Aspen Extreme

A "must have" for every skier with a vcr. Other fans have already given many positive comments so I will just say that after ten years it's still standing proudly in the shelf close to the TV-set among other classics like The fisher king and The Matrix. And on a regular basis I also put this one on and enjoy..... Of course I know what happens next, but so what? But how long do a videotape last ? I'm just hopefully waiting for the "Directors Cut" - "Special double edition" DVD. Including 2 hours of extra ski-footing, Interwievs with stunt-doubles (who actually are ski stars) and a lot of new scenes, not seen before, and ....and......Well I'm just dreaming. And waiting for the winter and the powder...

source: Aspen Extreme

As far as skiing movies go Aspen Extreme is one of the worst I've seen. It's dull, disjointed and focuses on snow too much. The symbolism is outdated and the drug references are vulgar. However Monica Olivares is fantastic. Whenever she is on screen it lights up, her dialogue is delivered to perfection and her comic timing is immaculate. I have never been so moved by an actress so young (9). When she delivers THOSE lines i can't hold back the tears. It's a shame this is her only movie, i heard she gave up her career because she found Hollywood corrupt and moved to Bristol, England to be a lawyer(!!!). The film industry is all the poorer for it.

Back on August 1st, 1987, the 18 year old me, fresh off screwing around in Southern California following graduation at San Clemente High, I took a chance, chose to forgo the college experience, purchased a one way ticket to Maui on the spur and cannonballed headfirst into 10 epic years worth of Magic Isle shenanigans and vacation inspired temporary romances. I spent my time between Maui and Aspen depending on the season and engaged in a fantastic and almost unreal lifestyle that even my wildest expectations and imaginations of youth couldn't begin to foresee. The possibilities for fun and madness were many and seemingly endless. As complicated as human beings are, they are also very uncomplicated when it comes to simply wanting to be loved and valued. It's cliche, but also quite true that everyone has fantasies about pretty much everything. The more innocuous being the product of everyday day-dreaming. Throw in a vacation setting, an absence of anyone who would possibly judge you, alcohol and recreational drug use, delusions of romantic grandeur and the severe lack of inhibitions encountered as a direct consequence make for Hollywood style hijinks and debauchery. The women and girls are no less culpable for the overall atmosphere of lunacy and lust than the dudes are and often are the instigators, as they must be, for the simple fact that they so no lines are crossed for anyone. With the stage being set, my first couple years on Maui I managed a video store and consequentially watched a ridiculous number of films, Aspen Extreme being one of the most memorable because aside from some details, my experiences and those of my friends were rather similar in almost every way. In fact, my best friend Conrad was the pet of a very famous and wealthy lady doctor during one Aspen leg and because of the simple fact that traveling to the most incredible places in earth is expensive, the people you usually encounter tend to be on the wealthier side and are used to getting their way with minimal personal complications in their lives. Everyone plays their role and as soon as they began, they ended, without the regular life problems of hurt feelings and broken hearts. It only lasts for a few years so why not bang a few gongs before the lights go out, eh? We did, and then some. The story is long and complicated, and it's not a great lifestyle choice to live in the past but watching movies like Aspen Extreme and others of this particular ilk allows me/us to look back with gratitude and joy at the larger than life, life we were gifted with and although these types of films garner the least respect from your average critics-with Roger Ebert being a notable exception in many occasions-these exercises in cranking up the volume on human interaction and experiences provides a reflective touchstone for those who lived it and inspiration for those who wish to. We need more movies like this, not less. Life is best lived to the fullest of your ability because as far as we know it's the only one we're given and I for one want to burn out, avoiding the shameful tragedy of fading away.

The movie has problems, and not really like "REAL" Aspen is. I have been to Aspen 25 times. 1st time there was in summer(before the Gondola was installed early 80's) and ended up being Jack Nicholson's Doubles partner for Tennis on red mountain. After that since early 80's I have made many 2 to 5 day trips to ski. along with the other resorts along the way from Denver) Got to ski with "Jack" again with Angelica Huston and Esme Marshal (A friends cover girl model girlfriend). I had some good times; (Met a lot of locals etc. I still don't recognize the OOB skiing they did, but then again I only ski on piste. Watched 24 hours of Aspen couple times live. It's a great town sort of a fairy tale place. Even thought the 2 lead characters acted like assholes and would not get anywhere in real Aspen the way they behaved, it was fun to watch. I have not skied there in 5 years and want to go back. Just seeing the Maroon Bells and all made me feel great. "Next year in Aspen"...............

This movie did not have to rely on incredible acting or a fabulous story line to win over it's audience. It was the incredible scenery and skiing. Although I have never been skiing in Aspen, it now makes me want to make that a place I eventually want to hit.

