Ski film to raise funds for snow bus
Snow or no snow Teton Gravity Research will bring winter to Bigfork next Saturday as the main attraction of The Mountaineer’s Welcome to Winter Party and snow bus fundraiser at The Garden Bar.
“Dream Factory,” TGR’s latest feature length ski film, will debut at The Garden after Bigfork’s annual Magical Holiday Parade, which begins at 6 p.m. A trek through the wilds of Alaska’s history and down the snow laden slopes with some of the world’s top skiers is a perfect way to get ready for snow season, said Hilary Shepard, co-owner of The Mountaineer.
“We like skiing, we like movies, it kind of gets everyone fired up,” Shepard said.
Proceeds from the $10 tickets will be put toward restarting a bus to take skiers and snowboarders from Bigfork to Whitefish Mountain in Whitefish and/or Blacktail Mountain in Lakeside. For the last decade or so Bigfork residents have been on their own to find transportation to valley ski hills, and Shepard thinks it’s about time to bring a snow bus back to town.
If Bigfork can raise enough money it would mean a free ride to the slopes every weekend. The snow bus will cost around $7,500 for 12 weeks. That cost could include two buses — one to Blacktail and one to Whitefish — round-trip every Saturday, or one bus that makes a round-trip to Whitefish Mountain every Saturday and Sunday. Shepard said that decision is yet to be determined.
Fuel costs and worrying about teenagers driving up mountain roads are two reasons Shepard thinks a snow bus would be good for Bigfork. A safe ride home for adults and sharing a passion with other members of the community would be added bonuses.
Shepard remembers riding a ski bus from Bigfork to Big Mountain (Whitefish Mountain) when she was in junior high and high school.
“It did build sort of a camaraderie,” Shepard said. “You could get on the bus and have nobody to ski with, and you’d have people to ski with.”
Although it’s the first year Shepard is using a Teton Gravity film to raise money for a cause, it’s the second year she has helped host a TGR film in Bigfork. Brookies Cookies showed “One for the Road” last year. The film follows the lives of snow sports athletes on the road as they drive from one mountain adventure to the next.
The film is yet another of the 28 full length feature films centered around extreme snow sports TGR has produced since 1995. Shepard said she likes using their films because of the quality they bring to the screen.
“It focuses on the talents of the athlete,” Shepard said. “It’s not about the products, it’s about the skiing.”
Anyone who can’t attend the party will have another chance to see an adventure film and donate to the snow bus cause when The Mountaineer shows Jeff Jones latest film, “Further,” at the Tavern sometime between Christmas and New Years. “Further” is the second installment in the TGR produced Jones snowboard movie trilogy, “Deeper, Further, Higher,” exploring the depths of remote backcountry mountain terrain.
Checks can also be made out to the Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork, earmarked for the snow bus and sent to P.O. Box 486, Bigfork, MT 59911. Contact Shepard at 253-7862 for more information.