Home > Chicago Movies > Movie Review > Steep

A look at the men (and a few women) who choose to “ski where the sport of skiing can still be an adventure.” They’re the extreme skiers who tackle the world’s most epic mountains and perform crazy stunts on the slopes.

Big question: Does this documentary capture all the intense highs and lows of a relatively young sport?

Skip it: The beautifully filmed ski footage, set against awe-inspiring landscapes, has the shiny polish of a National Geographic special but “Steep” wipes out when it comes to giving viewers a visceral sense of what it’s like to take part in extreme skiing. For a portrait of a sport that’s all about breaking the rules, the approach of director Mark Obenhaus is far too reverent.

Catch it: The cinematography is practically worth the price of admission alone, but it’ll look just as good on hi-def cable and DVD.

Bottom line: The death of one of the interview subjects underlines the dangers extreme skiers face, but this conventional doc fails to find an inventive cinematic way to capture the excitement that makes the sport so irresistible to its participants.

Bonus: “Steep” is dedicated to late ABC News anchor Peter Jennings. Obenhaus and a couple of the film’s producers had worked with the newsman on various previous projects.

Add a comment