Jeff Curry, 21, a senior majoring in business at Champlain College in Burlington, Vt., can be seen blazing new trails in "Head for the Hills." The movie about back-country skiing is the seventh in a series East Coast ski films produced by Meathead Films based in Burlington.
The straight-to-DVD production will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday at Herberg Middle School in Pittsfield as a fundraiser for the Pittsfield High After-Prom Committee, which each spring stages a safe, alcohol-free gathering for students following the school's prom.
Curry, a Pittsfield High School graduate, said extreme back-country skiing — whereby skiers descend mountains without man-made trails — requires much more preparation and endurance than freestyle.
"It was a complete learning experience for me," said Curry, who spoke from Steamboat Springs, Colo., where he's on spring break — and skiing, of course.
"I had to get powder skis, which are much wider under the foot," he said. "They help you glide on the snow."
Curry also prepared to spend more time ascending than descending the mountain.
"You can hike for six hours just to ski 40 minutes,"
While Curry's parents, Gary and Claudia Austin Curry, are proud their son is getting more recognition for his skiing, his mother said Jeff is not letting his newfound success go to his head.
"He's so unimpressed about himself," said Curry, who was glad Jeff was ready for a potential mountain disaster.
"It was nice to see in the movie he had an avalanche shovel in his backpack," noted Curry.
Jeff Curry has been skiing most of his life — his family often took ski trips to Colorado and he taught himself how to freestyle at the age of 13. His mother said he's now coaching several younger students the art of jumps and acrobatic moves on the slopes.
Claudia Austin Curry said she "absolutely" can't imagine herself trying to negotiate the treacherous terrain her son skied in the movie. She even wondered how Jeff became so adventurous.
"That daredevil spirit of his," Curry said, "I'm not sure where he got that."
To reach Dick Lindsay: rlindsay@berkshireeagle.com, or (413) 496-6233.
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