Some Ski and Non-Ski Film suggestions for your viewing pleasure. Think less ski-stoke film and more long-form documentary.

 

A short follow up from our most recent podcast with Nick Rosen. Nick assigned me homework—the fun kind, movie watching. Nick is a partner both at Sender Films, think of “The Alpinist,” and Reel Rock. For die-hard climbers, the annual Reel Rock Tour visiting a mountain town or city near you does a solid job of mixing “stoke” and storytelling. If you listened to the podcast, I’m sure you sensed my preference for a particular type of ski film, or climbing film, for that matter. I’m aware we all come to the viewing room with preferences and tastes, and often, they aren’t always aligned within the community.

To the homework. 

 

The Man Who Skied Down Everest

Nick asked me to view a few films before our conversation. One was a classic I had watched decades ago. Yes, decades. “The Man Who Skied Down Everest,” directed by Bruce Nyznik. It follows Japan’s Yuichiro Miura’s 1970 attempt to ski Everest. The film, released in 1975, won an Academy Award for Best Documentary. This is an older film that holds up, visually, it appears understandably dated. 

You can read more about Miura here, but know he’s part Japanese skiing royalty and part daredevil. The film captures some excellent footage illustrating how Miura possessed a dash of showmanship along the lines of Evel Knievel. You can find the full film on YouTube. (And we’ll embed it for you.)

Check out the film if you want to spruce up your 8000m peak skiing history. 

 

McCONKEY

Next on the homework list—McCONKEY from Matchstick Production. I rented the film on Apple TV+ for ~$6. (You can find it on several major streaming platforms.) The cost was well worth it, and Nick nailed it. The film met my storytelling needs and made me care. The film’s protagonist is Shane McConkey, a revered skier and BASE jumper of note. Extreme in the ALL CAPS sense is rife in the film. But that all seems ancillary to the intense character study the directors masterfully piece together. The film, although intensely sad (at least for me), is a must see.

 

Non-Homework—but Mentioned on the Podcast.

Nick suggested Lucy Walker’s “The Crash Reel,” which follows Shaun White and Kevin Pearce, half-pipe legends, in the run-up to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The film was released in 2013.  

 “Riding Giants” doesn’t reach as far back as the Everest ski film, but it tickles the start of the aughts, as the film was released in 2004. Directed by Stacy Peralta (of Dogtown and Z-Boys, another classic), the film follows the big personalities and even bigger waves of the big wave riding scene. If you need more Laird Hamilton, start watching. If you don’t, take a pass.

We don’t do the Rotten Tomatoes thing, but maybe we should institute snowflakes or something like that. Call it 4 of 5 snowflakes. You can also find the film on the major streaming platforms. 

Happy weekend.