Fuel Your Anticipation – 5 Ski Movies to Marvel and Dream About
The 5 Best Ski Movies for Home Viewing
Ready to dive into the best ski films? ORIGINAL+ has put together five recommendations to help you cool off this summer and bring a touch of winter magic to your living room.
Experience incredible ski jumps, smooth descents through waist-deep snow, breathtaking helicopter flights over eternal ice, and the allure of an alternative lifestyle far removed from the daily grind. For average skiers, the scenes in the greatest ski films often feel like a distant reality. But watching these films is still a thrill, as they convey the fascination of skiing in a truly captivating way. To help pass the time until your next ski vacation, Snowplaza has mixed up a little appetizer for you. Here are the best short films, trailers, and videos to ignite your passion for skiing. Which ski film is your favorite?
Some ski films have an influence that extends far beyond the sporting world, thanks to outstanding production, beautiful storytelling, and spectacular action...
1. For Downhill Enthusiasts – Streif: One Hell of a Ride
Join alpine skiing elite Erik Guay, Aksel Lund Svindal, Max Franz, and Hannes Reichelt as they undergo a year of training for the world’s most dangerous race: the downhill on the infamous Streif in Kitzbühel, Austria.
The Streif: Few other racecourses are as feared and fascinating as this downhill run in Kitzbühel. To mark the 75th Hahnenkamm Race, the documentary “Streif: One Hell of a Ride” hit theaters. Directed by Gerald Salmina, the film captures the emotional and sometimes dramatic moments that define this “hell ride” and explores how the racers prepare for the competition on this notorious course. Salmina delves into what makes this sporting event so captivating and what drives individuals to take on the immense risks of the Streif downhill. The race lasts just under two minutes, yet the competitors risk their health, reaching speeds of up to 140 km/h, all in the pursuit of being the fastest to cross the finish line. It seems Salmina was determined to create a cinematic tribute to the Streif like no other, and he has succeeded.
Key Facts about the Film
- Category: Alpine Skiing
- Who Will Enjoy It: A film for amateur racers and World Cup fans
- Why to Watch: Experience skiing from a professional's perspective
- Where to Watch: Streif – One Hell of a Ride
2. For Freeriders – Days of My Youth
The feeling of eternal youth that riders experience when they engage in what they love. This is the central theme of Matchstick Productions' two-year project. Featuring modern pioneers of skiing, this film tells the story of the challenges and triumphs of the best in the sport.
Key Facts about the Film
- Category: Freeride
- Who Will Enjoy It: Anyone who loves to go full throttle off-piste
- Why to Watch: Top-tier freeriding
- The Wow Moment: Okay, this is definitely the sickest line ever. Cody Townsend blasts through this rock tunnel at around 20,000 km/h. And it’s not even a straight line where you just hold it steady and try not to wipe out. Line of the year 2014
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Where to Watch: Days of My Youth
3. For Ski Tourers – Shelter
Why travel halfway around the world when the good stuff is so close by? That’s what five friends—Leo, Thomas, Mat, Levi, and Jeremy—thought. In the ski and snowboard film “Shelter,” they return to the basics, staying in high alpine huts and crossing the distances in the Swiss and French Alps using only their own muscle power and their sports gear.
Swiss snowboarder Mat Schaer spent years traveling the globe for photo and film productions, but in winter 2018/19, he aimed to reconnect with his roots: the Alps! He seeks to act sustainably, avoiding airports, ski resorts, and snowmobiles, relying solely on public transport and undertaking all ascents under his own power. Along with his friends Levi, Léo, and Thomas, he sets out to explore the majestic glacier giants he’s looked up at from the valley his whole life, never imagining he would venture into them—until now.
Key Facts about the Film
- Category: Ski crossing
- Who Will Enjoy It: Anyone seeking adventure and solitude
- Why to watch:
- The wow moment:
- Where to watch: Shelter
4. For ski mountaineers on speed – La Liste
The young skiing prodigy Jérémie Heitz embarks on a personal challenge: to descend 15 of the steepest 4,000-meter peaks in the Alps in just two seasons. This incredible feat requires immense endurance and unbelievable mental strength. It is an unparalleled venture into the world of freeriding.
Key Facts about the Film
- Category: A mix of ski mountaineering & freeride
- Who is the film for: Ski mountaineers on speed
- Why to watch:
- The wow moment:
- Where to watch: La Liste
5. For "bon vivants" – Treeline
Patagonia Films presents Treeline: A Story Written in Rings, available in full for the first time. Follow a group of skiers, snowboarders, scientists and healers to the birch forests of Japan, the red cedars of British Columbia and the bristlecones of Nevada, as they explore an ancient story written in rings.
For Treeline, the filmmakers set out to visit and explore three extraordinary forests in Japan, British Columbia, and Nevada. In each location, they are accompanied by people who have a unique relationship with the forests. In British Columbia, the focus is on the science of tree communication, while in Japan, the attention turns to "Kami" and "Kodama," the forest spirits of Hokkaido. In Nevada, scientists join the journey to translate the knowledge trees offer about our changing climate. The thread connecting the film is the simple, playful glide through snow-covered forests, showing yet another special relationship with nature.
Key Facts about the Film
- Category: All-Mountain
- Who is the film for: Nature lovers and enthusiasts
- Why to watch:
- The wow moment:
- Where to watch: Treeline
