His story has been told a thousand times, his talent and his heroic recovery constantly referenced throughout snowboard-related conversations, but “the fall and rise” of Kevin Pearce feels wholly fresh when told through Lucy Walker’s film, The Crash Reel.

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The boundless potential of Pearce pre-accident, the intensity of his crash, and the arduous road to recovery he has endured are poignantly portrayed through Walker’s documentary. With footage from well before Kevin’s crash, footage of his crash, and footage of the journey he has been on ever since, The Crash Reel presents Pearce’s saga in a way never before seen.

Simply put, this documentary is an honest look into Pearce’s life; his all encompassing passion for snowboarding, and how his reality was effectively altered on one bluebird day in the Park City halfpipe.

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Pearce in the Breckenridge halfpipe | P: Adam Moran

Interviews with Kevin’s parents, friends, and competitors round out an impressively solid profile of the accident from every perspective, a behind the scenes that sheds light on the consequences of a scene that is consistently pushing its athletes to up the ante in the amplitude, difficulty, and technicality of every trick. What Walker has managed to do is to capture both a rider’s passion, and magnitude of the day-to-day risk he is subjecting himself to. A risk that, in Kevin’s case, came to fruition and succinctly changed the course of his life.

The Crash Reel is a documentary that any and all snowboarders, from pipe jocks to backcountry fiends and everywhere in between, can relate to. Notably, the film has also made the short list of Oscar nominees for Best Documentary, pretty solid proof that Pearce’s story translates just as powerfully off-snow as on. The movie will be available for digital download starting January 14, 2014, and DVDs will be released on February 4th.