A professional powder ski documentary that highlights local athletes hitting big air at Red Mountain Resort lands in Rossland this week.
“Powder Highway” captures the lifestyle of eating, sleeping and breathing skiing fro the Rocky Mountains to the peaks of the Monashee.
After debuting the documentary in his hometown Revelstoke, Vance Shaw of V-Shaw Productions, is stopping in the Golden City Friday before giving the rest of the world a taste of this region’s lifestyle.
“It’s a ski porn that meets some cultural tones,” said Shaw, who also produced “Rev: The Movie” in 2009.
“It’s not a progression of sport movie, it’s not about the newest tricks but more of a cultural film about the people who ski a lot,” he explained.
The documentary follows locals Mike Hopkins and Jeff Amantea in their element.
“One thing about Mike is he’s only got full-throttle,” laughed Shaw. “He doesn’t really have a back-off button.”
But also showcases Chris Rubens, Mark Carter, Christina Lustenberger, Peter Velisek, Scott Newsome and others riding the mountains they call home.
“Rossland has everything you think the Kootenays should have – the cool town, the friendly people, the good skiers who are really passionate about skiing and a little bit of a rustic feel to the ski hill – it really embodies what the Kootenays has to offer,” said Shaw.
Skiing has been a long-time joy for the 42-year-old who, after being in front of the camera in the early 90s, switched gears and became a cinematographer for Teton Gravity Research before becoming an independent producer.
He hopes this film reaches a new audience that most hardcore ski documentaries don’t necessarily.
“There are people who have dreamed of moving to towns like Rossland to fulfill their dream and live in the mountains and ski all the time,” he said. “I hope people watch this and think that’s what I should have done or what I want to do with my life.”
Following the weather report on how much powder is on the hill and when the next big snowfall is all too familiar for Shaw, a culture he delves into.
“It’s still that anticipation when you go to bed at night and it’s snowing really hard and you hope it snows all night and you know you’re going to meet up with your friends the next day and push yourself and have a great day,” he explained.
The film plays in Rossland at the Sacred Heart Parish Hall on Columbia Avenue at 7:30 p.m. Friday, with doors opening at 7 p.m., and an after party to follow at the Flying Steam Shovel.
Tickets are $10 at the door. To preview the movie, check out www.vshawproductions.com