Based on the true story of Jill Kinmont. In 1955, eighteen-year-old Jill is a truly talented, gifted skier and a shoo-in for the 1956 Winter Olympics. But Jill comes close to losing everything when she takes a near fatal fall off a mountain during the last race of the season. Paralyzed from the shoulders down, Jill now has to climb another kind of mountain-working her way up from total helplessness to leading a fulfilling life. With the help of family, friends, and an extraordinary man, Jill begins the quest up that mountain.

The real Jill Kinmont was a technical adviser on the film. Her work included three days on Mammoth Mountain, where many of the ski racing shots were filmed. She was transported on a mechanical "snowcat", with her wheelchair strapped to the back.

[Reflecting on her life after the loss of her fiance]


Jill Kinmont:
I try not to let it, but sometimes it all plays back in my mind, and when it does, I remember the words that Dick Buek said to me the last time I saw him: "How lucky I am to have found someone and something that saying goodbye to is so damned awful."

Lyrics by Norman Gimbel
Composed by Charles Fox
Performed by Olivia Newton-John
MCA Records