Our power grid is at grave risk of shutting down completely. An orchestrated physical attack, electromagnetic pulse attack (EMP), cyber-attack, or geomagnetic disturbance (GMD) could shut down our electricity grid for as long as one calendar year or longer. Our electric utility companies have not implemented sufficient precautions to protect our grid, yet they are aware of the dangers. Our state and federal officials are aware of the threat a shutdown poses, yet they haven’t passed any legislation that deals with the threat. This documentary helps us understand the threat, why it has become a threat, and demonstrates how we can fix this problem.

From the rulers of the kingdom — like Chris Davenport, Daron Rahlves and Ingrid Backstrom — to the heirs apparent — like Austin Ross and Chris Benchetler; from the wise sages like Mike Wiegele to the princess Lexi Roland, Dynasty is more than just a family album of skiers and snowboarding. It’s a story. The story stretches back to the ancient mountains of China, to the deep Canadian bush — from a parking lot big-air jump in Michigan to Norway’s Arctic Circle. It’s shouted from the top of Colorado’s Rockies and around the rocky rim of Lake Tahoe. This is a story that’s rewritten each winter, and one we’ll never tire of telling. How else would our love of snow get passed down from generation to generation?

In 1988, filmmaker Kevin Tomlinson filmed & interviewed a group of back-to-the- land “hippies”–living off-grid, insulated from mainstream culture. In 2006 he tracked down his subjects again to find out what had become of their families’ utopian plans and dreams.

What if the Doomsday Preppers were right all along? Hacking into urban infrastructures isn’t science fiction anymore – it’s in the news every day. A 90-minute docu-drama, “American Blackout” reveals in gritty detail the impact of what happens when a cyber attack on the United States takes down the power grid. The question is: when the lights go out, what do we do next.