Skiing
Inside the world of professional ski filmmaking
We're used to seeing spectacular tricks and breathtaking lines, but what happens behind the camera? In We Can't Not, Paddy Graham reveals the reality of making a ski film.
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What does it really take to make a ski film? Not just the gigantic lines, perfectly executed tricks and breathtaking mountain scenery, but the countless challenges, compromises, nerves and moments that happen behind the camera.
And, perhaps more importantly, why would anyone put themselves through it in the first place? Paddy Graham explores that question in his new film, We Can’t Not.
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A journey into the world of professional ski filmmaking
Freeskier and filmmaker Paddy Graham has spent his entire life making ski movies, but has never quite managed to explain why. Now, he's turned that question into a film of its own. We Can't Not is a 60-minute journey into the world of professional ski filmmaking, offering an unusually personal look at what goes on behind the scenes of the movies that captivate freeski fans around the world.
Created over two years, the project follows Graham and a handpicked crew of elite freeskiers as they take on the mountains, the filmmaking process and the challenges that come with capturing the magic of skiing on screen. Among the dream team are Markus Eder, Kye Petersen, Finn Bilous and Austria's Tom Ritsch, with Alaska providing the backdrop for some of the film's biggest highlights.
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Taking viewers closer than ever to the process
The crew gather in the Chugach Mountains
© Aina Punsola/Legs of Steel/Red Bull Content Pool
But this isn't simply another ski action film. Blending real mountain footage, behind-the-scenes material and a stylised story world created inside a large-scale LED virtual studio known as the Hyperbowl, We Can't Not takes viewers closer than ever to the process of making a ski movie. In a particularly personal twist, the virtual studio brings the Alaskan mountains into scenes with Graham's own family – the very people to whom he's spent years trying to explain his passion.
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A Hollywood voice takes us behind the scenes
Paddy Graham and Luke Bredar repair a drone
© Aina Punsola/Legs of Steel/Red Bull Content Pool
And who better to guide viewers through this journey than narrator Sean Bean? The actor - who famously hails from Graham's home town of Sheffield and is known for his roles in The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, which spawned his meme-friendly line "Winter is coming" - lends his unmistakable voice and dry wit to the film's narration. Even without claiming to be a skiing expert, he makes the ideal guide on Graham's quest to understand an obsession that's so difficult to put into words.
“Throughout my entire career, I've tried to explain to friends, family and strangers the magic of working as a professional freeskier. Now we're bringing you along with us too,” says Graham. “This project is as close as you can get to joining us over two years of making our next ski movie.”
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Why every fan of freeski films should watch
The result is a film that goes beyond the finished tricks and perfectly framed shots to show the people, passion and effort behind them. For anyone who's ever watched a ski movie and wondered what it takes to make those moments happen, We Can't Not offers a rare chance to find out.
Christoph Thoresen filming at the Hyperbowl in Munich
© Hai Yen/Legs of Steel/Red Bull Content Pool
Finn Bilous nails a cork 3 off a glacier
© Aina Punsola/Legs of Steel/Red Bull Content Pool
Produced by Legs of Steel and Red Bull Media House, the film premiered on October 23 in Innsbruck, Austria. The rest of us can now join the journey from Sunday, November 1, with We Can't Not available on Red Bull TV and YouTube.
One thing's for certain: if you've ever wondered why skiers keep coming back for more, this one's worth watching.
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We Can't Not at a glance
Paddy Graham
© Aina Punsola/Legs of Steel/Red Bull Content Pool
Adam Gendle
© Aina Punsola/Legs of Steel/Red Bull Content Pool
Finn Bilous
© Aina Punsola/Legs of Steel/Red Bull Content Pool
Markus Eder
© Aina Punsola/Legs of Steel/Red Bull Content Pool
- Title: We Can't Not
- Format: 60-minute freeski film / behind-the-scenes documentary
- Release date: November 1, 2026 at 6pm CET
- Where to watch: Red Bull TV and YouTube
- Producers: Tobi Reindl and Paddy Graham
- Director and writer: Adam Gendle
- Director of Photography: Johno Verity
- Director of Action (Alaska): Christoph Thoresen
- Production companies: Legs of Steel and Red Bull Media House
- Narrator: Sean Bean
- Featuring: Paddy Graham, Markus Eder, Kye Petersen, Finn Bilous and Tom Ritsch
- Original soundtrack: Cari Cari
- Filming locations: Alaska (USA), Whistler (Canada), Ahrntal (Italy), Helsinki (Finland), Wānaka (New Zealand), Innsbruck (Austria), Hokkaido (Japan), Sheffield (UK) and Region Dents du Midi (Switzerland)
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