Ed's note: We watched all of these ski films—yes, but not all at once—and curated this list of the best ski films available online. Did we miss some? Yes. Tweet our editor @skiingrogge and tell him how much he blew it. Send a link and we'll add it to the collection. We recommend bookmarking this page and revisiting these films when it's 1) not snowing 2) a family holiday 3) pandemic/election/lockdown/end of the world 4) you're waiting in line to vote/check out at the grocery store
Enjoy!
Not so much snow on the ground right now? We also put together our favorite summer flicks with the best free bike movies.
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Few Words by Candide Thovex
Few Words is an award winning documentary that retraces the life story of the most accomplished skier in the world Candide Thovex. This film gives us an insight into the legend behind the goggles and takes us to the most beautiful mountains on the planet.
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G.N.A.R. - Dr. Robb and Scott Gaffney
G.N.A.R. is a hilarious film based on the beloved book, more specifically a chapter penned by the late-Shane McConkey, by North Lake Tahoe legend Dr. Robb Gaffney.. Parental Advisory Warning, for, ugh, obvious reason.
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Drawn From Here by Nimbus Independent
Drawn From Here is a beautiful, artistic short film about a multi-year journey back to snow by professional skier Eric Pollard. This was Powder's Movie of the Year at the 2019 Powder Awards.
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Fire on the Mountain by Flagship Independent, Teton Gravity Research
Chris Benchetler's insane visual tribute to the music of Grateful Dead, Fire on the Mountain is narrated by Deadhead and basketball legend Bill Walton and features arguably the best night skiing ever captured on film.
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Peak Obsession by The Fifty Project, Team 13 and Teton Gravity Research
Professional skier and Mountain Gazette subscriber Cody Townsend has set out o
n an audacious goal to climb and ski all 50 lines chronicled in the book, "The Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America". Peak Obsession is a stand alone film premiered at film festivals around the world and dives into the depths of the mindset behind the project told through the story of two of the more challenging lines in the book, Meteorite Mountain and Pontoon Peak near Valdez, Alaska. Joined by legendary snowboarder Jeremy Jones, along with cameraman Bjarne Salen, they set out on an adventure rife with challenge, exhaustion and a bevy of lessons to learn along the adventure.
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The 7 Stage of Blank by Blank Collective Films
Blank Collective Films were on a search for an explanation to their insanity. Anticipation. Inspiration. Creativity. Perseverance. Experience. Exploration. And Satisfaction. These 7 Stages are designed to postulate a progression of the emotional stages during a ski season. Simply, the Blank Collective takes you on a journey through the 7 Stages of Blank, a lighthearted look into the bond that develops around the sport of skiing.
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The Man Who Skied Down Everest by Yuichiro Miura
This Oscar-winning documentary tells the story behind Japanese daredevil Yuichiro Miura's 1970 effort to ski down the world's tallest mountain. Miura's trek to the top of Everest provides much of the film's drama, as several members of his climbing team die in the process. The arduous trek gives way to footage of Miura's stunning descent, which requires him to use a parachute to control his speed. The action is supplemented by passages from the journal Miura kept during the adventure.
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Another Way by Verb Cabin
Directed by Mountain Gazette Editor Mike Rogge, Another Way follows the story of former professional skier Ian Compton as he quits pro skiing to find another path in life.
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Magnetic by Jeff Thomas/Origin Design
In the heart of British Columbia’s Coast Mountains, skiers and snowboarders yield to the siren call of challenge and possibility. Introducing MAGNETIC. The world’s first full-length ski and snowboard movie filmed within a single ski area - Whistler Blackcomb.
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This is Home by The Faction Collective / Etienne Mérel
Follow The Faction Collective as they return to their homes around the world to show us how they get it done on home turf. From Europe to the US and back again – via old playgrounds, new challenges, secret spots and favorite lines – This is Home chronicles what it means to be a freeskier today: where the conditions are what you make of them, and the search for that perfect ride starts in your own backyard.
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John Schocklee: A Fairy Tail by Taleg Creative
Refusing to act his age has worked out well for John Shocklee. The 52 year old has devoted his life to doing what he loves, and what he loves more than anyone else is skiing (just ask him). Powered by old school hip hop and a passion for fresh powder, Shocklee makes turns down untrodden and untamed slopes with the vigor and freedom of a man half his age. He’s found the fountain of youth along a foot and a half of powder, and has no plans to grow up anytime soon.
