Jill Adler, Author at Ski Play Live

Author Archives: Jill Adler

Yellowstone To Make List of Films in Utah

Jill Adler 2 comments

All it took was one Facebook post. A camera person in Utah wanting to know the status and contact info for one of the new films in Utah. My ears perked. Since Andi Mack, Westworld and Mosaic wrapped, the industry here has been incredibly slow. As a local actor all you want to do is audition and book, and when the well feels dry, like a lost soul in the desert, you crawl towards any drop of water you can find. Yellowstone, however, is a swimming pool.

New Television Series Films In Utah

Perhaps it’s just a rumor. There’s no mention of this Paramount Network/Viacom project coming to Utah. But then several of my film crew buddies already have it on their radar.

BTW, if you’re just now tuning into the film industry in Utah let me explain that we might not be Atlanta and the source of all things undead but we’re no small potatoes either. With a solid talent pool, stable, professional crew, easy airport/travel access, phenomenal seasonal weather, locations from wild west to upscale city, a film incentive, non-union status and welcoming locals, Utah should be the place. This year alone, you can watch the critically acclaimed features Wind River and Brigsby Bear; laugh and scream to the awesome Snatchers TV series playing on Stage13’s Go90.com Channel; your tweens will beg for more Andi Mack, replay Westworld on HBOGo, and though you may have missed ABC’s Blood and Oil because of crappy reviews, it was actually pretty decent.

By Eagerbeaver198484

Luke Grimes was just announced to star opposite Kevin Costner in Yellowstone. Needless to say that not only is Utah abuzz, Hollywood is tittering too. The Paramount Network Mega-western almost sounds like a reboot of Blood and Oil with a much bigger cast and writer (Award-winning Taylor Sheridan). Here’s the logline: an intense study of a violent world far from media scrutiny — where land grabs make developers billions, and politicians are bought and sold by the world’s largest oil and lumber corporations. Where drinking water poisoned by fracking wells and unsolved murders are not news: they are a consequence of living in the new frontier.

The scene is set in Montana, not North Dakota like B&O. But the actual filming location for both is Utah! There are ruthless land developers, Indians, and America’s first national park. Costner will play John Dutton, who controls the largest contiguous ranch in the U.S., Grimes plays his youngest son, Cory. (Wonder if John has grandkids? Teehee.)

“The show is both timely and timeless. As much as it explores themes painfully relevant to the world today, it explores the very essence of family, and how the actions of one member can alter the course of generations,” Sheridan told the Hollywood Reporter.

Taylor Sheridan’s Role

Sheridan will write and direct the 10-episode season of Yellowstone and everyone is chomping at the bit for a read. His credits include Sicario and Wind River. He’s also an actor which means he’s an “actor’s director.” John and Art Linson (Sons of Anarchy, Fight Club, Heat) will exec produce alongside the Weinstein Co.’s Harvey Weinstein and David Glasser. We’re talking heavy hitters in the film world.

Yellowstone begins production in the fall and has a 2018 premiere slot on Paramount Network (the rebranded Spike TV Channel). No word yet on locals’ casting but here some info if you’d like to be an extra.

Film

Weber River Tubing Beats the Heat

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It was like 100 degrees out, no shade, and my sister was visiting from California to beat the heat. Ha. Still, I was determined to show my citified Los Angeles sis a good Utah time- outdoor style. The river called and we answered, “Hello, River tubing.”

My mind’s eye flashed on the sign at the Taggart exit off I-84. “Park City Rafting”. The water was too low and too calm for rafting but tubing….now there’s an idea. We hopped back on the freeway and got off at Morgan. We had an appointment with Barefoot Tubing, PC Rafting’s sister company. It was noon, the sun high and guests were starting to trickle in. We signed our waivers, grabbed vests, sunscreen, hats and boarded the shuttle for the Henefer put-in.

I had heard of tubing on the Weber and it was on my bucket list. I had kayaked, er, swam it twice but maybe in a giant rubber ring things would be different.

They were. I easily navigated the rocks in the rock garden, the small class II rapids and the shrubbery at river’s edge. We floated flatwater and waves, under bridges, around rocks, and through tunnels.

