In the documentary, Spencer visits Nepal for one month and recruits Nirmal Purja, the 14-peak record holder and star of 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, to lead the expedition with a 10-man. This is great mission ! Every single one of the other documentaries here features Sherpas or porters who are crucial to summits. One of the first attempts was the 1924 British expedition in which George Mallory and Andrew Irvine disappeared near the peak. Advertisements. Anker's return to the site of the disappearance. It was a huge loss to many especially his wife Jennifer and their three sons. "It's expensive and it's risky, and it's incredibly dangerous for the Sherpas," Everest climber Alan Arnette previously told the CBC. Mount Everest is home to more than 200 bodies. Mediacorp is a Singaporean public broadcast service. I think the Made in Chelsea thing was fun initially, and became less fun and less original for me, he says. I hope further western expeditions to Everest learn from this documentary and clean up their act to ensure anything they take on to Everest is brought back down safely and disposed of correctly. There are far more deaths on its slopes than on Everest, for example. n 1999, Michael Matthews became the youngest Briton ever to summit Everest at the age of 22. Hes worked through any grievances; instead of absence, he sometimes feels Michael is with me, from time to time., We came to grips with the fact that Michael had died a really long time ago, but it was just the feelings around it that have shifted and changed. In addition to their usual camera equipment, Ozturk and his crew relied on dronesa Mavic Pro and an Inspire2to capture footage, aided by an app called Litchi to help with flight paths. Release Date: 2018Available on: Netflix, Amazon Prime. Michael made it to the summit, passing through the Death Zone (the highest section of the mountain, where human beings can no longer get the oxygen they need to sustain life) and reaching the top after the rest of the group. 4 minutes ago. Rachel Nuwer investigates the sad and little-known story behind its most prominent resident, 'Green Boots' - and discovers the disturbing . Michael Matthews on the South Summit (28700 ft) May 1999. You get to watch someone else battle the elements, defy all the odds and make it to the summit (or suffer a rather more sinister finish, if you've opted for the mountaineering disasters sub-genre). A lone team member against a vast expanse of white. Cerro Torre has a long and very tumultuous history in the world of mountain climbing. The body became a grim landmark used to gauge how close one is to the summit. (129) 8.4 2006 TV-PG. Note: due to regional variations, you might not be able to get these on all the listed streaming services where you are. VideoRussian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. ", He added: "Twenty years on to watch Spencer now as a man, as a father, as a husband wanting to try and recover his body and tell Michael's story was a privilege to be a small part of.". Because just like War of the Worlds, 2012 and Independence Day, you come into it knowing that something is probably going to go dramatically wrong. Mountain is co-written, co-produced and directed by Jennifer Peedom who also made Sherpa (a the movie mentioned above). The dramatic self-documented story of 20 elite Nepali climbers who venture into the "Death Zone" of Mount Everest to restore their sacred mountain and the contaminated water source of 1.3 bi Read allThe dramatic self-documented story of 20 elite Nepali climbers who venture into the "Death Zone" of Mount Everest to restore their sacred mountain and the contaminated water source of 1.3 billion people.The dramatic self-documented story of 20 elite Nepali climbers who venture into the "Death Zone" of Mount Everest to restore their sacred mountain and the contaminated water source of 1.3 billion people. More than two decades on, Spencer is retracing Michael's final steps in an attempt to find his body, recording the experience in a new documentary titled "Finding Michael". The True Story of Torn, K2 was climbed in winter for the first time. Jon was present at the 1996 Everest disaster where eight people died and more lost fingers and toes due to a terrible storm. Sign up for exclusive newsletters, comment on stories, enter competitions and attend events. Most of the footage is taken by Renan Ozturk, an acclaimed mountaineer, and narration is by Willem Dafoe who you might know better as the Green Goblin from the pre-Avengers Spiderman trilogy. The dramatic self-documented story of 20 elite Nepali climbers who venture into the "Death Zone" of Mount Everest to restore their sacred mountain and the contaminated water source of 1.3 billion people. Michael Matthews, Jamie Everett and Jayne Everett on the trek to Everest Base Camp. Base camp, at an altitude of 17,650 feet, is higher than the highest point in 49 of the 50 states in the US. It takes him a while; their number is huge. You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. A real chair-gripper with a beautiful story and cinematography to match.