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17 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
breath taking and informative, 5 December 2005
10/10
Author: rhodesca from United States

The entire movie was breath taking as well as informative about the sport. The scenery was amazing and the stunts were a first time viewing experience for me and kept me on the edge of my seat. It's unbelievable what the human mind and body can endure in this sport. I congratulate the snow boarders in this film and the entire crew that put this film together. This was a movie I would like to see over and over again and bring other people to see it. Unfortunately, I had to drive 1-1/2 hours to see it. It is not shown in any of my local theaters. The trip was well worth while. This is the type of movie that doesn't end when the film is over, you keep talking about it to anyone who will listen.

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11 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Exciting Scenes, Wonderfully Human Story, 13 December 2005
7/10
Author: Charles Delacroix from United States

First, I am *not* in the least bit knowledgeable about snowboarding or any of the related sports (surfing, skateboarding, skiing). And I was myself fearful that this movie would include so much "technical" or "advanced" material that a mere mortal wouldn't be able to follow it. "Documentaries" can be very specialized, after all.

I need not have feared finding myself out of my depth and neither should *you* if you're not yourself in the center of the "scene" and yet are thinking about seeing this film.

Because this is really in the spirit of The Lords of Dogtown and ... and ... well, there was a Surfing quasi-documentary from last summer, I can't think of the name ... but it had the same flavor. The flavor was a special sort of humanistic excitement that for me arises from combining both (a) great footage of the Action; and (b) great narrative and interviews with the People involved.

I liked the sort of back and forth from Present (a sort of Reality Movie type expedition to Alaska with 5 top boarders) and Past (History of Snowboarding).

The scenery from Alaska was simply breathtaking, the descents gripping and exciting and full of vicarious adrenalin rushes.

The interviews with Terje and Shaun and Hannah and Farm and Shawn were wonderfully engaging: fresh and convincing and sincere enough that I as viewer felt like I got a real sense of who these fascinating and delightful persons were.

The history painted the whole Snowboarding Phenomenon with a vivid and appealing personality as well.

The way that the entire film built toward what truly was a blazing, satisfying completion, was just delightful. In fact the sort of sustained baseline of excitement was modulated by a kind of rhythm back and forth from whiteknuckling action back to a little narrative or interviewing to let me catch my breath.

Great job everyone ... and *thanks* for giving a viewer like me a little glimpse into a gripping and exciting and wonderfully human world.

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10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
"First Descent" technically impressive, lacks direction, 2 December 2005
8/10
Author: ktuls1 from United States

Earlier this year, "Lords of Dogtown" brought us the story of the skateboarding revolution in 1970's California. Seemingly right on cue, "First Descent" now imparts upon us the birth of the snowboard craze in documentary form, weaving together a narrative of the sport's brief history and the Alaskan backcountry adventures of five of the snowboarding's biggest and brightest. Co-directors Kemp Curly and Kevin Harrison piece together a finely-crafted exposition of snowboarding that is both informative and technically marvelous, and satisfies despite a strangely glory-centered message.

The cast of real-life snowboarders creates a range of viewpoints that keep things interesting, consisting of Terje Haakonsen (the snowboarding god), Nick Peralta (the pioneer), Shawn Farmer (the 40-year-old hillbilly), Shaun White (the X-Games golden boy) and Hannah Teter (the girl). The film centers around the gang's trip to the uncharted peaks of Alaska, where they shred the sickest lines down the deadly slopes of previously-untouched mountain ranges. The setting itself rightfully takes center stage throughout the action sequences: frequent fly-bys of the snowcapped peaks against the crystal sky are breathtaking all by themselves. As the snowboarders cut through the powder, the camera captures each upswept flake from angles that intensify the majesty of each mountain, which makes pretty apparent the skill needed to survive the descent. The sound direction adds to the drama, drowning out all ambient noise and leaving only hiss of the boards on the snow. The film's most technically impressive moment is when one of the boarders touches off an avalanche - the gruesome crack of the collapsing snowdrift followed by the disintegration of an entire mountainside (in slow motion, of course) is nothing but amazing.

