Film Contest Idea

“One good thing about music: When it hits, you feel no pain.” I was really just looking for something mellow for the video in my previous post, but I’m glad I chose Bob Marley.

If feeling no pain is the good thing about music hitting, feeling good pain is the one thing that hits when skiing happens. Regardless of how many miles you pedal, trails you climb, or kilometers you run, you’re always a little bit sore after your first day on snow. And I gotta say, I’m cool with it.

I’ve been on a high the last couple of days, and the only reason is that I skied on Saturday. I’ve got a skip in my step, I’m feeling a lot calmer, and I’m pretty content with everything going on around me. It’s pretty amazing how a short, 30 minute run down a relatively flat pitch is able to completely change my mood, but I guess that just shows how much I love to ski.

In the spirit of my new, laid back, calm mood, I present to you the acoustic version of the skiing internet hit My Friend’s a Pro:



The original version was created for a video contest in which contenders have to set up, shoot, and edit an original ski film over the course of 3 or 4 days. I think this kind of contest would be incredibly fun to do. I edited my video from Saturday in about 2 hours while writing a trip report and doing various other things. I didn’t have access to a computer on Saturday night, I didn’t get home until 4:30 on Sunday, and I still got it done by around 8:00, uploaded by 9:00. Today’s computer technology is amazing.

I think it’d be great if there was a short film contest at Gore that started on the first chair Friday morning and ended at around 5:00 on Sunday. The Ski Bowl could be opened both nights for twilight shots. People would have basically 3 days to film and edit a short (sub 5 minute) movie using the mountain as a set. If it catches on, there could be a different theme every year (something vague like “Adventure”, or “Freedom”). On Sunday, everyone could sit around, beers in hand, and watch the finished products. Then, the judging would have different categories (Funniest Film, Best Skiing, Best Trick, Best Cinematography, etc.), and prizes would be handed out. The mountain could even strike a deal to use some of the footage in its commercials if it wanted.

This kind of thing has been done before, so it’s not the most original of ideas, but I really think that it would work well at Gore. There’s a pretty good sized group of people filming themselves these days, and that number is getting larger every year. Why not tap into a growing part of the skiing community and get some free publicity at the same time? I’ve had ideas for contests before, but I really think that this one’s a win-win.  Given three days, I bet that I could make a freakin' masterpiece.  I want to try.