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'climbernews_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_16',121,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-climbernews_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0'); Watch On YouTube Watch On Amazon Watch On Netflix Watch on iTunes. Mountain Queen 24.1K subscribers Share 549K views 5 months ago This maybe the last last interview of scott fischer, before disappeared on that mountain. This mountaineering documentary follows their ascent of the Sharks Fin, returning to it after a badly failed attempt three years previously. Much of the narration is taken from Robert McFarnlanes book Mountains of the Mind which explores this exact topic: why do we climb mountains? After all that weve found the best mountain climbing documentaries on Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube. A must watch. The combination of the two makes climbers feel sluggish, disoriented and fatigued and can cause extreme distress on organs. The weather conditions, the terrain, and the lack of oxygen makes it difficult to get to the bodies. Sitting in the living room of his family house, Matthews is affable; cheerful his manner and openness at odds, perhaps, with the grimness of the subject matter. A member of an Indian expedition collapses wi. Michaels death has clearly left a massive hole, but Matthews face exudes warmth as he describes his brother. My friend Jamie Laing thinks its hilarious, how little sympathy and empathy I have around anything, really. This included looking for the bodies and camps that had not been found. And that classic mountaineering conundrum, thats much more comfortable to ask yourself on a sofa with popcorn: would you cut the rope? For full on fans (or the curious), the documentary includes hard to find footage of Messners climbs. You know, what is that going to do to my mind?. See production, box office & company info, Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake. It also contrasts this with another team of Americans doing the same route in 2012. This is a climb in which ambition overrides agony, exhaustion and the chances of survival. They are also the go-to porters and guides for Everest and other famous peaks.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'climbernews_com-leader-2','ezslot_18',124,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-climbernews_com-leader-2-0'); Tensing Norgay is probably the most famous Sherpa as he was the first person to summit Everest, along with Edmund Hillary. They dont give a damn for anybody else who may be in distress and it doesnt impress me at all that they leave someone lying under a rock to die.. The gripping account follows an expedition's attempt to locate Irvine's body (lost for over 95 years) and hopefully retrieve the man's cameraand photographic proof that the two men reached the summit. "You're just trying to keep your cool and watch what the drone is doing and making judgement calls second by second. A climber named Frank Smythe thought he spotted a body in 1936, just below the spot where Irvine's ice axe was found, "at precisely the point where Mallory and Irvine would have fallen had they rolled on over the scree slopes," he wrote in a letter that was not discovered until 2013. Former Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews has been searching for his older brother's body on Mount Everest. So many deaths 11, including a climber from Boulder and stories from rattled adventurers having to step over bodies of climbers who fell short of their dream. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations with other readers. Some of them, however, never left the mountain. A sudden avalanche killed seven Sherpas on his third try, sparking accusations of poor judgement on Mallory's part. Weve scrolled through the good, the bad, the outright ridiculous, and more. Trek the famous trails to Everest Base Camp and follow in the footsteps of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. K2 is notoriously the most dangerous of the Seven Summits to climb. If youve heard that quote from George Mallory who, when asked, Why do you want to climb mountains? answered, Because its there. And if that in any way resonated with you, you might quite like this film. Because there is no way a film crew could have come merrily along where these guys were going! That's what makes Everest Everest. But what happens to the dead bodies that have failed to reach the summit? He grimaces when I mention this; clearly, its something hes keen to avoid. But there's a chance that someone may have beaten them to the summit back in 1924: a British mountaineer named George Leigh Mallory and a young engineering student named Andrew "Sandy" Irvine. Former Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews has been searching for his older brother's body on Mount Everest. Conrad Anker did actually come upon a body from the expedition a grim find which found many clues to the original attempt. November 26, 2022November 24, 2022 | Articles, Mountaineering, Movies, Home Articles The 19 BEST Mountain Climbing Documentaries On Netflix, Amazon Prime + Disney+. She remained in plain view of the mountains Southern Route, leaning against a long deteriorated backpack with her eyes open and her hair blowing in the wind until the 70-80 MPH winds either blew a covering of snow over her or pushed her off the mountain. Now, more than two decades later, Finding Michael charts his brother Spencers attempt to find and bring his brothers body home. Release Date: 2013Available on: