Steep (Kew)
Back in the 1970s in the mountains above Chamonix, France, a handful of adrenaline junkies were inspired by the challenge of skiing where no one had dared to ski before, and began to attempt audacious descents that were so dangerous they appeared suicidal. Now, two generations later, some of the world’s greatest skiers pursue a sport where the prize is not medals or money, but simply the exhilaration of pushing oneself to the absolute limit , the rush of each mind-bending descent, and the overpowering lure of the white stuff…STEEP follows many of the world’s greatest big-mountain skiers, and intimately reveals just what it is that gets them going back to the mountain time and time again. Despite the dangers on display, despite the broken limbs and the all too-present threat of death, they embrace this morbid eventuality, seeing it as part of the game, an irrelevant obstacle to their constant search for the bigger jump, the faster descent, the most dangerous ski of their lives. But with the danger comes the inevitability of tragedy; often described as the greatest big mountain skier of all time, the late Doug Coombs was a loving father and husband who surely recognized his responsibility to stay healthy for his family. But the craving for the adrenaline rush grew too much for Doug, and he died in a skiing accident in La Grave, France, in April, 2006, just days after being interviewed for STEEP. His rich life and heartbreaking death reveal the essential question at the heart of big mountain skiing: How does a skier weigh the risks versus the rewards of a sport where the possibility of injury and death is part of the game?
Duration
1 x 92'
Genre(s)
Film, Sports
Year of Production
2007