Mountain Biking

The art of of balancing on two wheels and hurtling down (or up) a slope, usually as fast as possible. Luckily for you, we’re bringing you a selection of talented individuals who are very, very, good at this pastime and make it seem a breeze. From gnarly downhill to epic cross-country adventures, we’ve got the lot.

Danny MacAskill: The Ridge

Release Date: 2014
Watch Time (minutes): 8
Mpora’s Verdict: This one might be the oldest film on the list, but it’s still probably the most breathtaking out there. Danny MacAskill takes you for a ride along on the incredibly steep and technical Cuillin Ridge (on the Isle of Skye). 69,445,952 views on YouTube. Let’s push that up a little more.

Bawli Booch – Downhill Biking India

Release Date: 2017
Watch Time (minutes): 5
Mpora’s Verdict: Bollywood mountain bike movie based in the Himalaya. Expect an incredibly cheesy soundtrack and rad mountain bike stunts.

Life of Pie | Pizza and Bikes Can Fix Anything

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 11
Mpora’s Verdict: Two ladies move to Colorado in search of the best single track in the world. 15 years later, they’ve united the community through advocacy, inclusivity, and damn good pizza.

The Frozen Road

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 25
Mpora’s Verdict: Ben Page decided to cycle around the world. This is a short (self filmed) film charting his winter journey into the Canadian Arctic as he looks to complete his cycle up the American continent. This final leg ‘aint no victory lap, though.

RJ Ripper

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 20
Mpora’s Verdict: Kid (Rajesh Magar) picks up bike. Gets practising around Kathmandu. Soon becomes a world champion. Genuinely brilliant story.

The Legend of Rafael

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 7
Mpora’s Verdict: Rafael finds solitude and restoration on the open road, after a devastating breakup. He pedals his way to emotional health from Mexico City to northern Colorado.

BMX Nigeria

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 13
Mpora’s Verdict: Did you know that BMX street is one of the most frequently evolving sports in the world? No? Me Neither. Well, it’s made its way over to Nigeria – meet the first generation of BMXers in Nigeria in BMX Nigeria.

The Moment

Release Date: 2017
Watch Time (minutes): 74
Mpora’s Verdict: This film is epic. A history of freeride mountain biking and a must watch for everyone, whether you’re a mountain biker or not.

Beautiful Idiot

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 15
Mpora’s Verdict: One of the best mountain bike videos out there? It’s got to be up there. Have a watch and see for yourself.

Perspectives | India

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 5
Mpora’s Verdict: Artist and professional mountain biker, Micayla Gatto always manages to find inspiration in her surroundings, whether it’s at home in British Columbia or somewhere as distant as India.

Escape

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 8
Mpora’s Verdict: The Montreal-based DJ ‘JaBig’ went on a quest to smash the longest continuous bike ride in a single country, Escape brings you on the last days of his ride and explores why you should ignore that negative internal voice, and just go for it.

DreamRide 3

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 6
Mpora’s Verdict: The epic final chapter from the extraordinary DreamRide trilogy.

Danny MacAskill: Danny Daycare

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 4
Mpora’s Verdict: It’d be rude not to include more than one Danny MacAskill video in this roundup, right? This one’s another a classic from the canon.

Ride of the Dead

Release Date: 2017
Watch Time (minutes): 12
Mpora’s Verdict: The Trans Sierra Norte is a multi-day enduro mountain that offers more than 3,000 feet of elevation gain/loss, finishing in Oaxaca City just as the fireworks begin blasting off for the Day of the Dead festival. A dead good watch, this.

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Climb Your Dreams

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 2
Mpora’s Verdict: A climber falls asleep on the New York subway and awakes in the rugged paradise of his own daydream. The pure escapism we’ve all been dreaming of. Cool story, this one.

Age of Ondra

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 47
Mpora’s Verdict: Adam Ondra dominates the world of sport climbing. This film follows Ondra, giving viewers a glimpse into the mind of an athlete with a drive that pushes him to accomplish the impossible.

