SPORT Extreme Close-up

Extreme athletes rely on fitness, near-perfect skill, a fearless mindset, and timing. It’s not easy, especially when you’re taking on nature’s capricious elements. So how do these daredevils embrace the challenges posed by our changing planet? That is the focus of Human Extreme, NDG Cinema’s latest offering, proudly supported by TAG Heuer. The breathtaking stories of these athletes make for an unforgettable cinematic experience. Meet these speedriders, skiers, surfers, freeriders and freedivers in their element. Discover their diverse sporting challenges. Marvel at their search for greatness.

Surfers are a different breed. Instead of trying to swerve danger, they paddle straight towards it. They exist to challenge the rising waves, to embrace them, to bask in their glory. When you watch Human Extreme, you’ll meet surfers Benjamin Sanchis, Joan Duru and Maud le Car as they ride the waves of Hossegor. For centuries, surfers have been trying, and often succeeding, in befriending the blue. They scour the planet, seeking out the biggest waves. Their idea of nirvana is finding balance on their boards as they glide across the frothing fingers of the ocean.

There are casual ski vacations, and then there’s professional skiing. Just ask ski moghul Rory Bushfield or freerider Wadeck Gorak. These athletes see sumptuously white landscapes as their canvas. It’s just you versus the elements. The key is to become one with the slopes, to be free, without any filters or constraints. Easier said than done, you think. Human Extreme explores the rigor and courage it takes to conquer the mountains.

Holding your breath for a prolonged duration while you’re underwater. That’s a terrifying thought for most of us. But to freedivers like Camila Jaber, it’s freedom. To her, it’s invigorating, intoxicating, and a great way to spread awareness about our life-giving waters. While most people think of freediving as an extreme sport, freedivers think of it as a methodical, meditative one. You need to be able to read your mind and your body. You have to find that sweet spot where you’re pushing yourself just enough, and not too much.

Fast, fearless, free. The athletes in Human Extreme give us an unrelenting ring-side view of their skills (and their watches). The cameras follow their pursuit of perfection amidst nature’s magnificence. Human Extreme doesn’t just go “behind the scenes”, it goes inside the minds of its subjects. And that’s well worth a watch.

Human Extreme opens in cinemas this November, for more information visit ndgcinema.com