K2: The Impossible Descent

Dans les pas du Groupe

Ever since the ice age, skis have been an irreplaceable tool for humans, but due to global tendencies skiing has changed a lot taking us to – urban skiing. The main character reflects the events that skiers have to face in their quest for adventure, overcoming the boundaries and stereotypes set in society. The film is a peculiar mixture of genres, which allows the boundaries of reality and fiction to merge. Storyline is dominated in two sides – a space where the main character lives and the other 50 locations over Latvia and Estonia. Movie surprises the viewer with breath-taking urban skiing action. The filming is done under challenging circumstances - pedestrians, police...., and the operators mostly have only one chance to capture the frame.

The voyage to the scariest ski run of my life. The last voyage of Sofie and Captain Crocs. A ski odyssey to the far northern fjords of Norway, presented by Norrøna and Black Crows. After a decade of dreaming of the Kvænangstindan mountain range we board Captain Crocs' vessel Sofie in search of adventure. But when have you pushed it so far over the edge that you may never sail back home?

Cody Townsend has set out on an audacious goal to climb and ski all 50 lines chronicled in the book, "The Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America". Peak Obsession is a stand alone film premiered at film festivals around the world and dives into the depths of the mindset behind the project told through the story of two of the more challenging lines in the book, Meteorite Mountain and Pontoon Peak near Valdez, Alaska. Joined by legendary snowboarder Jeremy Jones, along with cameraman Bjarne Salen, they set out on an adventure rife with challenge, exhaustion and a bevy of lessons to learn along the adventure. This is Episode 19 and line 17 and 18 completed for The FIFTY, a project following Cody Townsend as he attempts to climb and ski all fifty of the lines and mountains chronicled in the book, "The 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America."

watch Niko Schirmer and Celeste Pomerantz sail to the northern Norwegian island and ski arctic conditions in a one-of-a-kind movie Niko Schirmer swore he would never get on this boat again, but his new movie is all about Sofie (that’s the ship’s nickname) and a sailing voyage to Svalbard. Get on board and discover what happened in a trip full of adventure, wild animals, human interactions, and gnarly couloirs.

Along this goal to ski all fifty of "The Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America", there lies a few cruxes. A few lines that stand out as the ultimate test for skiers. Lines that have seen one, maybe two, ski descents in history. One such mountain that is on that list is Mt. St. Elias in Alaska. Mt. St. Elias is a mythical, foreboding peak that jumps straight out of the ocean, 18,008 feet into the sky. It's renowned for violent storms that come straight off the northern pacific and slam into its icy steeps. It is unknown how many people have ever stood on the summit, but it is known that most people that try, fail. In May of 2021, Cody Townsend, Dan Corn, Nick Russell and cinematographer Bjarne Salen set out to climb and ski this Alaskan beast. This is the tale of their adventure.

Mountains can have a certain energy to them and mountain called Split, located in the High Sierra Mountain Range in eastern California, has an energy with a dark side. Split Mountain is a 14,000 foot peak with a perfect couloir dividing two prominent summits. Visually, it’s a line that begs to be skied yet is guarded by a series of icefalls, rock steps and blue ice patches that make it extremely challenging. On top of that, the towering walls of the couloir present significant rockfall hazard along with an upper basin that can create dangerous avalanche conditions. It’s a line that requires patience, perfect timing…and many many attempts. Over the last 4 years, Cody Townsend, Nick Russell and cinematographer Bjarne Salén have been waiting, trying, scoping and learning about the history of this line, its moods, its conditions and its energy to successfully, and safely, ski it.

The FIFTY continues...But with a twist. The goal was simple, ride bikes, loaded down with 100 pounds of climbing, skiing and camping equipment, over 1000 miles to ski three of The Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America. A tiring adventure and a sufferfest of course, but in the context of an ongoing global pandemic, a nation divided by chaos and a populace on the brink, a simple adventure throws the simple act of adventure into question. Why purposely suffer? Why selfishly pursue adventure? Why go into the mountains at all? All questions that a month long adventure begins to throw into your mind. Starring Cody Townsend and Michelle Parker, "The Mountain Why" is a ski adventure unlike any normal escape to the wild. This is a short film in The FIFTY series and line 28, 29, and 30.

The most remote classic of The FIFTY, The Polar Star is an iconic ski line. Set on the Arctic island of Baffin, the Polar Star Couloir is aesthetic, breath-taking couloir set among an island of ice, Polar Bears and towering granite walls. Joining up with Cody Townsend on his attempt to ski "The Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America" is one of the world's best ski mountaineers and steep skiers, Vivian Bruchez. Though the goal of the journey is to ski The Polar Star, a plethora of steep, challenging and beautiful ski lines await in Baffin...and a lesson in just what makes Vivian one of the world's best, comes to light.

