Winter Sports Movie Reviews

In the beginning of this filmed extravaganza featuring snowboarding, ice climbing, and "extreme skiing," the director appears in front of the camera to explain why he traveled to Alaska with an IMAX camera crew.This unusual behind- the-scenes approach continues through Extreme Winter, and the viewer not only is treated to spectacular footage of people risking life and limb on impossibly steep terrain but is also shown exactly how the footage was captured on film. For instance, in one segment a champion snowboarder hurtles downhill, and she is closely followed by a cameraman who's performing the tricky stunt of snowboarding while also holding and aiming a 50-pound IMAX camera. The intrusion of the camera people thus begins to make sense, as one can honestly wonder who should be the star of the proceedings. The film is a tribute to Alaska itself, and some of the footage of snow-covered mountains would be spectacular treats for the eyes even if maniacs weren't snowboarding perilously close to enormous cliffs or clinging to and climbing up forbidding walls of ice. The various athletes filmed doing their risky feats on the mountains speak in interview segments, giving some insight into what possesses them to, as one aptly puts it, "face my fears." This is an exciting and highly entertaining blend of gorgeous photography and extreme sports. --Robert J. McNamara

From Mammoth Mountain in California comes a mountain of material from the inaugural Gravity Games, the hippest competition ever to hurtle downhill. This DVD, with a running time of more than 200 minutes, features elaborate coverage of events including Big Air, Superpipe, Boardercross, and Freestyle Snowboarding. Shot by a number of video and film cameras, the action footage is often stunning, and some high mountain panoramas that frame the competition scenes are gorgeous enough to look at home in a National Geographic nature documentary. Billed as a "winter lifestyle music and adrenaline sports festival," the two-week event attracted the most talented practitioners of what the narration calls "adrenaline sports." The creative presentation of the action suits the frenetic pace of the downhill events, and a soundtrack of rock and rap accompanies shots of snowboarders performing tricks high in the air.

Very brief profiles of the exuberant young athletes provide perspective on what sort of person would go rocketing down cliffs on a snowboard. "The feeling of fear turns me on," says one female high mountain snowboarder. "I don't feel any more happy than when I'm laying it on the line." This is a visually arresting and highly entertaining look at snowy sports that seem designed for a video extravaganza. In addition to the coverage of competition, a selection on the DVD aptly titled "Chills/Spills" contains about an hour of rock accompanying reckless stuff on skis and snowmobiles you don't even want to think about doing at home. --Robert J. McNamara