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Best Climbing Documentaries: 25 Great Stories
The best climbing documentaries feature the world's best climbers testing their skills against the world's toughest climbs Recently we watched two great climbing documentaries: the acclaimed Free Solo (2018) at our local cinema and then The Dawn Wall (2018) on Netflix. Both films focus on attempts on Yosemite's El Capitan over different routes and with different climbing styles. While Alex Honnold's Free Solo from El Capitan may have been the most dizzying film we've ever seen, it was the human story behind Tommy Caldwell in The Dawn Wall that we found more compelling. In my opinion should...
Best Climbing Documentaries: 25 Great Stories
The best climbing documentaries feature the world's best climbers testing their skills against the world's toughest climbs
Recently we watched two great climbing documentaries: the acclaimed Free Solo (2018) at our local cinema and then The Dawn Wall (2018) on Netflix.
Both films focus on attempts on Yosemite's El Capitan over different routes and with different climbing styles.
While Alex Honnold's Free Solo from El Capitan may have been the most dizzying film we've ever seen, it was the human story behind Tommy Caldwell in The Dawn Wall that we found more compelling.
In my opinion, the best climbing documentaries should offer exciting entertainment combined with touching stories about human nature faced with adversity and, so often, tragedy.
The Dawn Wall, with its tender glimpses into Caldwell's personal struggles, did just that and was much more than just a frightening climb.
Inspired by these two films, I've put together a list (in no particular order) of the best climbing documentaries. They cover everything from classic California climbs to Herculean high-altitude assaults.
The best climbing documentaries
| 1. | Meru (2015)Alpinists Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk attempt to climb Shark's Fin on Mount Meru, a 21,000-foot peak in northern India and the ultimate challenge in the high-stakes world of big wall climbing. |
| 2. | Sherpa (2015) Sherpa paints the Everest story from a rarely seen perspective and subtly asks the question: Is the ongoing foreign obsession with Everest bad for Nepal, Khumbu and the Sherpas? |
| 3. | Distilled (2013) Mountaineers have long used Scotland in winter to train for Himalayan expeditions. A mix of “real” technical winter climbing and personal narrative, distilled explorations of what makes climbing there so effective. |
| 4. | The Epic of Everest (1924)The official documentation of the legendary Everest expedition of 1924 has been lovingly restored by the British Film Institute (BFI) and is probably the first climbing documentary ever. Shot in harsh conditions using a hand-crank camera, the footage shows some of the earliest records of life in Tibet. |
| 5. | The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest (2010) A documentary that explores the mysteries surrounding the deaths of mountaineers George Mallory and Andrew Sandy Irvine on Everest in 1924. Conrad Anker traces her journey and attempts to answer some of the questions surrounding Mallory's death. |
| 6. | The Beckoning Silence (2007)Joe Simpson travels to the treacherous north face of the Eiger to tell the story of one of mountaineering's most epic tragedies. It was this story that first captured Simpson's imagination and inspired him to take up mountain climbing. |
| 7. | Everest (1998) This giant screen IMAX film was filmed during the infamous 1996 storm that claimed eight lives. It documents the filmmakers' harrowing rescue efforts to help surviving members of the ill-fated group. |
| 8. | The Man Who Skied Down Everest (1975)This Oscar-winning documentary tells the story behind Japanese daredevil Yuichiro Miura's 1970 attempt to ski down the world's highest mountain - after climbing it. Six members of Miura's team died during the climb, which forms the backbone of much of the film's poignant drama. |
| 9. | Valley Uprising (2014) An alternative take on Yosemite's counterculture climbing lifestyle. The 90-minute documentary examines the 60-year legacy of revolutionary climbing and its thriving (if sometimes controversial) counterculture. |
| 10. | Free Solo (2018)Acclaimed climber Alex Honnold prepares to climb the 1,000m El Capitan in Yosemite without a rope. Outside Magazine declared Free Solo “the best climbing film of all time.” |
