The 15 best ski movies

Ski movies. There’s nothing quite like watching one and getting transported to the mountains with those slow-mo pow-shots, killer street sessions, and gnarly freeride lines. And we all remember our first ski film, right? Whether it was an intro to Warren Miller, a baptism of fire with Teton Gravity, or streaming the latest offering from Matchstick Productions, there’s no experience like your first ski movie.

And no one can deny that there have been some absolute bangers over the years. So, we’ve rounded up the 15 best ski movies EVER! Watch in chronological order, binge on repeat, and get super pumped for pow, park, and some pretty extreme steeps. Oh, and don’t forget to crank up those soundtracks, too. 

You always yearn to be as good as the featured pro riders, right? Dropping pillow lines, charging crazy verticals, and stomping backies off cliffs? And while we all dream of having their skills, we can at least make their style our reality. So check out Dope’s latest range of ski bibs and ski jackets and imagine yourself starring in your own ski video part.  

15 ski movies to add to your watch-list

Steep and Deep (1985)

©Steep and Deep (1985)

Warren Miller is the definition of a legend. He made over 70 ski films throughout his lifetime, creating generations of fans. In fact, many consider him responsible for sparking intrigue and strapping skis to their feet for the first time. 

Steep and Deep is probably our favorite Warren Miller movie. For starters, this 1985 movie signaled the start of extreme skiing on film, instantaneously making ski movies awesome to watch instead of a bit, well, dull. Suddenly, everyone knew what big-mountain riding looked like as they witnessed Tom Day and Scot Schmidt drop epic cliffs across the US, France, Japan, and New Zealand. Plus, the all-time greats joined them. Steep and Deep features the iconic pioneers who shaped skiing into what it is today, including Stein Eriksen (the freestyle OG), Billy Kidd (Olympic medalist and Steamboat hero), and Phil Mahre (Olympic gold medalist). Keep an eye out for those retro onesies (although they’re hard to miss) and an ear out for that classic 80s synth music (again, it’s hard to miss!). 

Claim (2008)

©Claim (2008)

Woah. Claim is like a who’s-who of legendary pro riders, all ripping and charging their hardest – and trying to prove they’re the best. But in the most tongue-in-cheek way ever. We’re talking about Mark Abma, Eric Hjorleifson, Simon Dumont, and more, fuelling the screen with insanely bold riding while claiming their crew is great – but their own riding is better. This is peak ski filmmaking (pun fully intended) and a 100% must-watch. 

This movie’s full title is Claim, The Greatest Ski Movie…EVER! And who are we to argue with a statement like that? Just check out Shane McConkey’s iconic segment (the last before his untimely death) to ‘Jukebox Hero’, featuring the JD-drinking Saucer Boy. Oh, and look out for Colby West lip-syncing to Tom Jones’s ‘It’s Not Unusual’ (yes, really) and Simon Dumont attempting his 35-foot quarter pipe record. Plus, Chris Davenport dominates extreme lines in the Alps, including the Eiger and the Matterhorn. Just prepare yourself for the wince-inducing crash reel. These guys slam hard. 

Watch Claim on YouTube

Mount St. Elias (2009)

©Mount St. Elias (2009)

Be honest: would you try to conquer a mountain nicknamed ‘The Man Eater’? Us neither. But that didn’t discourage three of the world’s best ski mountaineers – Alex Naglich, Peter Ressmann, and Jon Johnston – from taking on Mount St. Elias, North America’s most notorious, daunting summit. Mount Saint Elias is otherworldly in its difficulty level. 

Oh, and the three mountaineers don’t just climb it, BTW. They ski down it, too, setting out to achieve the world’s longest ski descent with a mind-boggling 18,000-foot line. Previous riders have attempted the mission but met tragedy and death. So, do our riders make it? If we spoil it for you, there’d be no point watching, right? So tune in – and prepare to hold onto your couch, things are about to get gnarly!

Watch Mount St. Elias on RedBull TV 

All.I.Can (2011)

©All.I.Can (2011)

In 2011, Sherpas Cinemas turned the ski film genre on its head with All.I.Can. This movie dominated film festivals with its out-of-this-world cinematography, filmed in Morocco, Chile, and Greenland. But it isn’t all breathtaking aerial shots and stunning steeps – All.I.Can packs a punch with its documentary-style messaging about climate change and the urgency to protect our mountains. 

