Sitka Depot's debut of RIVER
During the evening of December 10, dozens of Bozeman’s hunters, skiers, snowboarders, and other outdoor enthusiasts joined together at the SITKA Depot on North Rouse Avenue to view Eric Jackson’s latest movie, RIVER. Amongst the crowd was Eric Jackson himself alongside his film crew and the movie’s director Shannon Vandivier. The film depicts professional snowboarder, Eric Jackson’s comedic and inspiring adventure as he takes on a new challenge, big game archery hunting.
The evening began by allowing attendees to participate in challenges such as racing to put on avalanche safety gear. In between games and conversing with fellow outdoor enthusiasts, visitors were treated to complimentary beverages and tasty Crumbl Cookies while they browsed SITKA’s large selection of top-of-the-line outdoor gear. Fans of Eric Jackson formed a line to meet the snowboarding legend. Ear-to-ear grins painted the faces of the crowd as Jackson signed posters, shook hands, and told stories of his backcountry adventures. More and more guests filled the room as the start of the movie drew near. At showtime, attendees found their seats, the lights were dimmed, and the projector displayed images of Montana’s breathtaking rivers and mountains.
The film itself focused on Jackson’s first big game hunt. Eric is not one to back down from a challenge, as shown in the film by his daring snowboarding excursions, so it is no surprise that he chose elk as his prey. As many hunters know, Elk are some of the toughest big game animals to hunt in North America. Their habitats are often deep within the backcountry, their physical conditioning allows them to quickly traverse through the mountains, and their keen sense of smell and hearing make getting to the elk no small feat. Naturally, Eric Jackson selected a bow as his tool for his hunt in Montana’s public land.
A few problems stood in the way of Eric’s big game archery hunt, primarily his complete lack of experience in both big game hunting and archery. The film dedicates several minutes of footage to the snowboarder shooting hundreds of arrows over weeks of training to gain familiarity with the platform. Laughter roared throughout the Depot as the audience commiserated over the struggles that many of them had faced in their early days of learning to shoot a bow. After many lost and broken arrows, Jackson had honed his archery skill in preparation for opening day. Led by his hunting mentor, Eric spends the next four weeks in pursuit of his first bull. The film shows both the lows and the highs of big game hunting, from days of no action to close encounters with massive bulls. In the climax of the movie, Jackson finally finds success in taking his quarry. While most of the film focuses on the build up to this moment, it also takes the time to cover the important topic of conservation and preservation of the natural resources that allow the outdoors to remain a place where such moments can be enjoyed by all.
The end of the film did not mark the end of the night... the fun was only just getting started. Immediately after the film, after thunderous applause and cheers, Eric and Shannon joined a SITKA content creator at the front of the room for a question and answer session. The questions ranged from details of the film, Eric’s snowboarding career, his experience with the film and the hunt, and much more. The three men at the front of the room kept the audience on their toes with clever jokes mixed in between meaningful conversation about conservation and our place in the wilderness that we cherish here in Bozeman. After the SITKA representative asked all of his prepared questions, the interview was opened for the audience to ask questions. Since many of those present were already massive fans of Jackson from his snowboarding career, there was no shortage of those hoping to gain some wisdom from the longtime outdoor adventurer. Even some of the youngest members of the crowd were eager to ask how they too could get involved in the outdoor industry. These questions from the youth clearly had Eric and many others in the crowd beaming with pleasure from the excitement of the next generation to get involved in the outdoors.
The evening concluded with a raffle of SITKA and Black Diamond gear. Fantastic prizes including lamps, headlamps, tents, clothing, and more were given away to many dozens of audience members. I was amongst those winners, and took home a Black Diamond headlamp that I can’t wait to try out on my next sunrise hike! Winners of the previously mentioned games and races were also announced, bringing even more prizes and cheers to the crowd.
SITKA and Black Diamond partnered to put on an excellent event with hours of entertainment for all in attendance. Thank you for all the hard work from the SITKA depot employees, the SITKA and Black Diamond raffle sponsors, and of course Eric Jackson and his film crew for putting together such a fantastic evening.
