Cody Cirillo's New Film Chases First Descents in Bolivia's Andes

Few skiers have a knack for adventure like Cody Cirillo, and even fewer have an adventure buddy as talented with a camera as Matthew Tufts.

The two have traveled around the globe documenting everything from bike-to-ski missions in Iceland to finding pow via camel in Mongolia. Most recently, Cirillo, Tufts, Fer Ferrandez, and cinematographer Isaiah Boyle ventured to South America to ski some of the highest points off the beaten path.

The fifth-largest country in South America, Bolivia shares borders with Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay. The Cordillera Occidental and Cordillera Oriental chains of the Andes Mountains bookend the country’s eastern and western ends, with the northern end, the Cordillera Real (“Royal Range”), near La Paz.

Some of the highest points in South America are located within the Cordillera Ranges, such as the country’s highest peak, Nevado Sajama (21,463ft), and Illimani (21,020 ft). The Cordillera Real maintains an average elevation of 18,000 ft. for more than 200 miles.

Cirrillo and the others set out to spend four weeks exploring the Cordillera Real, in hopes of making high-altitude freeride descents. However, anti-government protests and civil unrest exploded while they were there, making it a far more complex trip than they could have anticipated.

Still, a post from Cirillo and Ferrandez in early June would indicate they had some success at a possible first descent off the NW ridge from the summit of the 6,088m peak, Huayna Potosi. However, stories like this one are never just about the skiing.

Tap or click below to watch the trailer for Alto.

Alto chronicles Cirillo, Tufts, Ferrandez, and Boyle’s trip and the complexities of such an adventure. The full film will screen at several film festivals this fall before being released online in early December.

You can catch Alto at the following film festivals:

• Winter Park Film Festival, Winter Park, CO – September 17
• High Five, Annecy, FR-  October 4
• Poprad Film Festival, Poprad, Slovakia – October 14-18
• Echo Film Festival, Skopje, North Macedonia -October 26
• Image Montagne, Pau, FR – October 29-31
• IF3 Big Mountain, Quebec, Canada – October 29, November 7
• Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival Banff, Canada – November 1
• SkiMeTraje, Pamplona, ES – November 3-12
• Torello Film Festival, Torello, ES – November 15
• Kendal Film Festival, Kendal, UK – November 19-22
• Bansko Film Festival, Bansko, Bulgaria – November 18-22

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