In 2023, Idaho backcountry skier and filmmaker Dan Noakes set off on the adventure of a lifetime—a ski traverse of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, the largest contiguous wilderness in the lower 48.
On his journey, Noakes was forced to reckon with the risks he was taking and the family waiting for him back home. He filmed his journey of survival, perseverance and powder-skiing to create an Outdoor Idaho program that will astonish some and inspire others.
“There is a fine line between thriving and surviving,” Noakes said upon his return. “Once a person crosses that threshold into the surviving territory, he can go downhill very fast.”
Throughout his traverse, Noakes heard stories of the miners and homesteaders who once lived in the backcountry. This documentary expertly weaves Noakes’ personal adventures with the history of a rugged landscape and the people who once called it home.
Tune in or stream Outdoor Idaho as we live wildly and vicariously through Dan Noakes in Ghosts of the Frank. The program airs Thursday, May 16, at 8 PM and again Sunday, May 19, at 7 PM on Idaho Public Television. It will be available for streaming on the PBS app and online at video,idahoptv.org beginning May 16.
Outdoor Idaho is made possible through funding from the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, Idaho Central Credit Union, the Idaho Forest Products Commission, the Carr Foundation, the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the W.R. Duck Foundation.