Netflix, Amazon Prime. Read about our approach to external linking. In the aftermath of the expedition, Matthews father David brought a private criminal prosecution against the expeditions leader and guides in 2006; however, they were ultimately not found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence. Because it is there is the reason so many men and women have risked death to climb Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on earth.NOVA follows a scientific investigation of high-altitude physiology in Everest: The Death Zone, which examines the biological and psychological changes experienced by a group of climbers during their ascent.Jodie Foster's narration accompanies the team as the NOVA . Max once a week with no spam :), The 19 BEST Mountain Climbing Documentaries On Netflix, Amazon Prime + Disney+, Who Was Alex Lowe? Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? Grylls himself climbed Everest in 1998 at the age of 23. Its not like anyone was there to film it. According to the Sunday Times, the judge summed up the trial by saying: All the evidence shows that [Michaels] death was truly one of the many tragic accidents for which Mount Everest, and the forces of nature that play with such deadly effect upon its summit, have become deservedly notorious.. While its often enough for their clients to haul themselves up to the highest summit on Earth, a sherpa could find themself summiting many times, all in a days work so to speak! Well duh, youre thinking, of course they have to do a reconstruction. An avid mountaineer, Mallory had already been to the mountain twice before the 1924 expedition: once in 1921 as part of a reconnaissance expedition to produce the first accurate maps of the region and again in 1922his first serious attempt to summit, although he was forced to turn back on all three attempts. Mark Synnott at "interim camp," halfway between Base Camp and Advanced Basecamp. The media termed this phenomenon summit fever, and its happened more times than most people realize. Guy (and his crew) spend the early part of the film bashing those who climb Everest. It's also one of the best mountain climbing documentaries of the past two decades. Talking to Matthews, its remarkable how open and frank he is about these hugely painful subjects but when I ask if he had therapy in the run-up to making the show, the answer is a resounding no. For a start, its the only trailer with a thumbnail of, well, anything other than a great big mountain! On the way back down from the mountains peak mere hours later he disappeared and was never seen again. Dead bodies on Mt. The film takes us on a cinematic journey through a range of climbing, mountaineering, skiing, and other big walls or falls. Almost all of them are located in the Death Zone, where such harsh conditions make recovering the bodies a suicidal endeavor. . There are 150 dead bodies on Mount Everest. Its all the better for being a German-made film about German alpinists at a complicated time in the nations history. Spencer reveals an "incredible" video of his brother's 1999 expedition was "brought to the table" by Dave Rodney, a Canadian climber who had been with Michael on the trip. Its a great doc that covers the people, logistics, hazards, and the sheer tenacity of trying to climb K2. Mountaineering documentaries are great. In 2006 another climber joined in Green Boots in his cave, sitting, arms around his knees in the corner, forever. The top portion of the mountain, roughly everything above 26,000 feet, is known as the death zone.. Either the rope snapped or Irvine was forced to cut Mallory loose, since rescue was impossible. Everest in search of Irvine's remains. However, he decided that mountaineering would be his calling. Watch Free On Amazon Prime Watch Free On YouTube. Another must-watch. Matthews himself is a veteran of the television industry. Season 1. Everest - 1998 IMAX documentary by David Breshears, filmed at the same time as the 1996 Disaster. Instead of being an in-depth explanation of the suffer-fests of mountaineering, this film has more of an artistic bent. Their journey is hard to watch but for us, this is the best mountaineering documentary of the last decade. Not one of them stopped. The dramatic self-documented story of 20 elite Nepali climbers who venture into the "Death Zone" of Mount Everest to restore their sacred mountain and the contaminated water source of 1.3 billion people. Audience Documentary Award at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. A rare film that makes it into both our Mountaineering and Climbing Documentary lists. Green Boots is known as such because of the neon boots he was wearing when he died. Despite her Sherpas warning, she set up camp within the death zone. The best trip we'll never do again. And now, when I look at certain photos of him, I kind of feel happiness, instead of sadness. What drives him, how he processes fear (to the extent that they scan his brain) and also the emotional side of the challenge. 2023 BBC. Kilian Jornet is a world-class athlete who skis, climbs, and runs to a world-class level as long as it involves a mountain. Jennifer Ouellette Out of the hundreds of contenders, these are our favorites for many different reasons.