It might be hard to tell if you looked at me today with my long hair and frequent beard or mustache, but from 2001-2005 I was in the Air Force. I enlisted after high school and spent the next four years in the special forces as a combat controller. Most people don’t know the Air Force has special operations troops on the ground, but I can assure you they do, and we end up doing some of the wildest stuff in the entire military. For my first four years out of high school I learned how to skydive, scuba dive, blow things up, become an air traffic controller, ride dirt bikes at night with the lights off wearing night vision goggles, push boats out of the back of helicopters into the ocean, as well as mark targets and provide close air support when things got ugly. It wasn’t all fun and games though, and I did two deployments, one to Afghanistan and one to Iraq.
A few months ago I was invited to be part of something called the Big Mountain Heroes project. It was a trip planned to the French Alps with a small group of special forces veterans to make a documentary around the theme of “Thrills before Pills”. For many veterans, navigating the VA healthcare system is not easy. Some don’t even make it to their local care center, and those that do are frequently over-medicated with antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and other pharmaceutical drugs. We wanted to show the benefits of connecting with nature as an alternative to taking medication to treat PTSD, as well as help encourage veterans to re-connect with their military peers after separating from active duty. This project hit very close to home for me. I quickly locked in a plane ticket and packed my bags.
...was chosen for this project because of its amazing backdrop of jagged mountains and reputation for being a place where elite athletes go to push themselves and train. Our crew consisted of an 8 man team (one navy seal, two army snipers, one medic, one combat controller, one ski pro, and two camera guys). We hit it off from day one and it became obvious....it would be a simple task to connect with such beautiful nature. We were in for a good time, indeed.
For most of the 2017 winter, the alps didn’t get much snow and I was prepared for a relatively dry trip. However, from the first day we got there, it didn’t stop snowing!
The mountains around Chamonix are so large that they often create very isolated weather systems. The conditions can be very different depending on what side of the Alps you're on. The French side of Mount Blanc never came out of the storm so we headed to the Italian side to warm up before heli-skiing later in the week.
...if you get a group of soldiers together, there better be food around! Lunch was always a good time, and this spot in Italy was one of my favorites. We shared bottomless pasta, as well as some kind of hot alcoholic drink served in a wooden bowl. This bowl had different spouts on its side and you weren’t allowed to put it down until the bowl was empty. Needless to say the last ski run down was a spicy one.
The highlight of the trip was, hands down, the heli-skiing. It’s hard to top getting dropped off in the middle of the Alps without another person or structure in sight as far as the eye can see! I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who felt the parallels between the excitement and danger of combat, and the experience of big mountain heli-skiing. This time though, it was nice to not get shot at - although the dangers in the mountains are real and demand just as much respect as what's given during combat.
The next day we visited the needle at the top of the dramatic, Aiguille du Midi. A unique and popular destination high on the flanks of the Mount Blanc massif, it's accessed by cable car from Chamonix. It’s pretty wild to go from 3,000 ft in town, to 12,600 ft in 15 minutes! The views are both breath taking and humbling. The Aguille is also a starting point for many mountain adventures from alpine climbing to big mountain free skiing and wingsuit BASE jumping.
As one of the locals eloquently put it, “Chamonix is the easiest place in the world to kill yourself.” Big boy rules apply. Each of us, in our own way, knew that it takes places which make you feel small to help put life into perspective. This was undeniably one of those spots.
Back at the chalet it was time for interviews. We set up a make shift studio in the living room and began sharing our personal thoughts on what our military service was like, and the challenges of transitioning into civilian life. More so then the skiing, it was the story of each member of the team that left the biggest impression on me. I was honored to be part of this inspiring group of authentic, caring men.
By the time the trip was over it has snowed over 5 feet in 5 days. The day before we arrived, the valley floor had been dry. All of the snow on the roof of this bus stop (pictured below) fell during our visit!
All too soon it was time to say good-bye and head back to the USA to resume our regular jobs and lives. This trip was special for me because, it had been quiet some time since I’d been around other vets and, without a doubt, it was just what I needed.
Lifelong friendships were forged during this trip and I’m looking forward to keeping in touch with each of the crew.
While our trip is complete, the documentary is still a work in progress. We are hosting a Kickstarter campaign to help produce and edit the video footage we have from the trip to spread the message of “Thrills before Pills” to as many military veterans as possible. The fundraiser lasts though the end of April so please click on the link below to help be a part of this special project.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/909011398/big-mountain-heroes-documentary
https://www.facebook.com/Jump-For-Joy-1478595412358546/
https://www.facebook.com/neil.amonson
instagram: @neilamonson
© 2026 KAVU
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