Banff Mountain Film Festival Preview: 2.5 Million

Photo credit: Tyler Wilkinson-Ray

Can you imagine skiing up (and down) 2.5 Million human-powered vertical feet in just one year? 

How much is 2.5 million vertical feet? Just think - you would have to ski up (and down) Everest 208 times in one year to reach 2.5 million vertical feet.

2.5 Million chronicles UVM graduate and former Outing Club member, Aaron Rice as he attempts to ski 2.5 million, human-powered, vertical feet in the backcountry and set a new world record. 2.5 Million is now screening with The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour.

Skirack hosts The 2017/2018 Banff Mountain Film Festival with two unique shows:
Thursday January 25th and Friday, January 26th at 7 PM
at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Burlington, VT.

2.5 Million will be screening at Friday night's show, in which Aaron Rice will be attending.

Tickets are available at the Flynn Center box office, CLICK HERE to buy online.

Check out the preview of 2.5 Million:

2.5 Million - Promo Clip from Banff Mountain Film Festival

About Aaron Rice:

Aaron grew up in suburban Massachusetts and because of access to the mountains, he began at The University of Vermont in 2008. There, he joined the Outing Club and took courses in backcountry skiing. Each year he skied more and more in the backcountry, leading the backcountry ski program for the outing club for 2 years.

Once out of school and since then, Aaron has quit two well paying jobs to move to Alta for a season each. It was there where he started to travel in avalanche terrain, explore with bigger objectives. In one 6 month season, Aaron earned 400,000 vertical feet, had his first day over 10k, and had his first month over 100k.

The next summer Aaron worked some, but also traveled down to Bariloche, Argentina for three months to ski. He skied Refugio Frey, on glaciers, and on volcanoes. The next winter he went back to Alta for a 3rd season. This was the season of seeing how he could push his body. Skiing Timpanogos, the Hypodermic Needle, countless Superiors, north and south, Little Pine, Tanners, The East Face of the Twins, The NW of the Pfeiff, Boxelder 4 times in a day on multiple occasions, Chipmans, Red Baldy, and many, many more. In addition he attempted a 24 hour long tour. The tour ended up being 25 hours and they skied 21 lines in Days Fork and 24,000 feet of untouched pow! By the end of the season Aaron had a 365 day vertical total of 726,370 feet.

With a full time job in Alta, Aaron had been averaging 5,000 feet per day for much of the winter. He had skied many 10k+ days, he had pushed all day, night, and day again and gone on a 24,000 foot tour.

He knew how hard he could push, and just needed the time to stack it all up. In the 2015/2016 season Aaron planned to ski 2.5 Million vertical feet in a full year!

Aaron Rice Skies Up (and Down) in The Banff Mountain Film Festival Preview: 2.5 Million

Accomplishments:

  • Wasatch Descents: S. Face of Superior, E. Face of SLC Twins, Super Couloir (Boxelder), Battle Creek (Timpanogos), The Needle, The NW of the Pfeiff, White Pine, Little Pine, Tanners, Limber Pine, Monte Christo Gully, All Wolverine Chutes, and many more

  • Colorado Descents: Grizzly Chute, Tuning Forks, Witches Hat (Buffalo Mtn)

  • South American Descents: Cerro Madsen (Fitzroy Range), Alaskita (Cerro Catedral), Tres Marias, El Monge (Refugio Frey), Glacier Hielo Azule, Volcan Casablanca

  • East Coast Descents: Dodge’s Drop (Mt. Washington), Casses Gully (Smuggler’s Notch), Sunset Ridge (Mt. Mansfield)

  • Completion of a 25 Hour tour with no breaks (more than 10min for water and food) earning 24,000 feet in that time and skiing all 21 named runs in Days Fork. (Jan. 7th&8th 2015)

  • Boxelder Traverses: White Pine TH -> No Name Baldy -> Boxelder (Super Coulior, Shotgun Chutes, NE face) -> Lake Chute -> White Pine TH (13hrs, 11K, 16Mi) (Mar. 28th, 2015

  • 726,000′ earned in 365 Days (’14-’15)

  • 211 Days skied in a Year (’14-’15)

  • 158 Days skied in a row (’13-’14)

  • 155.000′ earned in 30 Days (Jan-Feb 2015)

  • 22 Month streak (Ongoing)

  • 10 10,000′ days in a season (’14-’15)

See a link to Aaron Rice's full bio: http://airandrice.com/index.php/about/#story


About The Banff Mountain Film Festival:

The Banff Mountain Film Festival, a program of Banff Centre, is the largest, and one of the most prestigious, mountain festivals in the world. Hot on the heels of the festival held every fall in Banff, Canada, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour hits the road. 

With stops planned in about 550 communities and more than 40 countries across the globe, this year’s tour features a collection of the most inspiring action, environmental, and adventure films from the festival.

Traveling to exotic landscapes and remote cultures, and bringing audiences up-close and personal with adrenaline-packed action sports, the 2017/2018 World Tour is an exhilarating and provocative exploration of the mountain world. 

From approximately 400 films entered into the annual festival, award-winning films and audience favorites are among the films chosen to travel the globe.

View the full 2017/2018 Banff Mountain Film Festival preview: