*Update: The Avalanche Hunter was also accepted to the Les Bois Film Festival on April 8, 2023!

Logline: In this adventure vignette, we get a look behind the scenes into the often invisible world of avalanche control and avalanche professionals. The story follows Roz Reynolds, an “avalanche hunter” and certified badass, who is not only blazing trails in her field and keeping the public safe in the mountains, but also laying first tracks on backcountry slopes, on the USA Ice Climbing team, and more.

Runtime: 11.5 minutes

Directed by: Philip Hüffeldt

Hey Wool Hat Creative film fans! I am stoked to announce that Wool Hat has scored a hat trick (non-sports fans see below)* in the far-reaching Backcountry Film Festival (BFF) with a new project directed by me! Read on to learn more and see how to catch a rowdy, charitable screening near you.

For this project, Wool Hat has teamed up with Howl at the Sun and others to produce a short, not-for-profit, adventure documentary titled “The Avalanche Hunter”. In this film, Roz Reynolds, a winter adventurer and badass avalanche mitigation expert (aka avalanche hunter) blazes trails in her field and paves the way for future generations of women in outdoor adventure and safety.

The production team and I spoke with Roz at her office in Boulder, Colorado about being the sole engineer and representative in the US for the Swiss-based Wyssen Avalanche Control. Roz talked with us about what it’s like being one of the few women in her line of work, her passions, and how avalanches and their mitigation have affected her life. We then shadowed her on the job down in Rico in southwest Colorado near Telluride and captured Roz in action when one of Wyssen’s towers over the highway suddenly needed maintenance. Also, what adventure film would be complete without some rad backcountry skiing and ice climbing footage of Roz?

Needless to say, things go boom, tidal waves of snow go zoom, helicopters go vroom, and the ice routes and backcountry runs aren’t groomed. We hope you enjoy watching this as much as we enjoyed capturing this story focused on a very impressive woman and strong unique female voice in the outdoor winter world.

The BFF will be screening this temporary version of our project (still in development) that could end up being a much larger effort. (Be sure to reach out if you’d like to get involved in telling a bigger avalanche mitigation story or would like to see our pitch deck.) Screenings of the festival are scheduled far and wide from California to Vermont and from Alaska to North Carolina with some happening this week and tonight, November 17th! Find a showing of the BFF near you by clicking here. 

Last but not least, I and everyone at Wool Hat are so grateful for our hard-working crew, Roz Reynolds, and everyone that contributed to this project. An extra special thank you to our tenacious fellow producers/writers at Howl at the Sun and Smooth Business Systems, Doug Howell and Kiki Kaufmann, respectively. And of course a big thank you to Wyssen, the folks at Colorado Department of Transportation, the one and only editor/writer on this project - voice actor - Pete Sepenuk. This has surely been a team effort.

So please do check out our inspiring story and this festival. Each ticket goes to support all kinds of nonprofits like the Winter Wildlands Alliance, the festival’s creator, and others across the country. 

Stay tuned to our social media (social links at the bottom of this page) for more screening updates. Also, our logline is below. Be safe out there and have fun this winter!

Ski tips up, ice axes sharpened, and avalanche beacons on!

*Reference for the non-sports fans out there: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hat-trick ;-)

Written by Phil Hüffeldt, Founder of Wool Hat Creative.

Logline: This short film is an adventure vignette that takes a look behind the scenes into the often-invisible world of avalanche control and avalanche professionals. The story follows Roz Reynolds, an “avalanche hunter” and certified badass, who is not only blazing trails in her field and keeping the public safe in the mountains, but also laying first tracks on backcountry slopes, climbing ice walls, and more. This project is in development and we welcome sponsorship inquiries.