JH Underground – news, sports and music blog from Jackson Hole, Wyoming news, sports and music blog from Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Last we left off with filmmaker Jen Tennican, she had embarked on a documentary about the Stagecoach Bar in Wilson, using the cherished watering hole as a prism to view 70 years of Western history.

Since then she won the Wyoming Short Film Contest with a spinoff comedy and netted $25,000 for the project. Now, nearing her fund-raising goal, she has received a $5,000 grant from a local foundation and is appealing to us, the masses on the Interwebs, to match.

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Posted under Entertainment, Music, Sports

Tags: films, history, mountain biking

Tonight, Winter Wildlands Alliance brings its seventh annual Backcountry Film Festival to Snow King Resort. The event is a fund-raiser for Friends of Pathways and the Jackson Hole Ski Club.

Among the films to be screened are Solitaire by Sweetgrass Productions and Breaking Trail by Powderwhore, as well as a short by Jackson’s own Chris Dickey.

Betty Rock is serving pizza and chili, and Snake River Brewing Co. is pouring beer. The festival runs from 5 to 9 p.m. Screenings will begin at 6. Admission is $10, and proceeds will benefit the FoP Teton Pass Ambassador and Ski Club nordic programs. There will be a raffle with a host of great prizes.

With a winter storm blasting Jackson Hole for the next few days, it won’t be long before skiers and riders are breaking trail to earn their turns in the Teton backcountry. Tonight’s lineup is sure to stoke the excitement.

Posted under Art, Entertainment, Environment, Sports

Tags: backcountry, films, nonprofits, photography, powder, skiing, snowboarding

Here we are at 11:11 a.m. on 11/11/11, a moment highly anticipated by numerologists, corduroy wearers, Deadheads and fans of the movie Spinal Tap.

Today has been designated Nigel Tufnel Day in honor of the spoof rockumentary’s lead guitarist, so in case you’re not feeling festive enough, here’s that extra push over the cliff.

For the uninitiated, Spinal Tap reigns as one of the funniest comedies ever made. You really ought to see the whole guitar/amp segment, no clips of which were available for embedding. Or go to 11 yourself and watch the entire movie.

The question is, Where can we go from here?

Posted under Entertainment, Humor, Music

Tags: films, Media, rock

Howard Henderson, co-founder of the Jackson Hole Air Force, died last night of a heart attack, friends said. He was 53 years old.

Henderson collapsed at his home in Rafter J, friends said. EMTs responded and performed CPR, to no avail.

Henderson was one of the leaders of the Air Force, a renegade band of skiers featured in the film “Swift. Silent. Deep.” The group came together during the early 1980s and pushed the boundaries of skiing in the Tetons, so much so that Jackson Hole Mountain Resort eventually opened its gates to unlimited backcountry access.

Better known as “Howie,” Henderson had an outsize personality on and off the slopes. In a promo for the movie, his older brother, RJ, another veteran skier, says, “We’ve always said that we should get Howie a job on a website, just called ‘Howie Goes Off,’ and just give him a new subject every day.”

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Posted under Deaths, Entertainment, Sports

Tags: films, skids, skiing

The Teton Gravity Research premiere has become a rite of fall, and although I can’t bear the thought of winter yet, no doubt many of you already are stoked for the coming season of powder shredding.

In that spirit, courtesy of TGR, we’re giving away two pairs of tickets to Saturday’s 5:30 p.m. premiere at Walk Festival Hall in Teton Village. By now, you know how this works. In the comments below, say you’re in (or any variation thereof), and two winners will be drawn at random at 10 a.m. Saturday. Each will receive two tickets ($24 value). Please submit a valid email address to enter.

There will be two screenings Saturday. The second is at 8 p.m. Tickets for that show only are available at Jackson Treehouse (inside Hotel Terra or beneath the Pink Garter). Tickets for the early show can be purchased online.

Afterward, the party shifts to the Mangy Moose for music by Trouble Andrew. A separate ticket ($25), available online, is required.

All proceeds will benefit the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center and Jackson Hole Ski Club freeride program.

Posted under Entertainment, Media, Ski Resorts, Sports

Tags: films, powder, skids, skiing, snowboarding, teton gravity research