Aspen Extreme
| Aspen Extreme | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Patrick Hasburgh |
| Produced by |
Fred T. Gallo Leonard Goldberg |
| Written by | Patrick Hasburgh |
| Starring |
Paul Gross Peter Berg Finola Hughes Teri Polo |
| Music by | Michael Convertino |
| Cinematography |
Steven Fierberg Robert Primes |
| Edited by | Steven Kemper |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
Release dates | January 22, 1993 (US) |
Running time | 113 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $8,041,049 |
Aspen Extreme is a 1993 film about two ski buddies, TJ Burke (Paul Gross) and Dexter Rutecki (Peter Berg), who move from Brighton, Michigan to Aspen to seek a better life. The two friends quickly become Aspen ski instructors, but women, drugs, and job troubles threaten to destroy their relationship. Along the way, TJ tries to realize his dream of becoming a professional writer, and the pair train for the upcoming Powder 8 ski competition.
The supporting cast includes Finola Hughes, Teri Polo, William Russ, and Trevor Eve. The cover of the US video release quotes the Seattle Times as referring to the film as "Top Gun on the Ski Slopes."
Plot
T.J.Burke quits his job in Detroit and convinces his friend Dexter Rutecki to move to Aspen. After succeeding in tryouts, they both become ski instructors. While T.J. advances to the most popular instructor of the school during the season, he has to take care for Dexter, whose future is less bright and eventually thinking about being a drug courier - which tests their friendship. T.J. and Dexter decide to ski out of bounds in order to train for the upcoming Powder-8 competition. While skiing outside the boundaries of Aspen, T.J. and Dexter set off an avalanche. Dexter suffers a tragic demise, while T.J. escapes with minor injuries. Meanwhile the rich business woman Brice supports T.J. in his writing ambitions and invites him to live at her home. But in her absence he falls in love with the stunningly beautiful blonde radio moderator Robin.
Skiing footage
The backcountry and bowl skiing sequences were filmed at Aspen Highlands with the permission of owner Whip Jones and Alta Ski Area. Big mountain extreme skiers Scot Schmidt and Doug Coombs (and several others) are credited as (stand-in) skiers.