Jeremy Jones stares down a 50-degree Alaskan face and the mountain stares back harder.
The documentary follows a crew of snowboarders for six weeks in the Chugach mountains, and showcases what it takes to ride these unique Alaskan mountains: the waiting, the stress, the dangers, everything that goes into it and is usually never shown. It also retraces some of the history of this unknown discipline and pays tribute to the pioneers. But the film really focuses on the human aspect and why these people do what they do.
Cinematography
Helicopter shots that'll ruin regular ski movies forever.
Direction
Pauporté lingers on waiting, making silence terrifying.
Practical Effects
Zero CGI, 100% actual consequences.
Director
Flora Pauporté
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This essentially created the 'heli-snowboarding doc' template that Red Bull would milk dry for the next decade.
Tom Burt's 1987 first descent of Meteorite Mountain — shown in grainy 16mm — was considered impossible until he proved otherwise.
US
CH
