SOLE snow school stars in film festival

By DAVID GUNTER

Feature correspondent

SANDPOINT – One of the most active snow school programs in the nation is rooted right here in Sandpoint – a feat that gets highlighted this Friday night on the big screen of the Panida Theater as part of the Backcountry Film Festival.

“Snow School: Exploring Our Winter Wildlands” is a film that looks into the work being done in the region by a group called SOLE, short for Selkirk Outdoor Leadership & Education. It’s a nice example of things coming full circle, as SOLE is entering its fourth year of sponsoring the Sandpoint stop of the film festival’s global tour as a vehicle for funding the snow school program locally.

By the time the festival has completed its rounds, the movie will have been screened more than 100 times worldwide, according to SOLE founder and executive director Dennison Webb. To have the organization’s snow school held up in such prominent fashion is an even greater honor because there are no fewer than 48 such programs in the U.S.

“This film is the first time that a snow school has been highlighted in the Backcountry Film Festival,” Webb said, adding that the tour is now in its 12th year. “We initially created this film to show the work we’re doing with kids. It’s our hope that it will spark inspiration for others who want to do this type of work.”

The snow school is associated with SOLE’s Fieldwork Experiences program – one of several educational cornerstones of the organization’s outreach efforts. The group manages field campuses at Schweitzer Mountain, Silver Mountain and Lookout Pass in Idaho, Mt. Spokane in Washington and Flatiron Mountain in Montana.

Classes are geared toward fifth-grade students, as well as more advanced outings aimed at middle- and high-school students. Perhaps because SOLE is based in Sandpoint, the majority of those students come from Bonner County schools.

“This year, we’ll hit over 450 kids,” the founder said. “Of those, over 300 of them are local.”

That’s a real boon for kids in our district, since economic reality might keep them from ever experiencing a trek into the woods on their own. The classroom preparation component would be readily available, but the part about strapping on snowshoes and heading into the field on Schweitzer Mountain would likely remain out of reach for children from low-income households – something SOLE seeks to remedy with its fieldwork.

“I’m saying there’s a correlation there,” Webb said. “These are local kids and over 70 percent of them have never been on snowshoes and never been on the mountain. We’re trying to deliver an accessible way to do that.”

Friday’s film showing will take viewers into that world, where youngsters use the field campus experience to gather data on winter ecology and snow science. That’s important, the founder pointed out, because 80 percent of this community’s fresh water is reliant on snow pack and these same kids will one day be left to manage that resource.

In the field, they use scientific tools they were introduced to in the classroom to define layers of snowfall and measure things such as snow density and water content. From there, they chart the data and compare it to historical findings to create a line graph that points to overall patterns and trends.

“It’s the idea of creating informed and educated future stewards of our community and the environment,” said Webb. “We’re not pushing an environmental angle; we’re about the science involved.”

In our region, the recent data has been trending toward more sporadic winter weather and an overall decline in snowfall, compared with past decades. Environmental debates aside, those trends bear watching from both a scientific and social standpoint.

“We rely on fresh water for everything and that’s something important we introduce the kids to,” Webb said.

“Snow School: Exploring Our Winter Wildlands” was filmed by Sandpoint videographer Scott Rulander of Gem Vision Productions. Webb’s hope is that the film will not only provide a better understanding of the outdoor classroom program, but also attract interest from funding organizations. At present, SOLE is funded in part by the Panhandle Alliance for Education, the Equinox Foundation and the Inland Northwest Community Foundation – a list the founder seeks to expand in order to reach even more kids.

“Intentional, experiential education is expensive,” said Webb, who does most of the administrative work on a volunteer basis, but pays his teaching staff.

“Our field instructors are gifted outdoor educators,” he explained, adding that the program also includes curriculum development, coordination with classroom teachers and customization of materials to meet specific educational standards for the various field campuses.

As the snow school concept continues to grow, SOLE is on the lookout for volunteer instructors who can make the experience available to a greater number of students. Involvement includes a 3-day training session and personalized tutoring on how to work in the field with young people.

“If there are retired teachers who want to become involved in this type of thing, that’s what we’re excited about,” Webb said. “We love teachers – they already know how to teach.”

SOLE’s pre-film festival activities will begin this Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 5 p.m., with a “SOLE-ful meet-and-greet” event at Idaho Pour Authority, featuring silent auction items and craft beers from Deschutes Brewery.

The Backcountry Film Festival will be held this Friday, Dec. 2, at the Panida Theater. Doors open at 6 p.m. and film screenings will take place from 7-9 p.m.

Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 on the day of the show (including one raffle ticket), available at Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters, the Alpine Shop, Eichardt’s Pub and the Panida Theater. A special $20 Donation Ticket (including three raffle tickets) also is available and covers the cost of putting a local area youth on the snow for a day.

All proceeds from Wednesday’s meet-and-greet and the film festival will go to support SOLE’s work in local communities.

To volunteer for outdoor education training or learn more about SOLE, call 928-351-7653, or email Webb at: dennison.webb@soleexperiences.org

To view the trailer for “Snow School: Exploring Our Winter Wildlands” visit: https://vimeo.com/180767869