Swift. Silent. Deep.

Swift. Silent. Deep.

By Jon Klaczkiewicz

  • Genre: Documentary
  • Release Date: 2009-12-29
  • Advisory Rating: NR
  • Runtime: 1h 23min
  • Director: Jon Klaczkiewicz
  • iTunes Price: USD 4.99
  • iTunes Rent Price: USD 3.99

Description

The first historical documentation of hardcore ski culture in the United States. Swift. Silent. Deep. explores the roots of North America's most infamous ski fraternity, the Jackson Hole Air Force, and the beginnings of the modern American ski bum, and the birth of the extreme skiing movement. Starring JHAF founders Benny Wilson and Howard Henderson, the film features many familiar faces in the action sports world, like Warren Miller, Scot Schmidt, and the late Doug Coombs. Nominated for BEST DOCUMENTARY at the 2009 X- DANCE ACTION SPORTS FILM FESTIVAL. Swift. Silent. Deep. is a must see film for every skier in America.

Trailer

Reviews

  • Good flick - really great history of Jackson Hole

    5
    By Molly Rude
    Anyone who's ever skied Jackson Hole knows how special a place it is naturally. For some reason, that specialness is mirrored there (or at least was at one time) by the special people who lived and worked there. Even though Jackson Hole is going through an awkward Vail phase at this point, the people who made Jackson Hole famous are still there, still skiing 100+ days. For people like me, that is, tourists - we first made the long trek to JH for the natural beauty, but wouldn't necessarily have come back after seeing it the first time (why drive 12 hours across blizzard-prone I-80 when you can drive an hour into the hills of good old Colorado and spend half the dough on a lift ticket). What made me come back was people like the JH Air Force. Benny Wilson. The Hostel X. And this movie explains why. The flick does a great job showing how it was the combination of people and place that made JH such a wonderful place in the 70s, 80s and 90s. In that, it's much more than just another ski movie with lots of awesome air and powder shots (though it does have some awesome vintage ones - imagine a 50-foot jump on 1960s skis). It's a bit of a narrowly-focused gem that really brings out what made skiing so much fun and compelling for all of us who couldn't (and ever increasingly cannot) afford to take part in this treasured sport of the 1%. Can't recommend highly enough - sit back and relax with a liter of whiskey and cola.
  • Awesome

    5
    By dennywags
    Anyone whom has ever skied Jackson Hole will love this movie. If you have never skied Jackson then you will want to after watching it. When you get back home you will watch it again. I could win the lottery and I would still stay at the Hostel x. I have met a couple of the guys in the movie including Benny Wilson. All great guys who love to ski.
  • Great Documentary

    5
    By Gentlemen Bob
    Best ski movie I've seen in a while. Great job telling the story of Jackson Hole Air Force.
  • A brief history of a time

    5
    By randpapa
    More of a documentary than typical ski-porn, but with amazing archival footage and enough face shots that you might get fooled if you watch with the sound off. Using original JHAF members, JH patrollers, extreme-ski pioneers and even legendary Warren Miller, the film describes the underground movement which has changed the sometimes angrily-contested boundary policies at many North American ski resorts. Well written, edited and shot beautifully, it's one of the more thoughtful film attempts at capturing the soul of ski-bumming.
  • You will make all your friends watch this film.

    5
    By nikitabono
    I'm burned out on most of my other ski movies, but Swift Silent Deep is the gift that keeps on giving! This movie is great to watch repeatedly because it tells a unique story not found in other ski films...it's got depth. It’s about real people and real skiers, not the latest 20-year-old sponsored athlete, but the "Original Gangsters" of skiing... Swift Silent Deep tells the story of the Jackson Hole Air Force, a unique crew of renegade skiers who kept one-upping each other until what they were doing was labeled “extreme” by the masses. These are the guys that founded it all, unwittingly because they wanted to...not because they were making the big bucks. Epic footage and great interviews...I highly recommend this film!!!
  • Swift Silent Deep

    5
    By galefacekillah
    Swift.Silent.Deep is badass! If you've ever snuck under the rope at your local resort or wanted to, youll feel an instant kinship with the Jackson Hole Air Force, the pioneers of freeskiing. The movie is primarily a documentary film set in Jackson Hole, Wyoming by local Jackson folks, you get a big dose of local pride. All for good reason, there's something to be said about a ski movie that doesn't spend its time worshipping pro-skiers and appreciates those non-sponsored athletes who just wanted to see how far they could push the sport. Check this out, not only for an interesting dose of the history of a super sick sport but for some great footage of grade A pow and freeskiin' at its finest.
  • The Soul of Skiing

    5
    By Angus4
    i'm finding it a bit hard to write about this movie as it stirred in me many concurrent emotions - all good. from pure stoke to the soulful connection to nature to the inherent pursuit of freedom and pushing the boundaries of self and of life in general, this film taps into the most core essence of what it means to be alive and to be skiing with friends. having spent many days on the hill in jackson hole, i was thrilled to learn that my favorite place to be in the winter happens to be the place where so much of what we now call 'extreme' started. this film lays out in entertaining and informative fashion the organic growth of the trends that now push every aspect of skiing/snowboarding. the backcountry searching of self-expression in its most visceral form laid out in the movie has completely frustrated me that i'm not on the hill at this very moment. if you're a skier or a snowboarder who's ever ducked a rope, or simply pushed yourself just a little bit farther outside your own comfort zone, this film is a must watch. even if you never meet any member of the JHAF, or never make it to jackson hole, you'll feel a kinship with these people knowing that you can be a part of a grand adventure still in the making. knowing your roots is so important to knowing where you're headed, and this movie lays it all out with great storytelling, well-edited archival footage and sick action. you won't be let down. i promise.
  • An entertaining ski documentary

    4
    By SkiEverything
    This ski flick is pretty legit. It's more of a documentary. Definately learned a lot about the history of the freeskiing movement, the Jackson Hole Air Force, how the Valdez Heli-Skiing movement began and about the soul of the sport in general. Not your classic 'ski porn' flick (not to say there aren't beautiful shots in the movie) but def. more of a documentary. You will like this movie if you care about skiing, have an apetite for information, and great story lines.

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