Nadine Wallner journeys to El Chaltén, Argentina, a place of granite towers, perfect for skiing adventures. Infinita describes its endless beauty and here she found her passion and tranquillity.

It is 1 p.m. on June 30, 1982, when Christophe Profit, 24, shows up at the foot of Les Drus with his pof bag, his climbing shoes and nothing else. He will try the west face of Les Drus in "solo", in the Mont Blanc massif by "Directe Américaine", 1100 meters of vertical and smooth rock. Christophe will achieve the feat of climbing the wall in free solo, without using a rope or any belaying technique. At 4:10 p.m., barely more than three hours after the start of his ascent, the new climbing star can embrace the Virgin of the Drus at the same time as the career of a high-level mountaineer. Three years later, on July 25, 1985, he climbed the north faces of the Matterhorn, the Eiger and the Jorasses in the same day. Awarded at many mountain film festivals, this great documentary is a magnificent testimony to one man's passion for climbing, the mountains and adventure.

After the Snowfall is a high-octane and heartfelt journey through the culture and chaos of modern skiing. Filmed in stunning locations from the Lyngen Alps of Norway to the heli-accessed steeps of British Columbia, the film showcases an elite crew of skiers, including Michelle Parker, Nikolai Schirmer, Nico Porteous, Caite Zeliff, and more, pushing boundaries with jaw-dropping style and skill.

Nikolai and Vegard were childhood friends who spent their free time on the ski slopes. Now, Nikolai has become a professional skier, while Vegard lives in caves and trains obsessively to complete a perilous and physically demanding ski tour. This is a story about friendship and setting ambitious goals.

A short documentary about freestyle skiing made for the New Zealand Tourist and Publicity Department.

A story of chopped fingers, fun, friendship and the First Ascent of Kunyang Chhish East (7,400m). Following the rules of true alpine style Hansjörg Auer, Matthias Auer and Simon Anthamatten embark on an adventure for the summit and for survival on Kunyang Chhish East.

On 15 May, 2006, double amputee Mark Inglis reached the summit of Mt Everest. It was a remarkable achievement and Inglis was feted by press and public alike. But only a few days later he was plunged into a storm of controversy when it was learned that he had passed an incapacitated climber, Englishman David Sharp, leaving him to a lonely end high in the Death Zone.

The first ascent of the Matterhorn was made on July 14, 1865 by Edward Whymper, Francis Douglas, Charles Hudson, Douglas Hadow, Michel Croz and two guides from Zermatt, Peter Taugwalder father and son. Douglas, Hudson, Hadow and Croz are killed on the descent after Hadow slips and drags the other three men down the north face. Whymper and the two Taugwalders, who survive, are later accused of having cut the rope that connected them to the rest of the group so as not to be dragged into the fall, but the ensuing investigation finds no evidence of their guilt and they are acquitted. The Matterhorn is the last great peak in the Alps to be conquered and its ascent marks the end of the golden age of mountaineering. One hundred and fifty years later, a team undertakes the same expedition in order to unravel the mystery.

While shooting Gerard Mordillat's film, "Billy ze Kick", Christophe Profit, one of the best climbers in the world, was asked to stand in for an actor. He will, without ropes or belay, climb the smooth side of a 60 meter building.

Voleurz' That’s Fine documents the antics and exploits of the infamous Voleurz Family, comprised of skiers, snowboarders and skateboarders, making the multi-sport offering one of the most well-rounded and diverse films in the action sports world. Highlights include snowboarder Justin VDP slaying pillow lines in the Whistler backcountry, freeskier KC Deane's jaw-dropping big mountain segment, a raucous urban trip to Ontario with Scott Sych & Matt Brindisi, the unique style of one of skiing's most imaginative individuals, Max Hill (along with the highly entertaining return of Max Hill vs The Intern), skateboarding the streets of Vancouver with Tyler Holm, and of course, the hilarious and not-to-be-missed Winter Volympics. As voted by fans, That’s Fine won Best Web Video of 2011 on ESPN.

Voleurz' eighth feature-length film showcases the antics and exploits of the Voleurz family, and features snowboarders and skiers forced against each other in an all out bloodbath. Who will take the throne? Kill Your Boredom highlights include riding from newly appointed Voleurz snowboarder Geoff Brown jumping unique road gaps and adding a double cork in the backcountry to his already heavy bag of tricks; skier Rob Heule shows us what it takes to be skiing’s up-and-coming urban slayer, proving that the infamous 5-kink elbow rail in Calgary is actually possible; and of course, the hilarious and not-to-be-missed Winter Volympics will once again leave your mom asking, “who are these morons?”