Have you ever seen a ski or snowboard movie in IMAX? No? Well after watching Jeremy Jones’ “Higher” from Teton Gravity Research on the IMAX screen at the Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City, I’m here to say it’s an experience that completely engulfs – an experience I wish would happen more often. Witnessing POV footage on scary, big lines on a screen 5-stories tall is hard to describe. It’s so immersive that I half expected the seats to rock back and forth while the staff throws snow in my face. But even better than seeing an epic snowboard film on IMAX, is seeing “Higher” on the hugemonstrous screen.
Jeremy Jones’ “Higher” is the third film featuring one of the greatest snowboarders in history. His previous two films, “Deeper” and “Further” brought snowboard films to a new level, and “Higher” aims… well… even higher. Jones has a long and impressive resume’. He is a ten-time Big Mountain Rider of the Year. He is the 2013 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, and he’s the founder of Protect Our Winters, an advocacy environmental group committed to reversing climate change. But this film focuses on none of that. “Higher” puts Jones under the microscope as he travels to three places around the world – the Grand Teton, the Alaska Range, and the Himalayas in Nepal.
For a two-hour snowboard movie, that doesn’t sound like a lot of content. But “Higher” is not your typical snowboard-porn. This is a bona fide documentary about life, loss, family, motivations, and an internal look at why we put ourselves in harms way for a small moment of perfection. When Jones attempts to snowboard the Grand Teton, we follow along from the beginning as he spends hours in front of computers doing research, skins into the mountains for recon missions, and speaks in hushed tones to friends about the consequences of failure. I don’t think we actually see any snowboarding on the Teton until 20 minutes into the film. This produces character development, and more importantly, suspense. The moment when Jones drops into the line, you can hear his nervous breathing, and the tension vibrates through your skin. Watching Jones descend the line from his point of view, near panic when small avalanches cascade over his head… well, I’ve never been more immersed in a snowboard movie in my life.
After that, the movie only gets better. Jones goes on to make first descents in the Alaska Range, where weather shuts them down for over a week. As the crew hides in tents, you can feel the claustrophobia, followed by elation as the sun finally comes out, revealing a mountain face littered with hundreds of snowy spines. When Jones attempts to descend the face and encounters bulletproof ice, the sound of his edges scraping the ice beneath the fear in his voice made my hair stand up. When they finally succeed in leaving tracks on that mountain, after a month of trying, I’m happy, but also question why. Why put yourself through that just to descend one line? The film delves into that question too.
Family is important to Jeremy Jones, and it’s clear in scenes with his wife and kids. When they drive him to the airport for yet another adventure, it tugs at the heart when his son begs him not to go. Jones weighs family against the magnetic pull of the mountains. He cannot deny who he is. He says he goes not just for himself, but because he want to be a role model for his children, so they can be inspired by his accomplishments and perhaps follow in his footsteps. But near the end of the film, when he faces the biggest challenge of his life in Nepal, his tone changes. In a powerful interview, he decides that if he were to die, leaving his children without a father, then it would erase all of his accomplishments… that all his first descents would be worth nothing.
On that note, he attempts to descend Shangri-La, an enormous, fluted, 20,000-foot, 60-degree face. His first attempt ends in a cringe-worthy tumble down the mountain. And although he survives his second attempt, his struggle down is hard to watch.
I am enamored with the new trend of ski and snowboard documentary-style films. I also wonder why it took so long for this to happen. I think perhaps, the culture of free-riding has aged to the point that we can look back into the past 20 years and have perspective of where we’ve been and where we are going. Sure, it’s fine and stoke-worthy to see an athlete shredding a spine in Alaska, but if you can put the full weight of that athlete’s childhood, family life, and dreams behind it, just one run is suddenly elevated to… well… there are no words to describe it.
This may be a bold statement, but “Higher” is masterful documentary film making.
Although your chance to see “Higher” in IMAX is slim to none at this point, you can order the film on DVD at Teton Gravity Research.