NOOOOOO! I’m almost out! My Sunforgettable Powder Brush Sunscreen from Colorescience is a must-have for any outdoors girl and now it’s running low. Ugh. Those lotion sunscreens you put on in the morning, under your makeup or even the foundations with an SPF in it, don’t last all day; yet I’m so vain about going barefaced that once I put on my makeup I’m hesitant to reapply sunscreen those two-three hours later. I’m afraid I’ll wipe everything off and I can’t lug my makeup bag around the hill with me. Vanity wins over protection.
Why Not Lather Up
In the summer, I’m not a poolside kind of woman gal and my regular sunscreen can last during a short hike or climb, plus I’m usually in the shade. Skiing is a whole different ballgame. As an instructor, I’m forced to be in the sun for seven hours sometimes; no hat and few potty stops to even check that there’s no zinc oxide standing out on the side of my nose. That’s the worst. It’s like having food stuck in your teeth and no one tells you.
The SPF 50 tube of mineral powder was a Godsend. Time for sun protection? Swipe swipe swipe and I’m good to go. I don’t need a mirror or buddy to use it and the brush is so soft that it doesn’t affect my makeup ‘job’.
How Colorescience Mineral Sunscreen Works
The water-resistant powdered zinc oxide and titanium dioxide not only provide hypoallergenic sun protection but light coverage to help smooth imperfections. The uber-soft brush, casing and ingredients lasted me through the last winter- which is when I need it the most; even with multiple daily applications. It’s super portable at 4.5 inches long and the plastic is durable. Not one crack or issue with the refillable casing despite some hard falls. The clear bottom is handy so that you can see when you’re running out and not be left high and dry on top of a mountain.
With ski season here it’s time to save up for a refill. Or better, crush up your favorite mineral foundation/sunscreen and pour it into the chamber.
Nearly every day I see posts on the Utah Filmmakers’ page and various other casting spots-
CASTING- Short film to be submitted to film festivals. Unpaid. “Craft services” will be provided.
So you read between the lines. Someone’s passion project that maybe has enough $$ to pay for post production and some festival entry fees and probably won’t make it beyond the LDS or LA online film festivals. But, still, there is that carrot. Maybe my film will make it into Sundance.
The Sundance Film Festival is regarded as the largest American independent film festival in the land; attended by more than 120,000 people and 1,300 accredited press. Broadcast world wide on TV and Youtube. And every filmmaker seems to think they have a “Sundance film.”
This year, Sundance organizers sifted through a record-breaking 15,100 submissions including 3,853 feature-length films and 10,397 short film submissions. Guess how many are chosen to screen? 118 feature-length films and 74 shorts. I’m not a whiz at math but 74 out of 10k seems like nasty odds to me.
Don’t let that stop you. Why not strike out for the Holy Grail? Crazier things have been known to happen. I had an editor once tell me that I should write as if I’m going to enter the article into a competition. Translation: Give it your all even if you have a snowflake’s shot in hell.
In two weeks, the Sundance Film Festival will bombard little Park City, Utah, and those in the film industry, press and general public will have a chance to see what “giving it your all” looks like to Fest organizers. To be honest, I’ve seen a lot of terrible films at Sundance. One in particular involved seeing Dennis Hopper in full frontal. No one should ever have to see that. But I’ve also seen gems like High Tension, Marjorie Prime, Winter’s Bone, Garden State, Whiplash, Reservoir Dogs, Memento, Before Sunrise. Sorry, Napoleon Dynamite fans. Not my fave. See? Here’s the thing. One girl’s dog is another’s diamond.
Is Sundance Worth the Hype
People come to Sundance for a thousand different reasons.
Invited filmmakers obviously come for the accolades, to sell their babies and network with those who can further their career. They have the honor of walking a red carpet, seeing their film play out onscreen in front of a packed house of press, cinephiles and distributors and they get to party like they’re Prince in 1999.
Distributors come for that “first look” and set up frantic phone calls and meetings at all hours during the Fest, deciding whether to snag a film and have it announced to the world right then and there.
Festival Sponsors and Brands spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to get their name and message in front of those 120,000. Dell, Stella Artois, AT&T, Acura, Lyft, Chase Sapphire are some of the “official sponsors” but then there are the “unofficial ones” who save serious $$$ and piggy back on the parade by hosting their own lounges and parties along Main Street and off. Brands like Grey Goose, LegionM, Google, Sony, National Geographic, ICM work their magic for celeb and industry attention but more on the sly. Who could forget when Uber tried to have a private launch pad within city limits for a VIP helicopter. Their events are primarily “VIP only” while most of the official Sundance sponsors welcome the general public.