When you sign up, you have a choice of the two-hour Henefer to Taggart section, the two-hour Taggart to Morgan stretch ($25/pp) or the four-hour Henefer to Morgan journey ($35). I could see four hours if we packed a picnic and a cooler but since this was a spontaneous adventure, two hours were perfect. Julie was a tad anxious. The most activity she gets is Yoga. But if my 9-year-old daughter was going, so was my 49-year-old sister.

Sage shared Ryan’s tube and the girls went solo. Though Julie got tossed from her tube a couple of times she continued on; never afraid for her life. There are several spots where she could get off the river and give up if fear set in. She seemed eager to push herself. The instructions are simple. Keep your feet flexed and ready to push off rocks if you get close, don’t try to stand in the water if you fall in (you could trap your ankle in the river rock), just maintain the same position you had in the tube, hold onto your tube, and swim to the river bank to get back into your tube.

The water cooled our sun stroked limbs and with each short splash, we got that rush that makes you squeal and smile. My sister laughed too. To Sage and me it was another outdoors day in Utah. To Julie, it was surreal. Her version of adventure is traffic on the 405. Hanging with my sis was like when you experience something through the eyes of an innocent baby; it reminded me why I love the mountains. We get spoiled with what we have here and often take it for granted. A special thanks to Barefoot and Julie for refreshing my attitude and body on a hot Utah summer day.

Adventure

Outfound Series in Oregon Finds Its Outdoor Voice

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There’s a new three-day festival coming to Hood River next week and if you love playing in the outdoors and think you maybe, could, really wanna try making a living doing what you love, you just might want to head to Oregon for the inaugural Outfound Festival, June 9-11.

Event Organizer Antonio Aransaenz did exactly what he’s offering to attendees. The native New Yorker with a background in event planning decided he loved the outdoors so much, why not create a space for like-minded outdoorsy types to meet up, play and engage in their passion.

Aranasaenz likes to say his new baby Outfound is SXSW for the outdoors. Just like in filmmaking and music, “there are so many innovative and passionate people in the outdoor world, and with OUTFOUND we set out to create a festival that brings them all together. That just can’t happen at a traditional trade show or expo event,” said Aransaenz. “There’s a push in the outdoor industry for more authentic experiences and opportunities where people can really connect and hear the stories behind adventures and products.”

The Outfound Festival will encourage that dialogue while also offering a lot of playtime kiteboarding, climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, SUPing, and more. “It’s a hands-on experience where you are in this outdoor venue along the Columbia River Gorge. Brands can meet directly with consumers…network, have a myriad of activities at your fingertips whether it’s networking, outdoors or entertainment focused.”

If your idea of roughing it is a three-star hotel, Outfound Festival isn’t for you.

The Outfound Festival is the only event of its kind. From the looks of the schedule, it’s a bit more than a sports fest for athletes. There are games, a speaker series of outdoors professionals, music, movies, workshops like VanLife, Feeding The Hungry Hiker and Yoga and a pitch competition like Shark Tank for outdoor ideas. There will also be an Expo: an adventure sports consumer show where brands showcase and demo their latest products. All of these activities take place on a scenic, 30-acre waterfront playground where most will camp.

“The people who get the most out of [Outfound] will be those inspired to network and leave with new friends and relationships,” said Aranasaenz. “We hope to give you ideas of where to start in the outdoor industry.”

But Aranasaenz still wanted to keep the recreational festival experience. “That’s why we kept it open to everyone,” he said. There are already 500 people signed up for the event and the special half-off promotion could double or triple those numbers fast. “We have tons of space. We’d like to see it become a yearly thing for Hood River and possibly roll it out to other places. “It’s really all about the experience and having fun and meeting new people in a fun creative way,”

OUTFOUND Series sports and outdoor innovation festival in Hood River, Oregon, runs from June 9 to 11, 2017. The half-off sale ends Sunday.

