For many, it will not be easy to watch. The story of the Alpine Meadows 1982 avalanche is tough for many. People that were working at Alpine Meadows that fateful day are still around. Several have become good ski buddies. Watching them pour out their souls in the previews gives me the chills. But even after reading A Wall of White and various newspaper accounts from the event, I still find myself wanting to know more.
Buried: The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche was produced by Alpine Meadows locals Steven Siig and Jared Drake. Siig is well known as the owner of the the Tahoe Arthaus & Cinema in Tahoe City. The movie was initially premiered at the Mountainfilm festival in Telluride, where it won the Audience Award. The film will have its Tahoe premiere at the Tahoe Arthaus & Cinema next weekend, June 18th-19th.
The combination of steep terrain, fluctuating temperatures and howling winds make Alpine Meadows one of the most avalanche prone ski resorts in the U.S. By March 1982, the resort had developed a rigorous avalanche safety protocol that was in many ways ahead of its time. But then a monster storm moved in, bringing relentless snow and fierce winds and creating conditions ripe for disaster. In this film, a taut autopsy of that fateful event, key players dig through the painful memories to relive what happens when nature overwhelms.
— Tahoe Arthaus & Cinema
There will be two showings of the film, on Friday and Saturday at 9pm. The film will be shown on the outdoor screen, acquired last summer to allow for a drive-in theatre experience during the COVID pandemic. For this summer, the outdoor screen will be “walk-in”, with participants bringing their own chairs and blankets.
Tickets must be purchased in groups of four at a cost of $40. Each group will be allotted their own plot. Up to two additional people may be added to your group at $10 each. Parking is available at Commons Beach and along Highway 28. It’s not all that far of a walk from the 64 acres lot.
Tickets are “advanced purchase” only for this show. Here’s the link. Both shows are now sold out!
I already have some other obligations for that weekend, so I’ll miss the premiere. I think this is a movie I am going to need to see piece by piece, with frequent pauses, once it becomes available for purchase online.
Any news on a DVD release? I’m thinking house guests may need to see this for years to come.
I have not heard anything about that yet. After the Tahoe premiere, the movies is scheduled to be released in theaters on a wider scale this fall. I would assume that it will also be available for download.
That’s right, Mark. The screenings in June 18/19 are a sneak peek look at our festival cut. Seeing that we’ve screened this cut in Telluride and next Boulder, we wanted to offer it to our local community as well. The official release of the final cut of the film will be in September, starting in theaters then moving onto streaming/digital later 2021. Thank you for the support!
Excellent. Thank you.
Thanks for this, I was there at Squaw when this happened and went over and watched this unfold. Unreal
Do we know the approx. runtime of the movie? Is it a feature length film?
Only asking because I’m old and have to be at work at 7am on Sunday and Monday and I need my sleep. 9pm is wayyyy past my bedtime.
One place says 100 minutes and another says 90. I know they are still doing editing to finalize the theater version.
The current cut is about 100min including credits.
Thank you Jared!