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Cruise Control by Good Company
Tom Wallisch returns from his 2018 knee injury, intent on spending the season skiing powder in the backcountry. He enlists his former roommates, Tim McChesney and AJ Dakoulas to join him, and together the two skiers and filmer had one of the most fun seasons of their lives.
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NOTHING by Level 1
Nothing is a snow riding experience. Featuring Parker White, Duncan Adams, Forest Bailey, Lucas Stål Madison, Matt Wainhouse, Patrick McCarthy.
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Forward by Level 1
Forward, the fourth release from Josh Berman and Level 1, pushes the envelope of progressive freeskiing further than ever before, and takes you into the very heart of the sport’s culture and the lives of the athletes. Forward features the biggest names and best unknown talent from around the world and is set to a soundtrack of the best underground beats.
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One of the most influential ski films, Wicked is an East Coast, on-the-ground journey into the early days of freesking.
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Royalty by Eric Iberg
Royalty features seven skiers that truly helped define the sport of freestyle skiing as we know it today. Skiers Phil Belanger, Phil Larose, Phil Dion, Evan Dybvig, Mickeal Deschenaux, Eric Pollard and Candide Thovex take you on a journey of their individual style as they travel the world to hit jumps, halfpipes, and rails.
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Stereotype by Eric Iberg and Poor Boyz Productions
A conventionalized idea, a clich, a routine. Whatever preconceived notions you have of skiing will be broken, as Poor Boyz Productions and Eric Iberg take you on a journey outside of the box and into a new dimension of skiing. A squadron of the most innovative and original riders have been assembled, each bringing something new and unseen to the sport.
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WSKI 106 - Eric Iberg
One of the more creative ski films in history, WSKI 106 is...well, just watch it. We love it.
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Idea by Eric Iberg
You could say this is the film that lit a thousand fires in ski film making.
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Like a Lion - Tanner Hall
The trials and tribulations of Tanner all are surpassed only by his dedication to skiing. Get the look into his life in Like a Lion.
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North Country by Stept Studios
An intimate look at the family who owns and operates America's oldest ski shop, Lahout's.
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The Last Hill (until the next one) by Warp Wave
Searching for an honest adventure right out their backdoor, a group of skiers and snowboarders travel south from Reno, Nevada on bicycles loaded down with ski and camp gear. Their sights on Mt. Whitney and the endless backcountry ski terrain along the way, these off-the-couch bikers hilariously struggle to keep both wheels moving along the iconic Highway 395 from a new angle: the Sierra saddle vista.
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#SkiGoodMoneyWill by Legs of Steel
The Legs of Steel guys made a mock-umentary about the life of four European professional skiers in perhaps the funniest ski film of all time.
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Kill Your Boredom by Voleurz
The Voleurz crew were known for creative films, hijinks, and all out partying.
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Outdoor Education by Voleurz
"Voleurz Outdoor Education" is a full-length action sports film brought to you for free by the Voleurz family. Featuring skiing, snowboarding and skateboarding filmed on the westcoast of Canada.
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Dollar Short by Sweet Protection and Benshi Creative
Dollar Short follows athletes Jake Hopfinger and Parkin Costain through a winter full of bank robberies, pillow lines, and everything in-between.
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Warren Miller's Any Snow, Any Mountain by Warren Miller
Diving into the Warren Miller classics is a good way to know where skiing has been. Check this film featuring a young Jim McConkey, father of ski legend Shane McConkey.
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The Blizzard of Aahh's by Greg Stump
The legendary film that set the world on fire with the word "extreme," this film is one of the most influential in the genre.
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Aspen Glow by Dick Barrymore
Dick Barrymore is on the Mount Rushmore of ski film makers. Enjoy 1969's Aspen Glow.
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Lite Years by The Big Picture
Lite Years is the skiing of Parker White and Chris Logan. It's really good skiing. We're not messing around.
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Brain Massage by Nipwitz
The Finnish crew that took the world by storm.
