Name: 20th Annual Backcountry Film Festival
Start: 2025-01-10T18:00:00-08:00
End: 2025-01-10T22:00:00-08:00
Location: 300 North 1st Avenue,Sandpoint,83864,US

Join SOLE for the 20th Annual Backcountry Film Festival to raise essential funding for YOUR local SnowSchool!
OVERVIEW:
It's that time of year again, for Selkirk Outdoor Leadership & Education (SOLE)'s Annual Fundraiser, the 20th Annual Backcountry Film Festival ! So, grab your skis, backcountry buddies, and get ready for some SERIOUS FUN for a DARN GOOD CAUSE - getting underserved youth in our community unplugged and connected to their winter wildlands!
SOLE is bringing this ALL-AGES event to the historic Panida Theater in beautiful downtown Sandpoint, Idaho . This annual event has become a community staple, aimed to inspire winter adventurers to seek the snow less traveled while raising critical funds and bringing awareness to SOLE's nationally recognized and award-winning SnowSchool Experience Program that has served well over 4,500 underserved rural youth over the last 13 winters totaling over 36,000 hours of outdoor education in our winter wildlands.
Produced by our partners, Boise-based nonprofit, the Winter Wildlands, the Backcountry Film Festival makes its world premiere in Boise, Idaho and will then tour to more than 100 showings around the world, including a stop in good ‘ole Sandpoint, Idaho! With a series of award-winning and juried films (all which celebrate the human-powered experience), a great Holiday Silent auction with gifts from local vendors, artisans, businesses and gear vendors; fun raffle prizes; great brews; and the usual dose of special surprises -- this family-fun event is a cause worth supporting!
ALL event p roceeds directly towards supporting SOLE’s SnowSchool Experience Program . SOLE's SnowSchool Experience Program was r ecently awarded the designation as a National SnowSchool Flagship Site due to the intentional place-based experiential education curriculum that SOLE developed for this particular Field Campus Site . Currently, the curriculum offered focuses on a comprehensive watershed study which includes, snow science, winter ecology, conservation literacy, avalanche education, as well as the opportunity to develop outdoor living and travel skills .
Your support will allow SOLE to 'reach and teach' over 600 under-represented rural youth this winter , so they can actually explore > achieve > lead in our winter wildlands.
With over 50% of program participants living in poverty, and over 70% experiencing snowshoeing in our local winter wildlands for the first time through this transformational experiential education program -- our needs are noteworthy! So please join us to get stoked for the upcoming winter season, while doing some serious good! Currently, SOLE offers various programs including a (3) day comprehensive SnowSchool Experience at our Mountain Field Campus for all 5th graders in the Lake Pend Oreille School District . SOLE would to continue to expand programming services for elementary, middle, and high school class offerings in other north Idaho counties , which will be highlighted during this year’s event to bring awareness to this program and our community educational needs. SOLE aims to continue to partner with other private, public, and homeschool groups throughout the winter at various other field campus sites in the Inland Northwest.
Each year local area schools are able to experience SOLE's SnowSchool Experience Program because of Backcountry Film Festival patron support . Due to the previously mentioned socioeconomic barriers, many youths would not have access to these transformational experiential education programs outdoors without this support. In fact, based on last year's survey responses over 70% of program participants had communicated that snowshoeing was a new experience for them , and over 80% shared that it was a positive educational experience . So why would we not support the opportunity to get our youth outdoors to explore in, and learn about , their winter wildlands?
Additional Info on SOLE’s SnowSchool Experience Program: http://soleexperiences.org/fieldwork-experiences/snowschool-experiences/
The Backcountry Film Festival is renowned for its mix of professional and grassroots films – from well-known filmmakers who search backcountry corners across the globe to submit their best work to first-timers who take a video camera out on their weekend excursions. The festival first toured in 2004 to highlight Winter Wildlands Alliance’s efforts to preserve and promote winter landscapes for human-powered users. From a single showing in Boise that first year, the festival has grown to include showings in locations throughout the United States and Canada and now in Antarctica, Europe, Australia, and Asia. Funds raised stay in local communities to support like-minded, human-powered recreation and conservation efforts and to raise awareness of winter management issues, avalanche training/safety and winter education programs. Come take the ride and support a great cause while doing so!
THE LINE-UP (Coming SOON!): Read descriptions of each film at: http://winterwildlands.org/backcountry-film-festival
TICKETS: See below.
SCHEDULE:
Doors: 6:00 PM
Intro & Films Reel 1: 7:00 - 8:15
Intermission: 8:15 - 8:45
Films Reel 2: 8:45 - 9:45
Closing & End: 9:45 - 10:00
CAN'T GO? Make a donation today by visiting: http://soleexperiences.org/donate/
With an average of over 50% of program participants living in poverty, and over 70% experiencing snowshoeing and our local winter wildlands for the first time through this transformational experiential education program our needs are noteworthy!
EVENT | PROGRAM SPONSORSHIP:
Let’s face it – there is no better way to showcase your business or organization than to become a Backcountry Film Festival or SnowSchool Experience Program Sponsor! Intentional programming of this magnitude is downright expensive, as is hosting fundraising events like the Backcountry Film Festival. As such, SOLE offers several sponsorship options to ensure that we are able to funnel event proceeds directly towards program expenses to provide these transformational experiential programs for our local area youth. As a result of your support, we are able to unplug and reconnect more local area youth to the outdoors to explore > achieve > lead!
Corporations, businesses, and individuals can also sponsor a specific student, class, school, youth program, or entire SnowSchool Experience Field Campus by providing in-kind and/or financial support! This allows you to have the benefit of doing some good for our youth while getting some exposure for your business!
Want to learn more about Event | Program Sponsorship? C ontact our Development Committee Chair at: [email protected].
2024 - 2025 Backcountry Film Festival Trailer coming soon!