Documentary Review: 'Buried The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche' is a Best of the Year Candidate

Buried The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche (2022)

Directed by Jared Drake, Steven Siig

Written by Documentary

Starring Jim Plehn, Meredith Watson, Larry Heywood, Dick Tash

Release Date September 23rd in theaters, VOD on November 8th, 2022

"The snow was alive" Jim Plehn Avalanche Control Expert at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort

On March 31st, 1982 an unimaginable weather front moved over the Alpine Valley over Lake Tahoe. The amount of snow that came down in the period of several days leading up to March 31st was more than anyone in the area had seen before. Trapped in the midst of this almost unprecedented storm were the crew of ski patrol officers pf the Alpine Meadows Ski Resort, under the leadership of Bernie Kingery. Though he'd been at this job since the late 1950s, even Bernie Kingery was not ready for the kind of tragedy that would unfold on this day.

The incredible documentary, Buried The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche, directed by the team of Jared Drake and Steven Stiig, takes us back to that day in 1982 via the rescuers who risked everything first to try and prevent the kind of avalanche that that eventually occurred and then dealt with the terrifying aftermath of the avalanche that left 7 people dead. Through recreations, archival news footage, and photos taken at the scene that day, the harrowing real life tragedy at Alpine Meadows is brought to vivid, emotional life.

Jim Plehn was only 27 years old when he was tapped by Bernie Kingery to become the Avalanche Control Officer at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort. In Plehn, Kingery saw a dedicated young man with a good eye and instinct for how snow moved down the mountain. In Bernie Kingery, Plehn found the greatest possible leader and mentor. Together, Kingery would support Plehn as he created what would become the standard of avalanche science.

Through the use of well placed explosives and the use of military artillery, Alpine Meadows ski patrol would create small avalanches that worked to prevent larger, more dangerous or deadly avalanches. It was dangerous work but Plehn made it into a science that allowed the Alpine Meadows Ski Resort to thrive in the late 70s and early 1980s. All the while. everyone was aware that as much as you can prepare for and try to prevent an avalanche, there was no way to completely prevent an avalanche from occurring, no matter how hard Jim Plehn tried.

The people who were at Alpine Meadows that day mostly weren't meant to be there. Only Bernie Kingery was intended to be in the Avalanche Control Center that day. The rest of the Ski Patrol was either off that day or doing their job, going to various places on the mountain to set charges intended to prevent a major avalanche. Sadly, at least 5 others came out that day and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when at 3:55 Pm, four shelves of snows which normally do not collapse all at once, collapsed all at once.

One ski patrol member, Jeffrey 'Jake' Smith gave the only warning that day before he and his snowmobile were swept away by the avalanche. Moments later, the avalanche struck the avalanche control center where Bernie Kingery and six others were located. Two members of the ski patrol were saved by the mere chance that the part of the building they were in withstood the blast. Three people, including a young child happened to be in the parking lot of the resort, they stood no chance against the massive wall of snow rolling toward them.

The structure of the documentary is linear and the filmmakers do an incredible job of building the circumstances of the avalanche, interviewing the people who were on the mountain that day, giving us a strong sense of who they are and where they were when the avalanche occurred. The most compelling of the group is Jim Plehn. Now in his 70s plane is a gaunt and haunted soul. Before and in the immediate aftermath of the avalanche Jim Plehn made impossible choices that to this day he second guesses. Even as hindsight demonstrates that Plehn did everything he possibly could that day, he still seems plagued by it.

One decision that Jim is forced to make two days into the aftermath of the storm is one that truly plagues him. If you are familiar with the details of that day then you know what I am talking about. I however, went into the documentary fully unaware of what had occurred and I was riveted by this portion of the story. It's strange to say that I don't want to spoil a documentary but truly, if you're like me and you don't know the details of what happened at Alpine Meadows, these revealing moments are incredibly emotional.

Not ashamed to say that I cried during this portion of the documentary. It's an incredible series of events, a mixture of hope and sadness that is incredibly powerful. Directors Jared Drake and Steven Stiig build these moments with brilliantly precise editing choices. It's a marvel, a strong demonstration of the power of documentary filmmaking. It's truly one of the most breathtaking moments I have had watching a movie in 2022.

Buried The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche is one of the best movies of 2022. Find my archive of more than 20 years and nearly 2000 movie reviews at SeanattheMovies.Blogspot.com. Follow me on Twitter at PodcastSean and follow the archive blog at SeanattheMovies. You can also hear me talk about movies on the Everyone's a Critic Movie Review Podcast on your favorite podcasting app. If you've enjoyed what you've read, consider subscribing to me here on Vocal. You can also support my work by making a monthly pledge or leaving a one time tip below.