If you get a chance to view a Warren Miller film in a theater, do it. I don’t care if you have other plans. Your new plans involve Warren Miller. It’s like going to a concert, but this concert has skiing and snowboarding, a fun crowd, prizes and travels the world. It was a night of fun and mountain wanderlust. But first, the pre-party.

Thanks to the awesome folks at L.L. Bean, I was able to get tickets to the film at the State Theatre AND the pre-party next door at Rock Bottom Brewery. Food, drinks and prizes were on the bill, just as was meeting Seth Wescott and fellow world-class snowboarder Rob Kingwill. The two are featured in a segment in the film set in powder-covered Japan. When you watch the film (you will watch the film), you’ll see them ripping through waist-deep powder around trees like a slalom course. It’s one of the coolest things I’ve seen.

Before sending everyone off to the screening, Seth and Rob summoned everyone to the front of the room. They thanked everyone for coming, L.L. Bean for hosting such an event, then began a small raffle using tickets everyone submitted upon event entry. I’m not one to win anything (says everyone), but I was particularly interested in this. The small group increased my odds and the crappy bar PA added to the suspense by cutting out every couple minutes. I was captivated. After a few prizes were awarded to people other than me, hope wavered. Then I won. The prize was an extra large snow tube. (Well, technically, it was a gift card for the exact price of the tube, but WHY WOULD I BUY ANYTHING OTHER THAN A SNOW TUBE?!?)

The film was next. We entered the theatre (venue spelling, not mine) riding a buzz from a couple beers and highs from winning the snow tube and the buffet crab cakes. I still think about those crab cakes sometimes.

It was a stellar evening. I’m stoked to watch the film again and catch the parts I missed from cheering along with the thousand other people. I’m also stoked to check out L.L. Bean’s Mall of America store opening in a couple weeks. You best believe I’ll be walking out of there with my XL snow tube.