Best of the West

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.

My Upside Down World

May 2021 •Italian

After twenty years of international competitions, the three times Ice Climbing World Champion Angelika Rainer is at a crossroad in her career. 'My upside down world', the first biopic documentary about the Italian climber's personal and professional life, will follow Angelika's path to self-discovery, as the first woman of her family to be fully in charge of her freedom and destiny.

The Huber Buam at Mt. Asgard

February 2013 •English

The climbing brothers Thomas and Alexander Huber attempt to conquer free the infamous "Bavarian Direttissima" (upper tenth degree of difficulty) on the iconic Mt. Asgard on the Arctic Baffin Island (Canada). A 40 days expedition with polar bears, frostbite and climbing at the peril of their lifes.

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.

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.

Stone Locals - Rediscovering the Soul of Climbing

August 2020 •English

Climbing has always been more than just a sport. It’s provided a way of life and a makeshift family to misfits who share a calling. As the sport grapples with its growing popularity, the people who anchor its core and community have more responsibility than ever. This film tells the stories of five of these anchors, the Stone Locals who keep the soul of climbing and nurture it as the sport evolves.

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.

Specimen

January 2006 •English

Everest

March 1998 •English

An international team of climbers ascends Mt. Everest in the spring of 1996. The film depicts their lengthy preparations for the climb, their trek to the summit, and their successful return to Base Camp. It also shows many of the challenges the group faced, including avalanches, lack of oxygen, treacherous ice walls, and a deadly blizzard.

K2

October 1991 •English

They call it the savage mountain. 27 people have perished trying to reach the summit on K2, the world's second highest peak. A U.S. climbing team, funded by millionaire Clairborne is determined to conquer K2.

The Sharp End

February 2007 •English

The Sharp End is an adrenaline-soaked journey up the world's most challenging walls: the French Alps, the Eiger, the Utah desert, the Diamond of Colorado, Indian Kashmir, Yosimite Granite, and the sandstone spires of the Czech Republic. Run-out routes, scary high-ball boulder problems, ice-covered alpine walls and all-or-nothing free-solo ascents will keep your palms perspiring.

Orbayu

February 2016 •French

Nina Caprez and Cédric Lachat are passionate climbers. A passion they share and pushed them to become professionals. They travel around the world in search of walls and cliffs of exception. In Spring 2014 they set up camp beneath one of the most difficult multi-pitch routes in the world – Orbayu (2000 meters). Orbayu is a large limestone tooth which rises above the natural park of Picos de Europa in Spain. This huge wall is among the most beautiful in the world. It’s a mixture of extreme difficulty (8c). But the major problem with this type of wall lies in the fact that weather changes are very fast: rain, low temperatures, wind, etc… The ascent of such walls demand unusual experience. Nina and Cédric document joy, fear, danger, but also the beauty of climbing in Orbayu.

Verso L'Ignoto

March 2016 •Italian

Explorer: The Last Tepui

April 2022 •English

Follows elite climber Alex Honnold and a world-class climbing team led by National Geographic Explorer and climber Mark Synnott on a grueling mission deep in the Amazon jungle as they attempt a first-ascent climb up a 1000 foot sheer cliff.

La Voie Terray

June 2007 •French

Terray. This name sounds like a challenge and evokes deep respect in the memory of every mountaineer. For all, Lionel Terray remains forever the "Conqueror of the useless", the example of a generous and mature mountaineer, far from any egocentrism and any ambition. Not only a pioneer and witness to the history of mountaineering, Terray is also remembered as a man and a master more than an athlete. Forty years after the tragic death of this extraordinary mountaineer and guide, who liked to think of himself as a "simple mountaineer", his former friends and the youngest generation of mountaineers come together in this film to celebrate and remember his legacy.

Reel Rock 11

September 2016 •English

REEL ROCK cranks it up to 11 with our latest collection of electrifying climbing films showcasing the sport's biggest stories and athletes. Featuring Ashima Shiraishi, Will Stanhope, Matt Segal, Brette Harrington, Kai Lightner, Mike Libecki and the Wild Bunch.

E11

October 2006 •English

The story of the first ascent of Rhapsody at Dumbarton Rock, the world's first E11 and hardest traditional rock climb. Huge falls, injuries, tears and eventually success!

Shoshala

Invalid date •French