^Red Bull hosts Return to Winter at Olympic Valley Lodge December 15th, 2022 // Emily Tidwell / Red Bull Content Pool
The Red Bull Return To Winter Film Festival at Palisades Tahoe, CA went down last Thursday, December 15th, and it was an absolute hit.
Hundreds of people filled Palisade Tahoe’s Olympic Village Event Center for a night of movies, drinks, conversations, laughs, and community.
Red Bull athlete Michelle Parker (@myshellparker) kicked off the night with two fantastic segments from feature films that she stars in- Nexus, which is an all-female snowboarding movie, and Symbiosis which is the second episode of Season 3 her web series, Originate.
^Paddy O’ Connell leads a panel conversation with Michelle Parker during Return to Winter hosted at Palisades Tahoe December 15th, 2022 // Emily Tidwell / Red Bull Content Pool
I was particularly fascinated by Parker’s worker in Symbiosis.
She traveled to Vancouver Island to live in the canopy of a tree for weeks on end. The mission was to stop the logging of an old growth forest.
Her passion to preserve such an ancient and beautiful place was remarkable.
You can watch the full segment on Red Bull TV here, or by clicking the photo below.
Next up was Ark, a stunning snowboarding film by Danny Davis that features a cast of superstar snowboarders from across the globe.
Red Bull athlete Nick Russell (@nick_russelll) has a segment where he accomplishes an impressive split boarding mission riding big lines and deep snow.
You can click here to watch the full film, or check out the trailer below.
Last, but certainly not least, was former Olympian, and Red Bull athlete Daron Rahlves (@daronrahlves) showing a segment from his collaborative film with Swiss freeskier Jérémie Heitz.
Heitz and Rahlves created a downhill race course on a high-alpine glacier with the Matterhorn in the background.
To say the film is epic is an understatement.
^Darron Rahlves, Nick Russell, and Paddy O’ Connell watch a viewing at Return to Winter hosted at Palisades Tahoe December 15th, 2022 // Emily Tidwell / Red Bull Content Pool
I couldn’t fathom crashing gates on such a steep face with variable snow all while carrying a heavy pack with backcountry/mountaineering gear.
Rahlves and Heitz are fricken awesome skiers.
You can watch a clip below, or click here to watch the full film on Red Bull TV.
I left the film festival with a feeling that was much more potent than I expected.
It took me a while to figure it out, but I know now that it was a overwhelming sense of community.
Hold on… I know that sounds cliché, but just bare with me for a moment.
Let’s state the obvious- the entire world has been an absolute shitshow over the last couple of years.
We were able to get back into the mountains in late 2020, but it feels like the industry is still recovering from nearly three years of downtime.
^The Red Bull was flowing, and everybody was having a fantastic time. Matt Lorelli// Unofficial Networks
Many resorts were extra cautious last season, and cancelling events became commonplace. We could have fun on the mountains together, but we were still missing out on the skiing-adjacent gatherings that we all love.
The Red Bull Return To Winter Film Festival felt like my first major event, following the pandemic, where I could actually relax.
I noticed about halfway through the night that there was a palpable energy exuding from the crowd.
It felt like, even if for only a couple of hours, that we could all sit back, relax, laugh, drink, and enjoy watching and talking about the winter sports that we love.
It was beautiful.
^The crowd enjoying drinks and conversation before the movies got underway. Matt Lorelli//Unofficial Networks
I wish I had a more profound explanation, but I really think it was that simple. We were all just so stoked to be watching ski movies with our friends, family, and ski buddies again.
Special shoutout to Paddy O’Connell (@paddyroc) for doing a spectacular job as the MC, and to Emily Tidwell (@emily_tidwell_photo) for her work behind the lens!
Stay tuned here at Unofficial Networks for upcoming articles about The Base to Base Gondola Launch, and the Dillon Francis concert that followed afterwards.
Featured Image Credit: Nick Russell and Paddy O’ Connell joke on stage while on a panel at Return to Winter hosted by Palisades Tahoe December 15, 2022 // Emily Tidwell / Red Bull Content PoolÂ
