As the snow-topped Sawtooth Mountains bear the coming of winter so does Matchstick's latest film "Seven Sunny Days" making its Sun Valley debut on Thursday, Oct. 11, at the Sun Valley Opera House at 8 p.m. The film is $10 and there will be an after party at Whiskey Jacques in Ketchum.
The film's executive producer Steve Winter said "Seven Sunny Days" is unique because there is a great deal more storytelling than in past Matchstick films.
"It gives you a sense of connection to the athletes and their experience," Winter said. "The exotic locations also contribute to a unique adventure. One of my favorite parts of the film is when the Mark Abma and Eric Hjorleifson's segment comes up. They filmed all winter and got really amazing footage, very diverse shots between park skills and skiing. Another impressive part of the film was shot in Gulmarg, India. It is a war torn area that is trying to make a comeback in tourism."
A featured skier in the Gulmarg, India, segment is Matt Wilson, a professional freeskier whose parents split their time between Sun Valley and Tahoe. On a recent visit to Sun Valley Wilson shared his experience in India. He said that there was an average of 25 skiers a day, an 8,000-foot vertical drop and he was 15 kilometers from K2.
"There were military posts everywhere. One of the posts was at the base of the gondola. We had to walk through a military building where you would get patted down," Wilson said. "I walked through with all my gear. The officers patted me down and ripped off my jacket and exposed my avalanche beacon. They started pointing machine guns at me. The officer had never seen an avalanche beacon and started freaking out. Luckily a guide came through right behind me and told him what it was."
Wilson said that flipping and spinning is his thing in general because he loves to be in the air. He cross-trains with road biking and mountain biking and always has a soccer ball. Wilson added base-jumping to his sports portfolio after fellow "Seven Sunny Days" co-skier J.T. Holmes introduced him to it.
"The key to Matchstick movies is that they are more basic and stick to the idea, which if you have the best skiers in the world you will have the best movies," Wilson said.
Winter finds his athletes through an organic approach by keeping his fingers on the pulse of the ski industry, which means knowing when kids are winning ski contests and who is being recognized.
It takes Matchstick 10 months to make a film, including raising money. Winter said he wants viewers to always feel that skiing is about having fun and sharing a love of a sport, not about maintaining an image.
"It's a time for a few hours to forget about the world's problems, and be able to have a dream or travel to another place," Wilson said.
Matt Wilson is a featured free-style skier in Matchstick productions. His family lives in Sun Valley.
-Photo by Matt Powers
