Sometimes it’s best to have a good laugh when things don’t go according to plan. Easily mistaken for a cute Pixar short film, Hors Piste highlights exactly that. This six-minute short follows an epically failed mountain rescue, combining slapstick comedy, childlike wonder and the very real dangers of mountaineering.
The film begins with a 1980s music montage and introduces two flashy rescue technicians. They find a skier who has run spectacularly into trouble skiing off-piste — Hors Piste in French. What starts off as seemingly efficient and focused quickly goes in the opposite direction, as their helicopter slides off the summit and plummets to the depths below. The duo are left with a freezing and injured skier on the verge of a frostbitten nose.
Two rescuers and injured skier. Photo: Vimeo
They choose to descend with their injured charge, not paying much attention to his well-being. Rather, their hilarious shenanigans include using his body on its stretcher as a bridge to cross an icy chasm and leaving him outside during a snowstorm while they unwind in the warm, cozy cabin. A night of rest and relaxation escalates into the funniest and most bizarre sequence of the film: a trip into outer space.
Although the unreliable duo hurdles to earth in a great ball of fire and the misfortunes of the skier gets worse, the trio make it to base camp triumphant and remarkably alive. So for those who take life too seriously, and those who don’t, have a look at this and appreciate its message that when things get down, there’s really no way to go but up.
