Happy Thursday, Beacon readers! As we all prepare to flip our calendars to February, I think it’s safe to say everyone in the valley will be hoping any remnants of this Dry January will be long gone before Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow on Monday (pray for snow, am I right?).
You can start manifesting a snow-filled February by heading to Whitefish on Tuesday, Feb. 3, as the Backcountry Film Festival will be making its way to the O’Shaughnessy Cultural Arts Center, 1 Central Ave.
The 2025-2026 winter season marks the 21st anniversary of the film festival, which is presented by the Winter Wildlands Alliance. Since its inception, the festival has toured across numerous states and countries — including Antarctica — screening hundreds of inspiring films that celebrate adventure, conservation and the magic of winter. In its two decades, the festival has raised millions of dollars to support local projects that strengthen winter communities and protect our wild snowscapes.
Wild Montana will host a series of eight screenings across the state throughout the month of February. Ticket proceeds support Wild Montana and its local chapters, with funds from the Whitefish screening going toward the organization’s Flathead-Kootenai chapter.
Since 1958, Wild Montana has been uniting and mobilizing people across Montana, creating and growing a conservation movement around a shared love of wild public lands and waters. Its work has resulted in 16 wilderness areas, the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, and other legislative, administrative and executive victories that have protected millions of acres of public lands from irresponsible development and degradation, according to its website.
Tickets for Tuesday’s screening in Whitefish are $20 and can be bought here. Doors open at 6 p.m. and films are set to begin at 7 p.m. Information about other Wild Montana screenings can be found here.
This year’s festival showcases10 short documentaries and ski films featuring backcountry experiences, conservation efforts and personal stories of reflection and discovery while traversing wild landscapes:
A BAFFIN VACATION, LOVE ON ICE
By Skip Armstrong, Rush Sturgis, Erik Boomer, Sarah McNair-Landry
“Join one couple’s adventure love story and witness what dating might look like if you’re both a little crazy and love hardcore winter adventures.”
RIDGE TO RIVER
By Steven Gnam
“A story from one of Winter Wildlands Alliance grassroots groups in the North Cascades, Friends of Mission Ridge, about how a community’s love of a place has inspired a growing collaboration to protect the ridge from too much development.”
LET MY PEOPLE GO SKIING
By Kakéin Shee Ellen Bradley
Snowlands Network Environmental Storytelling Award Winner (2025); “Kakéin Shee Ellen Bradley leaves the city and travels home to ski on her ancestral lands in Alaska.”
POLAR
By Robert Pallin Aaring and Rasmus Bjerken
Backcountry Film Festival Jury Award Winner (2025); “One crazy Norwegian skier’s unique approach to balancing fatherhood and finding epic lines.”
DESCENTS TO DUNES
By Anthony Cupaiuolo, Claire Hewitt Demeyer
“A fun film about two friends finding turns wherever they can when the snow is low and the stoke is high.”
40 YEARS ON THE TRAIL
By Evan Kay
“In the Green Mountains, a passionate group of snowscape conservationists spent 40 years partnering with different landowners across Vermont to establish the longest cross country ski trail in the United States.”
SHAPED BY ICE
By Dan McComb
“Brings to life the power that art and community can play in communicating the data and science of how our wild snowscapes are changing at alarming rates.”
ADAPTIVE AVALANCHE
By Vasu Sojitra and Dani Aravich
“Winter Wildlands Alliance Ambassador, Vasu Sojitra and friends head to Cooke City, Montana, to redefine travel access in backcountry avalanche terrain.”
UNCHARTED: THE WHITE CONTINENT
By Tamara Susa
“This film comes from one of Winter Wildlands Alliance proud Snowschool supporters, Ice Axe Expeditions, about the rare experience of skiing in Antarctica alongside penguins and seals.”
GOING HOME
By Anna Tedesco, Kylie Zarmati
“A vagabond story of 4 rad ladies exploring the marvels of Alaska and deepening their love for the friendship-fueled, human-powered adventures that sustain us all.”
So if you’re looking to take in some award-winning short films, support conservation efforts and manifest some fresh powder, I’d say the O’Shaughnessy Center is the place to start off your February. I’m Lauren Frick, here with the rest of today’s Daily Roundup.
Legal Challenges Remain as More Developers Want Say in Depot Park Townhomes Project
City staff hope to present a request for proposal to develop the 22-unit project to city council by late February despite a $1.5 million judgment lien remaining on the property
Conservation Easement Protects 105 Acres Near Glacier National Park
The landowner, Connie Lane, partnered with Flathead Land Trust to secure a permanent conservation easement on a forested property along the Middle Fork Flathead River west of Coram
Whether you’ve been here for decades, or you’re new to the Flathead Valley, our reporting is here to help you feel smarter and in the loop about the issues most important to Northwest Montana. With your support, we can build a more engaged, informed community.
