''Steep'' is a 2007 documentary about extreme skiing written and directed by

Mark Obenhaus Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

. ''Steep'' explores the history of extreme and

Big Mountain Skiing Extreme skiing is performed on long, steep (typically from 45 to 60+ degrees, or grades of 100 to 170 percent) slopes in mountainous terrain. The French coined the term 'Le Ski Extreme' in the 1970s. The first practitioners include Swiss skier ...

, starting with its roots in 1960s and 1970s North America and Europe, with Bill Briggs' now famous first descent of the

Grand Teton Grand Teton is the highest mountain in Grand Teton National Park, in Northwest Wyoming, and a classic destination in American mountaineering. Geography Grand Teton, at , is the highest point of the Teton Range, and the second highest peak in t ...

, and progressing through to the current day sport. ''Steep'' was shot in High Definition and on film in a number of locations including Alaska, France, Canada and Iceland. ''Steep'' made its premiere in the Spotlight Section of the 2007

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...

. In North America, ''Steep'' was acquired by Sony Classics and released to DVD on 18 March 2008.

Cast and crew

Written and directed by

, ''Steep'' is narrated by American actor

Peter Krause Peter William Krause (; born August 12, 1965) is an American actor, director, and producer. He has played lead roles in multiple television series, portraying Casey McCall on '' Sports Night'' (1998–2000), Nate Fisher on '' Six Feet Under'' ( ...

as well as ski mountaineer and historian Louis Dawson. William A. Kerig is a co-producer and story creator. It includes interviews and narratives provided by, and footage of, well known ski personalities including Bill Briggs,

Doug Coombs Doug Coombs (September 24, 1957 – April 3, 2006) was an American alpine skier and mountaineer who helped to pioneer the sport of extreme skiing, both in North America and worldwide. Early life and education Coombs was born in Boston and gr ...

Lou Dawson Lou may refer to: __NOTOC__ Personal name * Lou (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Lou (German singer) * Lou (French singer) * Lou (surname 娄), the 229th most common surname in China * Lou (surname 楼), the 269th most co ...

and Glen Plake. It also notably stars

Shane McConkey Shane McConkey (December 30, 1969 – March 26, 2009) was a professional skier and BASE jumper. He was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and eventually based himself in Olympic Valley, California. Due to an itinerant childhood, he never identi ...

, Seth Morrison, Andrew McClean, Eric Pehota,

Rick Armstrong "Sick" Rick Armstrong is a professional skier, freeskiing pioneer, mountaineer, paraglider Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft wi ...

Ingrid Backstrom Ingrid Backstrom (born August 21, 1978) is an internationally ranked professional skier from Seattle, Washington, United States. Backstrom graduated from Highline High School in Burien, Washington as a straight-A student, three-sport varsity athle ...

, Stefano De Benedetti, Anselme Baud,

Chris Davenport Chris Davenport (born January 4, 1971) is considered one of the world's most accomplished big-mountain skiers and mountaineers. A native of Aspen, Colorado, he has been called "one of North America's top 25 skiers by ''Skiing Magazine'' and is a ...

and Emily Coombs, amongst others. In a 2008 interview with ''

National Geographic Adventure Nat Geo People was an international pay television channel owned by National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (73%) and the National Geographic Society (27%). Targeted at female audiences, with programming fo ...

'',

spoke of the importance of both Bill Briggs' and

' presence in the film, saying:

"In a sense, between the two of them, we felt that we could almost see the whole sport evolving. That was the moment we thought, Ah-ha, this is the story we want to tell."

Critical reception

''Steep'' received generally mixed reviews from critics. As of July 2010

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

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reports that 51% of 41 professional critics have given the film a positive review, the consensus was "Steep is a mixed bag of breathtaking mountain footage and yawn-inducing banter." ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reviewer Stephen Holden says of ''Steep'':

"The movie... is an undeniably impressive visual spectacle".

John Anderson of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' says:

"''Steep'' has its moments. Some are exhilarating, others seemingly insane. But the movie also feels like a sermon... they’re sliding down hills on two sticks. It should be fun. So should ''Steep.''", but praises the film's production with, "Production values are phenomenal."Steep
Variety

External links

*
Review of Steep
The Guardian
Steep
The Documentary Group 'Steep' Project Page
Mark Obenhaus
Biography on 'The Documentary Group' website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steep (2007 Film) 2007 films American sports documentary films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films