STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Time is of the essence when it comes to tumultuous ski season conditions.

“One day can be blowing powder, then the next it’s 70 and sunny,” said Michael Martin, local powder hound. “Just look at this week, Monday you have 20 inches of new snow, Wednesday, it’s 70 degrees and mountain biking.”

Using the unpredictability of nature as the jumping-off point for athletic adventurers, “Rogue Elements,” the latest Teton Gravity Research film, will make its way to Steamboat Springs Friday as part of the 15^th annual Steamboat Mountain Film Festival.

The local showing of “Rogue Elements” will serve as the kick off for the 15th annual Steamboat Mountain Film Fest at the Chief Theater, and it serves as the precursor to the festival’s Legendary Reel Awards competition Nov. 11, which will showcase a lineup of the best local and national snow sport films from the past season along with showings of the newly released Matchstick Production film, “Drop Everything,” and the Shades of Winter film, “Crossroads.”

“TGR (Teton Gravity Research) brings a passionate look at the state of the skiing/snowboarding in the challenging conditions that Mother Nature dishes out,” said Martin, film festival organizer. “As seen by the one-in-500-year storms this past month, the world is changing.”

Complete with classic ski segments, steep runs and loud music, “Rogue Elements” should produce wanderlust for local powder hounds gearing up for the upcoming season, Martin said.

The film was shot this winter, during a record snowfall season for Jackson Hole and places like California and western Canada. Segments were also filmed in Bolivia, France, Italy, Alaska and an urban ski segment in Duluth, Minnesota.

Athletes in the film include Angel Collinson, Jeremy Jones, Nick McNutt, Ian McIntosh, Elyse Saugstad, Dash Longe, Johnny Collinson, Tim Durtschi, Hadley Hammer, Sammy Carlson, Clayton Villa, Cam Riley, Sean Jordan, Sammy Luebke, Griffin Post, Sam Smoothy and two unexpected guests, Cam McCaul and Casey Brown.

“Since the dawn of time, everything that has lived and breathed on this planet has been subject to the whims of Mother Nature,” Teton Gravity Research producers said in a news release. “The nature of an adventurer is inherently rogue; typically wild in character, subject to the fancy of one’s imagination. Humans are unequivocally drawn to nature’s rawest fury and deepest mysteries. These are the irreverent souls who pursue the edge.”

Capturing the highest levels of skiing and snowboarding is an achievement considering the day-to-day challenges of filmmaking in the environments seen in the film, Martin said.

“Shooting with things like drones has been a game changer in that the heli is no longer the only way to get a creative shot,” said Martin. “Drones can go places easier than helis at a much cheaper cost. This has really evolved the type of shots you see of the athlete and the surroundings.”

Martin created the Steamboat Mountain Film Festival in 2003 as a way to bring the community together and generate anticipation for the upcoming ski season. It was also a way to feature local filmmakers who are selected based on the film’s originality, quality of production and storyline.

“It’s one thing to go out and shoot yourself or friends with a GoPro,” Martin said. “It’s a whole other thing to make it look good using state-of-the-art cameras and techniques to make it compelling for an audience to watch in the era of short attention spans.”

Submissions will be accepted via steamboatfilmfestival.com until Oct. 31 and voting will begin the first week of November.

“I hope these films give people a respect for the world as it is today and stoke of another season upon us,” Martin said.

To reach Audrey Dwyer, call 970-871-4229, email adwyer@steamboattoday.com or follow her on Twitter @Audrey_Dwyer1.