Anyone who doubts the power of the snow gods, brace. In mid-February, Quentin Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson hosted the mother of all bonfires and caused the snow to return to Southern Colorado. Tarantino, Jackson, and other Hollywood hotshots like Kurt Russell and Jennifer Jason Leigh are in Telluride to shoot the filmmaker's latest big budget film, called "The Hateful Eight." Set on the historic Schmid Ranch, 10 miles west of main street, the $44 million post-Civil war epic tells the story of bounty hunters seeking shelter in a blizzard. Of course, in order to shoot a film set in a blizzard, even award-winning filmmakers like Tarantino need snow. But as of February 13, Telluride had been unseasonably warm and had received 7 measly inches in the previous 30 days. Feeling the pressure to film his snowy scenes, Tarantino personally asked Telluride Mayor Stu Fraser to host a ski burn — what Outside Magazine rightly called "a pagan sacrifice of skis meant to reverse...snow drought." And Tarantino's magical bonfire might have been the most successful ski burn ever.
According to Outside Magazine, to fight the drought, Hateful Eight producer Shannon McIntosh was tasked with researching Native American snow dance rituals. Seventy-two hours after Tarantino put in a request with Telluride Town Manager Greg Clifton, the ski burn was born: a fiery party of movie stars, locals, and bewildered tourists unsure as to what exactly was happening. Seriously, Curbediverse, when was the last time you danced for snow with Quentin Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson?
The coolest part of this too-good-to-be-true story? The ski burn worked. The following weekend Telluride received 29 inches of snow in just over two days. And mother nature wasn't done yet. Another storm hit Telluride this past weekend with 23 inches of powdery goodness, and there's more in the forecast. We'd let Tarantino and company host a bonfire at our favorite resort anytime.
· Why Quentin Tarantino Was Burning Skis in Telluride [Outside]
· 'Hateful Eight' seeks aid in ski burn, asks for snow [Durango Herald]
· Lack of snow hampers filming of Tarantino movie in Telluride [Denver Post]
· Quentin Tarantino to Film New 1870s Epic at Telluride Ranch [Curbed Ski]
· Top Ten Reasons Skiing Telluride Should Be on Your Bucket List [Curbed Ski]
· Telluride's Art Scene Heats Up: Of Mine Burns and Fire Festivals [Curbed Ski]
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