The Edge of Never

In this adaptation of his titular book, filmmaker/narrator William Kerig presents a coming-of-age tale tied to the legend and legacy of Trevor Petersen, an illustrious “big mountain” skier who died on the formidable Chamonix glacier in 1996, leaving behind a young family and a bumper-sticker motto for the extreme-sports subculture: “Trevor Would Do It.” In 2005, at the urging of skiing icon Glen Plake, Petersen's 15-year-old son Kye, a budding world-class athlete, traveled to Chamonix, accompanied by Kerig's camera, Plake, and a colorful cast of other freestyle skiers and guides to mentor the teen through a “rite of passage”: skiing in the same region where his dad was killed. Commentary from family members and fellow athletes is interspersed here with spectacular archival footage of the elder Petersen on the slopes, as well as Kye's determined efforts to prove his own abilities. The lack of pain and bitterness over Petersen's death may seem strange to some, but the film affirms an impression that skiing's most daring tribe comprise a breed unto themselves, individuals who have come to terms with the tremendous dangers of their extraordinary lifestyle. Outdoor adventurers and devotees of mountains sports will be captivated. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)