Mountain Climbing DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM

The generational shift to much more active and healthy lifestyles is now well established. We play sports longer, find new active pastimes and reset new fitness and individual achievement goals to higher levels than ever before. For many, it’s no longer about the routine trip to the gym, pool, and yoga class or getting out for a jog or hike but immersing themselves in the lifestyle. We now see individuals pursue more ambitious endeavours which are life-defining with a global footprint, such as yoga teacher training abroad, cycling treks, marathons, triathlons, Ironman racing, and extreme altitude mountain climbing.

These elevated and more extreme physical pursuits demand that individuals make a substantial commitment and accept increased risks. Injuries are not only training setbacks but may be life- changing, personal relationships can suffer given the substantial time investments, not to mention the humbling risk of failure.

Compared to other hard-core, purely athletic endeavours, mountaineering, at certain levels, also offers unique and undeniably powerful qualities to enjoy. We experience our world’s natural wonders; rich, dense forests, flora and fauna, fresh air, breathtaking landscapes, and rugged beauty. This may be where the saying ‘enjoy the journey’ started. At some point, above the treeline and past the alpine desert, the environment becomes raw, harsh, and uncomfortable. Any successful extreme altitude summit requires not only superb physical conditioning but detailed planning around logistics, gear, climbing partners, a guide team, and an acclimatization strategy is critical. These adventurers must also consider a bevy of unpredictable variables that increase the risk profile; extreme weather conditions, including storms, high winds and piercing wind chill temperatures, avalanches, earthquakes, in some cases, volcano eruptions and often the risk of political unrest and uprising. It is often said that high-altitude mountaineering is all about ‘becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable.

When it comes to high-altitude mountain climbing, the complexity of the undertaking and the number of variables and risks to consider increase dramatically. After mother nature and the many other variables are accounted for, athletes need to consider that the risk of death is very real. Ancient civilizations and throughout history, humans have pursued higher elevations for safety and strategic defence. While the modern-day conquering mountain peaks and scaling cliff sides are not found on the hierarchy of vital human needs, why do we choose to do it? Since Sir Edmund Hilary’s epic summit 70 years ago, Mount Everest continues to capture the imagination of adventurists worldwide, and “Seven Summits” has entered the climbing vocabulary and is now also avidly pursued.

This feature documentary explores the personal journeys and motivations of a diverse cross-section of extreme athletes and mountaineers from around the world with a Canadian perspective. These individuals choose to push beyond the physical limits that most others wouldn’t dare. As we follow their journeys, we seek to understand the passion to take on these monumental challenges, especially where there isn’t tangible or measurable “success” as we might otherwise define it.

Profiles of potential subjects are attached with whom we will explore their adventures and journeys as they share their deeper perspectives and motivations for their lofty pursuits. We will find that it's more than just a potential glimpse of a picture-perfect view they are after; or is it as? After all ...