Surfers, backcountry skiers and climbers, says legendary surfer Chris Malloy, “we’re all just separated at birth.”

The 2008 Alpinist Film Festival (carbon neutral, courtesy of Patagonia) serves as a tribute to the passions that unite us all, regardless of our individual pursuits.

Schedule:
Walk Festival Hall
Thursday (Snow) Friday (Surf) Saturday (Stone)
5 p.m. cocktail hour
6 p.m. films begin

Before the films: Four4 Productions will DJ, keeping fluid with New Belgium beer.
Full Schedule available here.

Snow Night: For this ski-crazed town, Thursday’s films begin with a snapshot of the 22-year-old prodigy hailed as the next Alex Lowe. Nick Devore moves so fast and so confidently on his tele skis, when you see him on film, you wonder if they’ve sped up the footage. His quiet grace is captured in Mountain Town: The Grasshopper, which follows his existence in another ski-crazy town—Aspen, Colorado—as he apprentices under big-mountain skier Chris Davenport during Davenport’s historic effort to ski all of Colorado’s 14ers in a single calendar year.

Presented by Jackson’s hometown hero, Olympic skier Resi Stiegler, Snow Night will also offer up a tribute to the heritage of winter Olympians in Jackson Hole; everyone from Tommy Moe to Pepi Stiegler, Resi’s dad, will be on hand to celebrate the tradition. Snow Night also features Let it Ride: the Craig Kelly Story, which follows the evolution of one of snowboarding’s most iconic figures as he wins everything there is to win, then walks away to pursue soul riding in the mountains.

Then there’s Surf Night. In Jackson Hole? Every year for the last three years, Surf Night has seen Jackson’s closet surfers turn out in droves to fill the venues. All 750 seats will surely be filled to witness the world premiere of Britton Caillouette’s Sliding Liberia, the surf story with soul that captures a glimpse of hope in war-torn west Africa. And who better to follow in the footsteps of past Surf Night presenters Mickey Muñoz, Yvon Chouinard, Gerry Lopez and Chris Malloy than Chris’s brother Dan, star of Sliding Liberia and a bonafide testament to the “separated at birth” theory.

For Alpinist, Stone Night might be our favorite evening of the Festival. This year, Yvon Chouinard will present the seminal 1963 film Sentinel: The West Face to kick off the evening. The film was written and narrated by Barry Corbet, the inspiration for The Alpinist Film Festival, after the accident that paralyzed him. “His soul shows in the words,” says director Roger Brown.

Peter Mortimer is coming to town with Steph Davis to present the world premiere of Diamonds Are Forever, Peter’s chronicle of Steph’s solo of Pervertical Sanctuary—a gobsmacking climb that will appear in Steph’s article “Stripped” in Alpinist Issue 23. Peter, you will recall, recently swept every award at every festival he entered with King Lines, the film he made with Josh Lowell. Diamonds Are Forever promises to feature a similar awe-inspiring storyline and visuals—but this time, way, way off the deck.

Just in case the more-than-two hours of film each night aren’t enough, check out the matinees. On Friday at 2 p.m. at the Walk Festival Hall, Dana Brown will present his masterpiece, Step Into Liquid—arguably the best surf film ever made.

And on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Center for the Arts, a “mountain town matinee” presents three films: The Lost People of Mountain Village; Resorting To Madness; and Mountain Town. The Mountain Town Matinee, which will be MC’d by Jonathan Schechter, focuses on the various pressures at play on mountain towns in general and ours in particular. A panel discussion at the conclusion of the films will allow elected officials, citizens and audience members to participate in the conversation about the future of Jackson Hole. Both matinees begin at 2 p.m. at the Center; tickets are $5 suggested donation, and proceeds will go to SurfAid International, the 2008 AFF’s featured non-profit.

Want to come to this year’s AFF? Buy Tickets Here. Every AFF event to date has sold out. Then, check out rates at The Alpine House, a delightful New England-style country inn in downtown Jackson (run by Nancy and Hans Johnstone. Hans was the featured Local Hero in Issue 21) or stay at Teton Mountain Lodge in Teton Village (or home, if you’re a local). roll out of bed for a great day of skiing before drinking New Belgium beer and watching the best adventure films of the year at night.

Pictures by Dan Long and David J. Swift.