With the rise in climbing popularity comes the increase of epic climbing films.
Don’t get me wrong—there are fantastic flicks from the 90s to feed your stoke but with the advancement of technology and aligned budgets associated with climbing films, watching somebody send has never looked so good.
Experience the thrill of Alex Honnold free soloing El Capitan or Adam Ondra achieving legendary status in Norway.
But wait, hold on… why do we love watching other people climb so much? Sure, seeing others climbing grades that we couldn’t even begin to conceive is cool. Or maybe we enjoy watching daring ascents of the world’s most remote landscapes and want to live vicariously.
I think we enjoy watching others climb because we can relate to the person on the screen. We may not be achieving daring first ascents or climbing the hardest routes in the world. But we can connect with these incredible athletes on a different level: Our shared love for climbing.
Want to get sweaty palms watching outrageous and historical ascents? Maybe you’re in the mood for a lighthearted and hilariously inaccurate depiction of climbing. Whatever you throw on for your next movie night, let it be one of these climbing films.
15 – The Eiger Sanction (1975)
The Eiger Sanction features Clint Eastwood starring as Jonathan Hemlock, an art history professor, mountain climber, and former assassin. If this doesn’t sound wild enough for you, I’m not sure what else will.
Jonathan is blackmailed into pulling one last job as an assassin and joins an international climbing team in Switzerland. The plan is to ascend the north face of Eiger and avenge the murder of an old friend. Although you must look past the outdated sexism and racism that 1970s films included, the climbing is apparently fairly accurate.
A cool tidbit is that the Navajo Council granted the crew access to climb a delicate monolith in Monument Valley. In return, they were to clean the previous pitons left on the spire, making Clint Eastwood the last legal ascensionist.
14 – Vertical Limit (2000)
If realistic is what you’re for, you’ll want to skip Vertical Limit. Although a survival thriller, this film is popular among climbers because of everything it gets wrong. Be ready to either get really upset or laugh until you cry at the inaccuracies of this film.
Although set as a rescue mission on K2, the film starts with an outrageously inaccurate scene in Monument Valley. While the main characters, siblings Peter and Annie, are climbing with their dad, a group above them falls and crashes into them. With both parties hanging from a single cam, Peter must save them by cutting the rope- killing their father.
As the film progresses, we learn that Annie resents Peter for that time in Monument Valley. However, while trying to summit K2, an avalanche traps Annie and the other climbers. Peter is on the rescue team and is determined to save his sister. Eventually, everyone starts killing each other, and we wonder how this is a climbing film at all. Trust me, if you want something to laugh at, this thriller is it.
13 – Cliffhanger (1993)
Cliffhanger is among the most absurd climbing movies I’ve ever seen. It’d be cool to own a bolt gun that could shoot into the rock at the pull of a trigger but I can’t get past the free soloing while wearing gear!
This classic action-packed thriller stars Sylvester Stallone as a mountain rescue expert. In it, he finds himself entangled in a high-stakes heist in the Rocky Mountains. His climbing stunt double, prolific legend Wolfgang Güllich, is shown dynoing on unknown terrain. Seems about right, right?
Unfortunately, Güllich died in a car accident while shooting this climbing film. He was then replaced by Ron Kauk, who finished the climbing stunts for Stallone.
Cliffhanger will make you wonder what your family thinks you really do when you go climbing. If you want something to laugh at while simultaneously enjoying the story, check out this film for your next movie night!
12 – Progression (2009)
This climbing documentary should be on every list of climbing films. Including renowned climbers like Alex Honnold, Daniel Woods, Tommy Caldwell, Chris Sharma, and Adam Ondra, you’ll want to go climbing after watching this.
Progression is a climbing documentary set in Clark Mountain, California, and Oliana, Spain. Check out Tommy Caldwell’s early stages of his Dawn Wall project and Kevin Jorgeson’s media debut as a high-ball boulderer. You also get to see Sharma’s ascent of Jumbo Love 9b/5.15b and a young and ambitious Adam Ondra.
11 – Hard Grit (1998)
The UK is home to fantastic gritstone that boasts physically and mentally tough climbs. Hard Grit is it if you’re looking for something to get you out of your comfort zone.
