Wednesday, November 22nd, a Pre-Thanksgiving Treat for the Family!

Doors at 5:30pm, The pizza oven will be on so that you can feed the family and relax before Thanksgiving.

Introduction with Jackie Paaso at 6:30pm followed by her film Here, Hold My Kid (38 minutes)

Cody Townsend’s Film The Polar Star (44 minutes)

Q & A with Jacki Paaso to follow

HERE, HOLD MY KID

Professional skiers and Super Moms, Elyse Saugstad and Jackie Paaso, announce their NEW 38 minute, offbeat documentary film chronicling two professional female skiers, with an appearance by pro snowboarder and mom, Leanne Pelosi, who are all trying to embrace new motherhood without missing a turn in their heart-stopping athletic careers. The women, who are competitive by nature as they’ve built their professional status on podiums and award winning film segments, can’t help but develop a competitiveness with each other in the quest to becoming “the mom that can do it all.” From the pressures we bring upon ourselves to societal expectations, the characters come at this project with a hilarious, sometimes bordering on ridiculousness, take. With babies and husbands in tow, these mothers are taking the snowsports industry by storm in a way that was never quite seen before. From exhaustion to laughter, discomfort to fun, this will be a movie to which anyone can relate regardless of their athletic prowess. The heart of this film is an homage to all the parents who have dragged their kids to the mountains.

About Elyse Saugstad – Lake Tahoe, CA

Since capturing the freeski world by storm winning the Freeride World Tour Overall Title in only her second year as a professional skier, Elyse Saugstad has not let off the gas pedal. Elyse promptly turned her efforts towards filming and over the past decade has accrued five “Best Female Performance” awards for her segments with Teton Gravity Research, Matchstick Productions, and Unicorn Picnic Productions. Her most proud award is the self produced ski segment for TGR’s Co-Lab contest, wherein she won her first Powder Video Award. Now that Elyse became a mother to Indiana Townsend this past year her passion for skiing has not relented and is eager to continue her legacy as as ski film star, albeit with a baby under her wing.

About Jackie Paaso – Åre, Sweden

Widely known as the “Queen of the FWT,” Jackie burst onto the freeskiing world with her legendary hucks, collection of multiple Freeride World Tour wins and her prestigious “Sickbird” award, which was only the second time in history that it’s been won by a woman. A career of competition was defined by winning the most important competition in skiing, the Verbier Xtreme and 60+ foot cliff sends in the Red Bull Cold Rush. After pivoting from competition to the film scene, she co-produced and starred in the films “Evolution of Dreams” and “The Arctic 12.” Her newest adventure is becoming a mother to her son Tor Paaso. Her enthusiasm for skiing and exploration is strong as ever, and she plans to share it with her little one by her side. Jackie Paaso lived in Newry, ME during part of her childhood. She attended Telstar Middle School and Gould Academy and is generously coming back to The Gem to share her film and donate ticket proceeds to Maine West’s Project Play Youth Ski Program.

THE POLAR STAR

The Polar Star Couloir is a nearly perfect couloir set in one of the most remote, wild and inhospitable places on the planet; Baffin Island, Canada. Named as one of “The Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America” by the book of the same name, the reason to travel thousands of miles through the arctic wilderness, camp for ten days on the surface of the frozen ocean and battle glacial winds, piercing cold temperatures and polar bears is obvious; checking it off the list as Cody Townsend attempts to climb and ski all of the classics in his documentary ski project called “The FIFTY”. The checklist though, that’s the smallest part of the journey as Townsend teams up with legendary steep skier Vivian Bruchez to partake in a master class of moving through the mountains, towering couloirs and tight walled steeps of Baffin Island.

About the Directors and Writers of Here, Hold My Kid:

Johno Verity

Johno’s career began in the late nineties as a professional snowboarder, and his love for the mountains didn’t stop when he eventually swapped his bindings for cameras. Over the last 20 years with his technical prowess, creative eye and over-enthusiastic work ethic, he is lauded as a director of photography working across the board for BBC, Red Bull, Sky, in adventure sports, fashion, music and film, with some of the world’s greatest athletes, supermodels and artists. Alongside the Legs of Steel crew he made the award winning and much loved mockumentary #SkiGoodMoneyWillCome.

Adam Gendle

Gendle has been a producer, director and presenter for the past 15 years, with a large body of his work in the action sports world. The Lockdown Projects, a UK snowboard film series produced and directed by Gendle, is much revered for its humorous take as much as its athletic efforts. He has also worked with Roxy and the Legs of Steel crew, and co-directed the award winning movie #SkiGoodMoneyWill Come