Walmsley the Film

Par monts et par maux

The Alps – wild mountains, extreme lives, but also a magical world. This majestic mountain range connects eight countries and reaches heights of up to 4,000 metres above sea level. At a length of 1,200 kilometres, the Alps form both a connecting bridge between western and eastern Europe and a high barrier between southern and central Europe. The mountains act as a mighty water reservoir and continental watershed, feeding innumerable rivers that flow into three different oceans. Their highest peak, Mont Blanc, is surrounded by long, soaring mountains with ice-covered slopes. These great summits are just one reason the so-called “Roof of Europe” continues to fascinate – across the continent and around the world. The incredible diversity of landscapes, flora and fauna makes the Alps a unique natural treasure at the heart of Europe.

Our imperative is not an individual's victory - but a better community.. We do not want to overtake you - but to surpass ourselves.. Our results do not point out that we are better - but that you can do it as well.

Chamonix - Mont Blanc, Une histoire de conquêtes

Mont Blanc, the roof of Europe, attracts the attention of mountaineers from all over the world, from seasoned climbers to novices. With its extensive media coverage, this mountain represents a dream of adventure for an ever-growing audience. Catherine and Maël, natives of Chamonix, also dream of reaching its summit. But climbing the giant of the Alps is a major undertaking that requires rigorous high-altitude training. Aware of the risks, the two novices enlist the help of Jean-Paul Lemercier, a high-mountain guide. He will give them the opportunity to learn about this challenging environment during a "Mont Blanc Course," which includes ice climbing school, two acclimatization peaks, and the ascent of the legendary mountain over three days. Set against the majestic backdrop of the Mont Blanc massif, this film retraces their preparation, their attempts, and the realization of their dream, day by day.

In the Arctic Circle, Jason Fox and an elite team of military veterans open up to each other about men’s mental health while taking on one of the world’s toughest ultramarathons.

The ascent of Mont Blanc takes two days. First, you have to climb the Aiguille du Goûter, at the summit of which, at 3,817 meters, clings the Goûter refuge, a small metal box where you spend the night. The climb is 1,500 meters long, including some of the most technical sections. 2:00 a.m. The alarm rings, and Carole Dechantre and Jean-Paul Lemercier begin their ascent of the Dôme du Goûter by the light of their headlamps. With the first rays of sunlight, the Arête des Bosses is illuminated. Already, the surrounding mountains seem smaller. One last effort, and they finally reach the summit of Mont Blanc, the roof of the Alps, at 4,810 meters.

The Middle Way

In 2015, L’Équipe Explore profiled Anton Kupricka, an outlier in the world of ultra-trail running. He earned this status thanks to his impressive track record, but above all because of the polarizing image he projects: that of a runner with the look of a woodsman—a maverick with a minimalist lifestyle entirely devoted to the mountains—who nonetheless evolved over the years into an accidental hipster, becoming as much a marketing asset as a popular phenomenon, a unique feat in the niche world of ultra-trail running.

This is Gaston Rebuffat's fourth film, in which, with several close friends, he discovers the sublime landscapes of the Alps. “Mont-Blanc is beautiful. I climbed it several times depending on the time, the color of the sky and the shape of the cornices and ridges. Because of the weather and also because of this feeling of altitude, Mont-Blanc provides great pleasure. For the guide, Mont Blanc is his garden, but the garden becomes more beautiful when shown to a friend. Personally, I really like the bivouacs; only there one penetrates a little the mystery of the altitude. That's why I immediately accepted when Tazieff expressed the desire to spend the night at the top of Mont Blanc in an igloo. The film won the Grand Prix at the Trento Film Festival in 1961.

The only recorded completion of the North Cascades High Traverse took 28 days. Motivated by the challenge of rugged mixed-alpine terrain, trail runners Kaytlyn Gerbin and Jenny Abegg set out to complete the epic linkup in 6.

La Grande Traversée

Living in Chamonix means observing Mont Blanc all the time. It's such an iconic summit." For several years, athlete Hillary Gerardi has shone on the podiums of the biggest trail races, but her gaze is set on high altitude. Victim of a terrible accident a few years earlier, she questions her legitimacy as a mountaineer to measure herself against the most prestigious mountain running record. The round trip starting from the church of Chamonix, the capital of mountaineering, to the summit of Mont Blanc. Secretly, Hillary has dedicated her last three years to this meticulous preparation, but that was without counting on climatic hazards that are much less controllable than her own determination... On the eve of the International Year of Glacier Preservation in 2025 (UNESCO), this inspiring film harmoniously combines the sporting performance of Hillary's record and the awareness of the importance of glaciers through the speech of glaciologist Heidi Selvestre.

Sally McRae took on her second 200 mile race with the goal to get the best out of herself, and to put herself out there for a podium position. This film follows the whole story of what it means to commit to finishing what you set out to do, and refusing to give up too early.

Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps, rises to 4,810 m and was first climbed on August 8, 1786. Chamonix natives Jacques Balmat and Michel Paccard set out on the afternoon of August 7 and returned victorious on the morning of the 9th, after two nights spent outdoors. This film is a staging that reconstructs this great event with all the problems it created and resolved, thus contributing to the emergence of the modern concept of mountaineering. Denis Ducroz, guide and filmmaker, immerses us in the minds and times of these two men, 224 years later.

After losing his mother to obesity, a thirty-two year old chubby ginger comedian and vegan son-of-a-pig-farmer sets out to avoid the same fate by running one hundred miles through the mountains of Colorado in one of the world's most difficult ultra trail marathons...and lives to tell jokes about it.

We're proud and excited to present the Official Selection for the Trail Running Film Festival 2023 Global Tour. We're honored to bring these amazing stories by wonderfully talented filmmakers to theaters, trail races, running stores and community centers around the globe. FROM THE SHADOW OF A MOUNTAIN - Alex Massey, SOLO - Ellie Green CHASING CRAZY - Lady Mountain Films, RUN FREE - Ethan DeLorenzo, THE REALITY OF RUNNING - Milo Zanecchia, FAITH IN THE FUTURE - Adam Wells and Ryan Scura, FOOTPRINTS RUNNING CAMP - Max Romey, NETTIE FROM OHIO - Jessica Vandenbush, OUT TRAILS - Nick Danielson

One of the most successful ultrarunners of all time Lithuanian Aleksandr Sorokin talks about challenges, emotions and thoughts running 24h in World Championship in Verona, Italy. He openly describes the hardest moments of his attempt to break 24h running world record. That is one of the rare moments when elite athlete talks about weaknesses and pressure he feels every day and how he cope with it.

In 1910, Arrigo Frusta and the operator Giovanni B. Vitrotti took the camera up to the 4000 meters high of the Mont Blanc chain to make three short mountaineering films for the Società Anonima Ambrosio. They were the first in Italy to realize documentaries in the high mountains. In this first film, a party of three mountaineers, including Arrigo Frusta make a mountaineering traverse in the Mont Blanc Massif. The purpose of the film is not to show a concret ascent, but to show the beauty and spectacularity of the high mountain landscapes and the the fascination of those who venture to conquer the high peaks. The other two films of the series are: 'Da Courmayeur al Colle del Gigante' and 'Sulle dentate scintillanti'.

Les Amants des Drus