Sandpoint’s Winter Carnival celebrates the Sled Hill

By Reader Staff

As part of Sandpoint’s annual Winter Carnival, the Kaniksu Land Trust will host the premiere of the short film The Sled Hill at the Panida Theater (300 N. First Ave.) on Thursday, Feb. 20, beginning at 6 p.m. The event will include a pre-premiere mixer at 5 p.m. and a showing of Patagonia’s Fire Lines.

Community members play at the Pine Street Sled Hill. Courtesy photo

Created by Tanner French Films, The Sled Hill chronicles the history of the 1940s ski slope, which went on to become a beloved sledding spot for children and the recent subject of the “Save The Sled Hill” campaign. Through community action, KLT raised more than $2.1 million to purchase the property in 2023, saving the 48-acre parcel for conservation in perpetuity. It remains free for all.

Thursday’s mixer will celebrate the community that rallied to save Sled Hill, including members of KLT who worked on the project. After The Sled Hill, organizers will show Fire Lines, a short film about the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship organization in Northern California. Following a devastating megafire in Northern California, the community came together to reimagine how hiking and biking trails could be used to restart the economy and provide better fire management in the future. The film also features Pend Oreille Pedalers Strategic Adviser Greg Williams.

Tickets are $10 per person at kaniksu.org/events/the-sled-hill-movie-premiere or at the door, and raffles will be drawn throughout the program.