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New film: Better Up There with freeride star Léo Slemmet

Written by Fiona Outdoors

February 04 2026

A new film about iconic freerider Léo Slemmet has been released in partnership with The North Face. Better Up There sees the freeride star opening up about his life and love of the mountains following tragic loss and the need to rebuild many times over the last decade.

A Freeride World Champion, Léo Slemett embodies an extraordinary journey shaped by both peaks and challenges. Aged just 19, he became the youngest skier to join the Freeride World Tour.

Success quickly followed, but the mountains also brought their share of hardship, including illness and loss. His love of the mountains endures, but when faced with such an environment that’s equal parts powerful as it is unpredictable, the question remains: How does he keep going?

Through striking visuals brought together by renowned filmmaker Mathis Dumas, Better Up There paints a portrait of an athlete deeply driven by resilience.

The film explores pain, grief and the search for meaning, offering a moving immersion into the life of a man learning how to keep moving forward.

Credit: Noa Barrau

Better Up There is available on The North Face’s YouTube channel.

Written by Fiona Outdoors February 04 2026 Please support this website Buy me a glass of wine

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