The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — The 89th annual Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival benefiting the Winter Sports Club begins today with an opening ceremony and an extreme sports film festival.

Winter Carnival queen Cassidy Kurtz will be recognized and crowned at the opening ceremony at Olympian Hall. Her attendants, Patty Hanley and Tori Carrigan Koski, also will be recognized, along with the grand marshals and the Western Heritage honoree.

A film festival has been a part of Winter Carnival for about four years and each year a new compilation of outdoor adventure films gets the event rolling.

Two years ago, Warren Miller films were shown. Last year, a mix of short films documenting extreme outdoor sports were featured.

This year's single film is a compilation of short films packaged as one.

Presented by Saturn and Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, the Sawtooth Adrenaline Film Festival has two showings at 7 p.m. today and Thursday at the Steamboat Springs High School auditorium.

Seats fill up fast for the single film documenting extreme-mountain biking, kayaking, surfing, base-jumping, snowboarding, skiing and snowmobiling.

A $7 Winter Carnival button is required for admittance. Buttons will be sold at the door starting at 6:30 p.m.

The same film will be shown on both days.

Katy Hosmer, Winter Sports Club director of development and special events, said she has not yet viewed the films but every year the Outside Magazine contact looks for outdoor adventure packed films.

Outside Magazine has worked with Seattle-based Sawtooth Films in the past and recommended one of their films for this year's Winter Carnival.

The film festival began at the Chief Plaza Theater in downtown Steamboat; however, the high school auditorium provides more seating with a large projection screen.

"We're trying to make this thing grow," Hosmer said. "We appreciate the use of the theater but we've outgrown that space. Last year I had to turn people away."

Hosmer said she looked at last year's schedule and found a gap between the opening ceremony and the start of the events.

This year, she wanted to keep things exciting by beginning Winter Carnival on Wednesday and following through the weekend with no down time.

"Let's start everything with a bang," Hosmer said.