Thanks to poor marketing, few people have heard of "First Descent," let alone the fact that it is coming to theaters this weekend. With any luck, this article will change that, as the film will succeed in impressing more than just the snowboarding enthusiasts out there.
A stunning documentary, the film tells, as they put it, "the story of the snowboarding revolution." Despite being historically plagued with naysayers, in the past few years the sport has reached a newfound level of popularity. And with the 2006 Winter Olympics coming to Turin, Italy in just a few months, snowboarding shows no signs of stopping.
A lot of the appeal of "First Descent" is in what the film is not. It may mention that what the boarders are doing is life threatening, but the narration avoids the type of overstatement that would make it cheesy and ominous. There is no slow-motion avalanche, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats wondering if the poor soul made it out alive. Nor do they try to construct it as a sort of action-adventure with a pseudo-plot. "First Descent" simply shows the glory of snowboarding and the individuals who love it, both past and present — those who made the sport what it is today.
Steering clear of looking like just another Discovery Channel special, it interweaves numerous aspects of snowboarding. The structure follows a stimulating format for a genre of film often cursed by arduous history and storytelling. The main portion of the film follows five of the world's best snowboarders as they head north to Valdez, Alaska for some extreme backcountry action. Big Mountain snowboarding is not just another day of hitting the slopes at the local resort. Needing the assistance of a helicopter to get to the towering peaks (some clocking in at an altitude of well over 5,000 meters), the boarders find the lines (snowboard jargon for paths) as they go, hence the term "first descent." Set to an alt-rock soundtrack filled with the likes of Jimmy Eat World, Beck, Jack Johnson and the Foo Fighters and filled with eye-catching footage, the movie impresses on viewers that not only are people crazy enough, but also talented enough to navigate down the rocky Alaskan wilderness.
However, the film is more than just aerial shots of them cutting powder. "First Descent" contains endless commentary on their experiences, personal stories and opinions about the sport's evolution. Also provided are small profile feauturettes, allowing the audience to get to know more about each individual's own history with snowboarding on a more intimate level.
Composed of different generations of boarders, the troop is of diverse backgrounds. Veterans of the Alaskan mountains, Nick Peralta (37-year-old originator of Alaskan boarding) and Shawn Farmer (40-year-old wild-child pioneer of backcountry boarding), are there to show the others the ropes. Young phenoms of the current scene, Shaun White (18-year-old star of the Winter X-Games) and Hannah Teter (17-year-old member of the US Snowboard Team), are rookies to the natural terrain. And then there is the Norwegian Terje Haakonsen (30-year-old champion of numerous competitive snowboarding events in the '90s) who can not only do just about anything he pleases with a snowboard, but he makes it look easy too.
The quintet's experiences are shown in their truest form — slightly terrifying, often exhilarating and definitely one of a kind. Their unique perspectives are especially interesting to watch unfold, whether it's Farmer questioning if a man his age can still hack it, or the less-experienced Teter finding the strength inside herself to keep up with the boys.
Interspersed throughout their expedition on the blanketed peaks is the brief-yet-multifaceted history of snowboarding. Only 25 years in the making, it begins with the sport's scattered start as the bastard child of skiing and surfing. The film goes on to describe the '80s and the integration of skateboard-style maneuvers. The '90s brought the widespread rivalry of skier versus snowboarder, a time that is comic yet still remembered by some with partial resentment. The film concludes with the sport's current worldwide notoriety — the reason a documentary like "First Descent" exists.
It is always refreshing to see something besides the onslaught of fiction-based films pumped out by Hollywood each year, especially when it is put together well. Though winter may be setting in too quickly for some, "First Descent" will make many think twice about cursing the snowfall. Instead snow can be viewed as something to be conquered, whether on the slopes or just on the way to class.
Grade: A