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Apocalypse Snow, le film by Didier Lafond
Court métrage mythique de Didier Lafond dans lequel les méchants monoskieurs cherchent à dérober le secret de la glisse au gentil surfer. Un prétexte pour filmer de magnifiques images de glisse. Premier opus d'une série de quatre. A regarder en HD, forcément.
Translation: Mythical short film by Didier Lafond in which the wicked monoskiers seek to steal the secret of skiing from the gentle surfer. A pretext to film magnificent images of snow sports. First opus in a series of four. To watch in HD, of course.
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Hot Dog...The Movie
Ed's Note: I am 35 years old, so a lot of my friends in North Lake Tahoe are children born from the parties thrown while making this movie. Hot Dog is a class ski film from Hollywood. -Mike Rogge
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Zabardast by Picture Organic Clothing
The intimate travel diary of an incredible Freeride expedition into the heart of the Karakoram range. The search for one of the most beautiful mountains to ski on the planet, standing at 5880m. An adventure so remote, so high, so committed that no mistakes were allowed. During five weeks, the crew pushed deeper and deeper inside Pakistan, with a 150 km loop in complete autonomy, pulling sleds filled with food, tents and solar panels across gigantic glaciers. As far from home as one can get. A meeting point of Freeriding and Mountaineering. A true adventure.
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Stray Dogs by Da Kine
Stray dogs is a backcountry ski film that showcases Karl Fostvedt and Lucas Wachs. These dogs have chosen to stray wherever the conditions are right - at their heels you will find Jasper Newton documenting their antics from parking lots to mountain tops. Karl, Lucas, and Jasper have been skiing together for the better part of a decade and now have produced their first independent ski film - Stray Dogs. Enlist with these backcountry soldiers in a mission for deep powder.
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Lhotse by The North Face
Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison completed the first ski descent of the 27,940-foot Lhotse, the fourth-highest mountain in the world. This is their story.
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Over Time by CK9 Studios
A short film about just how insane Sammy Carlson is as a skier.
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China - A Skier's Journey by Jordan Manley
Skiing as sport is in it’s infancy in China, a phenomenon of the country’s exploding middle class. As a means of survival, however, it is thousands of years old, a stone age hunter-gatherer technology born in the Altai mountains where China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Siberia merge. On a vast trajectory that spans 11,000km of Northern China, Chad Sayers and Forrest Coots touch down into the rich past and dizzying future of these two respective Chinese ski cultures. As one rapidly expands, they find the other is at risk of disappearing.
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Snowciety by Hillton
Through the eyes of a clique of local snowboarders, Zürich-born director Kris Lüdi documents the countercultural underbelly of St Moritz—a Swiss ski resort commonly regarded as the winter playground of the rich and famous.
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Brotherhood of Skiing by REI
The first Black Ski Summit took place in 1973 and was attended by over 350 skiers. A year later the National Brotherhood of Skiers (NBS) was founded and would grow to have chapters in most major urban centers of the black community, including South Central LA, Oakland, Chicago, Detroit, and New York City.
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JYOSEI by Laura Obermeyer
JYOSEI is a ski film project created in Japan entirely by women and of women.
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Shanghai Six by Level 1
Shanghai Six, Level 1 charges full speed ahead with nothing short of the most progressive freesking/jib film ever produced. Follow their crew across the far reaches of North America and Europe to the biggest and most intense backcountry jumps and gaps, the deepest pow, and the most creative and tech urban jibs and rails ever built and shot. With Level 1's trademark vibe, compelling cinematography, and a cast including the best talent in the sport, this first-ever High Definition action ski adventure is the “must have” of the season.
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Ghost Town Skiers by Hoag Productions
This film was suggested by our friend Jason Blevins of The Colorado Sun.
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The Mountain Why by The Fifty Project
Mountain Gazette subscribers Cody Townsend and Michelle Parker embark on a truly epic, yes, we're using that word correctly in this setting, adventure.
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Deviate by Torin Yater-Wallace and Jossi Wells
A good old fashioned ski movie with a more modern take on editing, Deviate is a gem from two of the most stylish skiers in the sport today.
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Follow The Forecast by Blank Collective
The Blank crew is fills the void left by mainstays like Poor Boyz, Level 1, and Meathead Films in this enjoyable ski film classic directed by Mountain Gazette subscriber Jeff Thomas.
...more to come.
