Ski season looms: Rotary Centre to show ski & snowboard film

Winter, and ski season, is just around the corner.

To help you get amped up to hit the slopes, Teton Gravity Research will be showing its 28th annual ski and snowboard film Legend Has It in Kelowna on Oct. 26 at the Rotary Centre for the Arts.

Featuring 24 professional riders — some local to BC — the movie sends some of the top talented snowboarders and skiers to some of the deepest corners of the world to shred some fresh powder and to follow in the footsteps of their childhood heroes.

“It’s a celebration of the concept of mentoring and the legends that have surrounded our ski communities,” said Eric Henderson of Teton Gravity Research.

“I think that tradition of idolizing or aspirationally dreaming about becoming a professional rider or being inspired by these professional riders is at the core of this film. You know, we all have legends in our lives that take us to do different activities.

Weitien Ho, 19, of Whistler B.C. was asked to be a part of the film, and spent much of the 2022-23 ski season shooting in the Sea to Sky backcountry.

“It was cool to see some lines that have been shot in movies that I’ve seen, and to see them in real life was really eye opening. I’m trying to follow in people’s footsteps, but also kind of put my own mark on the terrain and skiing it in a different way was pretty cool too,” said Ho.

“We got the opportunity to ski with a legend that I look up to, Nick McNutt, just to see how he operates through the mountains on the day to day, so that was super cool. But the grind behind the scenes is definitely eye opening for sure.”

Teton Gravity Research had film crews and skiers in Jackson Hole Wyoming, Alaska, British Columbia, Colorado, Pakistan, the Palisades in Tahoe and Patagonia.

“There’s a good balance. There’s some in the park, some in other places across North America, and then as well as some scenic adventures exploring places like Pakistan. There was a segment in Alaska, so just a nice balance between super sick skiing, some huge lines and some amazing scenic shots," added Ho.

Premiering in Whistler earlier this month with two completely sold out shows, the movie has seen some early success ahead of the 2023-24 ski season.

Tickets are available through the RCA website.

The full trailer can be seen here.