Vertical Frontier

Distilled

November 2013 •English

Scotland in winter is an arena where mountaineers pit their skills against exacting climbs often in ferocious conditions. It is respected by climbers around the world. Distilled examines what makes the climbing here so potent. Andy Cave first climbed in Scotland as a teenager. This was the start of a lifelong journey for Andy, which took him from the depths of a Yorkshire coal mine to the peaks of the Himalayas. As the story unfolds we see dramatic footage of Andy climbing some of Scotland’s classic and most challenging winter routes in the full spectrum of conditions that Scotland’s mountains can conjure. Distilled is a celebration of Scottish winter climbing and a poignant profile of a life spent in the mountains.

King Lines

March 2007 •English

King Lines follows Chris Sharma on his search for the planet's greatest climbs. From South American fantasy boulders to the sweeping limestone walls of Europe, Sharma finds and climbs the hardest, most spectacular routes. Off the coast of Mallorca he discovers his most outrageous project yet, a 70 foot arch rising from the Mediterranean Sea...

The Old Breed

April 2012 •English

“Getting to the top matters,” or so says veteran alpinist Mark Richey as he prepares to climb Saser Kangri II, at 7,518 meters the world’s second highest unclimbed mountain. In “The Old Breed”, co- director and climber Freddie Wilkinson takes the audience with him on a journey to the heart of one of the last unexplored patches of mountain wilderness: the war-inflicted eastern Karakoram range. As Richey and Steve Swenson, both in their 50s, push the limits of physical health and will power to be the first to claim this final summit, a gripping psychological thriller unfolds.

Cliffhanger

May 1993 •English

A year after losing his friend in a tragic 4,000-foot fall, former ranger Gabe Walker and his partner, Hal, are called to return to the same peak to rescue a group of stranded climbers, only to learn the climbers are actually thieving hijackers who are looking for boxes full of money.

The Descent

July 2005 •English

After a tragic accident, six friends reunite for a caving expedition. Their adventure soon goes horribly wrong when a collapse traps them deep underground and they find themselves pursued by bloodthirsty creatures. As their friendships deteriorate, they find themselves in a desperate struggle to survive the creatures and each other.

Touching the Void

September 2003 •English

The true story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates' disastrous and nearly-fatal mountain climb of 6,344m Siula Grande in the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.

D.L.F.A.

November 2013 •English

The DLFA was a haphazard assortment of young misfits unified by their unwavering pursuit of climbing, partying, and testing the boundaries of socially acceptable behavior. During the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s they established bold first ascents at Devil's Lake State Park and elsewhere in the Midwest. Their spirit of youthful nonconformity and brash rebellion is enshrined in the group's full name: The Devil's Lake Fukness Association.

Vertical Limit

December 2000 •English

Trapped near the summit of K2, the world's second-highest mountain, Annie Garrett radios to base camp for help. Brother Peter hears Annie's message and assembles a team to save her and her group before they succumb to K2's unforgiving elements. But, as Annie lays injured in an icy cavern, the rescuers face several terrifying events that could end the rescue attempt -- and their lives.

W di Walter

September 2013 •Italian

Doo Sar: A Karakoram Ski Expedition film

November 2021 •Polish

Andrzej Bargiel and Jędrek Baranowski roam through Karakoram to create history. This movie is a journey full of passion and love for big mountain skiing told by two friends across 6,000m of descent.

Climbing Everest with a Mountain on My Back: The Sherpa's Story

March 2013 •English

Every year, over a thousand climbers try to reach the summit of Mount Everest, with the annual record for successful attempts currently standing at 633. But of that number, nearly half were Sherpas - the mountain's unsung heroes. Yet the Sherpa community has remained secretive about their nation, culture and experiences living in the shadow of the world's highest mountain. Now, for the first time, they open the door into their world. Without the expertise of the Sherpas, only the hardiest and most skilful climbers would succeed. Every day they risk their lives for the safety of others, yet they seek neither glory nor reward, preferring to stay in the background. Following the stories of four such Sherpas - Phurba, Ngima, Ngima Tenji and Gelu - this film reveals the reality of their daily lives, not just up the mountain, but with their families after they return home.

La Via Bonatti

August 2013 •Italian

Riccardo Cassin, 100 Anni - Un secolo di alpinismo passato alla storia

January 2009 •Italian

Reel Rock 13

November 2018 •English

REEL ROCK 13 delivers jaw-dropping action, soulful journeys and rollicking humor in a brand new collection of the year's best climbing films. Hop on a wild ride to the frigid Antarctic, get the feel of the world's hardest route, explore surreal Bedouin lands and take a run at speed. Four new films feature the world's best climbers, including Adam Ondra, Madaleine Sorkin, Alex Honnold, Conrad Anker and many more.

Verso L'Ignoto

March 2016 •Italian

Blindsight

September 2006 •English

Six blind Tibetan teenagers climb the Lhakpa-Ri peak of Mount Everest, led by seven-summit blind mountain-climber Erik Weihenmayer.

Insostenibile

September 2023 •Italian

To the Limit

February 2007 •German

Daredevil mountain climbers on their attempt to break yet another speed climbing record.

No Need for Parking

June 2006 •English

The film, "No Need for Parking - An African Rock Adventure", tells the story of Mike Blyth, Marianne Schwankhart and James Pitman's epic 2006 flying and rock climbing trip around Southern Africa. This charming, anarchic film is simultaneously tension-filled, beautiful and inspirational. No-one can fail to be moved by the trials which the three adventurers face while negotiating the subcontinent's grandest and most dramatic scenery. The idea giving rise to the film is to draw on Mike's legendary flying skills to transport Marianne and James to three of Southern Africa's wildest and most remote rock walls, which they will then climb, while documenting the proceedings on camera. Events, however, seldom turn out exactly as expected. The resulting film, full of the warmth of Africa, is an object lesson in intrepid friendship and contemporary free-spiritedness, set to a kwela soundtrack.

The Nicole Brothers, Born To Climb

March 2020 •French

This film by Yannick Bacher tells the passion of brothers Frédéric and François Nicole for climbing. Through the sites of Cuzzago (Italy), Zurich, Murg, Pelzli, Montreux, St-Loup, Yverdon-les-Bains, Saint-Triphon or Erde, we learn to know these 2 living legends better, their life choices, their philosophy... United by blood ties, those of fraternity but also by the same passion, that of the rock, of climbing. Fred made climbing history by pushing back the difficulty ladder in the discipline of bouldering. François him, founded a family and carried out a parallel professional career. But both have never stopped exploring, traveling and climbing.