I am not athletic - my idea of exercise is getting
up to let the cat out of the house. I do not engage in any sports. I
do not ski. Hell, I
don’t even like snow! I have never skied a day in my life
and I doubt I ever will: with my luck, I would somehow manage to impale myself
with my own fibula. As such, I have absolutely no basis of comparison when
it comes to a movie like Steep (2007).
That doesn’t stop me from watching a movie like Steep
(2007), though. Some people think extreme skiers are
crazy… I’m more inclined to think that these fools are
just fucking nuts. But at least they’re happy. Well… some
of them, at least - the ones that aren’t are dead and
most of them died on the slopes. But at least they died happy. I
guess. While watching these lunatics might make some people feel
rather hollow, it makes me feel normal.
Narrated by Peter Krause (Nate on “Six Feet Under”)
, Steep (2007) takes us on a wonderful journey to some
of the most breathtaking mountaintops in the world (such as Chamonix,
France and Valdez, Alaska) with some of the most extreme professionals
on the planet: Andrew McLean, Anselme Baud, Chris Davenport, Glen Plake
(the guy with the crazy hair), Ingrid Backstrom, Eric Pehota, Seth Morrison,
Stefano De Benedetti, Shane McConkey and, of course, the late Doug Coombs
(who died on the mountain in 2006).
 If you’re not into skiing, you don’t go for documentaries,
or the impressive sight of beautiful, snowcapped peaks fail to fill
you with awe then there is probably no reason at all for you to watch
this film and you would probably be better off watching paint dry. For
those of you that love skiing, however - whether you are a pro with
years of experience under your belt or you’re just a novice, Steep
(2007) will probably be one of the few DVD titles you’ll
want to own.
For non-skiers and/or documentary buffs, Steep (2007) gives
you the opportunity to take in some gorgeous scenery without having
to leave the house (you lazy bastards)… not to mention you get
to take a look at some truly fearless (or freaky, depending on your
point of view) individuals. And if you still can’t
get into it, just hit the ‘Mute’button, crank up the Pink
Floyd and enjoy.
 Presentation
Sony brings us Mark Obenhaus’ wonderful little docu via a wonderful-looking
transfer with some solid colors and spectacular 5.1 sound. Subtitles
are provided in English and French (sorry Spanish speakers… it’s
not as if you ski anyway… do you?).
Extras
First off, there’s an Audio Commentary with director Mark Obenhaus
and skiers Ingrid Backstrom and Andrew McLean. Next, there’s
a Q&A (13:09) that was recorded on video during a screening of the
film with Obenhaus, Backstrom and McLean, followed by two Photo Montages: Shooting Steep (17:11)
and The Skiers Of Steep (2:35). Lastly,
there’s an Interview with Doug Coombs (6:42) and finally, a number
of Previews and Promos for Persepolis (hey, any flick
which features a karaoke version of Eye Of The Tiger is fine
by me), Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains, the standard
Sony Blu-ray bumper, Saawariya, Across The
Universe, The Jane Austen Book Club, Riding
Giants, Lords Of Dogtown, My Kid Could
Paint That, The Natural: Director’s Cut and
a brief promo for Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby.
The Bottom Line
It’s not Vertical Limit and it’s not Aspen
Extreme… and those are two reasons to see it.
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