This film opens with Jean–Minh Trinh-Thieu climbing Gaia (E8/6c) well above his last piece of protection. Known as the “no fall zone,” Trinh-Thieu falls. Instead of decking, he swings HARD and slams into the wall, breaking his leg.
This is another excellent climbing film where I would prefer to live vicariously through the screen. We get to learn about UK climbing legends like Jerry Mofat, Ben Moon, Leo Houlding, and Johnny Dawes. We also learn how they deal with fear and how taking risks is important in climbing. E8 is no joke!
10 – King Lines (2007)
Get psyched about climbing and watching Chris Sharma find what he calls “king lines.”
Sharma is a professional rock climber who took the world by storm when he started competing at a young age. Starring in this film, he travels looking for challenging routes that require creativity and technique to send.
King Lines is centered around Sharma establishing the hardest deep-water solo in the world. I’ve only deep-water soloed on one trip, and let me tell you, it’s nerve-wracking! Make sure this is on your list of climbing films if you want something to get psyched about sending your project.
9 – 14 Peaks (2021)
Nirmal Purja is a Nepalese high-altitude climber with a contagious and affectionate personality. 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible is his attempt to climb the world’s 14 highest peaks with an altitude greater than 8,000 metres (26,247 ft).
The first person to achieve this feat was legendary climber Reinhold Messner and he did so in 16 years. The second person to accomplish this feat was Kim Chang, who did so in 7 years. Nirmal Purja climbed all 14 peaks in less than 7 months!
Besides the incredible achievements in the film, the cinematography is truly stunning. Sit back and enjoy a spectacularly made film with incredible Himalayan Mountain shots.
8 – Touching the Void (2003)
If harrowing alpine adventures are your kind of thing, then so is Touching the Void. This story follows Joe Simpson’s novel of the ascent he and his partner, Simon Yates, completed in 1985. The summit of Siula Grande in Peru sits at 6344 metres (20,814 feet). However, after sending the 1371-metre (4,500-foot) west face of the mountain, they were captured in a life-altering storm.
Before the storm, Simpson fell down a 6-metre ice cliff and shattered one of his legs. As Yates was lowering him down the mountain 90 metres at a time, the storm was getting closer. This is when Simpson slides over a second cliff.
After spending an hour trying to hear his partner or haul him back up, he made a choice. With an impending blizzard, Yates decided to save himself: He cut the rope.
Simpson survived a 45-metre fall into a crevasse. Miraculously, he crawled out of the crevasse and spent three and a half days following his partner’s disappearing footsteps. This is one of those climbing films isn’t for the faint hearted but if you’re looking for an accurate depiction of mountaineering adventure gone wrong, Touching the Void is it.
7 – Meru (2015)
The Shark’s Fin, rising almost 7,000 metres (20,000 ft) above the Ganges River in the Indian Himalayas, is a remote and dangerous peak. But is it too dangerous for three incredibly accomplished climbers? Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk tried to achieve history in 2008. But after getting close to the peak, harsh conditions required them to retreat just below the summit.
In 2011, the trio returned to Shark’s Fin and set out to accomplish their previous goal: reach the summit. This epic climbing film is the perfect chance to live vicariously through experienced mountaineers.
6 – The Alpinist (2021)
Marc-André Leclerc was a free-spirited unknown rock climber, ice climber, and alpinist who achieved enormous feats of free-soling. Leclerc was little known outside the climbing world but pushed boundaries and broke records by himself on the wall. The shaggy-haired, lighthearted young man was a true dirtbag who did what he wanted to: climb.
This film follows his story of attempting the first winter solo ascent of Torre Egger, an on-sight at that. If you’re looking for a movie to remind you why you enjoy the natural simplicity of rock climbing, The Alpinist is sure to deliver.
