Ranked: The Greatest Ski Films of All Time

Ski movies transport us—into the mountains, into winter, into a whimsical way of life.(Photo: from left, Matchstick Productions; Everett Collection, Inc./Alamy; Warren Miller Entertainment)

Do you remember the first ski movie you watched? Maybe it wasa Warren Miller filmin a high school auditorium orHot Dog…The Moviefrom a friend’s 1980s bean bag ora TGR flickseen back when VCRs still existed. Regardless, it was likely a memorable experience.Ski moviestransport us—into the mountains, into winter, into a whimsical way of life. “A good ski film locks those moments in time,” freestyleski pioneer Glen Plakesays. “They’re like time machines. It’s an opportunity for us to go to that place at that time with those skiers and ride along on the journey with them.”

There’s no bad time of year to watch a ski movie, but there’s a reason new shred flicks tend to premiere just before winter hits: they get us excited for the snow-filled season ahead. We asked Plake andpro skier Cody Townsend, both of whom have appeared in dozens of ski films over the years, to help us pick the best classic ski movies to rewatch—or see for the first time. One note: the movies listed here are classics and were made before the recent movement to improve representation and accessibility in the outdoor industry. Which means they may feel, for lack of better terms, excessively male and very white. Be sure to cue up newer movies too, like 2020’sPaha Sapa, last year’sMountain Revelations, andThe Approach 2, which premiered this fall, for a wider sampling of snowsports athletes.

10.Immersion(2002)

This classic Scott Gaffney film fromMatchstick Productionsstarsthe late Shane McConkey, J.T. Holmes, Robb Gaffney, the late C.R. Johnson, and Skogen Sprang. “It has this soulful, mellow, going-out-with-your friends feel to it,” Townsend says. “It transcends time. It’s not about the performance, it’s about the act of skiing.” You’ll be treated to 31 minutes of cliff drops, powder turns, and steep spines skied by some of the sport’s biggest legends of that era.Immersionalso includes an inspiring segment with McConkey and Make-a-Wish Foundation recipient Adam Baillargeon, who go skiing together at McConkey’s home hill, now known as Palisades Tahoe.

9.Ski the Outer Limits(1969)

8.Ski Country(1984)

7.Believe(2007)

6.Aspen Extreme(1993)

5.Yearbook(2004)

4.Teddybear Crisis(2006)

3.Dumb and Dumber(1994)

2.All.I.Can(2011)

1.Valhalla(2013)