'High Life' Steeped in Stunts, Rich in Reasoning

Author: Abbie Beane

"Man it's a lot of pain, it's a lot of pain," persisted the first track and what should have been the title track of the film "High Life," as stout-hearted kayakers crashed into the rushing falls of the wild West and skiers hurled themselves over formidable mountain precipices, dangling from the edge of survival. My response? Sure I believe you.

"High Life," compiled by Teton Gravity Research (TGR), based in Jackson, Wyo., and screened courtesy of the Snow Bowl Ski Patrol last Friday, turned out a more modest crowd than in past years. However, those who did decide to put the Halloween booze and bon bons on hold were rewarded by a mind-blowing spectacle of shots taken anywhere from Alta (a popular ski resort just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah) to Italy and everywhere else in between.

I'm convinced this film would leave anyone flabbergasted, even the participants themselves were they to watch their intrepid moves in retrospect. The debate lies in whether these ski/board junkies would fall, quite literally, under the title of admirable "mountain riders" or audacious fools on the ski god's sliding scale - maybe somewhere in between.

To some this film could simply be a lot of "powder and mirrors," further washed out by commercialism - too many advertisements for Boeri, Voika and Burton snowboard and ski equipment, or just a bunch of shameless, extremist ski bums who live by alcohol and powder alone. And no, the powder cannot be emphasized enough. But as one of those "extremists" pointed out, "You can't make fun of a guy for not landing something if it's twice as high as what you did."

Don't overanalyze this film. I know most of you are in college, but taken for what it is, it's one incredible cliff-hanger of a documentary about the people who live to ride the mountains - all the mountains and all the mountains in between those mountains. Cradled by some of the most awe-inspiring scenery in the country and in the world, the combination of sites and stunts team up for one hell of a ride. Zermatt, Switzerland and Chamonix, Alta and Lake Tahoe, Haines, Alaska, and Bella Coola, British Columbia, Italy and Rendez-Vous Mountain in the heart of the Teton Village in Jackson Hole are just some of the locales where this film is shot. Sure, the resorts in these places make for a mad circus of "Joey skiers" (skiers who spend too much time picking out North Face gear and not enough time on the slopes), but there's a good reason why they're so "overrated." As everyone knows, powder is key and these bad boys have got it. And if they don't? As one young skier commented, "When Lake Tahoe had no powder, well, we went to Europe." The skier's motto is, "When it's good, it's good, and you gotta do your thing" because the fresh "pow pow" - as many westerners call it - could be gone tomorrow, and then you can kiss "puffy la la" land goodbye.

If the thrill and the overwhelming swell of adrenaline don't make the risk of extreme skiing and boarding all worthwhile, apparently having the chance to hang out on the mountains in some of the most resplendent and imposing country on earth does.

It's worthwhile for the spectators, too. Who doesn't want to watch someone jump out of a helicopter onto the apex of a sheer drop-off, dive over the rocky faces below and crash finally into a welcoming avalanche of fresh, white, undisturbed snow along a near 90-degree spine? Throw a couple of "hellis" and flips into the mix? Well, except maybe the French. In fact, one Frenchman interviewed in the film doesn't even consider flashy hellis or radical stunts skiing at all. Their idea is that you have to ride the mountain, feel it under your skis and appreciate it in its entirety, which is a long standing tradition in Europe. This is not to say that much of the film neglected to depict exactly that. It often brimmed with long clips of "true" skiing and boarding. Furthermore, some skiers and riders would say nothing is more fun than "pressin' glass" - riding or carving tracks in fresh powder for the first time - on a sunny day, as opposed to doing flips aided by man made jumps on the mountain or stunts over handrails in the resort's parking lot.

So call it what you will - "hella sick" if you're from the west coast or over-the-top, trite extremism barely visible under all of the Salomon and Swix stickers, but I'm still shaking my head in disbelief.

For more information and photos on Teton Gravity Research's current projects visit www.tetongravity.com