Intertwined with the expedition is a telling of the history of snowboarding and brief bios of the five main players. Through grainy 80's footage, the film shows snowboarding's roots as an anti-authority movement, combining elements of skateboarding and surfing to form a sport that got the kids interested in hitting the slopes again. The film does a good job of tracing snowboarding through the years by means of various segments throughout the film, showing how it grew from the invention of a bunch of damn punk kids to a billion-dollar industry and an Olympic event. But, you can't help but snicker when the overly intense, deep-voiced narrator describes snowboarding as a noble movement that "fought to keep its soul" and boldly struggled for validation during its conception in the 80's. Also, aside from Shaun and Hannah learning how to dig people out of avalanches before their first Alaskan run, the film pretty much ignores the fact that snowboarding can, you know, kill you. And while we're being negative, we can talk about how the whole movie seems to be a huge action-sports commercial for Mountain Dew and Oakley eyewear. But I guess someone has to pay the bills, right?

The cast bios are a mixed blessing. While they present the development of snowboarding from a personal standpoint, they make the industry out to be some fantasy world where a bunch of independent souls live by their own rules (richly, I might add). Farmer, the 40-year-old surfer dude, enjoys skeet shooting in his backyard with his father and shopping at his favorite store ("Guns, Liquor and Ammo") when he isn't getting paid to careen down the side of a mountain. The life of the 18-year-old snowboarding superstar Shaun White is strenuous, only allowing him a week off between signing autographs in L.A. and being the grand marshal at a NASCAR race in Darlington. Apparently, the documentary would have you think that the easiest thing in the world to do is become a pro snowboarder, completely bypassing any kind of training or personal injury the main subjects had to endure. Oh, and the word "gnarly" is used nine times. Take that as you will.

But, despite the thematic concerns, the documentary is wholly entertaining. Even though the "do what you want" attitude toward life may be taken slightly overboard, it provides a generally effective context for the whole film. The spirit of the snowboarding culture is convincingly portrayed in a form that is, in a word, beautiful – if you're a winter sports enthusiast, pray that this one comes out in IMAX. "First Descent" is a good diversion from exam week that will get you in the mood for semester break - and if the whole "school" thing ends up not working out for you, all you have to do is strap on a board and win some X-Game gold. At least that's how this film makes it out to be.

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7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Great Documentary on Snowboarding, 14 February 2006
8/10
Author: Clayton Moore from Omaha, NE

I never thought much about the attraction of snowboarding over skiing until I seen this documentary. Now I understand. The film is an exploration of the creation and history of snowboarding and it's explosion into popular culture. The basic setup is a trip to Alaska by three young snowboarders to "conquer" the mountains. The footage of these snowboarders down these mountains is absolutely incredible.

While I naturally enjoyed meeting the snowboarders and getting to know them a little I loved the older footage. You probably thought snowboarding grew out of the Southern California Surfer screen but you would be wrong. It actually grew out of the skateboard craze of the late 70's. If you every watch a skateboard competition some of the same moves are used in snowboarding.

Since there is no plot this documentary is all about attitude so casting (or selection) was critical for the young snowboarders and the film certainly picked right. Two of the young snowboarders, Shaun White and Hannah Teter won Olympic Gold Medals at Torino in 2006 (in addition to being enormously appealing). None of them seem to have a bit of fear; no matter how hairy the run down the mountain.

I love films that present something I have never seen before and seeing these guys get dropped off at the top of the mountain and go down for miles is unbelievable. Quite a film - See it. and my highest recommendation.

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6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent Snowboarding Flick!, 3 December 2005
8/10
Author: tony_tbone from United States

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It puts you in a great mood. There is one amazing scene after another of snowboarders doing insane freestyle and big mountain riding. The mix of the new generation riders (Shaun White, Hannah Teeter, and Travis Rice) with Terje from the 90's and Shawn Farmer from the early days of snowboarding (late 70's through 80's) gives you the full spectrum of different riding styles. The movie jumps back and forth from these 5 big names doing a trip together in Alaska searching for some back country riding to the documenting of snowboarding's history. I feel the two different focuses kept it more interesting and made the movie more enjoyable. I don't think the movie was too over the top in its effort to promote snowboarding nor do I think it exaggerated its impact on the ski resorts or the world. It seemed balanced, realistic and factual from my own knowledge of snowboarding which dates back to the early 90s. If you're a soccer mom that watches Oprah and soaps most of the time this may not be very exciting to you but if you have a love for sports, the outdoors and some excitement you should be able to enjoy this very easily like I did.

