Jackson, Wyoming – January 7, 2008 – The Alpinist Film Festival announced today that Olympic skier Resi Stiegler will be the Master of Ceremonies for Snow Night on January 17, 2008, at the Walk Festival Hall in Teton Village, Wyoming. Steigler, who began skiing at age two and racing at six, is a native of Jackson, Wyoming, and is carrying on the tradition of Olympic skiing begun by her father, Pepi Stiegler, who won gold, silver, and bronze awards at the 1960 and 1964 Olympics.
Resi Stiegler, known for her hard-charging style of skiing as well as her ebullient personality, has represented the United States at every level of alpine ski racing since her start: Topolino, Whistler Cup, Junior Worlds, World Cup, World Championships and the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy. After finishing last season by collecting her first two U.S. championships in slalom and GS at Alaska’s Alyeska resort, she had plenty of momentum going into the 2007-08 season. But on December 28, 2007, on the first leg of a World Cup giant slalom in Lienz, Austria, the hometown hero had a horrific crash, suffering season-ending injuries to her right knee and left arm that brought her back to Jackson to recuperate.
Alpinist Film Festival Director Christian Beckwith had discussed with Stiegler her involvement in the 2008 AFF at an impromptu lunch at Sanchez Restaurant in Jackson in August, but her racing schedule precluded her participation. When Beckwith heard of her crash, he wrote to her expressing his condolences, a common sentiment that swept through town upon news of her accident. He also extended the invitation anew. This time, Stiegler accepted.
Alpinist Film Festival Film Coordinator Conor Miller said, “To have an Olympic skier with such an upbeat and original personality as the ‘Tiger’ to MC Snow Night is fantastic. We could not have found a better person to open the 2008 AFF.” Stiegler’s trademark is to put tiger ears on her racing helmet. She won a well-publicized battle against the International Olympic Committee allowing her to compete with the ears on at the Torino Olympics.
“Resi’s role as the Master of Ceremonies for Snow Night works on every level,” said Beckwith. “We’ve got films on speed riding, freeriding, snowboarding, and telemark skiing, and Resi either knows the stars of most of the films, has skied where the films are shot or has practiced the form of skiing herself. She grew up skiing here, she’s our local hero, and to give the Jackson audience a chance to applaud her tenacity and perseverance in person on the opening night of the AFF is a perfect fit.”
“I’m so psyched to be involved in The Alpinist Film Festival, and to thank all my friends in Jackson Hole for their support in person,” said Stiegler, whose current convalescence limits her mobility to crutches. “I’m also really honored to be able to participate in this event because I don’t get to be home very often. It’s such a tight community, and it’s awesome to be able to come together and celebrate on nights like Snow Night at The Alpinist Film Festival.”
The 2008 Alpinist Film Festival will feature its signature Snow, Surf and Stone nights January 17-19 at Walk Festival Hall in Teton Village, Wyoming. A fourth evening, The People’s Choice Ceremonies, will present the People’s Choice award-winning films from the previous three evenings at the Center for the Arts in downtown Jackson. Winners of the individual evenings receive a gift certificate from Patagonia worth $750. The Grand Prize winner receives an additional gift certificate worth $1,500.
Tickets for The 2008 Alpinist Film Festival are $18 for the Snow, Surf and Stone nights and $20 for the People’s Choice Ceremonies. Tickets and additional information can be found online at www.alpinist.com/film_festival. To date, every event in The Alpinist Film Festival’s three-year history has sold out.
About The Alpinist Film Festival
The Alpinist Film Festival celebrates the adventure lifestyle across disciplines and generations with three nights of film in skiing, surfing and climbing. The Festival’s mission is to advance the art of cinematographic storytelling as it underscores the unity among the adventure lifestyle communities. A portion of every year’s proceeds are donated to charities that help preserve the places of our inspiration. Because one of these places is our planet, beginning in 2008, the Festival will purchase carbon offsets to counteract its carbon footprint.
About Alpinist Magazine
Hailed by Italian climbing legend Reinhold Messner as “The best climbing magazine in the world today,” Alpinist Magazine is an archival-quality, quarterly publication dedicated to world alpinism and adventure climbing. The pages of Alpinist capture the art of ascent in its most powerful manifestations, presenting an articulation of climbing and its lifestyle that matches the intensity of the pursuit itself. Alpinist has been awarded three Maggie Awards, for Best Quarterly/Consumer Division, Best Overall Design, and Best Electronic Newsletter, and was featured in a seven-page article in Outside Magazine (“The Purists”) in March 2005. The magazine’s editorial and publishing offices are based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and online at www.alpinist.com.