In the beginning there were mountains, and for the majority of the year these towering steeples pointing to the heavens were covered in snow. Next came the skier, and during the 1970’s in the winter wonderland of Chamonix, France they came up with the bright idea to scale up to the top of these peaks and then slalom their way back down them. And thus, the sport of Big Mountain Skiing was born, and for many adventurous souls nothing on this world would ever be the same again.

A skier makes the ascent in Sony Pictures Classics' Steep

Shot amidst the jaggedly snow-covered peaks of Alaska, Wyoming, Canada, France and Iceland, the outdoor documentary Steep attempts to tell the story of Big Mountain Skiing through the eyes of the pioneers out on its forefront. It is a visually spectacular document that fills the entire frame with eye-popping wintry-white exhilaration, and I challenge anyone who sees it to not walk outside the theater when it’s over and not shake their head in unabashed gee-whiz awe.

The thing is, as good as all of this is (and at times it is legitimately stunning) it’s still awfully hard to shake the fact you could watch this movie on your local PBS station and not feel like you’re missing out on anything. Filmmaker Mark Obenhaus definitely showcases a passion for his subject matter that’s at times exuberantly infectious; I just don’t think said passion is necessarily cinematic which is kind of a problem.

Thankfully it is entertaining. More, it is also informative, and when all was finally said and done I did actually feel as if I knew more about the subject going out then I did going in. Through compelling interviews with skiers young, old and dynamically in-between, Steep at its best takes viewers to the very top of the world and then breathlessly sends them cascading back down again with majestically spine-tingling wonderment. It’s eye-popping and pulse-pounding, the film crafting a beauteous aura of naturalistic wonder almost impossible to resist.

The heart and soul of all of this belongs to the late Doug Coombs, a charismatic Big Mountain Skier who knew the history of his sport both inside and out. He also knew its dangers, putting safety above all else until a daring rescue atop the pillars of Chamonix horrifically took his own life. Doug is, without question, a star, and whether rushing down a slope at blistering speeds in viscerally dynamic waves of billowing powder or confidently speaking to the camera showcasing a handsomely dashing smile this is a man you can’t help but want to know more of making his final journey all the more heartbreaking and emotional.

It probably goes without saying that visually the film is an absolute stunner. For those in love with the works of Warren Miller Steep takes his alpine aesthetic to an entirely different level. By the time these magnificent athletes started catapulting themselves off the side of the mountains they were supposed to be skiing down I thought I was going to lose my lunch, while vintage footage of the sport’s first mavericks braving the heights of Chamonix and Jackson Hole are utterly enthralling. 

In the end, I liked this movie, sometimes quite a bit; it just didn’t blow me away. Still, the film is solidly entertaining and at times magnificently crafted. It is a good documentary, and while Steep ultimately doesn’t soar to the same heights as the men and women it so jubilantly celebrates it does come just close enough I’m more than willing to pronounce the film a swooshing success.

Film Rating: êê1/2  (out of 4)

Additional Links:

-  Steep Theatrical Trailer