The circle completes with print and online media who not only benefit financially from the interviews, panels and red carpet walks by the filmmakers but also establish key relationships with brand sponsors who might shower them with swag to write about or endorse their future projects.
Where Do You Fit In
You’re not a brand, a journalist or invited filmmaker so what’s in it for you? The average Joe may attend Sundance to catch a peek of their favorite actor, see a film before anyone else, hear some of the best live music in Utah at various venues up and down Main, take a virtual test spin in an Acura, participate in giveaways, grab a free beer at the Canada Goose Basecamp happy hours and just take in the Hollywood scene. If you wind up talking to the right crowd you might even get invited to one of those late night VIP parties. My boyfriend was friends with bouncers all over town and they would let us in while others lined up for hours.
Or maybe you are a nascent actor, screenwriter or director looking to meet someone to further your career dreams? Let me tell you an anecdote. Prior to the Fest, I was handed a brilliant script to peddle that would have been a killer vehicle for my daughter as the lead and, of course, a “Sundance film”. Despite meeting agents, producers, directors, and other writers, not a single one read that script. Ever. You don’t go to Sundance hoping to be discovered. These industry folk have better things to do with their limited Sundance time.
Why I Do Sundance
I often dream that one day either my daughter or I will have a film that premieres at Sundance, not because we’ll be “seen”, be handed larger roles, or walk through town laden with shopping bags teeming with swag. Because we would get to explore Sundance as a whole other dimension. It seems like such a brilliant world.
But that isn’t why I go. I grew up in Los Angeles and moved to Utah in 1990. Once a year, I get a little taste of home. The long lines for film premieres, the Q and As with filmmakers, paparazzi/celeb sightings, coffee with an old friend, the showcasing of latest trends, the sting of gridlock traffic and the joy of knowing the circus leaves at the end of the month. For two weeks out of the year, Park City turns into little Hollywood. It’s pretty f*^%ing cool.
River surfing is a thing. Really. I wasn’t much of an ocean surfer because of the obvious- hard to paddle out, sharks, reefs, and I don’t live near the sea. But that hasn’t stopped river runners like Gannet Horn from finding his wave.
River Surfer – an unassuming, simple, and community-oriented short doc produced by and promoted through ROAM- captures the heart of one man’s thrill of surfing whitewater. He’s not the only one, of course, as kayakers and standup paddlers have found new ways to play in the river. But you can get a taste of the “why” from watching this beautiful little short.
If you want to learn more about Gannett check out his interview here.
You planned your ski trip months ago; penned it into your calendar and swore you would start that pre-season ski conditioning back in August to be ready for five days of five+ hours on the hill. Where did the time go? You’re here already and it’s too late…
or is it?
Ski Conditioning
For those who show up to the mountain sans uber fit, although this isn’t ideal, you’re not a lost cause or prime candidate for soreness and injuries.
According to certified fitness coach and two-time Olympic mogul athlete Jillian Vogtli, if the fluffy flakes are already flying and you haven’t made the time to make your fitness a priority, don’t punish yourself – emotionally and physically. And don’t “hit it hard” assuming you’ll just have to ski yourself into shape, muscle tweaks be damned. You can do things to ease your way into your winter folly.
Hydration
It starts with water. More important than that first gym workout, consider hydration. Water helps you adjust to the altitude and dry mountain clime so you won’t miss that first ski day nursing a pounding headache.
BTW, if you would rather not ski around with a large plastic water bottle, scope out the snack shacks and restaurants on the mountain at the start of your day so you know exactly where to grab a sip.
Prep For Altitude
Steer away from or cut down on the caffeine, alcohol and hot tubs. Instead, take a brisk hike or snowshoe to get the blood flowing or hop on a gym bike before suiting up for the day. When you pedal, use the full stroke so as to target both quads and hamstrings.
If you have more time, take a total body conditioning or Pilates class for core, hip and glute strength. “Many people see skiing as a lower body sport and think of it being all quadriceps,” says Vogtli. “I cannot emphasize enough the importance of core (abdominals, obliques and back strength), strong glutes (butt) and abductors/adductors (inner and outer thigh).”
