Public lands celebrated at Fourth Annual festival
This past weekend, The Teton Climbers’ Coalition held its annual AlpinFilm Festival, bringing together a broad cross-section of the Jackson Hole community—and audiences beyond—for two days of films, conversations, and hands-on engagement centered on public lands and the responsibilities that come with loving them.
Held January 16–17 in Jackson and online, the festival welcomed more than a thousand in-person attendees, along with numerous others who joined virtually. Across packed screenings, well-attended panels, and interactive workshops, AlpinFilm 2026 created space for thoughtful discussion about access, stewardship, advocacy, and the future of the places that shape our lives outdoors.
This year’s festival theme, For the Love of the Land, framed the weekend’s programming—from opening conversations on public lands to closing reflections on storytelling, care, and belonging.
A Community Conversation
AlpinFilm 2026 featured:
- Standing-room-only film screenings and filmmaker conversations
- A widely attended Public Lands Panel that anchored the weekend in shared values and real-world challenges
- Workshops that invited participants to reflect, write, and connect personal experience to public responsibility
- Strong participation from local and regional athletes, guides, conservation leaders, storytellers, and land advocates
In total, the festival convened dozens of partners and participating organizations, including conservation groups, outdoor businesses, media outlets, and community nonprofits, all contributing to a shared vision of stewardship rooted in collaboration rather than conflict.
2026 US Winter Olympian Anna Gibson, adventure athletes and Arctic explorers Erik Boomer and Sarah McNair-Landry, ultra mountain running artist Kelly Halpin and poet and artist Matt Daly were just a few of the speakers who helped frame the weekend around the festival’s theme, For the Love of the Land.
“AlpinFilm is becoming more than a film festival,” said Christian Beckwith, Executive Director of the Teton Climbers’ Coalition. “It’s a place where people come to listen, to talk with one another, and to think more deeply about what it means to care for the land that we love.”
Festival Awards
Audience and jury awards highlighted films that sparked conversation long after the credits rolled. The People’s Choice Award went to A Life Outside, which resonated strongly with viewers for its exploration of legacy, mentorship, and the values passed down through generations of outdoor practitioners.
The festival’s Grand Prize and Jury’s Choice Award were both awarded to Climbing Never Die, recognized for its storytelling, craft, and its ability to connect personal experience with broader questions about risk, commitment, and why people are drawn to the vertical world.
Six-Word Love Letters
A defining element of AlpinFilm 2026 was the Six-Word Love Letters project, which invited people to express their connection to public lands and waters in just six words. Hundreds of submissions were shared by community members and festival participants.
The winning entry:
“I dream I can belong here.”
Written by Teton County resident Miga Rossetti, the love letter resonated with Matt Daly, Executive Director of the Jackson Hole Writers, who agreed to adjudicate entries. “I loved how this one resists sentimentality, expresses vulnerability, and is aspirational,” he wrote. “I also love the plain and simple language. Nothing fancy needed to make a powerful expression of love that invites us to reflect on what it means to belong in a place.”
Selected love letters appeared on screen during the festival and will continue to inform AlpinFilm’s public-lands storytelling throughout the coming year. A full list of submissions may be found here.
For the Love of the Land Panel Discussion
On Friday afternoon, from 4:00–5:30 PM at the Black Diamond store in downtown Jackson, Chris Perkins, Vice President of Programs at the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, launched the weekend with a Public Lands Panel on stewardship, access, and responsibility.
The discussion, which featured Aaron Pruzan, owner of Rendezvous River Sports; Sheila Walsh Reddy, Global Director and Lead Scientist for Conservation Impact at the The Nature Conservancy and Board Chair of the Teton Climbers’ Coalition; Kim Havell, founding board member of the Teton Backcountry Alliance; and Anna Gibson, professional endurance athlete and 2026 Winter Olympian, centered on a guiding question at the heart of AlpinFilm 2026: How do we align our love for public lands and waters with strategies to protect them?
Community Recognition
Saturday night’s program also honored individuals and institutions whose behind-the-scenes work sustains outdoor recreation in the Tetons. AlpinFilm’s Local Heroes Award was presented to the Jenny Lake Rangers, recognizing generations of quiet professionalism, technical excellence, and service to climbers, hikers, and visitors in Grand Teton National Park.
In addition, a Community Appreciation Award was presented to the staff of the Teton County Recreation Center Climbing Gym, acknowledging their daily commitment to safety, instruction, and access—and their role in welcoming new climbers into the community while helping foster a strong culture of responsibility and care.
Delta Lake Stewardship Success
Last summer, the TCC initiated an advocacy campaign to rehabilitate the social trail to Delta Lake. During his opening remarks on Friday night, Executive Director Christian Beckwith announced that the Grand Teton National Park Foundation had committed to funding the first phase of the rehabilitation.
The news had been reported earlier in the week by the Jackson Hole News and Guide.
Women’s Grand Scholarship Endowment Fund
On Saturday night, former TCC board member Morgan McGlashon joined current board members Alice Pang, Sheila Walsh-Reddy and Marian Meyers in an announcement of the Women’s Grand Scholarship Endowment Fund.
Initiated by Dawn Rucker, the $115,000 fund will ensure the Women’s Grand Scholarship, which underwrites the cost of one fully guided ascent of the Grand Teton, continues every year. $38,000 has already been pledged.
Growing Year-Round Engagement
AlpinFilm 2026 also reflected growing engagement with the Teton Climbers’ Coalition beyond the festival itself. Increased participation in TCC programs, conversations, and community initiatives during and after the event signals a deepening commitment to stewardship, safety, and inclusive access to the outdoors.
Looking Ahead
With momentum from this year’s festival, the Teton Climbers’ Coalition will continue building AlpinFilm as a platform for meaningful dialogue about our public lands and waters—one that brings together athletes, artists, advocates, and community members to explore how storytelling can strengthen our relationship with our natural world.