Skiing so remote even the crew needed rescue helicopters on speed dial.
Into these most inhospitable of lands, a handful of drifters emerge from the whiteout, ready to cast their lot on forsaken peaks both merciless and magnificent. Venturing beyond the frontiers of most mountain films, Solitaire is backcountry skiing forged in the tradition of Western cinema. Born in the spires of Argentina’s legendary Las Lenas, a lonely two-year journey begins through an abandoned world, wandering the length of a continent from Peru’s Cordillera Blanca to Chilean Patagonia. Lost in the winds of snowbound badlands and the blizzards of primordial forests; seen from a horse’s saddle and a paraglider’s wings; ridden on ski and board and telemark...Solitaire fuses western-inspired tales of backcountry gambles into landscapes never before visited on film.
Cinematography
Horse-mounted tracking shots through Peruvian glaciers—absolutely unhinged logistics.
Direction
Waggoner shot for two years across a continent on pure stubborn vision.
Score
Spaghetti western guitars over avalanche terrain shouldn't work this well.
Director
Nick Waggoner
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The crew was genuinely stranded multiple times; some footage exists because they were literally waiting for weather extraction.
This helped launch 'ski cinema' as an art form distinct from sports documentary—prior films were basically highlight reels with metal soundtracks.
US
