News: Action Jackson Premiere Goes Off At Snow King

November 8, 2011

— Brigid Mander

Every November during the annual Storm Show Studios premiere at Snow King Resort, local Jackson skiers and snowboarders are seen on the big screen shredding legendary Teton lines, first descents and deep powder. 

This year’s production, Storm Show’s eleventh film titled “Action Jackson,” captured the record-blasting 700-inch 2010-11 ski season and even included some footage from the ’09-’10 season. The end result was a light-hearted sampler of serious day-to-day action in Jackson Hole.

The movie begins with spring 2010 footage of ski-BASE jumpers parachuting off Rock Springs Buttress — an iconic cliff in the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort sidecountry.  Then it cuts to a humorous early-season skit of snowboarders hiding from ski patrol in camouflage. After that, it goes straight into Jackson shreds getting it done. 

There’s plenty of powder, chutes, massive cliffs and helmet-cam footage, including a burly line smoothly skied by Jess McMillan before an injury took her out for the season and Jeff Leger’s spread-eagle-swan-dive front flips. 

Among the post-show crowd, the general consensus was that Storm Show stepped it up a notch this year in production and skiing. 

Darrell Miller sports a huge mohawk Saturday at the "Action Jackon" premiere at Snow King Resort. Photo by Jessica L. Flammang.

“That’s cool that people thought that,” Storm Show Studios founder Darrell Miller said. “I think it’s one of the better ones for sure — I got a new camera, filmed with some new athletes, and a 700-inch season definitely helps.”

Although it’s tough to imagine that any still exist in Jackson Hole, Miller and his crew are always seeking out first descents.

This season, a couple made the movie — a first descent of the exposed, rarely rideable Nomad Couloir by snowboarder Travis McAlpine and the controversial first descent, sans rappel, of Bird Brain by skier Derek Depiero.

In the movie Miller and McAlpine also snowboard Corah’s Couloir, a line skied only a handful of times by Miller and one that he named after his daughter. 

“If the mountain fills in, people are going to ski whatever they can ski,” Miller said.

It snowed the day after the Storm Show premiere. Let’s hope it keeps filling in. 

For more, visit Storm Show Studios' website. 

Below, watch some first descents that were featured in the film.

Derek Depiero's first free descent of Bird Brain.

Travis McAlpine's first ascent and descent of Nomad Couloir.