Mar Alvarez Kif Kif Demain 9a follows Spanish sport climber Mar Alvarez as she returns to a long-term goal on steep limestone: Kif Kif Demain, graded 9a. In this short Mad Rock film, you drop into the final push of a project that has demanded years of patience, refinement, and belief—until everything lines up for a decisive go.
What makes it so watchable is the clarity of the moment: precise footwork, clipped breaths, and the razor-thin margin between a fall and a send on a true limit route. It’s a quick hit of high-stakes sport climbing that captures the quiet grind behind big grades, and the unmistakable release when a hard-earned sequence finally goes.
In this episode of The Alex Megos Formula, Red Bull follows German climbing phenom Alex Megos to the UK’s Peak District on a pilgrimage to one of the sport’s most storied testpieces: Hubble. More than just a line of rock, Hubble is a legend—steeped in history, rarity, and the kind of reputation that makes even the best climbers pause—so Megos tracks down the roots of its myth while soaking up Sheffield’s deep climbing culture.
What makes this short film hit is the blend of heritage and pure performance: a behind-the-scenes look at how a modern master approaches an old-school benchmark, from mindset and movement to the quiet tension before commitment. With visits to icons like Ben Moon and Jerry Moffat and the training-ground atmosphere of The Foundry, it builds toward a sharp, gravity-defying attempt that’s as much about respect for the route as it is about pushing limits.
Mad Rock’s Molly Mitchell- Empowered is a fast, focused portrait of trad climber Molly Mitchell as she steps onto the kind of terrain where commitment matters as much as strength. Set against the sun-baked splitter cracks of Indian Creek near Moab, the film follows Molly putting herself on the line on two new routes: “All Hell Breaks Moose” (5.13 R) and “Dangerous Woman” (5.12 S), offering a glimpse of the person behind an up-and-coming name.
What makes it worth your four minutes is the clarity of its message: bold climbing isn’t just about difficulty grades, it’s about choosing to stay composed when the consequences sharpen. You’ll get crisp desert crack visuals, the hum of hard movement in exposed positions, and the quiet confidence of a climber pushing into the unknown—an energizing watch for anyone who loves the mix of risk, focus, and freedom that trad climbing demands.
Perched off Tasmania’s rugged coast, Totem Pole is one of the world’s most iconic sea stacks—and “Five Ten 2016” follows Sonnie Trotter (with Will Stanhope) as he sets his sights on the Ewbank Route, a legendary line with a storied past. Originally freed pitch by pitch by local climbers Doug McConnel and Dean Rollins, the route’s reputation for tricky protection, exposure, and commitment is exactly what draws Trotter to “The Tote” for a bold, modern free ascent.
This film is worth watching for the rare combination of wild setting and high-stakes climbing: a slender pillar rising from the ocean, constant exposure, and a route that’s both technical and runout, demanding calm precision when it counts. At under eight minutes, it delivers pure climbing intensity—tight movement, sharp decision-making, and the unmistakable pull of a beautiful, spicy objective that feels as remote as it is unforgettable.
Basilicata Stray Rocks follows the Rock Slave team on their XP 2015 adventure through the “Dolomiti Lucane,” where sculpted sandstone towers and boulders set the stage around Castelmezzano and the striking Pietra del Toro. Guided by an old 1980s report from Alessandro Gogna, they trade the familiar for the unknown, heading south to hunt for hidden rock treasures and bring new lines to light.
What makes this short film so satisfying is its blend of exploration and craft: the quiet work behind the sends, days spent searching, cleaning, and equipping, and the shared momentum of a crew building something together. With a distinctly Italian atmosphere and a focus on raw, textured stone, it’s an inspiring watch for anyone who loves bouldering, discovery, and the feeling of leaving a small, earned trace in a wild place.
At Smith Rock’s Aggro Gully, 16-year-old Drew Ruana takes on a long-whispered line and turns local legend into reality. This film follows his redpoint of The Assassin—an ambitious linkup of Repeat Offender, Villain, and White Wedding—proposed at 5.14d/9a and poised to be the hardest route in the park.
What makes it so gripping is the blend of history and pure execution: a route known for years as the “Triple Link,” now tested move by move until it finally goes. Watch for the intensity of Smith’s style—powerful sequences, thin rests, and the kind of precision that only shows up when everything is on the line—plus the extra intrigue of how The Assassin compares to the unrepeated Shock and Awe, sharing the same bottom but demanding its own unique finish.
In this Arc'teryx short, Riders On The Storm follows alpinists Ines Papert and Mayan Smith-Gobat as they battle Patagonia’s infamous weather on Torres Central in Chile’s Torres del Paine. Their goal is the brutally steep east face line “Riders on the Storm” (7c, A3), a historic route first climbed in 1991 and still so rarely repeated that their February 6th summit marks only the fifth known ascent.
It’s worth watching for the sheer density of challenge packed into a few minutes: delicate, runout face climbing gives way to wide cracks and looming roofs, often glazed with ice, all on a 1300-meter wall where conditions can turn in an instant. Equal parts climbing film and storm-chasing sprint, it captures the mix of precision, toughness, and commitment it takes to move upward when the mountain—and the sky—won’t cooperate.
THE NORTH FACE Rock Trip #01 SHIKOKU follows three standout Japanese climbers—Toru Nakajima, Akiyo Noguchi, and Tomoa Narasaki—on a late-2015 road trip in search of new stone. Trading competition walls for the raw uncertainty of outdoor climbing, they head to Shikoku, teaming up with local climbers to find and confront the region’s imposing rock and the challenges that come with it.
What makes this trip worth your time is the blend of elite talent and genuine exploration: you’ll see how world-class strength translates when beta is scarce, conditions are real, and every attempt has consequences. With Shikoku’s distinctive landscape as a backdrop, the film captures the quiet rituals of a climbing day, the tension of committing to big moves, and the post-send reflections that reveal why traveling for climbing still feels like discovery—even at the very top.
Hot Aches Productions drops in on James Pearson’s “The Groove,” an eye-catching gritstone testpiece that blends balletic movement with hard trad reality. In this episode of Now That’s What I Call a First Ascent, we revisit Pearson’s 2008 first ascent and the lingering mystique around a line that, years later, still feels unfinished in the wider climbing story.
What makes this one essential is the combination of pure aesthetics and high-pressure decision-making: technical sequences, subtle body positions, and the kind of commitment that grit demands when the crux arrives above marginal protection. It’s a short hit of UK trad intensity—equal parts history lesson and inspiration—that will leave you scanning the rock for hidden holds and wondering who’ll be bold enough to settle the score.
Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall, the Wide Boyz, take on one of crack climbing’s most infamous nightmares in Episode 4: Century Crack (5.14b). In this punchy Hot Aches Productions installment, the pair bring their Sheffield-born offwidth obsession to the USA, aiming for a first ascent on a line that’s less “hand jam” and more full-body combat.
What makes this worth your nine minutes is the intensity: the raw, awkward mechanics of offwidth climbing, the grit behind a specialized training ethic, and the calm problem-solving it takes when every move hurts. If you’ve ever wondered how elite climbers turn bruises into progress and fear into precision, Century Crack delivers a front-row seat to a truly wild test piece and the partnership it demands.
