Movie Review: First Descent

Where in the world can you go to be the first to shred a new mountain? You go to Alaska of course with the best of three generations of snowboarders in this documentary, First Descent.

Why snowboard? It is a hot and cool sport that has been exploding out of the rebellious youth cultures for the last 30 years. With it’s roots in skiing, water skiing and surfing, snowboarding has taken on a life of it’s own as a mainstream sport, now even an Olympic event.

First Descent takes us on a journey into the frozen mountains of Alaska following professional competition snowboarders as they find the joy of new adventure and fresh powder. Along the way, through stories and interviews, we are given a tied together rough history of the sport and how it developed into what we see in the X-games today.

Why watch First Descent? Maybe you love snowboarding. Perhaps you are intrigued by the remote vistas or the historical significance of snowboarding as it forged it’s path to the Olympics. Others who would enjoy the show would be insomniacs in need of something so boring that they can’t help but fall asleep. Whatever your reason… there it is.

This movie lacks the thrills and excitement I associate with snowboarding. The movie shows you slow motion highlights of many athletes competing, but no actual competition. I was told that if competition is what I wanted to see, I should watch the X-games themselves.

In all, I was ready to fall asleep thirty minutes into the movie. I can only hope that this would be more enjoyable to snowboarding enthusiasts.

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