Among 2022 sports documentaries, ESPN’s multi-part Derek Jeter docuseries, The Captain, hopes to be the project that sports fans and media discuss throughout social media. And it probably will be.
But those who aren’t New York Yankees fans or want to avoid another sports hagiography such as The Last Dance should consider looking to HBO for a truly compelling documentary series. Edge of the Earth is a four-part series following four groups of extreme athletes whose pursuits take them to remote locations for spectacular battles between man and nature.
The documentary premieres Tuesday (July 12) at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and will also be available for streaming on HBO Max.
“Extreme sports” probably isn’t the right term to describe the endeavors taken on by these competitors. Yes, snowboarding, downhill skiing, whitewater kayaking, free climbing, and surfing are the centerpieces of Edge of the Earth‘s four episodes. (HBO provided the first three for review.) Those each sound familiar, right?
But these exploits are taken to an even more remarkable, well, extreme. They’re not sponsored by energy drinks or a new, corrosive Mountain Dew flavor. (Although Clif Bar and Red Bull get some prominent product placement in the first two episodes, so marketing might be part of each trip.)
HBO’s press materials refer to the participants as “elite action-adventure athletes.” That’s probably as good a term as any, though the feats chronicled in this series might defy proper description. A major reason they can’t be described is that either no one or very, very few have attempted these treks before.
“We’re entirely removed from civilization,” says climber Adrian Ballinger during the series’ introduction. “We know once we get there, we’re on our own.”
Episode 1, titled “Into the Void,” depicts a trip to Mount Bertha in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park. The three athletes — snowboarders Jeremy Jones and Elena Hight, and skier Griffin Post — don’t just hop into a Subaru to get there. A 25-hour boat ride and 15-mile hike through frigid temperatures and heavy snow are required before the climb and descent (or as Jones calls it, “the mission”) can begin.
Subsequent episodes take viewers to the torrential Chalupas River in Ecuador, Kyrgyzstan’s imposingly steep Pik Slesova, and skyscraping waves along the West Coast of South Africa.
Directors Todd and Steve Jones (whose company Teton Gravity Research produced the docuseries in partnership with HBO) make frequent use of aerial photography to capture the beauty of the natural environment and the sheer awe of what is being attempted by these athletes. From the camera’s distant vantage point, the three climbers in “Into the Void” look like insects ascending the gargantuan majesty of Mount Bertha. The whitewater kayakers in Episode 2’s “Raging Torrent” are lost amid the lush jungles and mountain gorges of Llanganates National Park.
But the filmmakers aren’t just following their subjects from afar either. The directors put themselves at risk to place the audience alongside the adventurers or show their point of view with handheld and head=mounted action (presumably GoPro) cameras. These are not documentaries to watch on a phone or tablet if larger screens are available. The visuals are astonishing throughout each episode.
In addition to a chronicle of these impressive expeditions, Edge of the Earth is also a commentary on the effects of climate change. Rising temperatures in Glacier Bay create avalanches that put the first episode’s climb in jeopardy. Blizzard conditions in Llanganates result in river levels that are too high to navigate and delay the kayakers’ descent.
With each episode running one hour, most of the time is devoted to the location and the quest. And in each case, both of those warrant such attention. But what feels missing is an exploration of the people undertaking these extraordinary challenges. There are some on-camera commentaries about how meaningful these adventures are, yet there isn’t much sense of what’s been sacrificed for these risk-taking exploits or how such missions might affect others in their lives.
One of the most fascinating aspects of 2018’s Academy Award-winning Free Solo was the filmmaker’s interest in what motivates rock climber Alex Honnold to attempt what so few others would. During the film, it’s revealed that Honnold’s brain works differently. He processes fear in a very different way from most people. Yes, Honnold wants to push his limits. But he simply doesn’t look at climbing El Capitan as a near-impossible task.
“Is the pursuit worth the risk?” asks climber Emily Harrington in the introduction for each episode. For the athletes in Edge of the Earth, the answer is obviously yes. Their pursuits are worth following in these documentaries. Most of us watching will never travel to these remote locations, let alone undertake these extreme endeavors.
But as with more conventional sports, we watch to admire those who have the drive and the talent to do what the majority of people cannot. HBO has been focusing on elite action-adventure athletes with recent documentaries including 100 Foot Wave and Momentum Generation. These stories and their spectacle create awe and inspiration. Hopefully, there are plenty more to come.
Edge of the Earth premieres on HBO July 12 at 9 p.m. ET with additional episodes airing each subsequent Tuesday night. Each episode will also be available to stream on HBO Max.
Ian Casselberry is a sports media columnist for BSM. He has previously written and edited for Awful Announcing, The Comeback, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation. You can find him on Twitter @iancass or reach him by email at iancass@gmail.com.
