Tina Basich’s journey is one from humble beginnings to the highest echelons of snowboarding. This film, Catching Light, captures a journey woven through memories of her groundbreaking snowboarding career. A fearless trailblazer in the early 80s and 90s, she played a vital role in snowboarding’s explosive growth and helped carve a place for women when snowboarding was just being defined as a sport. By building community with other female athletes, designing and advocating for the first wave of women-specific equipment, and standing up for women in competitions, her grit had the effect of making snowboarding more inclusive and accessible.

Witnessing the destruction of her brother Mike Basich’s home—and the heartbreaking loss of his snowboarding archives in two separate fires- Tina was inspired to preserve her own archives and shine a light on the often-overlooked history of women’s snowboarding. With the support of director Dalton Paley and her community, Tina has set out to show her daughter the strength it takes to face life’s challenges.

Tina spent years creating, evolving as an athlete, and processing challenges through her art, which has become a vital creative tool for her to help her daughter understand her scoliosis treatment for scoliosis. As Addison begins her own path as a young adult, Tina realizes that the most powerful gift for her daughter isn’t a history to inherit, but the freedom to write her own story.