The Edge of Never: A True Story of Skiing

I did up a review on my web site: 

Bill Kerig is the author of the book, "The Edge of Never" and movie, same name. Bill plays in the big leagues. He's a big mountain skier with a passion for skiing that he wanted to make a movie about. A movie that would get to the heart and soul of skiing as he feels it, not another jump and wow ski flick, but a movie that would convey the feeling and passion of skiers. A past US Team mogul skier, friend of Trevor Pertersen (died on a run at Chamonix, France), and friend to Glen Plake and many other big mountain skiers he had a story to tell. It's a story he wanted to convey to the viewer a passion for skiing, not just for big mountain skiers, but how every skier that has the desire to head to the hill the next time it snows, feels. A story that says I do this because I love it, and here's how much.

The movie is well worth the view time whether you are skier or not. If you're a mother who doesn't ski, you may not understand the passion that allowed Trevor Pertersen's wife to let Bill take her 15 year old son Kye to Chamonix to make the same run that killed her husband. If you ever had a passion for anything and look at the way Kye skis and into the eyes of boy who lost his dad young, you just might get it. This movie takes you there. Past the skiing and into a story of passion and the completion. Completing what you set out to do. See the movie. It was recently purchased by SHOe and has many repeat viewings for the next month. Take time to see it if you can.

Unlike the reviewer above that didn't like the personal shots of Doug Combs showing up and the few of the young women, I felt it made the movie all the more real and personal.  It was about skiers, all of them, why they do it, that they do it at all, and they did not detract from the story for me.  I thought it was entertaining and well done. 

I never forget that the excitement and fear of falling felt by an expert on a steep and deep descent is no more exciting to them then a 40 year old clicking into their first pair of skis, heading up the magic carpet on the bunny hill and falling in love with skiing.  I think the movie gets that and makes the average skier dream bigger.  It even makes bigger seem possible without seeming too extreme.  A real look at big skiing without all the hype.

I read the book with a bit of scepticism but it didn't take long to love reading the book and find it hard to put down. It was a while ago and I haven't the best memory for details, but the honesty and in your face realism of the whole trip starting in BC and ending in Chamonix was great.
 

The story follows the big mountain skiing education and first descents in Chamonix of Kye Petersen, the son of the late Trevor Petersen, an extreme skiing pioneer. On his way, Kye meets and is tutored by the likes of Glenn Plake, Stephane Dane and Anselme Baud. The objective is for Kye to ski in the tracks of his dad, including, hopefully the fateful run where his dad died. The Exit Couloir.

I haven't seen the movie, but judging by the trailer, I hope to soon.

I won the DVD in The Edge of Never contest, it arrived Monday and I just watched it last night.

The movie really brings home how young and small Kye was when he became involved in the film. His skiing in the park was excellent. Watching him learn the stuff he needed to know and gain the respect for and from his guides was interesting to see. The book explains how the shooting schedule had to be moved up unexpectedly but the video fails to emphasize the reason that the video of the crux scene in the movie was so limited. When they decided to ski the run where Trevor died, they didn't have time to hire a helicopter for the footage. They also left unexplained in the movie how they all got out of the couloir which ended in a cliff.

As Kerig explains, the focus on Kye was due to the influence of Plake. That the key part of Kye's epiphany is short changed due to technical shooting problems is a bit disappointing, however Kerig was trying to show the commraderie that exists in the skiing fraternity of big mountain skiers and he succeeds in that. Plake, Coombs, Hatrup and Peota are all committed to supporting their late friend's son succeed in his own dream, not to simply follow in his dad's tracks.

Not everyone comes out unscathed in the end and some change their lives based on their experiences during the filming. Skiing and the life of skiing isn't glossed over and candy coated. This movie isn't just about skiing the rad line and making it. It is about living your life the way you want and making tough decisions when life throws you an unexpected curve. Its about stepping up and stepping down with grace.

First, this is available on showtime on demand this month.

Second, I didn't read the book.

Third, if you are expecting big ski shots ala Wizard of Miller's this is not your movie.  No helicopters were used in filming, even during the key sequence descending the coulior on the Rond.  As a result you sort of see the beginning of the run, the end of the run, and not a lot in between.  There are some big ski shots, but they are sort of cut in from other sources.

I think this documentary could have benefited from a little more scripting or better editing.  As it is, it kind of some across as let's take a camera along and get shots of all of our friends who show up even if they don't have a lot to do with the story.  For example there are some sequences with Kasha Rigby just showing up and then disappearing at the beginning of run where they are roping up young Petersen for his first descent.  Then she skis off with her pupil, only to reappear as a talking head saying that they took the coulior later in the day when it was really hairy.  No pictures of her skiing so we have no idea what it was like.  This did not contribute to the story and could have been left out.  Another example is when Doug Coombs shows up to say hi to young Petersen.  Unless you know who these people are, and most casual viewers won't, they just don't make sense in the film and don't contribute to the narrative.  You get the feel that this is an insider film shot for insiders, when the story could be appealing to a much broader audience.

Petersen was 15 at the time of the descent, but looked and talked much younger.  I think this contributed to the sense that the kid was out of his element.  However, some shots of him doing tricks showed that he he was in pretty good shape and despite his advertised inexperience probably felt a little less pain at the end of the day than some of the 50 somethings who were teaching him.  He also had an amazing wardrobe selection along for a 15 year old. Different outfits, some with faux fur trim, in each frame. Continuity might have improved if he stuck to the same gear.

Interesting interviews with Anselme and Stephane, both of whom have taken their knocks in life.  I liked these, they worked well with the story for me.  Glenn Plake is just Glen Plake.  Hard as you try he just doesn't seem like a father figure, unless of course your dad played with the Clash.  Some of the symbolic stuff like the eagle were ok the first time, but became sort of derivative with repetition.

In short there is a good story here, but the film kind of loses its edge by wandering around the story line and resorting to the sentimental too often when it doesn't have to. It would have been greatly improved with aerial video of the final descent, to give it more drama and a fitting climax.  People talking about skiing hairy places is interesting, but not as interesting as actually watching them do it.

Overall worth viewing, but the film would have been better if less of a travelogue, might have worked better as a scripted film, would have definitely benefited from a few helicopter shots of the key action sequences.  But you should watch it if you have the chance.