Every spring, tens of thousands of men, women and children leave their villages for a dangerous trek to the high Himalaya to collect Yarsagumbu, a mysterious transmutation between plant and insect. Used in Chinese medicine, it is worth up to 60 000 USD a kilo, more than gold.
The documentary focuses on the annual Mani Rimdu festival of Tibet and Nepal, an event which encapsulates the Himalayan Buddhist experience.
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...
NAT to the Summit
When you embark on an expedition to the other side of the world, things rarely go as planned. In the spring of 2024, mountaineers and friends Charles Dubouloz and Symon Welfringer flew to the Himalayas with the goal of climbing Gyachung Kang, a peak of over 8,000 meters on the Tibetan side. But faced with the conditions they encountered there, they revised their plans and headed towards Hungchi, on the Nepalese border. There, they opened a 1,700-meter route in pure alpine style, named The Headless Rider.
In this fascinating sequel to "Is Genesis History?", watch a team of scientists discover new evidence for the global Flood. By the time the journey is over, you'll understand exactly how modern science connects to the book of Genesis.
This documentary follows the feats of high-altitude climber Jerzy Kukuczka and his ascent to higher heights before his death in 1989.
Satyajit Ray's poetic documentary was commissioned by the Chogyal (King) of Sikkim at a time when he felt the sovereignty of Sikkim was under threat from both China and India. Ray's documentary is about the sovereignty of Sikkim. The film was banned by the government of India when Sikkim merged with India in 1975. The ban was finally lifted by the Ministry of External Affairs in September 2010. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2007.
An expedition to climb British Columbia's highest mountain goes awry in the face of bad weather, a series of comic mishaps and the stubborn insistence of its leader on using antique climbing equipment.
Les Etoiles de Midi is an engaging docudrama about some of the more spectacular exploits of French mountain climbers over the last several decades. In one re-enacted story, there is a wartime escape through the mountains, and in another, a daring rescue of a pair of climbers who had been missing. The actors themselves are adept at the sport of climbing, and they give the scenes an immediacy and real daring that brings the stories alive. A combination of their acrobatics and skill and the outstanding episodes in the history of French climbing creates a winning 78 minutes.
Directed by Marianne Chaud
The highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayan range is far reaching, spanning thousands of miles, and holds within it an exceptionally diverse ecology. Coniferous and subtropical forests, wetlands, and montane grasslands are as much a part of this world as the inhospitable, frozen mountaintops that tower above. The word Himalaya is Sanskrit for abode of snow, fitting for a stretch of land that houses the world’s largest non polar ice masses. Extensive glacial networks feed Asia's major rivers including the Ganges, Indus, and Brahmaputra. More than a billion people rely on these glacier-fed water sources for drinking water and agriculture. The Himalayas are not only a remarkable expanse of natural beauty. They're also crucial for our survival.
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.
Six blind Tibetan teenagers climb the Lhakpa-Ri peak of Mount Everest, led by seven-summit blind mountain-climber Erik Weihenmayer.
Astrophysicist Jean Surdej brings a small group of teenage pupils on a trip to the Lofoten islands in northern Norway, for a very special class on the solar system. Using the geography of the archipelago to illustrate the distances between the planets, they journey through space by car and ferry, with the picturesque landscapes standing in for the black emptiness that surround the heavenly bodies. A masterstroke of both pedagogy and filmmaking, Children of Stars is a captivating documentary about humanity's place in the grand scheme of things.
In July 2024, Liv Sansoz and Bertrand Roche (aka Zébulon) made history in Himalayan mountaineering by climbing K2 (8,611m) without supplemental oxygen, then paragliding from the summit. The couple achieved a highly coveted first, and for Zébulon, the feat was all the more impressive as he had already completed the first tandem paragliding flight from Everest in 2001. More than just a climb, this film is a love story where Liv and Zeb share their doubts, emotions, and determination, carrying a shared dream where every step is taken together, united to the very end.
In 1915, the First World War is in full swing and young men are called to military service in rows - including Franz and Peter. Both are sent to the Dolomite front, in order to fend off a threatened Italian attack. Comradeship and loyalty are needed in the fight, but Franz and Peter are ever enemies. Since Peter's romance with Anna, the competition between the two flares up more. But the circumstances of the war and the harsh weather in the mountains soon end those hostilities.
In 2023, Theodoros Ziakas and a group of friends created the “Dragon Trail,” a unique route through the mountains and rivers of Epirus—one of Europe’s last unspoiled landscapes. But in this region, the ecosystem and its vital lifelines face imminent risk of destruction. The film follows Akis Ziakas, a long-distance athlete who lives and trains in this enchanting setting. Drawing on his ultramarathon experience, Akis sets out to establish a new mountaineering trail connecting the three famous dragon lakes. The route pushes him to his physical and psychological limits, as he battles his inner demons while striving to complete the journey—one that unfolds amid breathtaking natural beauty, forging a profound connection between man and nature.
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Fachiri Echi Verticali - Una Storia su Enzo Cozzolino