The Man Who Skied Down Everest

I just found this old documentary and am really glad I did. I think a lot of different people will like this, for at least one of multiple reasons.

Released in 1975, The Man Who Skied Down Everest, tells the story of a world-class Japanese alpine skier, Yuichiro Miura, who got the bright idea to, you guessed it, ski the tallest mountain in the world.

So in 1970, he and a huge crew try to first climb one of the most dangerous peaks, then film as he tries to ski down eight thousand feet - on a slope of 40-45 degrees! (Ask anyone who skis the degree of difficulty of that kind of angle!) To add to the insanity...

No, I'm not going to spoil it. But it truly is crazy!

This is fun to watch for many reasons. It's old, so you can laugh at the outdated fashions. It's narrated using Miura's own diary, and he uses that cool, very-Japanese kind of poetry in his writing. It's touching and sad at points. It's adventurous and harrowing, to say the least - no one's ever tried this before (or since!).

Trivia: this was the first sports movie to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary.

Rent this and I'd bet you'll re-watch at least some parts before you return it.