If there's one thing I can say about Aspen Extreme, it is that it is not at all the Top Gun of the ski slopes, it's The Great Outdoors of the ski slopes. And by that, of course, I mean it's The Great Outdoors without John Candy or Dan Aykroyd. And by THAT, of course, I mean it's The Great Outdoors, but not funny. Oddly enough, the movie is more a combination of The Great Outdoors and Dumb & Dumber than anything else, but all of the comedy has been removed. In fact, the only thing that the movie takes from Top Gun is the cloying cheesiness and relentless predictability. Not that I didn't enjoy it. My roommate recommended the movie to me, lending it to me out of his DVD collection so I thought I'd check it out. I wasn't entirely disappointed in the movie because it featured some spectacular skiing scenery, but I enjoyed it for how bad it was just as much as I enjoyed the acting, story, etc. The story is about two guys living in Detroit and both working dead end jobs, when one of them gets a promotion to another dead end job and decides to just pick up and get out of town. I respect that, there's hardly a better way to make your life interesting when it's become too routine than to completely mix it up in a way that you don't know what it will all lead to. Just pick up and leave, when you think about it, there's no way you're going to become homeless (although you might spend a few nights in your van…). They start out not knowing anyone in town and end up with one of them sleeping with the richest woman in town (that's Lloyd in bed with Mary Swanson) AND the most frigid, uptight woman in town (remember that cheesy teenage romance in The Great Outdoors? Yeah. That.), while the other ends up getting involved with moving massive amounts of drugs to make a little extra money. By the way, if ever there walked the earth a man who could not keep his cool, he is in this movie. Dexter's paralyzing quickness to freak out is nearly a character in itself. T.J., the more successful of the two, has vague aspirations to become a writer that come up when the screenplay needs them to, and is torn between sleeping with a good-looking wealthy (and oddly motherly) woman and sleeping with a more regular girl with a job as a radio host who cares more about him but is frigid, grumpy and completely uninteresting because of her total lack of personality beyond her aloofness. The film is best when it shows breathtaking shots of extreme skiing, but even then tends to trip up when it tries to tie un-matching shots together as it does numerous times in showing skiers going down the hill. There are times when it is amazing that they thought two shots could go together, but I'm willing to accept that for the sake of the story, which unfortunately is not very good. You have the love interest, the conflict to the love interest, the best friend in need, the over-the-top villain (and they do NOT let you forget that this guy is VERY bad), etc. Overall not a bad movie, but comparisons to other classics like Endless Summer and Top Gun may run the risk of giving false expectations. This is direct to video fare, but in that genre you could certainly do worse. It's much better than Ski School, for example

Aspen Extreme falls into the rare class of movies that gets worse with every scene. Literally, the first scene of this movie is the best one and it just falls off a cliff from there. Be warned though, that first scene really isn't very good. The dialogue and plot are poor. The acting belongs on the lifetime channel. If this movie is what extreme skiers do, then I'll stick to my day job. This looks to be good material for a 'bad movie' night with the guys, but its bad is boring. Also, how in the world can two skiers from 'hills' in Michigan be pro skiers on terrain they have never skied before arriving to try out to be ski instructors. I'm not an expert skier, but I know the hills here in Arizona are more extreme than those in Michigan.

If you're a skier or a fan of the mountain, then this old school ski movie is a classic you don't wanna miss. Hardly a blockbuster but a great watch, the film is very much the skiing lifestyle of two young guys who chase their passion of skiing. It's got a good skiing scenes and an enjoyable storyline. It's about the ski instructor playboy, T.J. Burke and his uglier but but funny best friend, Dexter Rutecki. They ski in the rich and prestigious Aspen, beginning as ski bums before certain events see the movie develop a more concrete storyline. In short, this film will not be to everyone's taste but if you ski and enjoy the mountain life, watch it, you won't be disappointed!

Aspen Extreme to me is a genuine classic in that it is one of only few movies that best depicts the cultural, demographic and geographic way of life in a Rocky mountain secluded super ski resort town in the beautiful state of Colorado. In addition, the story itself portrays harmoniously with the real life vision of a young adventurous individual who has made exactly the same decisions that Gross' and Berg's characters had made. Surely there could be equivocal view points to the writer's main intent, however, anyone who has followed, skied or rode the same tracks as Gross' and Berg's characters instantly familiarizes with the care that is taken by the writer in exploiting the liberating experience of leaving home to enter into a world of majestic beauty mixed with a sport that people with a similar passion and drive share interest in. The story as well as the visual effects consistently draw back on the natural grandeur and beauty of the Rockies as well as the emotional evolution that takes place with each changing season while living in such a town that many consider to be a life influencing period in time.