Top 5 Climbing Movies to Check Out

Everest, Annapurna, Eiger – the names may seem beautiful, but the peaks are scarier than you think. The best climbing movies are a great way to pass a few hours while engaged in tales of human perseverance, whether you’re bored or are simply looking for inspiration. In a surprisingly short period, the emerging climbing film genre has gone from low-budget dirtbag documentaries to spectacular movies, helping to propel the sport of rock climbing into the public consciousness.
Whether you’re an avid rock climber or just a curious bystander, these movies are thought-provoking and amusing testaments to the remarkable lengths some people will go to climbing mountains. So without further ado, let’s dive straight in.

Free Solo (2018)  

I’ll start with the most apparent climbing movie – Free Solo. If you haven’t watched it yet, I recommend stopping reading this in case you’ve been living under a rock or avoided excitement. Free Solo, a documentary by climber and cinematographer Jimmy Chin, documents Alex Honnold’s incredible 2017 solo ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. This giant wall climbing movie puts you on the edge of your seat with breathtaking footage of the life-threatening 3,000-foot vertical climb, both expertly filmed by Chin and drone footage. For this one, a bigger screen is preferable. We’re not kidding when we say that this high drama documentary is deserving of all the praise it has received, including the Academy Award for Best Documentary.

14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021)  

14 Peaks is a brand-new climbing documentary, but it’s already one of the best and most thrilling ones ever produced. What makes it unique is that it follows the up-to-now undiscovered Nepalese climber Nirma “Nims” Purja in his 2019 quest to summit all 14 mountains over 8,000m in just 7 months. The previous record for this incredible effort, which necessitates touching the tops of the world’s most treacherous mountains, was seven years. Since Tenzing Norgay’s time, Purja’s fellow Nepali climbers have gone unnoticed. Purja, a laid-back and amiable figure, dedicates his superhuman power and fearlessness to their predicament.
Please pay special attention to the speed with which he scales the world’s tallest peaks, often completing three in 48 hours while one such mountain would typically take an average mortal two months. 14 Peaks is a newcomer to the climbing scene but is already one of the best. You’ll leave the cinema with the conviction that climbers from Nepal are the best in the world.

Sherpa (2015)   

After viewing 14 Peaks, you may be interested in discovering more about the history of the controversy surrounding the Sherpas. They play a crucial role in assisting western climbers in reaching the highest peaks in the world while receiving little credit for their expertise. If so, start with the book Sherpa, which examines Sherpa culture’s customs and connection to Mount Everest through the eyes of Phurba Tashi, a Sherpa who has ascended the peak 21 times. The movie is focused on what happened after the catastrophic avalanche in 2014 that killed 16 Sherpas and triggered protests by climbers who take the biggest risks on Everest. This provocative movie is essential to watch for every mountain lover and anyone who hopes to climb Mount Everest someday.

127 hours (2010)  

127 hours, a dramatization of the book Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston, is the only name on our list of the best climbing movies that isn’t a documentary. Ralston went canyoneering in Utah in 2003 on his own without telling anyone. After moving a boulder that trapped his hand, he became stranded in a small slot canyon with little access to water and, after five days and no sign of help, had two options left: hand or life. This horrifying account, in which the climber chose escape over probable death, is undoubtedly a testament to their survival instinct and should serve as an excellent reminder to others to climb safely. James Franco’s portrayal of Ralston is entertaining enough, and the grisly escape is a little more tolerable on screen than in the book. Even though we believe the book is significantly better than the movie, it made our list of the best hiking books.

Touching the Void (2003)   

Although Touching the Void lacks the cinematic quality of the previous movies, it is nonetheless a compelling portrayal of the dangers of rock climbing, and everyone should watch it. In Touching the Void, two British climbers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates made the first ascent of the difficult west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. The film is a combination of documentary and recreation. While they are tied together and on the descent, Simpson breaks his leg, and a storm comes in. When you think things can’t get much worse, Yates unintentionally lowers his partner down a precipice and is forced to choose between waiting to die while tied together or cutting the rope. Despite the film’s low-budget production, the implausible events that follow caused uproar in the climbing world and will send you on an emotional rollercoaster.

To Wrap It Up  

Here you go, my top 5 of the best cinematic masterpieces on climbing. Whether you were simply curious about that kind of sport or considering trying yourself climbing, these movies will not only help you spend your Sunday evening in a fun way but will also show you the persistence and natural strength of every person who dares to conquer a mountain holds.