The Verdict Is In: These Are 2025’s Best Ski Films, According to iF3

The verdict is here.

iF3, a long-running ski movie festival, has named the best ski films of the year, as decided by its panel of judges. 

First, the headliner—Matchstick Productions’ After the Snowfall was named the best overall ski movie of 2025. In that category, it competed with the likes of Cold Calls—an action-packed flick from Blank Collective—and Cody Townsend and Summit Lunch Productions’ Edge of Reason, a harrowing and honest story about risk in the backcountry. 

After the Snowfall, if you haven’t caught it yet, is still touring this fall with several more upcoming screening dates across North America and the world. Other iF3 award categories included Amateur Film of the Year, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and more.

Keep reading for the full awards lineup.

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iF3’s Best Ski Movies of 2025

• Matchstick Productions, After the Snowfall—Film of the Year
• OS Crew, Vortex—Amateur Film of the Year
• Simply. Recreation Club, Inefficient Joy—Best Cinematography
• Andreya Zvonar in Calvin May, Evergreen—Amateur Skier of the Year
• The North Face, Trango—Best Editing
• Manon Loschi in Bug Visionaries, Endorphin—Standout Female Skier of the Year
• Craig Murray in Matchstick Productions, After the Snowfall—Standout Male Skier of the Year
• Arc’teryx, Between Days—Jury’s Pick (Ski and snowboard films are both eligible)
• Blank Collective Films, One Step Ahead—Best Short Movie
• Chris Benchetler, Mountains of the Moon: Chris Benchetler, Dennis Ranalter, Michelle Parker & Sam Kuch—Best Backcountry Segment
• Line Skis, Rendition: Tucker FitzSimons—Best Urban Segment
• Summit Lunch Productions, The Edge of Reason—Best Storytelling

Which Movies Have the POWDER Staff Enjoyed So Far?

Perhaps contrary to popular belief, my job doesn’t involve spending 40 hours each week watching and ranking ski movies. If it were, I might be comfortable providing my own list of what I think are the best ski movies that have come out this year. Alas, I’ve only seen a fraction of the massive list iF3 combed through before delivering its awards. I do have opinions about the films I have watched, though. 

The Edge of Reason, for one, is bound to provoke discussion, particularly when it appears online. Without spoiling too much, it’s a meditation on risk and evolving priorities in the mountains. The film stars Nikolai Schirmer, Cody Townsend, and Elyse Saugstad. At the screening I attended, the audience had more questions than Townsend and Saugstad could answer within the allotted time—a sign that the pair had struck a nerve and proof that ski movies can be far more than a dopamine hit.

Another of my favorites was the more lighthearted Shometsu Zekkei, starring all-around ripper Tenra Katsuno with Gavin Rudy behind the lens. It features some interviews that highlight Katsuno’s upbringing in Japan, but as the movie demonstrates, he doesn’t necessarily need a microphone to convey his bubbly personality. Watching this one, I got the sense that Katsuno is a lot of fun to hang out with. His talent on skis and Rudy’s unique approach to filmmaking make Shometsu Zekkei a satisfying bite of pre-season stoke. 

Related: New Snow Falls on Mount Washington, Still Far Below October’s Average