TACAW in Basalt adds Saturday matinee of all-women’s ski film, ‘Advice for Girls,’ after Friday screening sells out

When “Pretty Faces,” an all-women’s ski film, debuted in 2014, it was groundbreaking. Now, Lynsey Dyer’s latest all-women’s film, “Advice for Girls” is making a big splash — the first screening at TACAW, scheduled for Friday night, sold out, so organizers added a matinee at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Presented by TACAW and 5Point Film Festival, the 45-minute film showcases a variety of women skiers and riders, including one who transitioned, women of color, and adaptive athletes.

Dyer, who Powder and Freeskier magazines named Female Skier of the Year multiple times, has won every big mountain competition she’s entered and has appeared in three Teton Gravity Research and five Warren Miller films. But perhaps the largest mountain she continues to face involves showcasing women in skiing and empowering girls.

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“Pretty Faces” changed everything, she said in “Advice for Girls.” That original, award-winning film sold out 100 screenings across the nation and helped shift the industry to be more inclusive, according to her website. With funds raised from the film, she cofounded SheJumps.org, which helps females from all backgrounds become more active in the outdoor community.

Now, “Advice for Girls” tells women’s stories. It includes AJ Cargill, whom the film says most people don’t know, but in 1997, she was the best female freeskier in the world, having won the International Free Skiers Association. She paved the way for women in the sport, and now, professional female skiers continue to break traditional boundaries of what it means to ski like a girl.

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The stories also include adaptive skiers and riders, as well as the significant issue professional women skiers and riders face as their biological clock begins to tick loudly. In the film, Dyer sits with her baby, and other women talk about how sponsors began to drop them when they had a baby or asked questions they say sponsors wouldn’t necessarily ask male skiers, like: Do you have enough time to do this?

The film begins with images of a woman writing in her journal and narrating:

“I am inspired by the women who came before me and paved the way in this fight for better representation in skiing. I am uplifted by the women who surround me every day and encourage each other to be the best versions of themselves. And I’m excited for the next generation who is fearlessly pushing this sport further with each season that passes. And I want to help as many women and girls as I possibly can to know their value and worth. Because if there’s one thing I have learned, it is that women are extremely valuable to the ski industry and so are their stories.”

While “Advice for Girls” includes stories and ends with plenty of advice from the women highlighted in the film, it doesn’t get bogged down with words. It features ample park rails, big lines, powdery face shots, and cliff jumping – making it a legitimate and stimulating ski movie that can inspire just about anyone. It ends on a great note, with 12-year-old girls pulling off backflips from cliffs — the next generation of badass girls.

“My hope is that the film will help girls skip over some of the limiting beliefs imposed upon past generations of skiers and inspire them to show up as their truest selves,” said producer and athlete Addy Jacobsend in a press release.