Safe Haven

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 8
Mpora’s Verdict: Safe Haven is a film that shows us how rock climbing becomes a life changing activity for so many. It follows the creation of Memphis Rox which aims to be a fully inclusive climbing centre in the heart of Memphis.

Beneath the Ice

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 16
Mpora’s Verdict: One part epic climbing film, one part science expedition to explore a previously unknown environment. Pro climber Will Gadd uses his experience to lead a scientific expedition into the heart of the Greenland ice sheet. Great stuff.

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Out on a Limb

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 21
Mpora’s Verdict: Kai Lin’s story explores his alliance with Arc’teryx athlete – Craig DeMartino. Features the holy grail for adaptive rock climbers, a custom prosthetic foot that’s inspired by mountain goats, this is one inspirational viewing experience.

Valley of the Moon

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 21
Mpora’s Verdict: Climbing is a fantastic way to build relationships and breakdown cultural barriers. Valley of the Moon explores this concept.

Silence

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 18
Mpora’s Verdict: Ever wondered what it takes to be able to climb the world’s first 9c? Silence gives you an intimate look at how professional climber Adam Ondra made history when he climbed Silence (9c).

Break on Through

Release Date: 2017
Watch Time (minutes): 26
Mpora’s Verdict: Join the ride as Margo Hayes looks to break barriers and make history by becoming the first woman to climb La Rambla (9a+) and Biographie (9a+)

Brothers of Climbing

Release Date: 2017
Watch Time (minutes): 7
Mpora’s Verdict: A small group of climbers look to challenge the thought that ‘black people don’t climb’ and make the climbing community more welcoming.

Ascending Afghanistan

Release Date: 2016
Watch Time (minutes): 44
Mpora’s Verdict: In 2015, with help from Ascend (an American non-profit), 13 Afghan women aspired to climb their nation’s tallest peak – Noshaq. Recommended.

Adventure

We’re using ‘Adventure’ as a very broad term here. It’s basically all of the films that didn’t really fit into any of the other categories. We’ve got everything from mad BASE jumpers, to Nordic ice skaters. There’s something for everyone here.

Shepherdess of The Glaciers

Release Date: 2016
Watch Time (minutes): 4
Mpora’s Verdict: The story of Tsering, a woman who leads her flock of 300 sheep and Pashmina goats to graze on the 5500 metre high Himalayan Plateaus. She lives with her cattle under the continuous threat of wolves and snow leopards. An insightful look at a fascinating way of life.

Okpilik – Inuit Nunangat Taimaannganit

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 4
Mpora’s Verdict: Inuit Nunangat Taimaannganit looks to tell the story of the Inuit homeland of Canada; showing the connection between the people, the land, and the sea. Short but sweet.

The Imaginary Line

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 10
Mpora’s Verdict: A team from Mexico and the States look to establish a slack line across the border between U.S.A and Mexico in an act of both political defiance and solidarity. A reminder of the stuff that unites us.

The Redstone Pack

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 5
Mpora’s Verdict: The Redstone Pack tells the story of Aaron Natoniewski and his methodical approach to the sport of dog sledding. Aaron’s approach proves that you can inspire a team of sled dogs to go beyond themselves, just like you can with people.

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The Shepherdess

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 6
Mpora’s Verdict: According to the National Drought Mitigation Center, nearly all of New Mexico is in “extreme” drought. The Shepherdess explores how a Navajo shepherd perseveres despite extreme drought. An inspiring look at the lengths people will go to when faced with adversity.

Hourya

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 10
Mpora’s Verdict: Laurent Roudneff, professional paragliding pilot and an acrobatic specialist finds his freedom flying above ancient Morocco.

Fast Horse

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 14
Mpora’s Verdict: Bareback horse racing. Yes, that’s a thing. Siksika horseman Allison Red Crow builds a team with second-hand horses and rookie jockeys to take on some of the best riders at the Blackfoot Confederacy.

The Lorax Project

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 35
Mpora’s Verdict: Six friends set out to climb and then jump off (with a parachute of course) ‘The Lorax’, a gnarly climb found on ‘Frenchman’s Cap’ in western Tasmania. Make it your project to watch this at some point. Reckon you’ll like it.

