In case you didn’t catch A Life Ascending when it did the round of the mountain film festivals it is now available as an iTunes download. It is not often you see a film focussed exclusively on ski touring and guiding. The film follows controversial Swiss mountain guide Ruedi Beglinger with his wife and two young daughters and their life in the remote Selkirk Mountains mountains of Western Canada.
Beglinger is as much a pioneer as the late Doug Coombs. He found the perfect spot for introducing clients to adventure skiing. Every week during the season guest are flown in by helicopter and Ruedi takes them on ski touring expeditions in the surrounding mountains. His wife Nicoline manages the lodge and takes care of their two daughters.
I use the term “controversial” with care. Beglingers clients defind him staunchly but on the 20th January 2003 he led 21 skiers, split into 2 groups on a climb of la Traviata couloir on Tumbledown Mountain in sketchy conditions. 13 of the skiers were caught by the subsequent avalanche and seven were killed including assistant guide, the popular snowboarder Craig Kelly. Nicoline refers to this as the “before” and “after” of their lives. The film captures the remote mountains beautifully and although Ruedi seeks atonement by making a pilgrammage on the anniversary of the accident he is typical of a certain type of mountain guide: closed and undemonstrative, a “guides guide” as the film puts it. It is hard to tell how the death of his clients and friends affected him.
Download and watch it and let me know what you think. Perhaps like other pioneers you can recognize them by the arrows in their backs.
The film chronicles the life of legendary mountain guide Ruedi Beglinger, eight years after a tragic avalanche took the lives of seven climbers that he was guiding. It features breathtaking cinematography and riveting personal accounts from several climbers, Beglinger’s family, guests, and staff.
This film has struck a chord with skiers and climbers, who find it easy to relate to Ruedi and his passion for the sublime beauty and ever-present danger within the mountains. A LIFE ASCENDING has won 11 International Festival Awards, including three awards at the BANFF Mountain Film Festival. It has also played in over 100 cities worldwide on the BANFF World Tour.
We are now releasing A LIFE ASCENDING on iTunes and in specialty retail stores.
Posted by
davidof on Thursday, 27 December, 2012 at 09:44 PM
Not available in uk unfortunately. Can you get it France?
Posted by on Friday, 28 December, 2012 at 08:52 AM
Ahhgg that’s not good. I got a review copy of the film sent to me.
Posted by
davidof on Friday, 28 December, 2012 at 04:13 PM
Any way pistehors could contact publishers / distributors / whoever sent the review copy and suggest that it’s made available on UK store?
Posted by on Sunday, 30 December, 2012 at 08:19 PM
Really wanted to download this from UK so have put a request into the iTunes store and on the film makers website. We’ll see :o)
Posted by on Monday, 31 December, 2012 at 12:24 AM
Thanks for your feedback. I’ve asked the distributors to comment on this.
Posted by
davidof on Wednesday, 02 January, 2013 at 12:36 AM
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