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
they deserve it, 2 December 2005
10/10
Author: shadowondawall88 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I gave this movie an excellent rating not because I'm just some snowboard loving freak ( though I might just be ) but I think that they deserve it, if you've seen the movie ( heres the spoiler )terje goes down a freaking huge mountain, and this isn't Hollywood stuff, these are real people doing real stuff that could easily kill them, especially that mountain he went down... that thing was HUGE. And there wasn't really any dull moment, I enjoyed the whole movie, and I hope it did a lot better in other places than it did in central Illinois because it was only me and 2 of my friends seeing it on opening night... it was fun just hanging out with them and talking about it as loud as we wanted, but that movies needs to been seen. were all now Seriously planning a road trip to Alaska this summer... all I can say is, watch the movie, what them go down those mountains, putting their lives on the line the whole time, realize that it isn't fake at all, and try to tell my they deserve anything less than at least a 9

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9 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
A good documentary on snowboarding, the history, and Alaskan back-country, 29 November 2005
7/10
Author: trip88trip from Alaska

First Descent is not just a snowboard movie, but a great look at the history of snowboarding and beautiful look at heli-boarding, and the great land of Alaska. Not be confused with a Teton Gravity Research, which has a little bit of story, and a lot of riding; this movie has a good amount of riding, and a lot of history.

The history is intermixed with the present Alaska shoot, and the 3 decades preceding today. I would say they picked some great boarders, namely Terje Haakonsen, and the young Shaun White. They show what a seasoned rider and a back-country neophyte can do.

The history is great, it has a great humorous look at the old school boards and antics of snowboards of the 80's and 90's, both of which is laughable. The interviews are great with snowboarding pioneers, and even the CEO of Aspen.

Now unlike the TGR and Warren Miller films, the film is evenly divided between the history and the new footage, but don't fret, the footage is great. I think the filming could crew could have used the experience of the TGR and WM crew, but they do a good job, and the visuals are fantastic. It is a great ride right to the end.

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3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Enough snow to go blind on...., 3 December 2005
7/10
Author: SyxxNet from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I'm gonna be totally honest, I liked this movie a lot, but it wasn't quite what I expected - or what I hoped for. First Descent's biggest problem is that it can't decide whether or not it's a history of snowboarding, or a movie focusing on six snowboarders, including legend Shaun Farmer and current superstar Shaun White, going freeboarding in the Alaskan mountains. It's footage is spectacular, particularly that of former world champ Travis Rice as he races to outrun an avalanche he's accidentally triggered, but I guess I had hoped to learn more about the boarders and their motivations than I did. The history was truncated more than just a little bit, but was enough to whet the appetite a bit.

My experience in seeing it was marred by a middle aged couple sitting across the isle from my fiancée and I, talking loudly and being generally obnoxious. They seemed either drunk or high, or both, but it was very distracting.

As a huge fan of Senor Blanco (and others), I definitely enjoyed the movie enough to recommend it to other boarders or boarding fans (I fall into the latter category), and will most certainly pick up the DVD when it's released. I enjoyed the glimpse into the way White thinks, even though I would have liked more of that part of the movie and less of the "history". If you're not a snowboard fan, however, you may find yourself bored to the max. The movie slows to a crawl at times. Overall, though, it wasn't a bad little film, and I can recommend it for fans of the sport.

On my Popcorn scale, it gets 3 1/2 out of five popcorn boxes, and a medium salt rating for action and language.

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7 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Should be a treat for snowboarding fans, but not for the rest of us, 1 December 2005
5/10
Author: knxg from United States

The best thing about "First Descent" is that it lives up to its promise from the trailer of "no wires", "no special effects", and "no stunt doubles". Unfortunately, although this snowboarding documentary is occasionally thrilling, it only skims the surface of its subject matter and manages to wear out its welcome by the time the end credits roll.