While All.I.Can’s artfulness is next-level – so is the riding. No other film makes you quite as proud to ski as watching Kye Petersen, Lynsey Dyer, Mark Abma, and Ingrid Backstrom make shredding an art-form. Oh, and if you’re going to watch any clip before settling in to watch the whole thing, make it JP Auclair’s street segment from Chapter 5. We could watch the late ‘n’ great JP airing stairs and jibbing cars to LCD Soundsystem’s ‘Dance Yrself Clean’ all darn day. 

McConkey (2013)

©McConkey (2013)

“Shane was one of those people who you couldn’t ignore, you couldn’t deny, whether you skied or not. This dude is the man – and then some”, states Sal Masekela. A biopic about the man, the myth, the legend: Shane McConkey. Yep, this doc dives into one of skiing’s biggest names, looking at his early life, rise to fame (including the infamous naked bump run at Vail), undeniable industry influence, and, sadly, his tragic, way-too-soon death from a ski-BASE jump in 2009.

McConkey’s story as a pioneer and powerhouse is peppered with interviews from family, friends, and familiar faces, including Jeremy Jones, Miles Daisher, Sherry McConkey, and JT Holmes, who was sadly with McConkey on that fateful day. You might want your tissues ready for this one, but Shane’s mischievous spirit and insane zest for life will also make you grin from ear to ear. Whether new to riding or a seasoned pro, every rider should know about Shane McConkey. So make sure you don’t miss out. 

Watch McConkey on Matchstick Productions

Supervention (2013)

©Supervention (2013)

Join some of the planet’s top riders as they travel to Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada, and the US, showcasing insanely progressive riding and big-mountain terrain never skied before. This is Supervention. And by the planet’s top riders, we’re talking about Tim Durtschi dominating backcountry booters at Mt.Cook, Eric Hjorleifson laying impressive lines in the Lyngen Alps, and Tom Wallisch jibbing through a spring park sesh. 

And, of course, Dope-sponsored rider Jesper Tjäder makes your jaw drop throughout the film. One of our favorite scenes is Even Sigstad and Kim Boberg SLAYING a spiral staircase rail in Norway’s Vikersund. Yep, Supervention gives you an up-close POV of the radness of Norwegian skiing, an exclusive look at some of the world’s most beautiful places, and the friendships forged through the love of riding. 

Into the Mind (2013)

©Into the Mind (2013)

Okay, Into the Mind tripped us out the first time we saw it. It follows a faceless skier on a journey to scale and ride a formidable mountain while balancing the struggle of risk vs. reward. Sounds fairly simple, right? Well, Sherpas Cinemas takes ‘simple’ and shatters it. Over 12 chapters (mirroring the circle of life), they throw in mind-blowing cinematography, hair-raising chanting music, and brain-melting, multi-level storytelling.   

Of course, the riding is also next-level. You’ll witness insane segments from Callum Petit, JP Auclair, Kye Peterson, Angel Collinson, Xavier de le Rue, Rory Bushfield, and more in wild, stunning places like Bolivia, Denali, and Nepal. Honestly, Into the Mind is jam-packed with high-caliber shredding and genre-bending filmmaking. It gets into your mind (get it?) – but in the best way possible. Oh, and does anyone else also get ‘Run Boy Run’ stuck in their head while thinking of this? 

PURE (2014)

©PURE (2014)

You might be reading this list so far, thinking, ‘Where the ladies at?’. Well, PURE proudly shines a spotlight on the world’s 12 best female freeskiers as they travel from Alaska to the Alps, fuelling their love for riding and pushing freestyle and freeriding progression. You’ll see Maude Raymond get creative in the Nine Queens contest, Nat Segal throw backies in Japow, and Melissa Presslaber attempt a solo ascent and descent of Switzerland’s Fletschhorn North Wall. It’s stoke-raising stuff.

As a lady shredder, PURE is one of the most inspirational ski movies, showing what’s possible when you have the passion, skills, and support of women around you. We’re also big fans of women leading the way in this film. For example, Sandra Lahnsteiner directs it (and charges big lines in the movie herself). And, of course, Lahnsteiner founded Shades of Winter to create a platform for inspiring female role models and empowering women to live life outdoors. We say she’s 100% achieved her mission with PURE. 

