Wild and Scenic Fest’s “Edge of Impossible”

No surprise, tonight’s Wild and Scenic Film Festival program was awesome. And I’m sure tomorrow’s will be wonderful as well. The sold out house was very appreciative, and we all enjoyed conversation, beer from Two Trees and wine from Castoro Cellars. Some of us got t-shirts and sunscreen from REI and advice on water conservation from the City of Ventura and more.

The most moving film for us was “Edge of Impossible.” Tony Schmiesing broke his neck and now requires an assistant and a wheel chair yet the film depicts him as the first quadriplegic to heliski: “in the spring of 2014, the High Fives Foundation gave a Winter Empowerment grant to provide the team with the tools and travel necessary for Tony Schmiesing to accomplish “The Edge of Impossible” trip to Points North Heli-Adventures in Cordova, Alaska.”

This film cut a little close to home: in 2010 my husband broke his neck and miraculously he is not in a wheelchair like Tony.  While in the film Tony shows his joy to live and ski, I am grateful that my husband is able to snowboard on his own. We watched the film with tears in our eyes, and while we had our reasons, the film is moving to see Tony in the groove in the mountains.

The two day event was sold out tonight and it’s sold out tomorrow; however, many of the films on the program are available online. But there’s no comparison to watching the films on the big screen with a large appreciative audience, and, in this case, a chance to support an awesome local organization while drinking great local beer! Thanks to Patagonia, Gary and Karen Bednorz, and everyone else who work so hard to bring this great event to Ventura.