Athletes enjoy a round of cards while filming for Salomon's third annual "Quality Ski Time Film Tour."

After witnessing the crowd’s energy during its last two stops of the “Quality Ski Time Film Tour,” Salomon selected Bend for the premiere of its third annual film tour.

“There are these hotbeds of passionate skiers where there always seems to be a lot more energy,” said Joe Johnson, alpine marketing manager for Salomon. “Every time we’ve been (to Bend) the crowd’s been awesome, the energy has been great, the venue is awesome.”

This year’s lineup includes five short films, screening at the Tower Theatre on Tuesday evening with an opportunity to meet the athletes starring in the films and win free prizes. Athletes in attendance at Bend’s premiere screening will include Drew Petersen, Stan Rey, Claire McPherson, Emma Patterson, Tucker Carr, Luke Gentry and Wyatt Gentry.

The next generation

Salomon has not only sought young athletes as part of its sports marketing program, but also heavily involved the athletes in the creation of its films. Johnson said that McPherson, Carr and the Gentrys, who star in Head Games by Powder Chicken Productions, are all under the age of 21.

“Our goal is to share the stoke of skiing (and) give these athletes the opportunity to showcase what they can do, not only with skiing, but with filmmaking,” Johnson said. “What we’re trying to do is actually build a group and a team of young kids that are going to be that next generation.”

Athletes had the opportunity to film, edit, produce, create and ski in their own films. As result, they evolved as professionals — a win-win for the company and the athletes. According to Johnson, bringing young talent into the fold guards the brand against becoming stale by inviting in the change that is necessary to stay relevant.

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Evolution of ‘Quality Ski Time Film Tour’

During the tour’s second year, Salomon scheduled screenings in breweries and attempted an ambitious number of stops, relative to its resources. This year, Salomon has altered its approach to selecting venues and scaled the number of stops back to 16 in North America. In addition to the North American tour, the films will be shown at approximately 10 venues across Europe.

Johnson said that the team realized that they were excluding the young people they were attempting to attract by hosting the films at places limited to those who were 21 and older.

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All venues for the 2023 tour “are theater venues with the goal of being able to bring the whole family,” Johnson said.

Film tour manager and athlete Drew Petersen said his favorite part of the film tour is the opportunity to meet passionate fans and skiers.

“I walk away from every show feeling deeply connected to the community and increasingly excited for the snow to fall. My goal with every show is to create an atmosphere that makes every single attendee feel the same,” Petersen said.

What: Salomon’s “Quality Ski Time Film Tour”

When: 7:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday; doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Tower Theatre, 835 NW Wall St., Bend

Cost: $15

Contact: towertheatre.org

“There are these hotbeds of passionate skiers where there always seems to be a lot more energy. Every time we’ve been (to Bend) the crowd’s been awesome, the energy has been great, the venue is awesome.”