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Thread: THE CRASH REEL: Different ways to be a hero

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    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
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    Default THE CRASH REEL: Different ways to be a hero

    In the astonishing rock climbing documentary Free Solo — see this thread — we see Alex Honnold, at the very pinnacle of theoretical human ability, pulling off an athletic feat of skill, focus, determination and commitment that even his world-class, experienced peers considered unthinkable and terrifying.

    But if Alex were ever to fall (which would never be near the ground), his death would be swift and immediate. Paradoxically, it's highly unlikely he'd ever be seriously injured. When he climbs solo, he either succeeds or dies. And so far, he's always triumphed.

    There are no cutting-edge free soloists in wheelchairs. Apart from just two (Honnold and Peter Croft, 30 years his senior), they're all dead.

    With snowboarding, skiing, skateboarding and other X-sports, it's different. The risk of a catastrophic crash and severe injury are ever-present. No-one's going to fall 1000 ft and die instantly. They're likely to fall from 30 feet, spinning and twisting, and very badly break a whole bunch of stuff.

    The Crash Reel (2013) is the story of (sort of) one of snowboarding's equivalents to Alex Honnold. Kevin Pearce was young, likeable, good-looking, smart, precocious, dedicated, confident, strong, ferociously talented. A great, great kid.

    But one day, at the peak of his ability, Kevin crashed, and he crashed bad.

    I know a lot about climbing, and I'd known about Alex Honnold for years. I don't know a thing about snowboarding, and I'd never heard of Kevin Pearce. And I'd never seen this film, either.

    But I was transfixed. This moving, shocking, absorbing, beautifully made, most remarkable documentary is about everything that happened after his crash. It even makes Free Solo look just a little tame.

    And it's not all about Kevin Pearce, either. Things also happen to other very likeable people that we meet in the film.

    There are twists. At no point did I know what was going to happen next. The film starts off like a fun, fast, vacation home movie. Quite soon after, it gets a lot more serious.

    A fitting close: here's one line from the film that made me stop there and then and write it down.
    The brave don't live forever. But the cautious don't live at all.
    But there are different ways to live. And different ways to be brave.

    Last edited by Bill Ryan; 21st February 2019 at 13:12.

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    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
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    Default Re: THE CRASH REEL: Different ways to be a hero


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