Festival app that, if you could understand the instructions, was fairly easy to download, connect to your account and stream all of your selections on Roku, FireTV, etc. Your movies sit on a screen of thumbnails and switch from “coming soon” to “renting” as soon as they hit their screening time. However, many took to Facebook to complain about not getting pin codes, not finding their films after the setup, or having their movie stop mid-play and getting kicked out of the app. It did happen once to me but I was able to immediately return to my film where it left off. Another bonus is the ability to pause to grab a snack or use the bathroom.

Taking Your Online Picks

If you’ve done it once, you can do it again. With my former selections in hand, I easily navigated to my first choices and selected them all over again. Thanks to increased bandwidth, only a handful of films are now sold out – like the three awesome movies I’ve seen so far (The Worst Person in the World, Call Jane, Fresh) and the Sundance team is holding out on the Best of Fest tickets until later in the week so those might be available to watch then. If you want to watch a Sundance film it’s entirely possible.

Single Ticket Prices For Sundance Films

It’s a pricey $20 ($15 for Utahns) to screen one Sundance film from your couch but invite five friends and it suddenly makes sense. Have them buy the cocktails, popcorn or pizza and it’s a better deal than the theater. The only differences between a Premiere ticket and a second screening ticket is that you have a shorter window to watch your movie (three-hour window vs. 24-hour window) and the chance to participate in a 30-minute live Q and A after the premiere. But because these live chats can only be viewed on a computer and, let’s be real, we all would rather toss to a 55″, you’re better off going for the second screening tickets where you have more flexibility to see the movie and you can watch the replay of the Q and A for free later if you want. For example, I watched Call Jane and a few hours later, I opened up my computer, surfed to the film description and clicked “watch the Q and A replay”. BTW, these recorded Q&As are available to all and not just ticket holders.

You can also purchase a Day Pass, $75, and watch movies until your brain explodes or the day ends; whichever comes first. The Explorer Pass ($25) will get you access to the short films, the New Frontier and three of the Indie Series programs.

See Sundance Films In Theaters

Twenty cities including Salt Lake City are planning in-person ‘satellite’ screenings. If you want a pseudo Sundance experience check out this list of live events to see if there’s a theater near you.

What’s Free At the Sundance Film Festival

There are so many ways to check in with Sundance, the movies and the filmmakers for free. Navigate here to see what’s on tap for any particular day. Sundance does a How to Fest Daily with Festival Director Tabitha Jackson at 10 a.m. MST presented by Acura. There are Daily Recap Videos presented by Adobe, and the highlights of what happened the day before all on Sundance’s YouTube Channel. In case you missed it, be sure to watch the Robert Redford 2022 Festival Welcome.

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