At the start of every winter, the top ski action filmmakers like Warren Miller and TGR bust out their latest homage to Ullr. Sponsored pro athletes travel the world in search of epic lines and bravado for the camera. What we audiences of enthusiastic recreational skiers don’t see is the pain and turbulence behind those lines.
For nearly every stuck landing are multiple fails that are never seen. Talented editors make those athletes look like superheroes of the slopes. Well, Matchstick Productions compiled this little reel of crashes, slams and tomahawks from their latest ski porn- Return to Send’er. They remind us that everyone’s human. These guys just have superhuman balls…and rubber limbs.
I’m coming out this season! My best friend in Washington texted. It had been nearly 10 years since we had skied together as instructors at Deer Valley Resort. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take all the credit for this spontaneous announcement.
Since 1998, Ski Utah has been inviting 5th graders to its slopes for next-to-nothing and Jada was finally in 5th grade. Krista wanted to show her daughter what Utah skiing was all about and what better way than with FREE skiing? Well, practically free.
For $49 and the five minutes it takes to fill out the online form, Jada could ski three times at all 15 resorts.* That’s basically $1/ticket. And for one week, we took advantage of every day starting with Deer Valley, moving to Solitude, Canyons, Snowbird, Alta, Brighton and Snowbasin.
Her mom, a high school teacher, does her best to groom her kids to be skiers but resources are finite. With the Passport, it was cheaper to make the drive to Utah, stay with me and ski, than go anywhere else. Plus, let’s be honest. Where else would she have this kind of fun in March? The snow was deep, the sun high and the apres in full swing. When they packed up the car for home, plans were already growing for the next year because Ski Utah also has a Sixth Grade Passport.
Sixth Graders Too
Whether you missed participating in the Fifth Grade Passport, Ski Utah invites Sixth Graders back to keep skiing on the cheap. This time around, however, they’ll get one day (instead of three) at 15 Utah resorts for $49.
The kicker is that both Passports are available to any child in the world, throughout the ski season. Home schoolers can also register. Plus, the Pass comes with extra perks for parents since they are the ones getting the kids to the slopes. Contact the individual resorts to learn more. mong those are free buddy passes to Powder Mountain and half-off at Alta and Cherry Peak, and $50 tickets to Brighton. They also rental and lesson perks throughout Utah.
With the prices of everything involved with a ski vacation reaching maximum velocity, the Passport is a golden ring for ski families. I can’t tell you how often I hear that people quit skiing because it costs too much. But then I mention the Passport and their eyes light up. My kids can ski and I don’t have to forgo next month’s groceries? The Snowsports Industries of America actually report that more kids ski and keep skiing because of the Pass.
The Theory Behind The Ski Passport
The idea is simple. Winter is long, especially in Utah. One of the best ways to keep children engaged is to get them outside and moving. Studies show that kids between the ages of 10 and 12 begin to find their passion for skiing because they are ready for more complex sports. They have the motor skills and cognitive ability to explore movements and mountains.
In addition, children this age are also at a crossroads for mental and physical health. Do they sit inside playing video games and smartphone apps or do they embrace something healthier and active? Get them active now and they will be active as adults.
You Don’t Need To Live in Utah
Let’s say it again. If you are considering a winter trip and you have fifth and sixth graders in your midst, a Utah visit is a no brainer. The Fifth and Sixth Grade Passport pays for itself in a single day. You apply online, upload a current photo of the fifth or sixth grader and use your credit card to complete your transaction. You’ll get confirmation within 24-48 hours and can use it immediately after.
How You Know What You’ve Skied
This year’s Passport is completely digital from registration to tracking. See where you’ve gone and what resorts remain to be ridden through your online portal. Chances are you’ll have enough days left for a second vacation.
I’ll probably need to find another reason to get Krista and her family out to Utah now that Jada’s in high school but soon she’ll be in college and Krista can come by herself again.
This kind of makes me sad. You know how you look at your kids and wish they stayed little forever? College. Wow. Ski Utah gives you one more reason to wish they never grow up.
Find more information and to get your kid registered for the Ski Utah Fifth and Sixth Grade Passport go to www.skiutah.com/passes/passports.
*Deer Valley, Solitude, Park City, Alta, Snowbird, Cherry Peak, Snowbasin, Powder Mountain, Sundance, Brighton, Nordic Valley, Eagle Mountain, Beaver, Brian Head, Woodward Park City
Blackout dates exist for holidays and weekends during the 2020/21 season due to Covid restrictions. But you can still use the pass during spring break!
Disclaimer: Although this post is sponsored by Ski Utah, the words and opinions are solely those of Ski Play Live.
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.