| 11. | Cerro Torre: Snowball's Chance in Hell (2014)After more than three years of trying, Austrian sport climber David Lama finally realized his dream of becoming the first person to free climb the infamous Compressor Route on Cerro Torre in Patagonia. Tragically, Llama died in an avalanche in Canada this year. |
| 12. | Beyond the Edge (2013) This docudrama chronicles the first Everest conquest by Hillary and Norgay. The film chronicles the treacherous conditions endured during the 1953 expedition, using reenactments and archival footage to recount the event that would astonish the world. |
| 13. | Blindsight (2006) A captivating adventure of six blind Tibetan teenagers who set out to climb the 23,000-foot Lhakpa Ri on the north side of Mount Everest. The journey soon becomes a seemingly impossible challenge. |
| 14. | The Summit (2012) In one of the best mountaineering films, filmmaker Nick Ryan interviews the survivors of the 2008 K2 expedition and, along with footage shot on the mountain, offers insight into the reasons why 11 people died. |
| fifteen. | The Dawn Wall (2018)In 2015, American climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson captivated the world with their attempt to scale a 1,000m high rock face in Yosemite. The couple lived on the vertical cliff for weeks, sparking a frenzy of global media attention. |
| 16. | Touching the Void (2003)Simpsons and Yates' now infamous ordeal is re-enacted on Peru's Siula Grande. The docudrama is absolutely captivating and the powerful interviews add emotional depth to this exciting piece of cinema. |
| 17. | Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey Hailed as one of the most prolific and influential climbers of all time, Fred Beckey conquered more unclimbed peaks during his 80-year career than anyone else in history and was perhaps just as well known as the pioneer of the free-roaming American “dirt bag.” ,Lifestyle. This film examines both feats. |
| 18. | Mountain (2018) Mountain, a visually exciting film narrated by Willem Dafoe, takes viewers to the peaks of some of the world's most beautiful mountains, from Tibet to Australia, Norway to Alaska. |
| 19. | Dark Glow of the Mountains (1984)In this TV documentary, filmmaker Werner Herzog accompanies the mountaineers Hans Kammerlander and the legendary Reinhold Messner on their 1984 expedition to climb the 8,000 m high Gasherbrum Mountains. At the time, they were considered some of the most difficult peaks yet to conquer. |
| 20. | Messner (2004)In the first documentary about Messner since the aforementioned Herzog film, the climber of the same name looks back on his career with surprising openness and self-disclosure. His solo ascent of Everest without bottled oxygen in 1980 was described by Jon Krakauer as "the greatest mountaineering achievement of all time." |
| 21. | Alone on the Wall (2010) 23-year-old Alex Honnold attempts the 610m wall of Half Dome, which at the time was the largest free solo ever attempted. The climb took the high-stakes sport of free solo climbing to new heights - heights that Alex would later scale even higher. |
| 22. | The Alps (2007) On the steep rock and ice face known as the Eiger, an American mountaineer is about to make the most dangerous and significant climb he has ever undertaken: an attempt to scale the legendary mountain that took his famous father's life. |
| 23. | K2 and the Invisible Footmen (2015)K2 and the Invisible Footmen documents the unsung efforts of Pakistani high porters (HAPs) who have made the climb of the world's second highest mountain possible for decades. Set against a breathtaking backdrop, this documentary explores the courage and sacrifice of the men who call the “Wild Mountain” home. |
| 24. | Cold (2011) Over 26 years, 16 expeditions have attempted and failed to climb one of Pakistan's 8,000m peaks in winter. In 2011, three men became the first. The trip almost killed her. This 19-minute documentary is their story, seen through the raw, honest perspective of one team member's lens. |
| 25. | Bonington Mountaineer (2017)The life story of one of Britain's most popular and successful mountaineers could have been much longer. Instead, the 80-minute documentary focuses on the most groundbreaking and significant expeditions of his long and illustrious climbing career. |
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