For Director/Producer Adam Schomer, The Highest Pass wasn’t just about making a cool, adventure film. On the contrary, Adam was looking for something more, something deeper. And as the saying goes, “Be careful what you wish for.” Despite the fact that Adam had never ridden a motorcycle, he agreed to go on a motorcycle trip through the highest motorable elevation in the Himalayas.
THE HIGHEST PASS tells the story of how Adam Schomer and seven motorcyle riders drove across some of the most dangerous roads of the Himalayas in Northern India with his yogi and guru, Anand Mehrotra for a journey of a lifetime.
These riders and Adam, who learned to ride two weeks before the trip, are guided by the inspiring teachings of Anand who bears the burden of a Vedic prophecy that predicts he will die in his late twenties in an accident. He is that age now, yet leads with a fearlessness and wisdom that reminds us that “Only the one who dies, truly lives.”
But wisdom in words and wisdom in practice can be very different indeed, especially when riding along the sheer icy edges of Himalayan cliffs. The bikers ride on that edge, navigating dirt, gravel, snow, ice and the onslaught of loaded trucks, known as “road killers”, as they journey for 21 days towards the highest motorable road on earth. It is a pass open only three months a year and at a height 18,000ft, is on par with Everest base camp. Low oxygen, altitude sickness, river flooded roads, and a constrictive fear all live along this one lane road.
Yet they choose this path to seek Ladakh, the land known as the Little Tibet. Why this path? Because it’s a road that leads to incredibly isolated mountain lakes, ancient monasteries, inside the knowing eyes of a mystic oracle, and ultimately deeper into themselves…
It’s amazing that their guide himself is battling a prophecy and yet is determined to ride one of the hardest roads in the world. It is both haunting and inspiring. It brings up our worst fears and our deepest courage. Adam must ask if the possibility of a spiritual breakthrough worth the risk of serious injury or death? Will it help us all understand what it means to live our lives?
This adventure cracks the foundations we think we stand on. And in this case, the foundation is a one lane road winding through the Himalayas. The Highest Pass
I recently had the chance to interview Adam about what it was like for him and the film crew to make THE HIGHEST PASS and what they learned from it…
Adam told me why he went on this journey, how the film helped him overcome his fears, and even spoke about how the film inspired him to get over a fear he had about asking out a girl in a coffee shop!
He also offered some practical advice that anyone can use to help them deal with their everyday fears…
You can listen to our interview by right clicking on the text below. Simply right click and save the MP3 to your desktop and you can listen to it in iTunes or on your MP3 player…
RIGHT CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD MP3 of Interview with Adam Schomer
THE HIGHEST PASS will be premiering at the 2016 ILLUMINATE Film Festival, the world’s premier film festival for conscious cinema, June 1-5 in stunning Sedona, AZ. For tickets and info, visit www.illuminatefilmfestival.com