Streif: One Hell of a Ride (2014)

©Streif: One Hell of a Ride (2014)

“There’s nothing bigger in the ski world than racing in the Streif”, says Daron Rahlves. Yep, the Streif. A word to send shivers down ski racers’ spines. It’s one of the most feared, challenging, and dangerous courses on the ski race circuit, based in Kitzbühel, Austria. So, how do you prepare to tackle it? Streif: One Hell of a Ride gives a glimpse into the intense prep that goes into training for the world’s most treacherous downhill ski race.

Streif follows a group of elite racers – Aksel Lund Svindal, Max Franz, Hannes Reichelt, and Erik Guay – over the course of a year in the lead-up to this iconic race. You’ll understand what draws people to the event and makes them accept the enormous risk involved (just prepare yourself for the crash footage!). It has a run time of just under two hours, but it’ll fly by as quickly as the average two minutes it takes for racers to complete the Streif (at speeds of up to 87 miles an hour!). 

Watch Streif: One Hell of a Ride on RedBull TV

Pretty Faces (2015)

©Pretty Faces (2015)

Few things get me as pumped or inspired for winter as watching Pretty Faces. From Unicorn Picnic – Lynsey Dyer’s brainchild – comes an empowering powerhouse of a ski movie with an all-female lineup. Yep, Dyer represents and rounds up the industry’s most inspirational badasses, including Ingrid Backstrom, Angel Collinson, Nadia Samer, Tatum Monod, Rachael Burks, Dyer herself, and more strong women. 

These riders demonstrate just how rad they are as they charge BIG mountain lines, send it off cliff after cliff, and stomp insane double backies (courtesy of Monod). But Pretty Faces is also ‘The Story of a Skier Girl’, opening with Dyer and others reflecting on skiing as children and how their love for riding began. Where Pretty Faces shines is showing the awesomeness of community alongside the blinding brilliance, fun, and effervescence that occurs when women believe in themselves, chase their dreams, and conquer those mountains’ pretty faces together.  

Drop Everything (2017)

©Drop Everything (2017)

Looking for an action-packed hour of pure magic and mayhem? Then drop everything and watch…Drop Everything, the perfect lunch-hour ski movie from Matchstick Productions. Drop Everything revels in the pure joy riding gives us. Check out awesome segments from Markus Eder, Michelle Parker, and Mark Abma laughing, sending it, and looking like they’re having the time of their lives. Plus, we get to witness how pro power couple Cody Townsend and Elyse Saugstad ride together – and who outstomps who. 

We promise you’ll be booking your next ski trip by the time the credits roll. And how can you not after feasting your eyes on the gnarliest lines, the most stunning drone shots, the fluffy pillows, and the biggest kickers across Alaska, BC, and Norway? Drop Everything promises 300% more stoke and it 100% delivers with its hefty dose of jaw-dropping riding and hyperbolic hilarity. Oh, and the soundtrack is sick – including an original (albeit tongue-in-cheek) tune from Michelle Parker! Greta Van Fleet, KISS, and The Marshall Tucker Band, though? Perfection…

Watch Drop Everything on Red Bull TV

All In (2018)

©All In (2018)

Ski movies such as Shades of Winter and Pretty Faces walked so All In could run. Yep, Matchstick Productions brings All In, spearheaded by a group of hard-charging women set on disrupting the male-dominated ski movie formula. And by disrupting the formula, they mean turning it on its head by showcasing the likes of Elyse Saugstad, Angel Collinson, and Tatum Monod throwing themselves into everything the mountain offers, including big backcountry lines, street setups, and everything in between. 

However, All In emphasizes that riding isn’t exclusionary – it’s for everyone. So these women also make as much room for the guys as themselves, featuring segments from John Collinson, Cody Townsend, and Mark Abma. Oh, and they keep everything local in a nod to climate change and environmentalism. So, you’ll see stellar US backcountry terrain like you’ve never seen before over anywhere remote and carbon-intensive to get to. All In focuses on riders doing what they love, in their own backyard: a simple, revived formula that secures it a firm spot on our list. 