The primary fault of "First Descent" is that it is two movies in one, and neither is given enough time. The first is a history of the sport since its conception. Intercut with this is the story of five snowboarders (Shawn Farmer, Terje Haakonsen, Nick Perata, Hannah Teter, and Shaun White) on a trip to Alaska to board down untouched powder in the Alaskan mountains (these rides are called "first descents"). Thankfully, despite the fact that the movie is produced by MD Films, none of the boarders ever crack open a Mountain Dew for the camera.

The historical section of "First Descent" is a straightforward primer on the sport. Archival footage is mixed with interviews from dozens of authorities in the community. Several interesting topics are touched upon including snowboarding's growth from the X-Games to the Olympics, the effects corporate sponsorship, and the influence of filmmakers and photography on the spread of snowboarding's popularity.

Unfortunately, each of these topics is only allotted several minutes and is paid lip-service rather than explored to any satisfactory depth. Certain topics such as the ties between the snowboarding, surfing, and skateboarding beg for their own segment, but are only mentioned in passing. Furthermore, these issues represent only a fraction of the running time from the historical section. Much of the history of the sport, as presented, turns out to be less than compelling and is suffocated by a constant barrage of snowboarding stunt clips. Although some of the footage is impressive, it soon becomes repetitive and tiresome.

The Alaskan sequences, although flawed, are the more interesting segments and feature new material produced for the film. This material is exquisitely well-shot and is often awe-inspiring. The sheer size of the peaks and their near vertical drops are captured well enough to convey a tangible sense of danger. The boarders are seen performing death-defying stunts, some of which are mind-boggling in execution. One boarder even unwittingly starts an avalanche, only to narrowly escape courtesy of some impressive boarding.

These images make one wonder why production companies decide to spend inordinate amounts of money on visual effects (see the avalanche scene from 2002's "xXx") when there are daredevils out there who will give you the real deal and have a great time doing it. It is likely that skill in capturing these stunts is the reason "First Descent" is seeing a release on the big-screen, especially since the historical sections would be more at home on television rather than in large format.

Each of the Alaskan boarders is given a background as to their history in the sport. However, these introductions are only around five minutes each, and for the most part these athletes are thrust into their "runs" down the Alaskan mountains before the viewer gets to know them. Again, intriguing issues such as how one of the boarders, Hannah, is a woman in a man's sport are given only cursory attention. The weakness of this is that although the boarders are exposed to dangerous situations in the mountains, the viewer has trouble caring about their plights beyond them being "man versus nature". Additionally, since just about all of the Alaskan sequences take place on the mountains with boarders on solo-runs, neither the personalities of the boarders nor the bonds between them can be developed. When the boarders gush about how they have "grown" or "bonded" with each other over the trip, their comments lack resonance.

Fundamentally, "First Descent" tries too hard to be the snowboarding documentary to end all others, and the result is a lack of focus. The film's length is not enough to illustrate snowboarding's entire history and the story of five boarders in Alaska. In trying to cover all the bases, "First Descent" ends up covering none of them well enough. However, a longer running time would have proved equally fatal as the film sometimes drags along at its current length.

The better approach would have been to focus in on only one of the two main story lines. Of the two, the human element is most compelling. A more in-depth look at the five boarders would not only be more emotionally satisfying, but the best snowboarding footage (of their runs) could be retained. Interestingly, 2001's skateboarding doc "Dogtown and Z-Boys", although stylistically inferior to "First Descent", featured a commitment to character that ultimately proved to be more effective.

If you are a snowboarding nut, see "First Descent" in theaters to truly appreciate the stunts captured for the film. Otherwise, you should consider skipping this one. As pure eye candy, "First Descent" is an 8/10. As a documentary however, it's closer to 4/10. Taken as a whole, its rating falls somewhere in between.

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7 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Awesome sights!, 29 November 2005
10/10
Author: estherde from Houston, Texas

This movie was like going on vacation. Gorgeous mountains in Alaska, great rocking music, and a hell of a story about the birth and development of snowboarding. I found it very entertaining, and could look at the landscapes all night long. Plenty of things I didn't know about the development of the sport as it came along after my snow skiing days were over. Great athletes with wild attitudes - lots of old footage of competitions as well as X Games clips - the art of capturing this footage as if your were on the board yourself is a great rush for a middle-aged lady like me. I'll be taking some friends to see this one.

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