In September 2023, Jakob Schubert made history on the limestone walls of Flatanger, Norway, completing B.I.G.—formerly known as Project Big—one of the most demanding sport climbing routes ever attempted. Originally bolted by Adam Ondra and left as an open project for over a decade, the route had defeated the world's best climbers before Schubert brought his own methodical obsession to bear, returning in 2023 with a bold twist: he would attempt the redpoint while livestreaming every try to the world.
This full-length film goes far beyond the send, capturing the raw psychological weight of performing at the absolute edge of human possibility under the eyes of a global audience. Festival audiences at Mountainfilm Graz and the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival recognized it as award-winning work, and it's easy to see why—Schubert's vulnerability and precision on an almost impossibly sustained line make for a gripping watch whether you climb 5.9 or 9c.
In May 2026, Tyler Karow and Julian Kraus-Polk took on one of El Capitan's proudest free challenges — El Corazón, a 5.13b R big wall line that demands technical mastery, mental fortitude, and over a week of sustained effort on Yosemite's most iconic granite face. This 43-minute film documents their eight-day push from base to summit, capturing the raw reality of big wall free climbing at its most committing.
What sets this film apart is its honest, ground-level storytelling — two climbers pushing their limits on a route where the margin for error is razor-thin and the R-rating means protection is sparse. Watching them navigate fatigue, uncertainty, and near-failure before finally pulling off the send makes for compelling, edge-of-your-seat climbing cinema that any fan of adventure and perseverance will find deeply satisfying.
Alex Honnold trades his granite walls for the frozen edges of the Arctic in this full episode of National Geographic's Arctic Ascent, where he leads a team of elite climbers and scientists to the base of Ingmikortilaq — a 4,000-foot sea wall on the remote eastern coast of Greenland and one of the largest unclimbed rock faces on Earth. Alongside Hazel Findlay and glaciologist Heidi Sevestre, Honnold embarks on an expedition that is as much about science as it is about sending, gathering critical field data on the Renland Ice Cap to document the accelerating effects of climate change on one of the planet's most vital glaciers.
This isn't just a climbing film — it's a rare collision of world-class alpinism and urgent environmental fieldwork, set against some of the most jaw-dropping polar scenery ever captured on camera. Watching Honnold methodically work through a massive, previously untouched wall in an environment where cold, logistics, and scale conspire against success makes for gripping television, and the scientific stakes give every pitch an extra weight. Nearly fifty minutes of immersive, beautifully shot footage makes this essential viewing for anyone who loves climbing at the absolute edge of what's possible.
Elias Iagnemma spent four and a half years and over 200 sessions on a single boulder before finally standing atop Exodia — a line he proposes as the world's first 9A+. What began as a project slowly became a daily ritual, woven into every season and setback, always present even when it felt completely out of reach. La Sportiva documents this obsession with rare honesty, from the earliest failed sequences to the morning everything finally clicked.
What makes Exodia extraordinary is its architecture: an 8B+ opening pulls you deep into the movement, followed by an upside-down rest that restores the arms while draining everything else, then an 8C+ finale that has turned back even the fittest climbers. This film is a portrait of what it means to commit fully to the outer edge of human possibility — and what it feels like when years of doubt collapse into a single, almost unbelievable send.
Could the world's first 10a actually exist? This episode of Voies de Légende dives deep into "Insouciance," a jaw-dropping project at Russan, France, that Seb Bouin has dedicated years of his life to. Host Lucien Martinez, who has personally shared sessions on the wall with Bouin, breaks down everything from the route's discovery to its proposed grade of 9C+—a number so audacious it would rewrite the upper limits of the sport.
At over an hour long, this is a rare and thorough examination of what it takes to stand at the edge of human possibility on rock. From the philosophy of mega-lines and the ethics of who gets to attempt a project, to a move-by-move breakdown of 50 meters of roof climbing followed by a 15-move V17 crux, the conversation is as technical as it is inspiring. With Adam Ondra himself in the picture as a potential contender, the stage is set for one of climbing's most anticipated chapters.
