Mount St. Elias

On the border between Yukon, Canada and Alaska, USA, Mount St Elias is the second highest mountain in North America. At 5 486 meters, the area is often subject to strong bitter winds and horrific snowstorms. These conditions are further compounded by the mountain's distance from civilization, making Mount St Elias one of the most difficult mountains to climb.

In 2007, two experienced climbers from Austria, Axel Naglich and Peter Ressmann, together with American John Johnston, decided to do something no one had ever done before. They would climb to the top and then ski all the way down to the sea. As the foot of the mountain is at sea level, it will be the most elevated run in the world.

Filmmaker Gerald Salmina and a small camera crew were hired to document the adventure and the film is a visual portrait of three men attempting a seemingly impossible challenge in one of the most beautiful, yet extreme and unforgiving environments on earth.

This is not one of the usual ski or adventure movies but a brutal, breathtaking and at times horrifying story. Don't expect to be able to leave the couch once the movie starts. The movie is two hours long, but the thoughts of the men and their experiences on the mountain last much longer.

Mount St. Elias was awarded at the 2010 Seattle International Film Festival.