A collection of action sports professionals and industry fanatics joined in Aspen, Colorado this weekend for the eleventh annual autumn gathering known as The Meeting. Per usual, the three-day event provided a series of kick-ass ski movie screenings, an array of pro skier sightings, super fast go-karts, thrill-seeking mountain bike rides, rambunctious parties (sleepless nights), exquisite foliage, an industry conference highlighting hot topics and trends across the action sports world, and so much more. To cap off the great weekend, Aspen Snowmass even received a dusting of snow at higher elevations, generating a serious amount of stoke for the upcoming shred season.
Attendees of #TheMeeting11 embarked on a wild ride, enjoying screenings of Level 1’s award-winning flick, Small World; Super Proof’s 2015 film, The Masquerade; Blank Media’s all-new project, Blank. The Movie; Clayton Vila’s street-inspired documentary, For Lack of Better; and Teton Gravity Research’s film, Paradise Waits, among others.
Notable skiers showcasing ski-film projects and enjoying autumn in Aspen were Torin Yater-Wallace, Clayton Vila, Aaron Blunck, KC Deane and Tim Durtschi.
Aspiring skiers and filmmakers also received praise at The Meeting. The annual NEPSA awards (Aspen spelled backwards) went off without hitch, supplying regional filmmakers and skiers with a $3,500 prize purse, celebrating creative shorts with an emphasis on fun. After debuting the eleven shred edits, first place was awarded to prized DJ and aspiring skier Nate Berkel and his teammates Tom Cuccio and Tae Wescott for their video project, Tag ‘Em and Bag ‘Em, a short film focused on “Jerry Hunting” around Aspen Snowmass. Second place went to Derrin Carelli for his short flick, Trifecta, and hard charger Colter Hinchliffe nabbed third place for his edit, dubbed Mom-O-Correct.
Aside from the abundance of films, Aspen-ites and shred fans alike joined forces each night at Belly Up to boogie down on the dance floor and enjoy a few cocktails. Musical performances were put on by 40oz. to Freedom, Berkel Beats and more.
Industry professionals were also invited to attend a series of engaging panels discussing the multiple aspects of content creation, effectively utilizing social platforms, establishing an audience and delivering marketing value. Speakers included representatives from brands such as Stance, Fuse Marketing, Grind.TV, Encoding.com, Network A, EpicSignal, and others.
“It was pretty cool to see what is currently happening within action sports,” stated KC Deane, star of Blank. The Movie, following the event. “Listening to people like Nick [Tran] from Stance was awesome. Being involved with filmmaking, it was great to sit in on the conference sessions. Each speaker lended some insight into ways to market your film, and in turn broaden your audience.”
Note: For those interested, a video recording of each panel will soon be available online.
On behalf of the entire FREESKIER team, I’d like to say thank you to Red Bull, GoPro and of course Aspen Snowmass for all of the great times and (yet again) such a successful event. We are officially fired up for winter.
To catch all of the epic Instagram posts from the event, visit #TheMeeting11.
Related: Behind the scenes of the most comprehensive ski test of 2015
