Aspen ski mountaineer Mike Marolt will screen his new film, “Skiing Everest,” on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen to benefit a Basalt couple who were involved in a serious auto accident last spring near their home in Basalt.
The documentary tells the story of Marolt and his twin brother, Steve, as they progress from climbing and skiing Aspen-area mountains to Mount Rainier, Alaska, South America and 8,000-meter peaks in the Himalayas. Included are expeditions to Shishipangma, Cho Oyu and two trips to the North Face of Everest.
“Climbing without skiing is just pain and suffering with lousy food at the end of the day,” Marolt says in the film. “To go to those high altitudes with skis, it’s very difficult, but it’s romantic, it’s exciting, it’s an incredible challenge.”
The just-completed film probably will go into theatrical release within a year, but Marolt arranged a benefit screening because of the enormous medical bills facing Jeff and Susan Reese, who were seriously injured in a head-on-crash with an alleged drunken driver on their way home from a Rockies game. The suggested donation at the door is $20.
John Meyer, The Denver Post