Confirmed Speakers:

_{– Bryan Pape (Founder Miir Water bottles)}

_{– Damien Leroy (Professional Kitesurfer/Waterman)}

_{– Sally Bergesen (Founder of Oiselle)}

_{– Kevin Rutherford (CEO of Nuun)}

_{– Mark Healey (Big wave surfer and conservationist)}

_{– Stephan Jacob (Co-Founder of Cotopaxi)}

_{– Alison Vercruysse (Founder of 18 Rabbits)}

_{– Bill Worthington (Founder of Olukai)}

_{– Joe Desena (Founder of Spartan Race)}

_{– Rex Burkholder (Scientist and Social Entrepreneur)}

_{– Cedar Wright (professional Nat Geo climber)}

_{– Steve Jones (Founder of Teton Gravity Research)}

_{– Jamie Danek (Founder of Humm Kombucha)}

_{– Rob Little (Founder of Cairn)}

_{– Boone Speed (pro photographer)}

Denver is NOT The Outdoor Retailer Answer

Jill Adler 16 comments

Outdoor industry executive leaders met last week and came up with the brilliant news that the Outdoor Retailer Show should be based in Denver. First off, big surprise. Not. With the SIA Snow Show and OR Winter Market merging for 2018 and beyond, it was just a matter of time before the newsies came out and said what we all knew was coming.

The board peeps like Beaver Theodosakis, PrAna, Kim Miller, SCARPA North America, Dan Nordstrom Outdoor Research, Casey Sheahan, Keen Footwear, Dawson Wheeler, Rock Creek Outfitters joined together to claim that the “long-term survival” of the OR show rests at the Colorado Convention Center.

For decades, the Snow Show and OR were the events for manufacturers to sign multi-thousand-dollar orders from retailers anxious to load up on next season’s skis, boards, boots, outerwear and accessories. But as purchasing dates moved up to November and December, a January Show became more of an expensive meet and greet and grumblings strayed toward the downfall of both shows.

The recent love for the Mile High City makes you wonder if Denver or the State of Colorado offered a sweetheart deal like the charity outreach they did to lure SIA away from Vegas. Rumor swirled that Denver offered to host the show for 10 years for free. The statement released on May 26, 2017, did mention “an aggressive package of economic incentives from the state of Colorado and the city of Denver” with workable dates available. The Snow Show was supposed to move to Dec. 5, 2017 but that isn’t happening for this winter season.*

Of course, it makes sense for Colorado to woo the outdoor industry. It puts heads in beds, generates at least a month’s worth of media exposure and floods the airport, highways, and restaurants. Who goes to Denver in the winter? Nobody. Visitors fly in and travel on to the various Colorado ski resorts…HOURS away. You can’t say the same for Salt Lake City. People STAY in Salt Lake to ski. When SIA hosts the on snow demo, folks have to book a second hotel stay at Copper Mountain; not the case during the OR On Snow.

The one thing OR had over the others was the enthusiasm and networking party. SIA had it in Vegas. Lost it in Denver. The folks that came to SLC may have bitched that they couldn’t find housing but no one complained about the powder or vibe. People came to the Show because they loved it, not necessarily because they sold gear that week. Hundreds stayed on, to ski or, in the summer, to play HARD. Again, you can drink great beer in Denver but the commute to outdoor play ain’t even close to what you get with a 20-minute drive from SLC.

Perhaps OR will bring that vibe to the Snow Show and Denver. Or perhaps, the reverse will happen and it’ll bring ‘em both down. At that point, the regional shows just may sprout and flourish.

Bustling hall of OREmpty hall of SIA

Trade shows are notoriously fragile. The SuperShow, Comdex, MAGIC, Action Sports Retailer have all crumbled. Many folks in the outdoor industry had been speculating for years about OR’s fate and that perhaps it would be supplanted with such regional shows where manufacturers and reps would meet with retailers specific to the market they were attending. It’s a more personalized approach and it makes sense from a buyer’s standpoint. (If you are a shop in the east, traveling west to meet for four days during peak shopping time is a hardship).

“There are many alternatives to participating in an expensive and time consuming show that falls at the end of the booking season. It would be foolhardy indeed to create additional reasons for participants to re-consider their options,” the OIA brain trusters threatened when talks about moving the Show to Las Vegas arose. If only those minds had visited Vegas for the SIA show when it was there for 37 YEARS.

