The story of the legendary Jackson Hole Air Force is a celebrated piece of true ski bum culture. From the heated battle fought by the ski fraternity over Jackson’s backcountry access to the exploits of the most famous JHAF member, the late Doug Coombs, it could be argued that the story behind the Air Force is paralleled with the story of the North American big mountain freeskiing scene. While the latter rose to prominence, the former evolved from a tight group of Jackson locals to form a significant chunk of the nucleus of the biggest names in the mid-90s to early 2000s ski scene; Coombs, Sick Rick Armstrong, Jason Tattersall, Micah Black. The list of skiers is filled with names, both recognizable in ski media, and obscure to anyone outside the Jackson bubble. The common thread? They all rip.
Swift. Silent. Deep. is the creation of Teton Gravity Research producer Jon Klaczkiewicz and visual artist Troy Beauchamp. The documentary follows the lifespan of the JHAF from its beginnings as a rag-tag group of shredders to the “hard charging, hard drinking, hard drugging skiers that banded together and went nuts.” Despite the film’s opening being rife with the standard ski cliches (“Powder is like a drug…like describing sex to a virgin…like rock n’ roll,” etc), it quickly leads into an engaging and thoroughly entertaining documentation of a lifestyle all ski bums worth their salt have aspired to live. Amazing vintage footage of authentic American ski history plays a central role in the first 1/3 of the film, highlighting our sport’s incredible history. It’s enough to make a skier well up with pride at a history few action sports can boast.
The filmmakers waste no time in stacking up a stable of big ski personalities who all attest to the magnetism and draw of Jackson Hole’s terrain and culture; Wade McKoy, Steve Casimiro, Scot Schmidt, Dave Reddick and Warren Miller all make appearances (wonder if Warren Miller Entertainment’s legal team is sharpening their pencils for this one too?). Much of the commentary comes from the founder and co-founder of the JHAF, Bennie Wilson and Howie Henderson. Both shed light on the formation of the club and their stories are highlighted by a treasure trove of poorly-exposed, colour-tinted vintage film. The images include an astounding variety of impossibly deep Teton powder shots, a massive front flip into Corbet’s Couloir, and air after air after massive air. It’s timeless stuff and does a fantastic job of communicating life in Jackson Hole throughout the decades.
The film then follows Doug Coombs from Jackson Hole to Alaska, bringing along the best of Wyoming to compete in the World Extreme Championships and to establish a heliski scene that is as wild as Jackson itself. From there, a host of different subjects is tackled, with the most prominent being the battle waged in the Jackson Hole backcountry. The Jackson ski patrol is painted as an organization of mostly-unwilling ski police, pressured to enforce a bizarre closed-border policy. As a Canadian with no understanding of this closed border concept, the whole debacle sounds ridiculous. There are stories of JH patrol tackling skiers who duck ropes, and “sting operations” involving patrollers hiding in the trees to catch “illegal powder skiing.” It’s bizarre to think a private organization could restrict citizens’ access to federal land but it’s true, and the whole retarded story is laid out well in this film.
Overall, Swift. Silent. Deep. is a successful exploration of not only the lore that surrounds the Jackson Hole Air Force but of the passion all dedicated ski bums put into the pursuit of fresh snow and strange adventures. It’s a sometimes humourous film with an air of authenticity that is rarely found in the modern ski film. The varied cast of characters adds layers to what could otherwise be an overly simple, back-slapping, gratuitous film. In the end, I believe Swift. Silent. Deep. will stand as a legitimate piece of storytelling in skiing’s long and rich history. And what a story it is. – Mike Berard
Click here to buy the film.
The Swift. Silent. Deep. Trailer:
