The Race To Alaska

Sponsored by the Grand Ely Lodge.

The Race to Alaska is an adrenaline-fueled, 750-mile boat race through the dangerous and spectacular wilderness of the Inside Passage to Alaska. Described as “the Iditarod, on a boat, with a chance of drowning or being eaten by a grizzly bear,” it’s amazing anyone enters at all. There are no motors and no support – and nobody finishes without a story.

We follow the visceral experience of racers as they compete in one of the most difficult endurance challenges in the world. This race pushes people to find new depths, and discover new layers of themselves. The film is a raw and often times hilarious account of pulling through, again and again – a window into what collective stamina looks like.

Originally from Seattle, Zach Carver is an award winning writer/director who graduated from Colorado College, and holds a MFA in Film Directing from Columbia University. His short film Sin Matador premiered at the Aspen Shortsfest, and won the prize for Best Comedy Short at the Long Beach Film Festival. His short Amateur Dictator won the Audience award at the Austin Film Festival and is currently in development for a series with Fidelio Colombia. His films have screened at the Seattle International Film Festival, Brooklyn Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, Festival de Cine de Lanzarote, Festival de Cine de Tenerife, and Vesak International Buddhist Film Festival in Sri Lanka.

He also works as a DP for DirectTV, Fusion Networks, Taste Made, Writebrain Films and many short narrative projects. He’s a licensed captain, an avid sailor and a visual artist. He’s also been the Race to Alaska Filmboss five years running.