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Steamboat Springs — Jonny Buschmann, his friends and their snowmobiles arrived at Rabbit Ears Pass early on a bright spring powder day in April.

The group filmed for about three hours, catching on camera Buschmann’s first and only shot at a 150-foot step down off a cliff.

The landing, he said, was a little hard, but the drop was smooth.

The deep snowpack and feet of fresh powder had given him a chance to hit a line that otherwise would have been impossible.

“Obviously, the snow was to die for last year,” Buschmann said. He put about 1,500 miles on his sled last winter, most of it on Buffalo Pass, which set an all-time snowpack record for the state.

“It was pow day after pow day after pow day,” he said. “We don’t have the super extreme terrain, but we have the most consistent snow.”

That one massive drop and countless other step-ups, cliff drops and kickers were caught on camera last season by two local filmmakers, snowmobile riders Chris Rhodes and Brian McCleary.

Their films, “Still Snowing,” and “Just Wanna Ride,” respectively, will premiere at a snowmobile-themed event Friday at The Tap House Sports Grill.

The event also features the premiere of “Slednecks XIV,” the snowmobiling world’s annual big-budget film. But filmgoers will be able to cheer on locals during the two local premieres. A film made in the Lake Tahoe area called “We Ride” also will screen.

The films begin at 7 p.m. Friday, and tickets are $5. The cover charge will benefit Routt Powder Riders, a club aimed at preserving snowmobile recreation in Routt County.

Local rider John Asta — who, like Buschmann, appears in both films — said he hopes the movies help bring awareness to what he and his friends are up to every day they go out into the backcountry.

“We don’t have any sponsors or anything. It’s a local thing, and it’s all coming out of our pockets,” said Asta, who organized Friday’s event. “It’s our passion to go find the big drops and everything we can out in the backcountry.”

While most of the core crew of about six riders come from the world of snowboarding, they have found an irreplaceable high atop their sleds. It’s that feeling they hope shines through on the big screen Friday.

“When you’re on a sled in powder, it’s like you’re on a tightrope, and you can glide that tightrope any way you want,” Asta said. “It’s a 500-pound machine, but once you get it going, it’s like you’re flying.”

— To reach Nicole Inglis, call 970-871-4204 or email ninglis@SteamboatToday.com