Enjoy Hans Gmoser’s Beautiful Films at Home!
During the 1950s and 60s the late Hans Gmoser produced ten feature length films of ski touring, rock climbing and mountaineering adventures—capturing the alpine magic of the era. Hans Gmoser was one of the greatest mountain filmmakers in North America. For a number of years, the films lay dormant in the Archives of the Whyte Museum until the Hans Gmoser Film Project made it possible to own these historic films.
The Hans Gmoser Film Project began in 2009 when Chic Scott and Marg Saul, a Calgary Mountaineer, decided to pull the films from the Archives of the Whyte Museum and revive them! This project came with a number of significant challenges. Firstly, the films had to be digitized and then have music and narration added to them. One of the greatest concerns was to make sure these new editions were inline with the original films.
Chic and Marg hired Will Schmidt to take on the task. Thankfully a sum of $110,000 was raised for the project from generous donations. The challenge of finding an appropriate narrator was daunting. Hans had narrated the original films but had passed away in 2006. Luckily, Michael Hintringer, Hans’s nephew, has the same accent and was able to fill in for Hans.
Thanks to the tireless work of Chic Scott, Marg Saul, Will Schmidt and multiple donors the Hans Gmoser Film Preservation Project was completed in 2014. The set not only contains the ten films but also a number of interviews with the stars of the films.
The Hans Gmoser Film Collection, DVD set is available for purchase through the Whyte Museum Shop. The price has recently been reduced from $500 to $100 plus GST. The series makes a great addition to your home collection or a great gift for the history lover and avid skier on your holiday gift list.
You can also choose to view one of the films on the big screen! The next film showing is Deep Powder and Steep Rock Friday, November 1, 7 PM at the Whyte Museum Tickets $5, Museum Members FREE. Check out whyte.org to RSVP or purchase tickets.
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