Steep

Director: Mark Obenhaus
Country: USA

"Deep and steep" is a common phrase among advanced skiers and snowboarders and refers to their preference for the adrenaline-charged activity of skiing or riding on unthinkable terrain. Steep is about skiers who risk their lives for the ultimate rush, and how a seemingly insane practice has turned into an extreme sport.

I love feature documentaries about snow. I tend to go for ones about snowboarding, but I decided to watch this one about skiing because it sounded too good to pass up, and I was right. What this movie did for me was essentially the same as what First Descent (a documentary about the evolution of snowboarding and big-mountain riding) did about a year or so ago; it awed me, and gave me inspiration to improve on my snowboarding skills so that one day I will be able to do even a fraction of the crazy things that these guys do. It also reminded me of the similarities and differences between skiing and snowboarding.

Steep is a great film whether you are a skier, a snowboarder, or haven't seen snow in your life. The things you will see in this movie will make your jaw drop, and may even turn you into (or make you even more of) an adrenaline junkie, which, as the movie suggests, isn't necessarily a bad thing.