Behind the Curtain of High Mountains

K2 Chasing Shadows chronicles Benjamin Védrines' record-breaking 2024 ascent of K2 (8,611m) in 10 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds, without supplemental oxygen: a story that unfolds as much in the mind as on the mountain. In human exploration, each boundary pushed awakens a new thirst. Each feat paves the way for a deeper quest. It is this tension between extreme performance and inner aspiration that drives K2 Chasing Shadows. For Benjamin Védrines, it is a journey of humility, resilience, and a search for meaning amidst the raw beauty of the Pakistani Karakoram. The film exposes the physical demands of a formidable summit, while also exploring fear, loss, and the perilous nature of dreams that demand total commitment. Between unforeseen obstacles, forced retreats and new attempts, Védrines faces the most trying and exhilarating aspects of mountaineering, constantly questioning where true accomplishment lies.

In Tamazight culture, "Twïza" symbolizes a gathering for sharing and mutual support. This is precisely what Thibault Dion's film explores – January 2019 – as five French climbers land at Constantine airport. While they initially thought they would simply be opening climbing routes in eastern Algeria, this group of climbers from Grenoble discovers much more. Their initial apprehension about exploring this isolated region, coupled with the warm welcome, good humor, and rich culture, transforms their journey into an unexpected human adventure. Fabulous landscapes, thrilling experiences, unforgettable moments, smiles – beyond borders, in the land of friendship and hospitality... Algeria.

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

This film follows the legendary climbing photographer and Stone Master, Dean Fidelman. Fidelman was at the forefront of the free climbing revolution in Yosemite Valley and Joshua Tree during the 1970s, making photographs with John Bachar, Lynn Hill, Ron Kauk, John Long, and many other talented climbers. This documentary takes a look at Fidelman's impact and influence as a photographer and climber.

Zinal

Reinhold Messner - Il quindicesimo 8000

Le Grandi Nord Delle Alpi: Cervino

Alex Txikon, internationally renowned mountaineer, is launching a new winter expedition in 2021 to Manaslu (Nepal). It is the first non-polluting ascent, powered by solar panels. With this sustainable system, which reduces the energy footprint in accordance with the Paris Agreements, the EKI Foundation is beginning its work of solidarity. Alex is going to learn about the work developed by the Foundation in Sierra Leone, where they provide solar energy systems that enable energy autonomy in schools and hospitals. Txikon proposes to replicate this idea in a very special school in the Diamer Valley in Pakistan, the Günter Mountain School, uniting two different but at the same time equal cultures.

“Roche” from father to son… Bertrand Roche, nicknamed Zébulon, the spring-loaded character from The Magic Roundabout, comes from his inability to stay still. At 11, he reached the summit of Mont Blanc, which he has since climbed more than fifteen times. At 12, he took up paragliding and, in the United States, climbed the famous Nose face of El Capitan in Yosemite with his father, Jean-Noël Roche, known as Pap’s, a renowned Himalayan mountaineer and paraglider. He was filmed during this journey by Philippe Lallet and became the central figure in the documentary film Pap’s and Zébulon, as well as in the book written by Jean-Noël Roche and Claude Roche: Pap’s and Zébulon, or, The Extraordinary Adventures of a 12-Year-Old Mountaineer.

Since the dawn of time, humankind has felt the need to explore, whether through terrestrial, subterranean, underwater, or space exploration. This film follows the attempt to connect the Fromagère chasm with the legendary Berger chasm, located in the Vercors massif. The exploration is undertaken by Cédric Lachat, a former world climbing champion, and David Parrot, a highly motivated speleologist. From preparation to success or eventual abandonment, this adventure explores the various facets of speleology: sport, science, and heritage.

Avid for steep slopes, Marco Siffredi (1979-2002) obeys only one rule: not to fall. This gifted kid with hair sometimes blond peroxidized, green or blue clashed in his valley: Chamonix, mecca of mountaineering. His thing was to go up and down on a snowboard. . 90 minutes September 8, 2002, altitude 8848 meters, rare oxygen, his head already brushing the sky and his snowboard running, Marco Siffredi, 23, rushes from the summit of Everest in the Horbein corridor and its slopes at 50 degrees . A year earlier, he had already made the first descent of the mountain on a snowboard. But there remains another corridor… more direct. It's not a challenge, just a reason to be... However, that day, at the top of the roof of the world, his trace is lost...

In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay made history as the first people to reach the top of Everest. Now, 50 years later, three sons of Everest's most celebrated climbers return to the mountain to challenge it again. Join their journey as they brave the elements and face death to climb 29,000 feet of wind-blasted rock and ice. And, relive the dramatic history of Everest from great triumphs to deadly tragedies, enduring rivalries and the unsung role of the Sherpa people—as National Geographic exposes the untold stories that lurk in the mountain's epic shadow and takes you on the ultimate Everest experience.

Fachiri Echi Verticali - Una Storia su Enzo Cozzolino

Patrick Berhault - Il Gesto e La Grazia

After years of mass tourism in the Alps, a rethinking is slowly taking place. Whether researchers, artists or philosophers, many are trying to approach the essence of the mountains in new ways.

27-year-old German alpinist Jost Kobusch wants to climb Everest, alone, without oxygen and in Winter, when the roof of the world is deserted.

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.

The best films of the European Outdoor Film Tour 11/12.

For decades, an elite handful of climbers have competed for the coveted speed record on the 3,000-foot Nose of El Capitan, risking big falls to shave mere seconds off the fastest time. When a record held by superstar Alex Honnold is broken by little-known climbers Brad Gobright and Jim Reynolds, Honnold drafts fellow climbing legend Tommy Caldwell to establish a new mark that will stand the test of time. Honnold pushes for perfection while Caldwell, a family man, wrestles with the risk amid a series of accidents on the wall that lay bare the consequences of any mistake.

Nicolas Jean, a 14-year-old climber, decided to meet climbers who have left their mark on their era and contributed to the evolution of climbing in their own way. Among them is his coach, Laurent Perez, who will guide him on an original project: re-equipping a 7c+ route and adding a variation that will make it his first 8a if he manages to complete it! Nicolas Jean will later become a high-mountain guide and the alter ego of his climbing partner, Benjamin Védrines, with whom he will achieve numerous first ascents, including the summit of Jannu Est (7468 m) in October 2025.