June 17, 2015

Our Five Favorite Things from Mountainfilm in Telluride

It's been a few weeks since we all came together at Mountainfilm in Telluride and as usual, we're still riding the wave of inspiration that catalyzes every year that we come together with our wild tribe of dreamers, artists and adventurers. Here are just a few of our favorite things from Mountainfilm...
Watermelon photo courtesy of Max Santeusanio

Sweetgrass. We've been friends with the crew from Sweetgrass Productions for several years now and every time we find ourselves riding the "Cool Bus" (either literally or figuratively), we can't wipe the smiles off our faces, our bellies hurt from laughing and we pick up more than one new dance move... not to mention, those guys make ridiculously beautiful films that always spark our creative fire. They had a couple of films in the festival, but this one is just such a treat that we had to share it with you all again...

A Line Across the Sky. "The “line” referred to in the film A Line Across the Sky is the Fitz Roy Massif, the mother of all climbing traverses. Patagonia’s iconic toothy skyline traces seven summits, spans four miles and includes 13,000 imposing vertical feet of rime-and snow-covered climbing." But what we loved most about this film is that it's not your average climbing film. Sure, Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell are two of the best climbers in the world, but they also happen to be hilarious and entertaining for the climbers and non-climbers amongst us—and they go BIG, tackling one of the biggest climbing feats in history.

 

Denali. At first we thought it was because we're friends with Ben Moon and that we remember his partner in crime, Denali, and the connection, love and mischievous spirit that emanated from those two everywhere they went. We also LOVE our own dogs. But then we watched this film explode the Internet last week, and we realized that we're not the only ones captured by this story. It's a perfect ode to that one-of-a-kind relationship between humans and our dogs. Please note: you might want to find a quiet place and have tissues readily available when watching this.
If you want a little more dog love action, don't miss Sun Dog.

 

Unbranded. We love dogs... and we happen to love horses as well. Unbranded is a beautiful story, has gorgeous cinematography and shines a light on the fight to save the American Mustang and the public lands we all enjoy. "3,000 Miles, 16 Wild Horses, 5 States, 4 Men. The journey of a lifetime riding from Mexico to Canada through the deepest backcountry in the American West to see our remaining open spaces and prove the worth of 50,000 wild horses and burros currently in holding pens." This film snapped up Mountainfilm's Audience Choice Award. The full-length version is not online, but keep an eye out for it in Mountainfilm on Tour.
The Important Places. We all have them. At Mountainfilm, we're always reminded of the places—and the people—that make our hearts beat faster and fuller and make us feel alive. This film is about just that, and a father and son and one iconic place: the Grand Canyon. We also just so happen to be proud partners of American Rivers, an organization that is working to protect important places on rivers and streams across the nation.