Sherpas Cinema
Into The Mind | Athletes Perspectives
Give your average movie goer a checklist and a ticket to Into the Mind and chances are they will walk out of the theatre with each of the following ticked off the list: deep snow, big mountains, gnarly lines, huge air, cringe-worthy crashes and a wicked soundtrack. These elements have long been defined as the ingredients for your typical ski flick- something that Into the Mind has been dubbed by many viewers as anything but.
Holding on to the classic elements of a ski movie and adding experimental storytelling and cinematography techniques has resulted on varied reviews of Into the Mind. The Sherpas twist on an old fashioned favourite (like adding dried cherries and candied ginger to your Mom’s classic chocolate chip cookie recipe) appears to be welcomed and embraced by audiences yearning for a deeper, more complex and artistic rendition of the typical crowd pleasing ski film. For others it has been hard to digest. After wading through a sea of reviews and feedback from sources around the world, we turned to our pros to find out what they think of the film:
“Into the Mind is a total journey–it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It has insane skiing, mind-blowing cinematography, and it’s thought-provoking. It gets to the heart of why we do what we do in a gorgeous and compelling way.”
– Ingrid Backstrom 
“My favourite aspect of this project is the way the Sherpas portrayed the decision making process and consequences involved with what we do as backcountry skiers pushing the limits in serious terrain. This style of content is usually overshadowed by a high paced stunt reel in attempt to hold the short attention spans of today’s high speed and connectivity based culture. I also felt that Into The Mind conveyed a strong sense of what it means to be a lifetime skier, touching on all aspects and disciplines of the sport of skiing. To top it of Into The Mind feature some of the finest, technical and burliest steep high speed spine shredding to date! Into The Mind is a thrilling and very visual journey, it had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, even though I was standing while viewing it! Haha”
– Eric Hjorleifson
“It is super creative and very artistic. So different from every other ski film and it offers the viewer a completely different experience. Super fun to watch!”
“To me the mark of a great film is its ability to insight conversation and inspire. “Into The Mind” is a great example of how that happens when an overwhelming volley of eye candy visually stimulates our senses and then is juxtaposed with the conundrum of decisions we make on any given day while spending time in the mountains. Inspiring others we use our actions in the mountains as a place to creatively note our life. Whether right or wrong, with disaster as the consequence or success, Into the Mind shows how that outcome is woven into our mountain culture as a permanent thread.”
-Kris Erickson
“Into the Mind takes us on the journey of living. We are connected to the earth, it’s seasons and cycles. Life in the mountains forces us to make decisions every day. Push on, hold fast or bail. One must accept the risk, own it and be willing to accept its law. Life turns every day, be it a wave, a spine, or Karma’s prayer wheel. Into the Mind is life lived.”
-Conrad Anker
“The film really got me going into my own mind. What is the ultimate reward from all the sacrifices we make? It’s a visual story that showcases some of the most relevant people in the game. Kye and Callum really impressed me and I was honoured to share a part with barrels, pow and legend Conrad Anker.”
-DCP
“My favourite thing about Into The Mind is how it glorified the choice to say no. It showed the realness of death. And showed the opposite, the thrill, the amazing connection we all have to being apart of the mountains through these beautiful sports.”
-Julian Carr
“Each day, every one of us has to find his or her own balance of risk versus reward. Whether it’s in the work place , in relationships, or in the high alpine environment, it’s an endless cycle that we all grapple with. Into The Mind is a beautiful timeless representation of this integral part of human nature. Hats off to the amazing team for pulling this off.”
-Renan Ozturk
“I think the Sherpas took ski filmmaking to a completely new level, both visually and creatively. As a filmmaker I know how hard it is to break the mold and these guys pulled it off. Meeting the Mentors was an incredible segment. The idea itself was incredible. Great to see the execution of it was incredible as well.”
-Jimmy Chin
No comments yet.