Facing Sunrise

Release Date: 2017
Watch Time (minutes): 8
Mpora’s Verdict: What do you want to do before you die? Azzah decides that she wants to live her life to the fullest. Go on Azzah!

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Carving Landscapes

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 6
Mpora’s Verdict: Inspired by the old artist and naturalist Mary Vaux, this film reenacts her research and mountain travel in the traditional Victorian dress Mary would be wearing. Strange one, this.

The Passage

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 25
Mpora’s Verdict: A story of growing up, growing old, and the wild places that define us.

Grizzly Country

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 12
Mpora’s Verdict: ‘Author and eco-warrior’ Doug Peakcock spent years in the wilderness around Wyoming and Montana, observing grizzly bears (mad man). Peacock reflects on the importance of wild areas, at a time where they’re coming under threat.

The Botanist

Release Date: 2016
Watch Time (minutes): 20
Mpora’s Verdict: Whilst visiting a nomadic botanist Raïmberdi while travelling in central Asia, directors Maude Plante-Husaruk and Maxime Lacoste-Lebuis gain a personal account of the region’s history and the hardships faced by its population.

My Mom Vala

Release Date: 2017
Watch Time (minutes): 10
Mpora’s Verdict: Vala’s life is split between working at her family’s fishing lodge in Greenland and in Reykjavík, where she teaches her daughter how to do it all alone. Good one to watch if you’re missing your mum.

AMO

Release Date: 2017
Watch Time (minutes): 7
Mpora’s Verdict: Amo, in the native Rapa Nui Language means to carry on one’s shoulders. Easter Island holds a level of myth and legend for many people – this film tells the story of the island, the cultures on this island, and the stone heads that made Easter Island so renowned.

The Motivator

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 4
Mpora’s Verdict: What motivates you to lead a life in the outdoors? For filmmaker Aaron Hitchins, it’s his mother.

Chasing a Trace

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 21
Mpora’s Verdict: Go in search of the elusive female wolverines with wildlife scientist Mirjam Barrueto. These creatures are surprisingly hard to find. Be sure to check this one out.

Ski / Snowboard

Welcome to the ski and snowboard category. Aside from the usual cliche of pros sending it big time off the nearest cliff in sight, we’ve also go some real cinematic bangers and great stories of the lives that make the snow sports world so interesting. Enjoy.

Full Moon – Night Skiing Without Artificial Light

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 6
Mpora’s Verdict: The artificial lighting / night skiing has been overdone a little. Full Moon is an epic movie of night skiing without a single lumen of artificial lighting. Epic.

Good Morning

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 4
Mpora’s Verdict: Rooftop freestyle skiing in Avoriaz, France. This concept was first launched in 2016 but Richard Permin broke his ankle in a rooftop jump. Hundreds of hours of rehab later, Richard is back with a vengeance to make this dream a reality.

The Far Out Ones: Kai Jones

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 6
Mpora’s Verdict: What were you doing at the age of eleven? Hucking backflips off cliffs? Featuring in ski movie segments? Thought not, me neither. The Far Out Ones: Kai Jones brings us behind the scenes to learn the story about the kid who’s showing the adults how it’s done.

Eclipse

Release Date: 2015
Watch Time (minutes): 32
Mpora’s Verdict: Travel to the edge of the earth to see one of the world’s rarest events, what could go wrong? Well, bad weather, poo visibility and freezing arctic temperatures stacked the odds against the Salomon team who aimed to pull this off. Did they manage it? Well, you’ll just have to watch the film.

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Circle of the Sun

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 5
Mpora’s Verdict: Kind of like a Top Gear episode where Clarkson, Hammond and May race the sun from either end of the UK. Only this time it’s about having as much fun as possible before the sun shows itself again while in Arctic Norway. Okay, not really like a Top Gear episode at all but you get the picture.

Solstice

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 4
Mpora’s Verdict: Everyone traditionally hunkers away during the winter solstice. Salomon TV embrace it in this tribute to the shortest and coolest days of the year, when the sun arcs low over the horizon and ice crystals linger in the air.

