Arctic Man race director Howard Thies said the film crew was hired to make a feature film to give those who have never been to Alaska's legendary spring fling a chance to see what the big deal is all about.
Arctic Man combines skiing, snowmachining and good times, and each year thousands show up to ride, party and watch the races. Thies said fans seem to be anticipating this year's event more than ever, because the Arctic Man website received more than 22,000 hits last week, the most he has ever seen.
The signature Arctic Man race -- which pairs a skier or snowboarder with a snowmachiner for a high-speed race up and down two mountain peaks -- starts Friday at 1 p.m., followed by a weekend full of side shows that include snowmachine drag races, jumping contests and snocross races organized by the Alaska Motor Mushers Club.
The majority of those who attend Arctic Man stay for at least three days, but many camp and party for five days, filling the area at Mile 196 of the Richardson Highway near Summit Lake with motorhomes and outhouses.
Cindy Draper, the rental manager for ABC Motorhome and Car Rentals in Anchorage, said she rented out about 150 motorhomes this week to people making the trip to the Hoodoo Mountains.
"We pretty much rent out everything we've got," she said. "It's crazy around here."
Thies said more than 100 outhouses are brought in, with Arctic Man sponsors renting about 65 of them and private rentals totalling around 45.
Thies and his crew have been working for the last three weeks to get everything in order, but heavy snowfall early in the week has made Thies a little nervous. If the snow continues to fall, the event could be canceled because of poor visibility.
"If they can't see, they can't ski," said Thies.
The race will be pushed to Saturday or Sunday if weather creates problems. If conditions don't allow for a race by Sunday, the event will be canceled and all prize money will be carried over to next year's competition.
The only time the race was canceled because of too much snow was in 2000.
"We were shoveling to get people out of here," Thies said.
The winners of the men's skiing division are guaranteed to win at least $26,000 this year, and the amount could go up with the addition of late entry fees. The men's snowboard race guarantees $13,000 to the winner and both of the women's races guarantee $6,000 to the winner.
Among the top contenders are five-time champions Eric Heil and Len Story, who are 20-year veterans of the race. Heil, the skier, and Story, the snowmachiner, most recently won in 2009 and finished second last year.
The winning pair from 2008, skier Marco Sullivan and snowmachiner Tyler Aklestad, will also team up again this year.
The defending champs and course record-holders -- Olympic skier Scott Macartney and snowmachiner Tyson Johnson -- will not be back to defend their title this year. In 2007, the pair set a record time of 4 minutes, 1.49 seconds.
Thies said everyone is trying to break the four-minute barrier, and there's reason to believe it can be done: if the fastest times from each individual segment over the years are combined, they total 3:51.90.
Thies said Heil set the Arctic Man's speed record in 2007 when he was clocked at 91.6 mph while being towed by Story during the middle part of the race.
The race begins at 5,800 feet. The skier races downhill for two miles, descending 1,700 feet into a narrow canyon, where he grabs a tow rope on his partner's already-moving snowmachine. Together they travel 2.25 miles up another mountain. At the top, the skier lets go of the rope and descends 1,200 feet to the finish line.
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