Beyond Midnight trailer whets appetite for more

The above trailer for Beyond Midnight: The Grand Traverse, a documentary covering the most recent Elk Mountains Grand Traverse, the annual backcountry ski race from Crested Butte to Aspen, makes me want to see more. Based on mining-era mail routes, the race's course covers forty miles with plenty of elevation gain and loss, attracting about 200 diehards each March since  the inaugural event in 1998.

The film was spearheaded by Conor Hagen and Andrew Kastning of Friends of Friends Productions in Crested Butte and is just hitting the mountain festival circuit this fall, playing last month in Taos and next month at Mammoth Mountain. Keep your eyes peeled for local screenings throughout the winter.

Or if you want to take it beyond mere watching, registration for the next Grand Traverse starts next Tuesday; the race will be held March 26-27, 2010.