'Ski Film of the Year' Releases for Free on YouTube

Circle of Madness chronicles the journey of Markus Eder and Victor de Le Rue as they ski and jump down towering Alaskan faces. The film hinges on the overpowering, perhaps crazy-making pull of Alaska for winter sports athletes—hence the name Circle of Madness. Alaska will drive you mad with desire if you let it. The references to insanity mostly stop there, but Eder and Le Rue’s skiing and snowboarding will quickly make you wonder if you’re hallucinating.

These two are at the top of their craft. Eder first turned heads on a global scale during his appearances on the Freeride World Tour. In 2018 and 2019, he was indomitable, executing lines that married his slopestyle background—Eder competed in slopestyle during the 2014 Sochi Games—with hard-charging freeride sensibilities.

This might be a reach, but it wasn’t unlike watching Candide ski. When Eder squeezed a nose butter 360 into a line during an FWT event held on the imposing Bec des Rosses, it suggested that he might be part ATV. Eder can land park tricks in terrain that, by natural design, isn’t meant for park tricks.

Le Rue, who completed his own stint on the Freeride World Tour, rides similarly. The French snowboarder may be known for climbing and sliding down the largest, scariest faces imaginable, but he can effortlessly hang with the often trick-oriented Eder—the two riff off each other during Circle of Madness’ various segments. Le Rue backs up Eder’s dub ten with a cork nine; Eder blasts down a spiny face after Le Rue. It’s a buddy-cop dynamic without the inevitable squad car mishaps.

Behind the lens in a directing role is Christoph Thoresen, who worked alongside Eder in producing The Ultimate Run, which, to date, has picked up over 17 million well-deserved views on YouTube. Thoresen clearly knows his way around a camera. In Circle of Madness, the pacing is tight, the colors are vibrant, and the aerial shots are smooth. And, in this case, the avoidance of an overwrought, insanity fueled storyline is to the film’s benefit (even if I'll always have a soft spot for ski movies unafraid to get truly weird). The skiing, snowboarding, and Eder and Le Rue’s camaraderie are front and center without any excessive detours.

I haven’t watched the mountains of ski movies the iF3 judging panel considered before awarding Circle of Madness “Film of the Year,” but the designation makes sense. As the ski season becomes more widespread across North America, this film presents an excellent reminder of what makes our shared sport so special. And, for reasons beyond my understanding, it’s free.

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