“If you fall, you could die.”
That was the ultimate consequence of any mistake on a run that X Games gold medallist and winter Olympian Anna Segal faced with her sister Nat, a freeride world tour competitor and big mountain skier.
“It’s an extremely steep line and an extremely exposed line,” Anna said.
The 900-foot boot pack arc over exposed rock tracing down a mountain in Chamonix, France, was just one of the many challenges the pair put themselves through, all of which is documented in an upcoming film called Finding The Line.
It’s a film that tackles challenging emotions that the two sisters face as they journey to places such as France and Alaska.
Specifically, there’s one sentiment that Anna and Nat are focusing on.
“We want the audience to take away a deeper understanding of fear,” said Anna. “It’s really going deep into yourself and understanding motivation and why you’re afraid of things.”
Anna stressed that the themes tackled in the documentary can have a bearing on anyone, regardless of whether they are a serious athlete or not.
While staring down a giant mountain in France is a dramatic example of facing fears, Anna said that there are other moments in the film where the emphasis is not just on confronting uncomfortable feelings associated with challenging athletic tasks.
The pair also deal with negative everyday emotions that tend to gnaw on people over time.
There are many aspects of fear that she and her sister deal with, Anna said.
“We really had to dig down deep into our own mentality and how our own subconscious works,” she said.
For example, one of the challenges that Anna faces revolves around dealing with fear in social situations, such as fear of judgement.
“Sometimes those fears are just as distressing if not more distressing than, you know, physically hurting yourself,” she said. “They’re buried a bit deeper. I really had to come to terms with facing those sort of fears.”
But it doesn’t stop with just Anna and her sister.
The documentary also features interviews with various people who deal with fear on a regular basis.
It includes insights from professional mountain guides, Whistler Search and Rescue and psychologists for their thoughts on dealing with the emotion.
“We sort of use all these opinions and ideas and weigh them and try and have them help us through our journey,” Anna said.
At the helm of the film is director Bjarne Salén, who was behind the documentary Powder. The executive producer is Fran Derham.
Also making special appearances are high-profile skiers Mike Douglas, Seth Morrison and freeride world tour champion Lorraine Huber.
The documentary will have its world premiere on Jan. 20.
Details can be found at artswhistler.com/event/finding-the-line.
