The Edge of Never



This amazing documentary follows 15-year-old Kye Petersen to Chamonix, France, where he's prepared to ski down the glacier where his father, a superstar in the world of extreme skiing, died when Kye was only six years old. The director, a fellow pro skier, came up with the idea and approached Kye's mom about it. Kye's mom had kept him and his sister active in skiing and the ski community, and Kye was already a talented trick skier.

The filmmaker set Kye up with several experienced skiers---all of whom were close to his dad---to mentor him carefully before the run was attempted, about a week's worth of intense training all told. It was extraordinary to watch this kid interact with all these adults, with no friends or parents around him. He was the center of attention among the skiers of Chamonix, but Kye seemed humble and focused. When these titans of the field taught him, or even just talked to him, he listened carefully and responded with modesty and intelligence. At one point, one of the founders of extreme skiing, a man named Anselme, told Kye that his own son, just 24 years old, had recently been killed on the slopes. They were on the mountain themselves during this conversation, and Kye listened quietly and then said, "I'm sorry to hear that." A simple statement, but delivered with a maturity beyond his years.

It's hair-raising to watch Kye and his mentors go down the this mountain glacier in Chamonix. Some sports look easier than they really are (my nephew recently told my friend that he knew how to snowboard already---because he had played it on Wii!). But watching the footage of these guys on the mountain . . . it looks not just hard but impossible. Kye makes it down just fine, as do all his mentors, save one, the ultimate mountain guide Stephane, who breaks several bones and may never ski again. The doctors give Stephane two choices: skip surgery, and you will walk but never ski again; or try surgery, and you will either be completely healed or completely paralyzed. The closing shots of the movie show Stephane after surgery, flying down the mountains at Chamonix.

This is the kind of story that makes some people livid at the chances people take with their lives and, in this case, their children's lives. The skiing life is obviously incredibly rewarding. There's the beauty and the thrill of the activity itself, but also the culture and community around skiing. Even at 15 years old, you can tell that Kye is the beneficiary of a culture with incredible values: hard work, conscientiousness, love of nature, maturity, humaneness. He can carry on a conversation with adults, and those adults speak to him with respect and intelligence. They are not condescending, but they have a great sense of responsibility and protectiveness toward him. He in turn is able to be mentored, to accept instruction with attention. And in this amazing dynamic that flows back and forth between them, his mentors observe him with objectivity and generosity. They see when he's ready to go further, and show him the respect of honoring his growth, honoring his readiness.

Everyone told Kye that his father would be proud of him and would be so happy for his choices. But let's face it, Kye's dad is dead. Gone from the world before he was 35 years old. Anselme's handsome 24-year-old son is dead. And another friend of Kye's father, another handsome, dark-haired bundle of charisma who is seen talking to Kye before his run, is killed just a few months after filming. It's weird, really, to see people participating in this lifestyle that is almost certain to bring an early death. It's the closest thing to real-life Russian roulette that I've ever seen.

On the other hand, they are living extraordinary lives---that's the reward. It's wrong to reduce it to thrill-seeking or adrenaline rushes. The beauty and exhilaration that they live in, a kind of oxygen that is the atmosphere they exist in, and the camaraderie and goodness of the community they form . . . those things can't be dismissed. When you see them in this documentary, they seem almost irresistible.

 Kye at 19, a professional extreme skier:

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