Steep

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FUR3jr
Number 468
FUR3jr's picture
Conspirator for: 15 years 29 weeks
Posted on: February 7, 2009 - 7:09am

Steep is a documentary about the orgins and history of "extreme" skiing.  I think there are a lot of parallels between "extreme" sports and market based activism in todays centrally planned society.  In the 1970's and 80's you couldn't ski out of bounds in the United States, and you definitely couldn't make a film of people choosing to ski out of bounds.  Many of America's top skiiers went to the Chamonix valley to finally be allowed to ski the way they wanted to, taking all of the risks.  In America, those same skiiers were required to purchase insurance, but the premiums were extremely high or hardly offered.  I haven't seen a film about sports that made me think about freedom as much as Steep did.

I thought the scenery in this film was breathtaking.  The skiing was often so tense that I noticed my back was hurting from putting myself into point of view of the skiiers.  The skiiers know the risks of their behavior, and therefore don't paint a Utopian view of the skiing world.  They say it's worth the risk. If your are going to die, many of the skiiers said, it is best to know that you died doing something you love.

If you are a member of netflix you can watch this instantly (like I did)

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Steep/70082665?mqso=80020215&partid=Steep