Dr. Jeff follows emergency physician Dr. Jeff Yoo through the relentless demands of one of Canada's busiest emergency departments in Vancouver, BC, and out into the mountains and crags of Squamish where he finds purpose beyond the hospital walls. Across three disciplines — bouldering, sport climbing, and traditional multipitch — the film traces his personal journey through burnout, fatherhood, and the search for a meaningful life.
What sets this documentary apart is its unflinching look at the parallels between medicine and climbing: risk management, fear, obsession, and the weight of responsibility. Beautifully shot on the granite walls of Squamish with intimate access to both the emergency room and the vertical world, it's a rare and emotionally resonant film that will connect with anyone who has ever tried to balance a demanding career with the things that make them feel truly alive.
In this full episode of National Geographic's Arctic Ascent, free solo legend Alex Honnold ventures far beyond the walls of Yosemite to one of the planet's most remote and unforgiving environments. Alongside his climbing team, Honnold faces the raw chaos of eastern Greenland's Renland Icecap, where a deadly ice fall strikes before the team has even reached their primary objective — a never-before-completed traverse of the icecap itself.
What makes this episode unmissable is the visceral tension of watching elite climbers stripped of the controlled variables of sport climbing and thrust into true wilderness mountaineering. The stakes are existential, the terrain alien, and the margin for error razor thin. Whether you're drawn to Honnold's composed-under-pressure persona or simply the spectacle of human ambition tested against an arctic giant, this 44-minute episode delivers adventure filmmaking at its most gripping.
Adam Ondra and Mammut venture into the ancient sandstone towers of Saxony, Germany, in this deeply personal 31-minute film. Ondra takes on Die Vertreibung der letzten Idealisten (XIIa / 8c), a stunning line by local legend Robert Leistner, submitting entirely to the region's 150-year-old ground-up ethic — no chalk, no rehearsal from the rope, nothing but raw climbing and consequence above the Elbe River.
What makes this film exceptional is the rare sight of one of the world's greatest sport climbers humbled and transformed by a climbing culture rooted in boldness, tradition, and restraint. Ondra's battle with sweaty hands, exposure, and the weight of history builds to a deeply meaningful ascent — and a tantalizing first encounter with Circus Maximus, a potential future testpiece that could redefine what is possible on sandstone. A must-watch for anyone who believes climbing is about more than grades.
La Sombra del Chamán—The Shadow of the Shaman—takes viewers to the towering limestone walls of El Salto, Mexico, where professional climbers Matt Segal and Emily Harrington set out to free climb the country's hardest route in a single push. Directed by Jon Glassberg and produced by Louder Than Eleven for The North Face, this 15-minute film captures two elite athletes deep in Mexico's vertical wilderness, grappling with sequences that demand absolute precision from the first move to the last.
What elevates this beyond a standard send film is the lens it puts on partnership. Segal and Harrington must synchronize their endurance, manage doubt, and lean on each other across an exhausting day on the wall—testing not just their individual limits but the trust between them. The dramatic limestone of El Salto provides a stunning backdrop, and the filmmaking brings the emotional weight of the attempt right alongside the physical spectacle, making this essential viewing for anyone who has ever committed fully to a climb.
Patagonia Ambassador Josh Wharton teams up with climbing partner Michael Larson and rigger Zack Smith for a remote adventure into Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains, where they set their sights on Spider Web Wall — an obscure and unforgiving backcountry objective. Their goal: free climb Mixed Signals, a 1,000-foot route rated 5.13c, complete with grass-choked cracks, unpredictable weather windows, and the full weight of an alpine approach.
This film captures the gritty, unglamorous reality of big-mountain free climbing — the kind where conditions are rarely perfect and commitment is everything. From working the crux pitch under uncertain skies to celebrating high on the wall after a hard-won send, Wharton and crew deliver a refreshingly honest field report that celebrates process over polish and wild places over crowded crags.
