Tim Kang takes on one of bouldering's most intimidating challenges in the mountains of Tahoe: a V14 highball first ascent he calls "Borrowed Time." The stand start version, "Code Black," was first climbed by Jimmy Webb in 2020, but the low start had never been completed — until now. Presented by Black Diamond and filmed by Vincent Khuu, this short film documents the physical and psychological weight of committing to a route where the consequences of falling are very real.
What makes this film worth watching is the rare combination of elite difficulty and genuine exposure. V14 bouldering is already at the frontier of human ability; doing it on a highball amplifies every move with consequence. Kang's measured approach and the stunning Tahoe backdrop make for a compelling watch, and the first ascent stakes give it a sense of history in the making.
K2 Chasing Shadows follows French alpinist Benjamin Védrines on his obsessive quest to set the fastest known time on K2, the world's second-highest and most unforgiving peak. After a harrowing 2022 attempt that nearly cost him his life, Védrines returned in 2024 to confront both the mountain and the psychological weight of his unfinished mission. Set against the brutal backdrop of the Karakoram, the film traces the evolution of high-altitude alpinism from Reinhold Messner's groundbreaking oxygenless ascent of Everest to the modern pursuit of speed and minimalism at the edge of human survival.
What makes this film essential viewing is its unflinching honesty about the cost of obsession. This isn't a straightforward triumph narrative — it's a portrait of a climber reckoning with fear, failure, and the compulsion to return to the place that nearly destroyed him. The North Face's production brings stunning cinematography to one of the most remote and dangerous environments on Earth, but the real draw is Védrines himself: raw, driven, and deeply human. Whether you're a seasoned alpinist or simply drawn to stories of extraordinary will, K2 Chasing Shadows is a visceral reminder of what it means to chase something that pushes you beyond your limits.
Open Minds drops into Switzerland’s Val Bavona with two of bouldering’s most influential climbers, Will Bosi and Dave Graham, on a mission to uncover future-classic lines in a valley packed with untapped potential. Alongside local legend Giuliano Cameroni, the crew blends vision, psyche, and experience to turn raw blocks into world-class problems.
What makes this film stand out is the contrast in styles: Dave’s relentless creativity and refinement against Will’s methodical, high-powered precision, all captured through the process of searching, trying, failing, and finally piecing it together. With a stack of hard ascents and a first ascent in the mix, it’s a motivating watch about curiosity, collaboration, and pushing the next wave of bouldering forward.
On December 16th 2024, Chris Sharma completed the first ascent of Vision Quest, a deep water solo graded 9a/+, instantly placing it among the most difficult routes ever climbed above open water. Sharma, the godfather of modern deep water soloing, adds another landmark achievement to a career already defined by impossible-seeming firsts.
Vision Quest joins an elite handful of climbs — including Es Pontas, Alasha, Big Fish, and Black Pearl — considered the five hardest deep water solos on the planet. Watching Sharma commit to this route without a rope, high above the sea, is a masterclass in controlled aggression and trust: a 12-minute window into what the absolute frontier of human climbing looks like.
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the first 7A boulder problem ever climbed at Fontainebleau, Seb Berthe and Hugo Parmentier set out on an extraordinary mission: link 100 7A problems in a single day across the legendary forest, traveling over 80 kilometers by bike and on foot between sectors. Shot with rare poetic vision by director Jérôme Tanon, the film transforms a monumental athletic challenge into a love letter to one of climbing's most mythical venues.
This is not just a tick-list stunt — it is a meditation on what Fontainebleau means to those who dedicate their lives to its sandstone. Crimps, slopers, dynamic moves, and quiet moments in the forest all weave together into a deeply human adventure that will resonate with anyone who has ever fallen under the spell of Bleau. Whether you know every sector by heart or have never set foot in the forest, this film is essential viewing.
ANTIGRAV turns its lens on South Korea's most compelling climbing talent in this electrifying 14-minute introduction to Sung Su, a climber whose name is about to become impossible to forget. With a title that dares you to dismiss him, the film wastes no time making its case — this is a formal announcement, a calling card, and a showcase all rolled into one punchy, kinetic piece edited by Brian Kim.