Narics

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 19
Mpora’s Verdict: In a region where time has seemingly stopped, Elias Elhardt discovers the small ski resort Brezovica. Guided by local snowboarder Hamdi, Elhardt explores what a special place Brezovica is.

Over Time – Sammy C

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 7
Mpora’s Verdict: It’s times like these where we come to realise that we need to make our hours on earth count. Over Time is a reminder of this. Filmed purely in the backcountry, Over Time’s got it all: powder, pillows, lines, backcountry booters, and incredible follow-cams.

Wallmapu

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 6
Mpora’s Verdict: Cinematic banger from DPS Skis. Wallmapu explores the Pehuenche people of Chile and the language they speak, Mapudungun – the language of the land. Oh, and there’s some great skiing in it too.

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Ice & Palms

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 32
Mpora’s Verdict: Their mission: bikepacking across the alps and skiing some of the most beautiful mountains along the way – no motor allowed.

Life of Glide

Release Date: 2017
Watch Time (minutes): 16
Mpora’s Verdict: Pro big mountain snowboarder shows us the parallel worlds of surfing and snowboarding in this epic movie.

Holocene

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 12
Mpora’s Verdict: Two big mountain skiers and snowboarders show us what the Dolomites have to offer for steep skiers as they explore the historic via ferrata routes cutting through the mountainside.

Skier Vs Drone

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 4
Mpora’s Verdict: Another Salomon TV banger. They’re pretty good at making videos, aren’t they? Name is all in the title with this one. Skier races a drone. Must watch.

The Faction Collective Presents: La Grave

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 17
Mpora’s Verdict: We love our friends at Faction. We love La Grave. We love skiing. There’s nothing better really.

Children of the Columbia: A Skier’s Odyssey

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 20
Mpora’s Verdict: Anything made by the gang at Sherpas Cinema is going to be a good’un. This is certainly true with Children of Columbia, where Dane Tudor and Christina Lustenberger take a trip up the waterway of the Columbia; visiting epic ski spots along the way.

The Sky Piercer

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 44
Mpora’s Verdict: Watched this one again last night, it’s so good. Sam Smoothy, Xavier De Le Rue, Nadine Wallner and Fraser McDougall have a crack at skiing New Zealand’s highest peak – the wild and temperamental Mount Cook (Aoraki).

Brotherhood of Skiing

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 10
Mpora’s Verdict: The first Black Ski Summit took place in 1973 and was attended by over 350 skiers. A year later the National Brotherhood of Skiers (NBS) was chartered. Brotherhood of Skiing looks back on the fascinating history of black ski culture.

Ski Photographer

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 9
Mpora’s Verdict: Oskar Enander didn’t have any intention of becoming a ski photographer, he’s colourblind after all. Rather than holding him back however, this gives him a unique perspective on his craft. Good film.

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The Frenchy

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 14
Mpora’s Verdict: Badass: ‘a tough, uncompromising, or intimidating person’. Yep 82-year old Jacques Houot is a badass.

Treeline

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 40
Mpora’s Verdict: Patagonia loves trees, too. Treeline follow a group of skiers, snowboarders, scientists and healers and discover what trees mean to us. Strange concept, for sure. Guess you can just enjoy the epic riding footage, even if you’re not that into trees.

Electric Greg

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 20
Mpora’s Verdict: Ski touring big man Greg Hill sets out to climb 100 peaks without burning any fossil fuels. Can he do it and what difference does it make?

Defiance

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 13
Mpora’s Verdict: Nein, nein, nein! This isn’t the classic 2008 WWII drama (might have to give that a rewatch, though), it’s Leanne Pelosi, Jake Blauvelt, and Victor de Le Rue getting rowdy in the BC backcountry.

Trail Running

Trail running: some people love it, some people hate it. No matter what side of the fence you sit, there’s really nothing more exciting that sitting on your sofa, watching someone suffer their way through a 100 mile race, while you give much-needed advice on how you’d do it better – with your legs up and slippers on, of course.

