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THE FILM

VARIABLE chronicles the 10 year journey of two brothers as they attempt to backcountry ski the Adirondack 46ers - a rugged collection of 46 mountains rising to 4,000ft and higher - in a quest to become the first to ski all 81 of the classic high peaks of the Catskill and Adirondack Mountains. The duo face an uphill battle skiing to the summits, navigating through complex terrain of ice, rock, thick trees, and a seesaw of harsh and unpredictable winter conditions.

Physical injury in the mountains, a midnight rescue across thin lake ice, and the tragic loss of a spouse, all test the brothers’ commitment. In a landscape where climate change now has the final say on what form winter takes, the two find themselves racing against the clock, and a disappearing snowpack, to finish skiing the last peaks before the decade-long goal melts beneath their skis. 

Mountain Gazette called their accomplishment “a New York skiing achievement like no other.”

Cast

Doug Kennard, skier

Jamie Kennard, skier

David Goodman
Journalist, Author “Best Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast”

Caitlin Kelly
Writer, Co-Founder Adirondack Community Avalanche Project

Ron Konowitz
Local Legend, First ADK 46er Skier

Laurie Rankin
President, Adirondack Forty Sixers

Andrew Weibrecht
Two-time Olympic Medalist, U.S. Ski Team

Charlie Wise
Owner, The Mountaineer, Keene Valley, NY

SCREENINGS

Burlington, VT - Thursday, December 12
J Skis Intergalactic Headquarters
247 Main Street, Burlington
6:00 Meet the Filmmaker Jamie Kennard
7:00pm Screening with Q+A after
Free // More Info

North Adams, MA - December 13
Bright Ideas Brewing @ Mass MoCA
7:00pm Screening with Q+A after
Presented by Western Mass Backcountry Alliance
and Thunderbolt Ski Runners
More Info

Woodstock, NY - Saturday, December 14
Tinker Street Cinema
5pm Screening with Q+A after
Presented by Bread Alone and West Kill Brewing
SOLD OUT!!!

Brooklyn, NY - Thursday, December 19
1st Annual NY(SKI) - An Evening of Short Films and Ski Docs
Nighthawk Cinema, Williamsburg
136 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249
6:30pm - 9pm
SOLD OUT!!!

New Paltz, NY - Saturday, January 11, 2025
Rock & Snow (Annex)
28 Main St, New Paltz, NY
7:00pm doors
7:30 Presentation & Film screening with Q+A after
Free

Hunter, NY - Thursday, January 23, 2025
Doctorow Center for the Arts
Mountain Cinema
6:00pm Presentation & Film screening with Q+A after
Ticket Info

Saratoga Springs, NY - Sunday, February 2, 2025
Skidmore College
Presentation & Film screening with Q+A after
More details coming soon

Livingston Manor, NY - Saturday, February 15, 2025
Presentation & Film screening with Q+A after
More details coming soon

Bartlett, NH - Friday, February 21, 2025
Mt. Washington Backcountry Ski Festival
Ledge Brewing
Presented by The North Face
More Info

More DATES COMING SOON

Media inquiries or film screenings, contact Jamie Kennard.

Previous Screenings:

Lake Placid, NY - Saturday, December 7
ADK Backcountry Ski Season Kickoff
North Country School, Walter Breeman Performing Arts Center
Presented by The Mountaineer and Barkeater Trails Alliance

Rochester, NY - Wednesday, November 13
ADK-GVC “Outside Voices”
Rochester Museum & Science Center

About the Director

Jamie Kennard purchased a camera in 2022 after losing his wife, and partner of 31 years, to cancer (having spent the prior two years as her full-time caregiver). He immediately began a self-taught journey into filmmaking. A month later he made his first vignette film ‘The Ski Guy’. He followed up with vignettes ‘The Needle Felter’ (2022) and ‘The Ciderist’ (2023). 

In 2023 he completed his 500th consecutive “5k a day”, a self-imposed challenge to counterbalance a period of personal loss and grief, following three simple rules: 1. Move outdoors every day (on foot, bike, or skis). 2. Five kilometers (and up to 100+ miles). 3. Rain or shine, no excuses.

He lives in Woodstock, NY, in the heart of the Catskill Mountains.