The Collective (2019)

©The Collective (2019)

When the whole cinema screams (with stoke!) at a premiere, you know you’ve got an awesome ski movie on your hand. That’s exactly what happened when crowds gathered at the Paris premiere of The Collective, Faction Skis’s second full feature. 

It’s unusual for a ski film to have something for everyone, but that’s where The Collective triumphs. Want rad BC backcountry alongside spiritual Japow? It’s got it. How about sketchy Scandi rails? Delivered. Okay, there’s no way it’s got an all-female park segment perfectly demonstrating the speed of women’s freestyle progression. Boom, it’s here! And let’s not forget Alex Hall’s sequence. He’ll blow you away in the intro with an insane super-booter segment. And he keeps pushing the limits throughout four of the film’s seven parts.

Watch All In on Red Bull Snow (YouTube)

Make Believe (2020)

©Make Believe (2020)

For 25 years, the TGR legends have created adventures defined by one ethos: ‘Live the dream’. So, for Make Believe, Teton Gravity turns its attention to the progressive athletes who embody this ethos – who effortlessly blend creativity with hard work, fall deeply in love with the mountains, and make their dreams a reality.

Make Believe is generally an awesome ‘hell yeah’ to skiing culture and those who live it, including Tim Durtschi, Sammy Carlson, Kai Jones, Caite Zeliff, and more. Yes, it gives you extreme wanderlust, showcasing insane locations from Jackson Hole to Colorado and Japan. Plus, you’ll drool over impressive lines and wince during watch-through-your-fingers yard sales, tomahawks, and a five-minute avalanche burial. However, Make Believe also asks you, the viewer, to use your wildest imagination, believe in what you want wholeheartedly – and picture what might happen when you choose to ‘live the dream’. 

Watch Make Believe on Red Bull TV

Nexus (2022)

©Nexus (2022)

Even though we’ve mentioned some rad ski movies so far, can you believe that – until 2022 – there wasn’t a feature-length movie featuring all-female skiers and directed and produced by an all-female team? Then Nexus dropped. This ski movie single-handedly cemented a long overdue industry milestone. “If we want to see change in this industry, we need to be the ones out there moving it forward”, says Michelle Parker.

Although the likes of Pretty Faces made tons of space for women on screen, Nexus is the first feature-length film in history entirely directed and produced by all women. Produced by Shannon Corsi – and in collaboration with Arc’teryx – this big-budget feature follows five distinct groups of female skiers across North America, all with different reasons for riding and connections to the white stuff. We won’t give too much away, but Nexus excels in storytelling – and shredding. “Nexus is the film we all wished we had growing up”, says Corsi. And dang, is she right. With so much camaraderie and creativity on show, Nexus is bound to have a ripple effect. Just think of the little girls who’ll watch it and think: ‘Oh, wow, that’s what I can achieve one day. Sign me up.’

Watch Nexus on Arc’teryx’s YouTube Channel

Honorable mentions

We’re also loving The Meaningless Pursuit of Snow (2023) from Sweetgrass Productions and Patagonia. It follows five everyday, ‘normal’ people (aka no big names) from La Grave to Wyoming and Vermont as they chase their love for backcountry riding. It’s such a vibe.

And, finally, we know technically it’s a snowboarding movie, but we just have to mention The Art of Flight (2011). We’re putting it out there and saying this movie captures some of the best freestyle snowboarding ever. Travis Rice, Scotty Lago, Pat Moore, and more, drop huge faces and SEND IT in Alaska, Chile, Canada, and the US. The cinematography and soundtrack are epic, elevating The Art of Flight to a level of snow film not seen before its release. Right, we’re off to listen to M83 and The Naked And Famous at full volume.

Wrapping up

What a list! Now, instead of mindlessly scrolling through Netflix for something to watch, you have a sizable list to work your way through. And after writing about all these progressive and pioneering ski movies, we’re ridiculously stoked for the season ahead. So we can’t imagine how you’ll feel after binging on all 15!

Have we missed an absolute classic? Or have you seen a recent ski film that’s blown your mind? Let us know via crew@dopesnow.com, and we’ll update the article. Better yet, why not start a discussion on the best ski movie in the Dope Snow Community Facebook Group? We can’t promise we won’t shamelessly plug this article in the thread, though…

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