5 – Reel Rock Series (2016 – Present)
Arguably, every Reel Rock has showcased amazing climbing films. They’re in their 18th year of producing films and are still creating palm-sweating and heart-wrenching content. Instead of telling you to check out each one (which you should anyway),
I’ll give you some honorable mentions:
Reel Rock 7 may be the most popular, so I’d start there. It includes the race between Chris Sharma and Adam Ondra to be the first to climb La Dura Dura (9b+/5.15c). Plus, we get to watch the “Wide Boyz” coming to America and sending an 8b+/5.14 off-width crack. It also includes some of the filming of Meru and, of course, Alex Honnold romping around Yosemite.
Reel Rock 15 included “Black Ice,” my favourite film from that year. It’s the story of how climbers from Memphis, Tennessee, pursue their passion for climbing. They get the chance of a lifetime and get to try their hand at ice climbing with Conrad Anker.
Besides being a great climbing film, “Black Ice” shines a light on some of the climbing community’s troubles. By showcasing climbing’s lack of representation in minority communities, Memphis Rox shows how they’re a community-driven climbing gym. It’s a truly inspiring flick.
Reel Rock 12 is how the world learned of Margo Hayes. This film includes Hayes’ journey to becoming the first woman to climb a route graded 9a+/5.15a. She’s gone on to do similar hard ascents, but this is the first of its kind in climbing history. A must-watch!
4 – Silence (2018)
This would only be a proper climbing film list if it included the ascent of the hardest route in the world (9c/5.15d).
Adam Ondra spent 40 days spread over 7 visits from 2016 to 2017 to send the route in Flatanger, Norway. He had just climbed Change, the world’s first 9b+/5.15c, when he decided to bolt the new route. After a small period of trying it intermittently, he eventually returned to focusing his energy entirely on this one cave route.
In a beautiful, cinematically shot film, Ondra talks through his process of memorising the moves and the specific training he performed. On September 3rd, 2017, Ondra sends Silence. After naming the climb “Project Hard,” he felt it deserved a more appropriate title.
Ironically, Ondra didn’t power scream when he finished the route like he normally does. Instead, he says he felt an inner quiet, which is where the name “Silence” comes from.
3 – Valley Uprising (2014)
Yosemite National Park has historically been called the ‘mecca’ of climbing. Camp 4 campground was called ‘home’ for many dirtbag climbers in the 1970s. The Stonemasters consisted of legendary climbers like Ron Kauk, John Bachar, Lynn Hill, John Long, Dean Fidelman, and others. They were the inhabitants of Camp 4, and together, they pushed climbing beyond its limits.
They fought for their right to climb with the park service, ate tourists’ leftovers, and truly lived in the dirt. These hippies did more than push the limits of climbing—they fought against counterculture, establishing a way of life on the fringes of society.
The dirtbag lifestyle is still attainable today but will never look the same as the Stonemasters living in Yosemite. Check out Valley Uprising when you want a dose of climbing nostalgia.
2 – The Dawn Wall (2018)
Professional climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson fight to establish the first ascent of the Dawn Wall on El Capitan. In this story full of heart and perseverance, we learn about Caldwell’s obsession with his new project.
This film uncovers his rocky history of being captured in Kyrgyzstan and needing to fight for his life. Also, the loss of his index finger in a table saw accident that changed his climbing forever. Plus, the distraught story of separating from his wife and professional climber, Beth Rodden.
1 – Free Solo (2018)
Alex Honnold changed the future of climbing with what is likely the most popular climbing documentary ever. As a renowned free solo climber, Honnold dared to go where no other had before.
In 2017, he climbed Freerider on El Capitan in Yosemite with only his chalk bag and climbing shoes. This 3,000-foot-tall route, which many can’t comprehend, he climbed without a rope.
I understand the overhype of this film, but I truly think it could be the best climbing movie out there. It tackles the physical and mental toughness needed to tackle the largest climbing objective to date. One wrong move can result in disastrous consequences for Honnold. Get your chalk bag ready because you’ll have second-hand sweat when watching this movie.
What are your favourite climbing films?
We enjoy watching others climb because we can relate to the people on the screen. It doesn’t matter if you’re watching the Stonemasters living in Yosemite or Marc-André Leclerc pushing climbing’s limits. A shared passion creates a sense of community even when we never meet.
Do you have other favourite climbing films that is not listed here? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll check it out!
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