This fall, Patagonia will release Jumbo Wild a gripping, hour-long documentary film by Sweetgrass Productions telling a true story of the decades-long battle over the future of British Columbia’s iconic Jumbo Valley highlighting the tension between protection of wilderness and the backcountry experience and ever-increasing development interests in wild places.
A large-scale proposed ski resort threatens the rich wilderness of British Columbia’s Purcell Range a revered backcountry ski and snowboarding destination with world-class terrain, sacred ground for local First Nations people, and part of one of North America’s most important grizzly bear corridors.
Directed by Nick Waggoner and Sweetgrass Productions, Jumbo Wild documents the epic tug of war between community members, First Nations and conservationists, resort developers and politicians over the future of Jumbo. Set against a backdrop of incredible backcountry ski and snowboard footage, Jumbo Wild features unprecedented documentation of all sides of a divisive issue bringing the passionate local fight to protect the Jumbo Valley to life for a global audience for the first time.
To coincide with the release of Jumbo Wild, Patagonia and local partners at Wildsight are encouraging the world to get involved by saying no to development and advocating for permanent protection for the Jumbo Valley, a place with enormous cultural and ecological value. An eight-minute short version of the film, available now at Patagonia.com, features a call to action, and Patagonia will use its international network and marketing channels to share the message widely. Since 2012, Patagonia has provided financial support to Wildsight in their activism efforts to “Keep Jumbo Wild.” The campaign achieved a significant victory this summer when the Environmental Certificate was rescinded, but the next step is protecting the Jumbo Valley forever.
The Jumbo Glacier Resort is a proposed four-season “European-style” expansive ski resort with thousands of beds in the heart of the wild, remote Jumbo Valley and providing access to several glaciers. There are currently eight ski resorts within a four hour radius of Invermere: Panorama, Kimberley, Fernie, Kicking Horse, Revelstoke, Whitewater, Nakiska, Norquay, Sunshine and Lake Louise none of them are running at capacity.
For 24 years, local residents, skiers, riders, alpinists, grizzly bear advocates and the Ktunaxa Nation have strongly opposed the corporatization of their beloved backcountry wilderness. Developers say their proposed year-round ski resort would be a snow rider’s dream, but Kootenay residents including many who love to ski and support local ski resorts don’t want it.
To the Ktunaxa Nation, the Jumbo Valley is known as Qat’muk, home of the grizzly bear spirit. The area is of profound spiritual and cultural importance and the resort would undermine beliefs and practices at the core of Ktunaxa culture and identity.
In addition, the Jumbo Valley is recognized internationally as a vital part of one of North America’s most important wildlife corridors. Grizzlies depend on this connected habitat to maintain healthy populations in the region and beyond. The Jumbo Valley is one of only two remaining areas in North America where bears can freely roam between Canada and the U.S. If built, Jumbo Glacier Resort would fragment a critical section of this corridor, potentially leading to reduced grizzly populations, locally, regionally and even continentally.
The eight-minute Jumbo Wild short, which can be viewed for free on Patagonia.com, gives audiences a glimpse of the fight to protect the Jumbo Valley. The full, feature-length documentary-style film, which offers an hour-long view of the story, will be on tour throughout North America from October 6 through November 2, 2015. It will be available for purchase on Vimeo and iTunes starting December 11, with all proceeds benefitting Wildsight.
Founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973, Patagonia is an outdoor apparel company based in Ventura, CA. A certified B-Corporation, Patagonia’s mission is to build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. The company is recognized internationally for its commitment to authentic product quality and environmental activism, contributing over $68 million in grants and in-kind donations to date.
