When Trying to Get the Shot Goes Too Far: Kodak Courage Part 1

When Sam Giffin and his brother Zack Giffin grew up, they shared a common goal: turning pro as skiers. They spent their days skiing sun up to sun down, tracking around their Pacific Northwestern stomping grounds trying to tick off the burliest lines they could find. Life was good.

But that all changed 11 years ago when Sam was swept up in a slide in the Baker Backcountry in Washington while the brothers were filming in the Elf Chutes. The avy tore shredded his ACL, but more notably, left him buried under a wall of snow for what Sam guesses was "three to five minutes."

Those few terrifying minutes where Sam's life hung in the balance convinced him that the entire action sports industry hinged upon a precariously dangerous balancing act: Push yourself beyond your comfort levels to get the killer shot, but don't go so far that you end your life.

It's this unholy matrimony that Sam examines in his new three-part film project "Kodak Courage"–presented by Hand Crank Films. Sam invites you to join him as he wrestles with the idea that he might be filming his brother pushing himself beyond his limits and into an ultimately fatal situation. The film might make you reconsider that sketchy line you've been hoping to tick off all winter.