VEGAS ROCKED! It was WAAAAY cheaper to fly to, stay at and party at. Sure, you couldn’t ski during the winter show but it was a sweet break to wear a t-shirt and shorts in the middle of January. The Snow Show was at its Zenith and has suffered exponential attendance attrition since its move to Denver. In fact, a reasonable Google hunt seems to indicate that SIA has stopped reporting Snow Show attendance numbers and even put out a release that they were focusing on “quality over quantity.”

OIA recognized in their statement that Utah has a unique formula of outdoor amazingness and business but because of the Beehive State’s political lameass they felt forced to call their own bluff. The headliner brands at OR – Black Diamond, Patagonia, The North Face, etc.- had long threatened to leave the show if Utah wasn’t going to support environmental protection initiatives. OIA met with Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and it was obvious he would continue to fight to transfer federal lands to the state, nullify the Antiquities Act, and undo Bears Ears National Monument. Liberals basically begged the governor to support Utah’s $12 billion outdoor recreation industry by protecting public lands. But Herbert is backing the lawsuit to overturn Bears Ears and reduce the size of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument- both valuable pieces of property to oil dripping companies.

Peter Metcalf, founder of Utah-based Black Diamond Equipment, told the Washington Post “Utah is the birther state of the most anti-stewardship, anti-public-lands policy in the country and, conversely, I would say Colorado ranks very highly as the opposite.”

A move to Denver is a political one. It’s unfortunate that OIA saw yanking an event that rakes in $45 million for Utah’s economy as their only viable option. At least when they were here, making threats, it created some checks and push back for the public land grabs the State might consider. Like Metcalf said, Colorado doesn’t need help. When a marriage goes bad and the spouse up and leaves for good, who ultimately suffers? The children. Salt Lake, you F@#$ed up royally. OIA SO DID YOU!!

*The Annual Snow Show will be held Jan. 25-28, 2018.

Outdoor News

Restaurant Review: Jackson Hole’s Rendezvous Bistro

Jill Adler One comment

It’s easy to cruise into Jackson, Wyo., and immediately blow your budget on your first night in town. There are nearly 100 dining spots in the area and a gazillion bars serving inventive, non-Utah-pour, cocktails. It’s hard to choose. But one place stands out as a local’s go-to when you’re looking for something with adventurous, daring and farm fresh menu items in a casual, family friendly atmosphere. You gotta do what the locals do and meet at the Rendezvous Bistro.

The spot on the main drag as you come into town was once a Denny’s but a couple of friends rooted in the back kitchens of other local restaurants decided to open their own and turn it into more than a pancake house. Eventually, the Bistro became the flagship for an eclectic portfolio in Jackson run by the Fine Dining Group.

Gavin Fine and Roger Freedman started the French-American Bistro to introduce this cowboy town to a fine dining experience that was also fun, lively and not quite as expensive as many of the other guys.

The menu is rife with crazy combinations like lobster pot pie, beef scallopini with poached egg, spicy Thai monkfish, and a $12 grilled cheese sandwich with bacon and avocado. They also have one of the only raw seafood bars. But I preferred the traditional bar with the spicy margaritas.

Some of the dishes might not appeal to picky palates. The jambalaya with venison chaurise was infused with pickled okra which drastically alters your traditional jambalaya experience. The carpaccio was not your usual thin slices of raw beef but more like a raw mini slider patty topped with a raw egg.

If you don’t mind the texture, the combination (you scoop it up with housemade potato chips and a couple of capers) was delicious.

The French onion soup was perfect and exactly as you would expect a drool-worthy pot to appear.

My guest couldn’t stop swooning over the delicate melt-in-your-mouth braised short ribs special.

All the desserts are made out of the Q Roadhouse (another FDG operation) but the commute won’t affect their deliciousness. We inhaled every crumb of the red velvet cheesecake.

From drinks to dessert, you can make an entire evening out of just one stop. The Rendezvous Bistro is a true taste of Jackson Hole.

Dining

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