Don’t look at it is as “exercise”. Look out the windows and take in the beautiful Park City views; enjoy the moment. Appreciate the sense of doing as the locals do.
Next, make sure you stretch in your hotel room or gym before your first run and after your last. It will keep you from stiffening up.
DIY Ski Workout
Do these tried-and-true exercises throughout your season if you hate gyms or don’t have one handy-
Lunge variations. Straight out, straight back, to the sides. Focus on a tall upper body with your knee tracking above your toes.
Photo by Rance Costa/Global Fitness Media
Plank variations. Balance on forearms, straight arms, lifting arm and leg together (i.e., right arm/left leg), side planks.
And don’t forget to stretch!
Jillian Vogtli is a Two Time Olympian in the sport of skiing and a Certified Fitness & Wellness Coach. For additional information and coaching, contact her at www.jillianvfitness.com
I have a secret. It’s more like a confession. I always wanted to be a ski model. I began taking ski lessons when I was 6 and because my family had a condo in Mammoth Mountain, Calif., we skied at least 20 days a season. I grew up idolizing those iconic skiers of the 90s and wishing I too had a cover shot in Powder or Skiing.
One day, while living and working in Aspen, Colo., I spied a group of one-piece clad chicks waiting on top of a mound of snow for a photographer below to signal to them. I watched them turn. They all sucked. So I skied up to the shooter and introduced myself. Soon I was hiking in a one-piece at 7 a.m. to get that perfect shot.
And I actually did it; convinced professional photographers to take my picture skiing; for a little bit. I did everything I could to meet the top sports action photographers in Utah and convince them to shoot me. After all, they didn’t have to pay me (it’s rare that a photographer pays their ski models) and I was willing to show up at first light and hike my butt off for that one turn wonder. I had a fun attitude, a decent sense of humor and a flexible schedule. Plus I was reliable. All I asked for were copies of the shoot (which most of the time I didn’t get). Some refused to even return my calls but a handful were terrific humans.
Back in the day… photo by Mark Maziarz
I was able to work with some amazing brands like Head and Obermeyer. But there was a little voice that made me feel like I was chasing a cab that didn’t notice my wave. Who was I kidding? I am a “pretty skier” but every time I had to step up for a blind launch off a cornice or wiggle through tight, steep trees, my stomach turned over. I feared that those around me would notice and that those not-so pretty skiers next to me took better pictures than I because they had bigger ugly balls. Still, I kept at it. I even wound up on a cover on #SnowcountryMagazine that my mom had permaplaqued. I got free gear, made great friends (Rich Cheski, Sherri Harkin, Rachael Hodson) but after 10 years, it was still me hustling and hucking for no pay and no workers comp. I would wake up at 6 in the morning, check to see if the skies were blue and call down my list of photographers to see if they were going out to shoot. I would head out before the lifts opened, suit up in the clothes and gear that were given to me, hike (a lot), make a turn or two for the camera, then hike back to the spot and do it again. Be done by lunch. I had routinely given up epic powder days for this.
Photo by Ryan Freitas
Dreams Change
Then one day a light bulb went on. How could I be depressed about skiing every sunny day? I had begun to doubt my talent. I needed a photog to want to shoot me to prove to myself that I was a good skier! If I heard that other people were shooting but no one called me, it hurt my feelings. Fomo would set in.
And just like that I stopped making those phone calls, hunting for outside validation, and trying to stroke my ego. Instead, I focused on sharing my passion with others through writing and teaching; I nailed my PSIA level 3 cert. Bluebird days were for skiing not shooting. I didn’t go home deflated or sore. I went home knowing that I had a little money in the bank and had turned more people into skiers. I loved skiing again.
[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/-HWrTnBr8tM”]
Ski Model FOMO Still Exists
I wish I could say that I don’t care if I ever shoot. But the truth is, I enjoy being in front of the camera whether it’s on the hill or on set. I’m sure I’ll throw a mini pity party for myself if I miss out. Operative word being ‘mini’. I don’t have to have it all. Or at least I remind myself of that. LOL.
When something you love starts twisting you up inside and the long game doesn’t exist, you evolve. You aren’t quitting on a dream, you’re just realizing that your dream was flawed and needs tweaking.
Yesterday, while wrapping up a lesson at the base of Park City Mountain, a woman skied past me and said, “I just loved watching you in the bumps off Thaynes.” The irony was that I didn’t know anyone was watching me. I was just doing my thing and loving every minute of it.
