5 Stories, 5 Courses, 5 Brews

I smiled all weekend as I skied blissful snow in the Colorado backcountry with dear friends. And, I’ll be smiling all day as I look forward to this evening: the 2011 kickoff for the 5Point Film Festival.

The reason I'm smiling, backcountry skiing in Colorado this past weekend.

True to their passion for going over the top, the 5Point Chicks, Julie Kennedy and executive staffer, Beda Calhoun, have planned an event that will wow like nothing before, a fitting forerunner to a fantastic festival season ahead.

Those lucky enough to have tickets to this sold out event will enjoy an evening of 5 Stories, 5 Courses and 5 Brews, and I add 5 Stars for the delectable food I know I’ll get at Six 89. While sipping a variety of New Belgium brews, we’ll dine with five outstanding human beings: Steve House, alpinist; Alison Gannett, skier; Andrew Bisharat, climber; Chris Davenport, extreme skier; and mountaineering’s It girl, Christy Mahon. Their assignment is to enthrall us with a 10 minute tale. With such a lineup I cannot predict who will be the most dazzling, but I know I will enjoy every minute of it.

In past years, festival founder, Julie, and her staff have raised the bar on what’s expected of an adventure film and they have influenced the industry. Movies they select are exceptional, promoting values such as respect, commitment, humility, purpose, and balance. 5Points, the film festival with a mission to inspire adventure of all kinds, to connect generations through shared experience and respect, to engage passion with a conscience, and to educate through film. They deliver.

Their website will be updated soon with their 2011 schedule. Watch for it and don’t miss any of their terrific engagements. Festival dates are April 28th through May 1st.

The 5 Points of 5Points:
Respect
For each other, for the environment, for the experience and for the knowledge we inherit from those who inspire and teach us.
Commitment
To overcome fear and give ourselves completely to the challenge at hand while leading a vital existence and never allowing ourselves to become complacent.
Humility
To assume the courage and the discipline to listen to our intuition and not our egos, always mindful of our place in the natural order.
Purpose
To muster the motivation and conviction necessary to pursue our highest aspirations in the face of adversity.
Balance
To maintain our focus and energy in life, in nature, and on the journeys we undertake while things we cannot control shift around us.