Kilimanjaro: Going For Broke

The Pillar of Solitude

La Lumière du Rocher

In this retrospective tribute, acclaimed filmmaker Jean Walkinshaw hails the 100th anniversary of Mount Rainier National Park in Washington by talking to those who know it best: the scientists, naturalists, mountain climbers and artists whose lives have been touched by the peak's far-reaching shadow. The result is a harmonious blend of archival material and high-definition footage celebrating an icon of the Pacific Northwest.

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.

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.

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.

Adventure in Bleau is a documentary about bouldering that takes place in Fontainebleau. Directed by Jean-Paul Janssen in 1980 and produced by Antenne 2, it is part of the series "Les Carnets de l'Aventure" and broadcast on the same television channel. It features different generations of the finest free climbing artists of the time: Patrick Edlinger, Catherine Destivelle, Lucien Bérardini, Jean Pierre Bouvier, and Bertrand Roche 'Zébulon'.

Voyage en face sud (Journey to the South Face) is a mountaineering documentary by Patrick Cordier and Jacques Ramouillet that shows the first solo ascent of the south face of the Aiguille du Fou in 1976 by Patrick Cordier himself. The climb was filmed by Jacques Ramouillet from a nearby ridge. Pierre Torlasco was tasked with belaying Jacques Ramouillet while he filmed. For this filmed ascent, Patrick Cordier opted for the dress code of his time—white clothing, bell-bottom trousers, and a headband—rather than the traditional mountaineering attire. The film was presented at the Trento Film Festival in 1977 and at the Gala de la Montagne (Mountain Gala) at the Salle Pleyel in Paris.

In 1975, Patrick Vallençant skied in some very challenging couloirs in the Oisans region: the north couloir of the Col du Diable, the north couloir of the Coup de Sabre, the couloir of the Pic sans Nom, the Barre Noire couloir in the Écrins massif, and the Gravelotte couloir on the Meije. He was accompanied by Jean-Marc Boivin, P. Guillet, P. Perrier, Gérard Pétrignet, Jacques Ramouillet, Pierre Saloff-Coste, and Joseph Spagnolo. In the second part of the trip, Vallençant completed a circuit of the Meije in three mixed-mountain ascents and, above the avalanche debris, skied off-piste through the steep couloirs and glaciers of the Oisans. He then climbed the routes to the summit of the Meije alone, following the stages of a high-mountain itinerary from the Refuge de l'Aigle.

Yûichirô Miura, the man who skied down Everest, journeys to an 8,000 foot mountain in the midst of a frozen antarctic wasteland to experience the incomparable thrill of skiing where no one has skied before.

André Payraud, born in 1948 in Passy, ​​Haute-Savoie, nicknamed "the swimmer of the impossible," is a major figure in French whitewater swimming, known by the nickname "Dédé the Carpet." He is renowned for his daring descents of large mountain rivers and for having helped popularize the sport from the 1980s onward. His achievements include swimming down the Mont Blanc torrent in 1980, the first in a long series of filmed feats: swimming Everest in 1982; the Ganges in 1985; the Colorado; Annapurna; the Jordan River—no river can stop Dédé in his quest for adventure. For his whitewater exploits, André Payraud was made a Knight of the National Order of Merit and received the Silver Medal for Youth and Sports. Alongside his exploits around the world, Dédé set up the first rafting company in Haute-Savoie in 1982, in Domancy, Session Raft, Aventures Payraud mont-Blanc..

Before tackling the ascent of urban buildings, Alain Robert was considered one of the best specialists in the "climbing" of cliffs. His passion nearly cost him his life in 1982, when a fall rendered him 66% disabled. At the time the doctors were convinced that he could no longer indulge in this passion. This does not prevent him, by dint of motivation and training, from climbing more than 170 buildings around the world to date, and from soloing technical routes at his maximum level, such as "La Nuit du Lézard". (8a+) in Buoux (France), where here is "L'Ange en Décomposition", in 1991, a mythical course in the Gorges du Verdon.

A documentary about André Payraud's descent of the Mont Blanc torrent by swimming down it. "I've always had a thirst for adventure. At 19, I was in a diving club and I loved Jacques Martin's show, 'Incroyable mais vrai' (Incredible but True). I dreamed of participating in this hit program." After careful consideration, André Payraud had the idea of ​​the century, an idea that would attract media attention: to descend the Grands-Montets glacier on his stomach, wearing a full wetsuit (mask, snorkel, fins, and neoprene suit). A crazy idea that drew a flood of press coverage. The film, "Swimming Down the Mont Blanc Torrent," directed by Didier Lafond, was broadcast twice on France 2 and even won an award.

André Payraud, a pioneer and specialist in torrents and raging rivers, is nicknamed "the highest swimmer in the world." In October 1999, after the great monsoon, he swam down the Khumbu-Khola, a torrent that originates at 4,807 meters at the foot of Mount Everest, over five days. Furthermore, André Payraud wanted to connect with the people and culture of Nepal.

The climbing couple Heinz Mariacher and Luisa Iovane abandon their usual winter training spot to go in search of places more conducive to free climbing in Algeria in the Sahara desert, more precisely in the Hoggar massif, which saw pass the cream of world climbing Lionel Terray, Roger Frison-Roche, Lucien Bérardini, Michel Vaucher, Pierre Mazeaud, Guido Monzino, Patrick Edlinger, Patrick Berhault and many others. Their objective, to climb the east face of Garet El Djenoun, 500 m high, failed because the wall was too smooth and the cracks unstable. The journey continues in the Hoggar massif towards other peaks, where they find the climbing conditions they were hoping for. An overhang in the face of Tizouyag Nord will prove to be a major challenge for Heinz Mariacher.

Follows Line van den Berg and Fay Manners to the ephemeral landscapes of the Scottish Highlands, on an ambitious mixed climbing mission beset by typically fickle weather. Despite the numerous obstacles they encountered, the most unexpected twist was yet to come. Tragically, since filming, Line lost her life in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps. The film was finished in her memory.

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.

Filmmaker Dom Bush explores his personal relationship with risk through the story of one of his climbing idols, Pete Whillance. A quiet pioneer of extreme rock climbing, Pete established some of Britain's most challenging traditional routes in the late 1970s and 1980s. He is also one of the most prolific route setters in British climbing history, with nearly 1,400 routes to his credit, established over six decades. At 76, Pete continues to climb and set new routes.

A documentary portrait of the legend Eric Escoffier at the height of his mountaineering career. A true athlete, Escoffier has comprehensive, cutting-edge preparation in three different climbing disciplines: rock climbing, ice climbing and solo free climbing, without any safety devices. Philippe Lallet's camera follows Eric in his performances and in his preparation for one of the first La Sportroccia climbing competitions, in 1985 in Bardonecchia in Italy.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Jill Lawrence and Gill Price, members of the women's climbing club Pinnacle Club, made the first female ascents of difficult routes, laying the foundations for what would develop in the 1980s. In 1984, in the Lake District, Gill Price and Jill Lawrence were filmed climbing Empire E3 6a at Raven Crag, Thirlmere, for a Channel 4 program, Lakeland Rock, with Chris Bonington, broadcast on Channel 4 on 25 May 1985. This event marked a turning point in British women's climbing, as few, if any, women appeared on television climbing difficult sport routes.