Here’s a film that’s certainly a unique departure from modern ski porn. Instead of showing professional athletes straight-lining huge faces in the Chugach, “Leave Nice Tracks,” which premiered in November, tells the story of a group of friends who formed a nonprofit called RASTA to work with federal land managers to develop and manage legal backcountry ski areas on public and private lands in central Vermont.

RASTA’s success in getting state approval for glading in the Vermont woods is a huge deal in those parts, where the cutting of backcountry ski lines has long been done illegally and covertly.

While I struggle with the concept of developing backcountry ski areas, those of us who live and ski out West should probably refrain from comment, since we know little about the challenges of finding skiable terrain in the dense woods of Vermont.

Certainly the movie gets my vote for authenticity, and gives viewers a look inside the passionate ski culture of the Northeast, which I’ve always felt has a rather unique and admirable style.