Peloton Productions: What's a peloton? It's a way bicyclists riding in a group can alternate the lead to make the whole team stronger―and it's the philosophy of producer/director/writer Kristi Denton Cohen's San Francisco Bay area production company. For Kristi (named after skiing's stem Christie) filmmaking borrows lessons from the mountain―keep going upward―and is always a team effort. What elements are necessary for a great film? "Collaboration. Creativity. Passion. Spontaneity. Don't take 'no' for an answer. Be fair and feed the crew," says Cohen.

Featured Film:
"Vertical Frontier"
From John Muir in the 1860s to the super athletes of today "Vertical Frontier" tells the saga of the free-spirited climbers who were inspired by the big walls of Yosemite. This formidable film, narrated by Tom Brokaw, includes classic footage of the ever-awesome El Capitan and features interviews with dozens of Yosemite's top climbers: Warren Harding, Tom Frost, Tim Herbert, Lynn Hill, Royal Robbins, Ron Kauk, and Yvon Chouinard. Peloton Productions goes the extra mile by giving net profits from "Vertical Frontier" to non-profit organizations that support the mountain environment. "Vertical Frontier was named best film in the climbing category at the 2002 Banff Mountain Film Festival.
Photos by Sean Leary: (left) Josh Helling films climber Chris NcNamara on the wall; (right) Kristi with crew on portaledge