The Mountain Film Festival in Concrete, Washington is a 4-day event with feature-length movies, documentaries, multimedia presentations, photography workshops, special guests, live music, and more.

Welcome to the first Mountain Film Festival in the Skagit Valley. Here in Concrete, Washington, we're surrounded by the most amazing mountains, with the beautiful North Cascades in our backyard. So we are very excited about celebrating mountain life, sports, and recreation with you.

Schedule of Events

June 2, 2022

7:00 p.m. - This Mountain Life

The awe that mountainous landscapes evoke is universal, yet most of us seldom venture into true wilderness. A mother-daughter team sets out for six months in a tent in the winter mountains; a group of nuns inhabits a mountain retreat to be closer to God; a photographer buried in an avalanche; an impassioned alpinist; a focused snow artist; a couple who has been living off-grid in the mountains for nearly 50 years. For them, the draw of the mountains is so strong that their lives must revolve around it. Shot in cinematic detail, This Mountain Life is a riveting portrait of human passion set high in the snowy peaks to the north of us in British Columbia. What is it that leads these adventurous people to sacrifice everything - comfort, family, personal safety - for a life in the mountains?

Life on the Baker River

This short film produced by Puget Sound Energy includes the history of the river as well as the town of Concrete.

June 3, 2022

7:00 p.m. - The Alpinist

The Alpinist takes cinema-goers to new heights. The new documentary will bring you to some of the highest points the globe has to offer, following a young and free-spirited climber as he treks on some of his most ambitious journeys yet. It's best to watch The Alpinist with someone who will let you squeeze their arm the whole time.

Fans of Free Solo, this movie was made for you. The Alpinist follows 23-year-old mountain climber Marc-André Leclerc, who enjoys completing treks alone and completely out of the limelight. That is until he's picked up by two documentary filmmakers who finally get the inside scoop. Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen set out to track the young record-setter as he makes some of the boldest solo ascents in climbing history.

Director: Peter Mortimer, Nick Rosen
Genre: Documentary
Run Time: 1 hour 22 minutes

7:30 p.m.: Feature-length film: The Alpinist

June 4, 2022

Program A

11:00 a.m. - Mountain Photography with Andy Porter

2:00 p.m. - From Slide to Ride
Special guest: Oak Rankin, Glacier Peak Institute

Program B

3:00 p.m. - Trek for Treasure & Skagit Trail Builders
Special Guests: Mark Pearson, United General District 304. Learn about a unique way to enjoy the outdoors with family and friends. Amy O'Reilly and Germaine Kornegay, volunteers with Skagit Trail Builders.

5:00 p.m. - The Mountain Runners
Film, Discussion & Bluegrass Music

5:00 - 7:00 p.m.: Live Music by Prozac Mtn Boys
Andy Friedlander (guitar), Ted O'Connell (mandolin, harmonica), Larry Sult (banjo), Keith Fredrikson (bass), Arielle Luckmann (fiddle).

7:00 p.m. - T H R U
Presentation by Communications Manager, Eric Wollborg, Pacific Northwest Trail Association. Featuring THRU, a film by Andy Laub.

12:00 a.m. - Mount Baker Ultra

(aka midnight, Saturday)

The Mount Baker Ultra is a 56-mile out and back foot race from the town of Concrete Washington to Mount Baker's Sherman peak at 10,160ft (3,097m). The race draws it's inspiration from the century-old Mount Baker Marathon that lasted for three years, from 1911 to 1913.

Start / Finish information: The race is scheduled to start Sunday, June 5th at 12:00 AM. The race start and finish are located in downtown Concrete, Washington which is located off Highway 20, 100 miles from Seattle or 170 kilometers from Vancouver BC.

June 5, 2022

Program C

Noon - Mountain Critters
A photography show by wildlife photographer Leah Serna.

Mount Baker Ultramarathon
Watch for the runners to return to Concrete Sunday! (Photo credit: Ben Groenhout) The course is a 56 mile out and back from Concrete to Sherman's Peak. Competitors cover 47 miles of gravel Forest Service roads, 6 miles of snow trail, and over 3 miles of glacier travel. The high point of the course is at 10,160ft with an overall elevation gain of approximately 11,000ft.

1:00 p.m. - Escape from Diablo
Escape from Diablo is Seattle City Light's way of raising safety awareness. Created and produced by City Light employees, the video uses a light touch to highlight emergency evacuation procedures for the towns of Diablo and Newhalem, both part of Seattle City Light's Skagit Hydroelectric Project.

2:00 p.m.
Sustain Life on the Baker River
Harnessing the Baker River
Guest speaker, Tony Fuchs

Program D

3:00 p.m. - Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey

Fred Beckey is the original American "dirtbag" climber whose name has evoked mystery, adulation, and vitriol since the 1940s. Beckey's stubborn, singular quest to conquer peaks meant a solitary life on the road The groundbreaking life story of this rebel athlete, who inspired generations with his monumental first ascents, eloquent books, and the lifestyle he fearlessly pioneered, is told for the first time in this exclusive documentary film. Hailed as one of the most prolific, influential climbers of all time, Beckey's adventures began in Washington's North Cascade range in the 1930s. In 1942, he and his brother cemented their place in alpine lore when the teenagers survived an incredible second ascent of Mount Waddington--considered the most difficult climb in North America at the time. This success marked the beginning of Fred's epic tear of first ascents around the world, during which he became the consummate "Dirtbag" climber: defined as one who forgoes material comforts and defies societal norms in pursuit of a nomadic mountaineering lifestyle. 96 min.

Snow & Spire: The Aerial Photography of John Scurlock

As part of the presentation of Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey, you'll also see some of the work of John Scurlock, the aerial photographer who contributed to the film.

John Scurlock is a prolific and talented aerial photographer based in the northern Cascade Mountain Range of Washington State and British Columbia. His love of flying led him to build his own airplane, a feat that took nearly ten years and allows him to explore the Cascade, Coast, Columbia, and Canadian Rocky Mountain ranges in a way few people can. Luckily, John is an amazing photographer who has built a voluminous body of work to share this perspective with others. Not content to simply hang his work on their wall, his pictures have been used by scientists for geological surveys and by ambitious climbers looking for new routes to unclimbed peaks.

Date: June 2-5, 2022

Location:
Concrete Theater,
45920 Main Street,
Concrete, WA 98237.

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