What makes this film worth every second is the raw confidence on display, both from the subject and the production itself. Sung Su moves on rock with a precision and fluidity that makes hard problems look inevitable, and the editing matches that energy beat for beat. Whether you're already tracking the global bouldering scene or just discovering it, this is exactly the kind of film that reminds you why climbing footage, at its best, feels less like a sport highlight and more like watching someone rewrite the rules in real time.
High above the Baltoro Glacier in Pakistan’s Karakoram, the Trango Towers rise like stone skyscrapers—remote, steep, and brutally beautiful. In this film, Edu Marín, supported by his brother Alex and father Novato, sets his sights on a landmark objective: the second free ascent of Eternal Flame on the Nameless Tower.
This is big-wall climbing at its most committing—thin air, huge exposure, and the kind of sustained focus that turns every pitch into a test of nerve and endurance. With the history of the route looming in the background and the scale of the wall never letting up, it’s a gripping watch for anyone who loves ambitious lines, family teamwork, and the sharp edge where adventure meets performance.
Devils Tower rises from the Wyoming plains like something out of a fever dream — a massive column of hexagonal basalt columns that looks less like a mountain and more like a giant's bundle of pencils shoved through the earth. In this film, Noah Kane and Ethan Heinrichs take on two classic routes on this iconic and deeply unusual formation: the sustained crack climbing of El Matador (5.10d) and the historic Durrance route (5.7+), while digging into the rich and sometimes contentious history of one of America's most recognizable landmarks.
What makes this film worth watching goes beyond the climbing itself. The routes weave up splitter cracks that feel unlike anything else in American climbing, and watching the pair navigate the exposure and technique required to reach the summit is genuinely thrilling. But the film also doesn't shy away from the tower's complicated story — the voluntary climbing ban that sparks real debate in the climbing community, and the cultural significance of the site to Indigenous peoples. It's a Thanksgiving release that manages to be both a celebration of adventure and a thoughtful look at who our wild places belong to.
Edge of Entropy follows alpinists Tom Livingstone and Aleš Česen on their return to Gasherbrum 3, the 7958-meter giant deep in Pakistan's Karakoram range. Having previously attempted the mountain in 2022, the pair came back in the summer of 2024 with a clear and audacious objective: climb the technical west ridge in full alpine style, carrying everything they need and committing to the mountain on their own terms.
What makes this Petzl Sport production essential viewing is the weight of that word "return." This isn't a story of two climbers simply ticking a summit — it's about unfinished business at altitude, the kind that pulls you back across the world to one of the most remote and demanding ranges on earth. Livingstone and Česen are among the most respected alpinists operating at the highest level today, and watching them navigate the ridge's technical challenges with minimal gear and no safety net captures something rare: the pure, unfiltered pursuit of a climb on its own terms. At just over sixteen minutes, Edge of Entropy is lean and precise, much like the style of climbing it documents.
Adam Ondra travels to Valle dell'Orco in Piedmont, Italy — a granite paradise often called the European Yosemite — for his first-ever visit to one of Europe's premier crack climbing destinations. Guided by local legend Andrea Giorda, who helped establish many of the valley's classic lines in the '70s and '80s, Ondra sets his sights on Green Spit, a stunning 8b+ steep hand crack first ascended by Didier Berthod over two decades ago. With crack climbing specialist Pete Whittaker on hand to share technique and Marcello Bombardi dialing in the beta, Ondra lines up an ambitious flash attempt on one of Europe's hardest trad routes.
What makes this film essential viewing is watching the world's best sport climber step outside his comfort zone and fully commit to the raw, physical demands of crack climbing — a discipline that rewards technique and pain tolerance as much as raw strength. The setting is breathtaking, the history runs deep, and the tension of a flash attempt on a route of this magnitude is palpable. Whether you're a trad devotee or a gym climber who has never placed a cam, Ondra's infectious enthusiasm for exploring new terrain and his honest reflection on the ascent make this a compelling watch from start to finish.
![Bleau dans la Peau - 100 7A in a day in Font [Fond of Font]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/n17avpctprA/maxresdefault.jpg)
