We round up some of the best films from this fall’s adventure film fest season. So grab your popcorn, kick back – and prepare to be inspired with awesomeness and adventure.
Langtang
Summary: This is a slightly different Kilian Jornet film – one where he does not run or climb. In the spring of 2015 an earthquake struck Nepal, killing thousands and leaving a trail of destruction. Among those caught up in the drama were Jornet, film-maker Sébastien Montaz-Rosset and crew. They were among the first to enter the Langtang Valley and this film tells the story. Langtang is an ode to life, a tribute to hope and a search for new horizons.
“I have never filmed anything so emotional. It may seem like a tough story but it’s also very optimistic,” says Montaz-Rosset.
Afterwards you will feel… humbled by the resilience of the Nepalese
Where to see: Preorder here.
Langtang Trailer - Summits of My Life from Summits of My Life on Vimeo.
A Line Across The Sky
Summary: Some alpine feats are so off the scale of ‘out there’ that it’s almost impossible to understand how they were possible. Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold’s Fitz Roy traverse certainly ticks that box – 7 jagged summits, 4,000 m of vertical climbing across a 5 km ridgeline of spectacular beauty and ferocity. The pair took going light to new limits, including food for only 3.5 days. The film tells the truly epic story.
Afterwards you will feel… amazed and in awe
Where to see: It’s touring with Reel Rock Tour.
Eclipse
Summary: Photographer Reuben Krabbe had a bold idea: to grab a shot of a skier framed by the 2015 solar eclipse. Just one catch: it required a mega expedition to remote Svalbard to pull it off. The odds were low, the weather bad and the pressure massive. Did he pull it off? Eclipse, from the Salomon Freeski TV stable, is this year’s must-watch ski movie.
Afterwards you will feel… glad you’re not a photographer
Where to see: Watch the full movie here.
The Great Alone
Summary: The Iditarod may be the hardest race in the world. The Great Alone, winner of the Grand Prize at BANFF, captures the inspiring comeback story of champion sled dog racer, Lance Mackey. From his sunniest days as a boy to his darkest hours trapped in substance abuse – then cancer. Dog sledding was his road to salvation.
Afterwards you will feel… Inspired and deeply moved
Where to see: Stay tuned to www.thegreatalone.com and the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour.
K2 Touching the Sky
Summary: In the summer of 1986 nine international teams set out to climb K2, one of the world’s most forbidding peaks. Known as ‘black summer’, 13 alpinists were killed in separate incidents. Almost 30 years on, Polish climber and film-maker Eliza Kubarska traveled to K2 Base camp with the descendants of those who died. Winner of this year’s Kendal Film Festival Grand Prize, it’s a moving documentary and an emotional tear jerker.
Afterwards you will feel… like questioning the benefits of Himalayan climbing
Where to see: Upcoming releases are listed here.
High and Mighty
Summary: Another winner at this year’s Kendal Film Festival, this offering from the Reel Rock stable is about ‘high ball bouldering’, where a fall could lead to serious injury. The film follows Daniel Woods’ epic battle to conquer fear and climb the high ball test-piece known as The Process.
Afterwards you will feel… like you need to spend more time in the climbing gym
Where to see: The Reel Rock Tour.
Onekotan – The Lost Island
Summary: Somewhere between Kamchatka and Hokkaido is an uninhabited, largely inaccessible island in the middle of one of the coldest regions in Russia. For professional free riders Matthias Mayr, Matthias Haunholder and Phil Meier the adventure begins just trying to get to Onekotan. Their goal: the first descent of the volcano at the center of the island, but with temperatures of -20 degrees and unrelenting storms the expedition quickly becomes a dangerous odyssey…
Afterwards you will feel… glad to be alive
Where to see: It’s showing on the European Outdoor Film Tour. Listings here.
Main image: © Kilian Jornet