Like many skiers in Colorado, as a ritual I pull out this DVD every season to get stoked for another year.

The transformative story about a Midwesterner moving to a ski resort and finding himself is compelling and often repeated in reality here in Colorado. Although the acting and details are not all together believable, the story line is strong enough to keep one's interest between ski scenes.

As a retired ski patroller however, the crevasse scene is hard to swallow. I have never seen a water filled crevasse in the middle of winter like the one T. J. fell into while skiing in the back country. Especially near 14,000 feet. But hey, Hollywood is at sea level and it adds to the drama. Despite this naive gaff, the movie has great ski scenes featuring Doug Coombs one of the great extreme skiers. The mountain scenery is also breath taking and was clearly filmed in Aspen.

The avalanche scenes on the other hand look all to real.

The story of Aspen Extreme focuses on two best friends from Detroit, Michigan who decide to leave their blue-collar jobs and head to Aspen, Colorado with the goal of becoming ski instructors to the rich and famous. T.J. Burke (Paul Gross) is a friendly, yet somewhat shy man who dreams of becoming a writer. His friend, Dexter Rutecki, is cocky and awkward, yet likable.

Upon arriving in Aspen, T.J. manages to easily get the ski instructor job, and also attracts the attention of two beautiful (but very different) women: a wealthy businesswoman named Bryce Kellogg (Finola Hughes), and a down-to-earth radio DJ named Robin Hand (Teri Polo). Things don't work out quite as well for Dexter, however; despite being a great skier, he does not get the ski instructor job because he isn't good-looking enough (according to the ski school director, ski instructors are expected to "fulfill a fantasy" in addition to teaching people how to ski), but T.J. manages to get him a job teaching children how to ski while dressed as Santa Claus. Other events that greet the friends after arriving in Aspen are troubles locating affordable housing (which is remedied when Robin directs them to an old railroad caboose that has been converted into a house), and Dexter saving T.J.'s life during an accident while skiing out of bounds.

The second half of the movie takes on a much darker tone than the first half. T.J.'s relationship with Robin is thrown into chaos when Bryce returns from a long absence and seduces him, while Dexter is suspended from his ski instructor job and goes to work for a drug dealer. The culmination of these events causes a falling out between the two protagonists. With the help of Robin, the two men manage to reconcile, but tragedy strikes soon after when Dexter is killed by an avalanche.

The final act of the movie is rather predictable, but still entertaining. T.J. writes a story about Dexter and his own adventures in Aspen and manages to fulfill his dream of becoming a published writer, ditches Bryce, and patches things up with Robin. And, of course, no ski movie would be complete without a big downhill competition at the end.

While this movie will probably never be considered a classic, it's enjoyable enough if you don't mind the clichéd story elements and characters. The real reason to watch this movie is the ski sequences, which feature both gorgeous scenery and nice stunt work. I bought the DVD of this movie in a bargain bin for about seven bucks, and I enjoy popping it in and watching it once or twice a year when the snow starts to fall and visions of skiing start to fill my head.

The first time I saw this was soon after it came out; I was alone in the theater. I didn't like the film then, but I saw it later on cable and the movie began to grow on me. I eventually got the DVD....

The cinematography is crisp and breathtaking. I've never skied, but certain scenes concerning dangerous "out-of-bounds" area skiing, deep crevasses, and super-steep slopes seemed to be very realistic in the movie.

I grew, also, to like the unequal yoking of Peter Berg's character with Paul Gross' character "TJ." It's very clear to me why Peter's character turns to drugs; his character is not nearly as successful nor as attractive as "TJ," so he tries to make up for that.... The beautiful Teri Polo also does well in breaking away from her 80s comedies....

I had wondered in the past who the striking Finola Hughes (Bryce) was in prior big screen appearances. Paul Gross, who plays her character's "boy-toy," seems to me to be God's gift to women: Frankly, I'm puzzled that he's not more well known--he seems to be a very likable actor. Generally, I think women would like him very well in this movie--if only they knew about it.... He handles his serious part very well and with great sensitivity.