Dark Peak Fell Runners

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 17
Mpora’s Verdict: Follow the Sheffield based fell running club, the Dark Peak Fell Runners as they seemingly look to run over every square inch of the Peak District. Expect bogs, short shorts and some typical British ‘can-do’ attitudes.

Thabang

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 13
Mpora’s Verdict: Thabang Madiba has become a hero within his community after becoming the first black South African to represent the country in trail running. This was all achieved through hard work, dedication and a fiery passion fro the sport that the film portrays so well.

This Land

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 10
Mpora’s Verdict: Runner and activist Faith Briggs sets up a 150 mile run through the U.S. National Monuments, all of which are at the heart of the public lands ownership issue engulfing many national parks in the States.

Aziza

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 6
Mpora’s Verdict: Set amongst the streets of Bou Tharar and the wide, craggy valleys of the lower Atlas, ‘Aziza’ is the inspirational story of a young woman – Aziza Raji – who has thrived in the world of ultra-racing.

Ultra Running in Navajo Nation | Eli

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 5
Mpora’s Verdict: Eli Neztsosie grew up in the rugged northeast corner of Navajo Nation (Utah). He had no electricity or running water, but this taught him lessons in discipline and endurance that he’ll come to rely on when running long distances.

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The Running Pastor

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 8
Mpora’s Verdict: This guy looks like a wannabe Henry VIII during his day job, but by the evenings he becomes a badass mountain runner covering the stunning terrain found around the Faroe Islands. Chapeau.

Sacred Strides

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 12
Mpora’s Verdict: Bears Ears National Monument is one of the most talked-about public lands under threat. A group of Native Americans put their differences aside and came together to run 800 miles to Bears Ears.

How to Run 100 Miles

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 28
Mpora’s Verdict: 100 miles. That’s basically four marathons. Ever run that far? No, me neither. Brendan hadn’t either, before his friend signed him up to run the 102 mile ‘Run Rabbit Run 100’ in Steamboat, Colorado.

The Mirnavator

Release Date: 2017
Watch Time (minutes): 11
Mpora’s Verdict: Mirna Valerio overcomes the negative voices that don’t believe she belongs in the sport of ultra-running.

The Wolf Pack

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 12
Mpora’s Verdict: High in the San Juan Mountains above Silverton, a pack of runners ‘roam’. The Braford-Lefebvre family chose to live here in order to raise their family wild. Through hard times and the good times too, running is their tool for experiencing life together.

Par For The Course

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 4
Mpora’s Verdict: Another film about the amazing Mirna Valerio. This time she’s taking on her first ever sky race at the 4th annual Broken Arrow Sky Race. Epic stuff.

Kayaking

The dark art of Kayaking. Real niche this one. I don’t Kayak, and I never will, but I do love to watch them dodge their way down a roaring rapid, while dodging the ‘eddies’ ‘stoppers’ and ‘holes. I still have no idea what these mean.

The River’s Call

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 8
Mpora’s Verdict: Six Kayakers taken on an epic journey down the Apurimac River; 400 kilometres and 17 days of self-supported riding down one gnarly river.

The Ladakh Project

Release Date: 2019
Watch Time (minutes): 13
Mpora’s Verdict: White water kayaker Nouria Newman sets out to to paddle three big rivers in northern India, totally alone. There’s not much room for error during a trip like this, The Ladakh Project brings us along for the seven day ride.

Inside the Indus – A Pakistani Odyssey

Release Date: 2017
Watch Time (minutes): 27
Mpora’s Verdict: I don’t Kayak. I’m hopeless at it. However, watching this made me want to grab the nearest kayak and go on an adventure down my local river. It’s epic.

Surf

Balancing on a board, whilst riding a wave. Pretty epic, eh? Totally soulful. As you can probably tell, I don’t surf. Never have, probably never will. But I do love to watch it. There are a few more surf films in this roundup, but they’re in the other categories ( ski / snowboard films Life of Glide and Circle of the Sun are the ones to check out). You’ll have to go find them the manual way – I’m afraid.

Surface

Release Date: 2018
Watch Time (minutes): 7
Mpora’s Verdict: A real wavey film.

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