There’s something inspiring about meeting a person who’s willing to give up just about everything to follow his or her passion, no matter how dangerous it might be.  I think there’s a little hidden desire in all of us that secretly wishes we could be brave enough to chuck it all to follow a dream.

That’s why it’s so incredibly entertaining to witness the balls-to-the-wall extreme skiing in Matchstick Productions’ latest ski film In Deep.  If watching this movie doesn’t get you psyched up to hike up a cornice, strap on a pair of boards, point them downhill and hope for the best, then you can’t call yourself a real skier.

Beautifully photographed, and set to a killer soundtrack that features retro hits from the likes of The Who and Phil Collins, In Deep follows a pack of young extreme skiers as they heli up to the tops of some of the most treacherous peaks, some of which I’m sure have never before been marked by a human footprint.  As the helmet cam looks down a between a skier’s two boards pointed precarious over the edge of a cliff, all you can see is a nail-biting void – and lots of jagged rocks.  And just when you’re saying to yourself, “Okay, there’s no way this guy can do this…” He drops in to the unknown, expertly navigating narrow chutes and outrunning avalanches with the finesse of a Yeti.

But in all the exciting ski footage there lies a poignant note, illustrating how these young people put their lives on the line every time they make a jump.  In Deep pays homage to professional skier Shane McConkey, who won tons of ski competitions and starred in some great ski movies.  A lover of adventure, Shane was one of the first to combine base jumping with skiing, where he would jump off a cliff wearing a fly suit and parachute, allowing him to literally hang in the air before parachuting to safety.

Tragically, Shane’s love of this extreme sport was his undoing.  As documented in the movie, Shane’s last jump was in the Dolomites, where a malfunction led to his untimely death last March at age 39.  A sad reminder that even though these fearless athletes stare down death every time they leave the ground sometimes death plays a winning hand.

But the producers do a wonderful job of paying tribute to Shane and his love of skiing without getting maudlin or dark.  The message is touching, making us understand why a vibrant, athletic man felt compelled to do the dangerous things he did.  You’re comforted knowing he felt he had the best job in the world.  (We should all be so lucky.)

The film is a love letter to skiing, and as such you can’t help but walk out of the theatre feeling the same joy in your heart that these guys experience every time they take a run.  And whether we admit it or not, we vicariously live through these nonconformists in that when we step into their world, even for an hour or so, they give us a much-needed break from our hectic, routine lives.

If you love extreme skiing, I highly recommend you go see In Deep.   It’s the best thrill you’ll ever experience without leaving your seat.

This was a user-submitted review by Stacy Dymalski who is a movie reviewer for KPCW radio, Park City, UT.