The Movement

In 2004 Rick Finkelstein was paralyzed in a ski accident on Aspen Mountain. With a severed spine and internal trauma, he wasn't expected to live. Six years, nine surgeries, and a lifetime of rehab later, cameras captured his dramatic return to Aspen. Even with the latest gear, expert coaching, and mentorship from the sport's pioneers, Rick faced a daunting challenge with many risks and no guarantees.
Rick's friend, witness to the crash: "It wasn't until later that I completely broke down. You realize that it's just so fragile."
Robert Redford, narrator: "Our movement started with the word never. 'You'll never walk again ... You'll never see ... You'll never live to the age of five.' Never? Our heroes refused to accept that word."
Rick's story intertwines with those of four mentors who overcame their own disabilities and found freedom through skiing:
• Mike May holds the world record for speed skiing blind. An explosion at age three took away his eyesight, but not his vision for living with gusto. Mike's life has been a series of bold adventures, from becoming the first blind CIA agent to trying every sport he could imagine. He says: "Skiing is a highly visual sport—if you can do it as a blind person, you're throwing off anything that's tying you down."
• Jim Martinson's dreams of being a lifelong skibum were blown away by a Vietnam landmine which took both his legs. When he'd finally recovered, starting his life over in a wheelchair, he became a pioneer of disabled sports out of sheer necessity. Jim fought for—and won—acceptance of wheelchair categories, and engineered the foundations of modern sports equipment for people with disabilities.
• Traci Taylor, a little girl who triumphed over a 10 percent chance of survival, won the heart of filmmaker Warren Miller in 1985. Warren recalls: "When I tell this story in front of people I start crying, which is kind of silly for an 80-year-old guy. They ask me who was the best skier I ever filmed and I tell them the Traci Taylor story." A former March of Dimes poster child, Traci earned her master's degree and now helps people with disabilities. Her optimism still shines brightly today.
• Chris Waddell, 13-time Paralympic medalist, is one of the most decorated and influential skiers on the planet. Like Rick, Chris was paralyzed in a ski accident and had to work his way back into the sport he so loved. Along the way, he transformed the sport of adaptive skiing. He says: "There are times I forget that I'm sitting down. I'm lost in the turn."
Rick: "It's been a long time—and the fact that I got hurt on the snow—psychologically I've got to overcome that."
The Movement is the story of one man joining an uprising. He may not have chosen to be disabled, but now he must choose whether to face the mountain again. Warren Miller, co-narrator: "This is a movement for—movement itself."