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October 06, 2007
NEPSAs start Aspen's ski season early
Curtis Wackerle - Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
The first party of the ski season kicked off in fine fashion at Thursday night's NEPSA awards.
Ski industry types and locals alike converged on Aspen's Wheeler Opera House for the fifth annual event that showcases mostly up and coming talent, packing the excitement of a winter to come into the historic theater. The NEPSAs kicked off The Meeting, this weekend's ski movie festival.
The NESPA Awards (that's Aspen backwards) invite skiers and snowboarders to submit short "lifestyle oriented" films that incorporate skiing, snowboarding and music. Each year has its own theme and this year's contestants had to somehow incorporate the concept of "transition." The 10 contestants competed for $3,500 in cash and prizes.
Taking home first place this year were Glenwood Springs brothers Mark and Paul Stover, whose film, produced by Matt Hobbs, played on the theme of daydreaming while being stuck in detention.
Mark's dream sequence showed him riding a llama loaded with skis across an arid landscape, searching for snow.
"Maybe the llamas helped," said 19-year-old Mark. "My mom just got some llamas and we wanted to make something happen with that."
The Stovers took second at last year's NEPSAs, making this year's victory all that sweeter.
Taking fourth place this year was Roaring Fork Valley native Pat Sewell, whose film "More Lucky Than Cool" was a hilarious spoof on the personality cult of professional skiing.
"There's a lot of attitude in the industry these days," Sewell said. "We tried to go off on that.'
With 15 submissions, up from nine last year, the NEPSA awards seem to get bigger every year.
"The quality of the pieces has gone up," Aspen Skiing Co. events coordinator Deric Gunshor said.
With 10 short films shown this year, 2007 marked the first time judges had to hold a preliminary round of judging to decide what films made the cut.
The NEPSAs predate The Meeting by two years, but having the two packaged together works well, Aspen Skiing Co. communications director Kristin Rust said. In the past, the NEPSAs have been held during the Spring Jam or Thanksjibbing weekends, but they have kicked off The Meeting for the last two years.
"There's something special about the community-oriented nature of the amateur film contest," Rust said. While the rest of The Meeting showcases the latest films from "ski porn" standard bearers like Teton Gravity Research or Mack Dog Productions, the NEPSAs is the locals' chance to shine.
Reflecting on the overall success of The Meeting, Rust said having a ski industry shindig in the off-season is a plus for Aspen. Many industry types only make it to Aspen for the X Games, which may give them a distorted picture of what Aspen is all about.
"We wanted to have a bookend event that draws the right people to town to get them pumped for the ski season," Rust said.
The fall colors and inviting mountain bike trails "showcase the place in a totally different light," said Rust, adding that The Meeting has altered the perceptions of many who see Aspen as strictly a high-end resort.
"Our job is to break down that perception that people have of us as a resort," Rust said. "All you have to do is get people here. It just takes one day."
For more information on the up-coming winter, visit us at www.stayaspensnowmass.com
Posted by Dina at October 6, 2007 10:04 AM
