BY KAREN BOSSICK

When the government shut down it was art, among other things, that helped keep our Sawtooth National Avalanche Center forecasting seven days a week when the snow turned dangerous.

Various artists in the valley have long supported the Friends of the Sawtooth Avalanche Center by donating works to the cause.

And you can check out some of that artwork for sale at the Banff Mountain Film Festival tonight and Tuesday at the Argyros Center for the Performing Arts.

Pamela Street, for instance, sold a wood block of the Grand Mogul above Redfish Lake on Saturday. She will be back with a wood block of a skier racing down Baldy tonight.

Anne Jeffery has donated works of botanicals—some of which are featured on her buffs. And other artists are represented, as well.

The Banff Film Festival will test the new super duper film projector at the Argyros for the first time tonight when the films get underway at 7 p.m. There are tickets left for tonight and Tuesday, as the center has the flexibility of adding space.

You can buy raffle tickets between 6 and 7 p.m. each night or bid on the artwork even if you are not attending the films.

Here’s the lineup:

MONDAY, FEB. 4

FAR OUT: TERRACE BC -  USA -  Classification: Parental Guidance – Coarse language

Film Synopsis: Three pro skiers head to Terrace, British Columbia to fly off jumps, smash pillows and search for perfect ski lines. Little did they know that a passionate local would lead them to even more fun, laughs and stoke in the backcountry.

BOY NOMAD -  Canada - Classification: General

Film Synopsis: 9-year old Janibek lives with his family in Mongolia’s Altai Mountains. His first love is racing horses, but this winter, his father will bring him on the toughest journey in a nomad’s life: the winter migration.

THE MIRNAVATOR - USA -  Classification: General

Film Synopsis: Ultra-runners overcome obstacles with every stride. Force of Nature Mirna Valerio never thought she would have to overcome the negative voices that believe she doesn't belong in the sport.

ICE & PALMS – Germany - Classification: Parental Guidance – Coarse language; Nudity

Film Synopsis: Bikepacking, summiting mountains and skiing some iconic lines along the way, friends Max and Jochen have one dream – 5 weeks, 1,800 km and 35,000 vertical metres self-propelled across the Alps.

BEAUTIFUL IDIOT – Canada - Classification: General

Film Synopsis: Take a wild ride through the mindset, motivations and outstanding athleticism of world class freeride mountain biker, Brett Rheeder.

FOR THE LOVE OF MARY -  USA -  Classification: General

Film Synopsis: When 97-year-old runner George Etzweiler dons his lucky ancient green running shorts, he's not just running to the summit of Mt. Washington, Etzweiler carries something else special with him: The memory of his late wife of 68 years.

LIFE OF GLIDE – USA - Classification: Parental Guidance – Coarse language

Film Synopsis: Big mountain rider Jeremy Jones dissects his lifelong passion for the simple and sacred feeling he calls, "The Glide".

REEL ROCK 12: BREAK ON THROUGH – USA - Classification: Parental Guidance: Coarse language

Film Synopsis: Margo Hayes, a little-known 19 year old from Boulder, Colorado, she has moved to Europe to train and climb with the goal of succeeding on two of the most iconic 5.15s in France and Spain. But by pushing her body and mind to the absolute limit, she risks injury and failure in her quest to be the first.

CHOICES – USA - Classification: Parental Guidance: coarse language

Film Synopsis: A mountain biker has an amazing menu of rides to choose from but which will he pick?

TUESDAY, FEB. 5

FAR OUT: KAI JONES – USA - Classification: General

Film Synopsis: Eleven year old Kai Jones isn’t old enough to go to the movies alone or order a sandwich at the pub, but in the mountains age doesn’t matter. He is following in his family’s ski tracks… right into backflips and tricks off of cliffs.

SURFACE – USA - Classification: General

Film Synopsis: In a photographic niche defined by familiar angles, Ben Thouard is driven by his desire to create something original in surf photography.

FAST HORSE – Canada - Classification: Parental Guidance – Coarse language

Film Synopsis: FAST HORSE follows the return of the Blackfoot bareback horseracing tradition in a new form: the Indian Relay. Siksika horseman Allison Red Crow struggles to build a team with second-hand horses and a new jockey, Cody Big Tobacco, to take on the best riders in the Blackfoot Confederacy at the Calgary Stampede.

DIVIDED -  Scotland - Classification: Parental Guidance – Coarse language

Film Synopsis: Follow Lee and Rickie in this raw and real portrayal of the places we go emotionally when under extreme duress while riding 190 kilometres a day from Banff to Mexico.

DREAMRIDE 3 – Canada - Classification: General

Film Synopsis: Inspired by a Dr. Seuss narrative, this mountain bike film is sure to take you places like no other.

MY MOM VALA – USA - Classification: General

Film Synopsis: Vala lives in Reykjavik, Iceland and travels to Greenland for work and to immerse herself in rivers thick with migrating char. But for Vala’s 10-year old daughter, Mathilda, Greenland lives only in the stories that her mother tells and her own imagination.

PASSAGE, THE – USA - Classification: General

Film Synopsis: In 1974 a small determined team built their own canoes, launched them into the Pacific, and became some the first people in modern history to canoe from Washington to Alaska up the Inside Passage. The Passage is a story about revisiting that journey, fathers and sons, and the wild places that define us.

BROTHERS OF CLIMBING – USA - Classification: General

Film Synopsis: How can you be what you can’t see? Mikhail Martin, co-founder of Brothers of Climbing said, “I literally typed, ‘Are there black climbers?’ in Google … someone said, ‘black people don’t climb.”

THE FRENCHY - USA - Classification: Parental Guidance – Coarse language

Film Synopsis: Jacques is an 82-year-old, badass athlete, but the real story is how he inspires us with his contagious love of life, epic tales of survival and his ability to counter aging through laughter.

Tickets are $24 in advance and $26 at the door. They’re available at Backwoods Mountain Sports, The Elephant’s Perch, Sturtevants, Ski Tek and Chapter One bookstore.