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'climbernews_com-box-3','ezslot_6',111,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-climbernews_com-box-3-0'); Mountain climbing or mountaineering does contain some technical climbing but its mostly just battling against the elements, bitter cold, and freezing wind, avoiding falling rock and ice, and getting back down alive. One slip and its goodbye. Team member Noel Odell reported seeing the two men climbing either the First or Second Step around 1pm before they were "enveloped in a cloud once more." The people just want to get to the top. The film weaves together the stories of these two men . Absolutely give this one a go. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. But the best mountaineering documentaries and the best mountain climbing documentaries can teach you a lot about surviving on mountains, never mind be an entertaining way to spend an evening, snuggled under a duvet and dreaming of snowy summits. It probably also helps that Jimmy Chin is a renowned adventure filmmaker in mountaineering circles. Unlike Green Boots, however, who had likely gone unnoticed during his death due to the small amount of people hiking at that time, at least 40 people passed by Sharp that day. You know, it would always be Mike and I teaming up against whoever., Spencer and Michael Matthews on the ascent to basecamp, I always thought that I would grow up to be just like Mike. Ang Dorjee Chhuldim Sherpa, a mountaineering guide at Adventure Consultants who has summited Everest 17 times, was good friends with Scott Fischer, a mountain guide who died in the 1996 disaster . Renan Ozturk remains on the mountain after the rest of the team descends. I took the difficult decision to document it with the family because Ive always wanted Michael to have a legacy. The film also has a pretty big twist that this trailer wont reveal (though others will). The film won the U.S. Five friends ski, climb, and surf their way down the American continent. Including his many solo and without-bottled-oxygen feats. The film Meru tracks the story of the first ascent of the mountain by Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk. The Alpinist is a must-watch for both Marc-Andr and his climbing. THAT B0DY REMAINED ON EVEREST SINCE 1996. 20 min read, 1 Mar 2023 That's comparable to the 1996 climbing disaster, immortalized in Jon Krakauer's best-selling book Into Thin Air (12 climbers died on Everest that season), and the 16 Sherpa lives lost to an avalanche on the treacherous Khumbu Icefall during the 2014 climbing season. Conrad Anker did actually come upon a body from the expedition - a grim find which found many clues to the original attempt. 2 Mar 2023 High and Hallowed follows the 1963 attempt of the west ridge by a crack team of all-American climbers. Mallory and his partner disappeared on their Everest expedition in 1924 and their bodies were taken by the mountain. Does Matthews resent the mountain for Michaels death? He was a traditional adventurer that loved to find new peaks, forge new routes on exotic walls, and did everything from 8,000ers like Everest to technical ice and rock climbing.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'climbernews_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_2',116,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-climbernews_com-large-leaderboard-2-0'); In 1999 he was buried in an avalanche which his climbing partner and close friend Conrad Anker (of the film Meru above) barely survived. But it has a lovely past and present link to it. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations. Release Date: 2012Available on: Netflix, Amazon Prime. Katie Serena is a New York City-based writer and a staff writer at All That's Interesting. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? Now a father of three, Matthews runs several successful business enterprises alongside his wife, Vogue including an alcohol-free drinks business, CleanCo, developed after he went sober in 2018. There were several expeditions that tried to find the climbers' remains. Though he may not have made it, rumors of Mallorys climb had swirled for years. A rope injury around his waist led those who found him to believe he had been roped to another climber when he fell from the side of a cliff. In 2019 Nirmal Nims Purja set out to do something no one had ever done before: Summit all fourteen of the eight-thousand-meter summits in just one year. For those brave souls who survive the harrowing climb to the top of the world, it is a transformative experience. Meru is a mountain that requires the utmost technical climbing skill and the best luck. The NatGeo expedition spent more time than other teams at those punishing higher altitudes, in part because they waited to make their summit push to avoid overcrowding on the route. However, Nims was no tourist. One of the most famous corpses, known as Green Boots was passed by almost every climber to reach the death zone. This documentary tries to get inside the mind of Alex. As a woman, she faced harsh criticism where men wouldnt, simply because she had children. Narrated by Jon Krakauer who is himself a legend in mountaineering. However, on the way down he was caught in a storm, and his guide lost sight of him. Director Marina Martins Writer Marina Martins Stars Namgyal Sherpa Chakra B. Karki Patrick Stewart (voice) Out of the different streaming services Amazon Prime Video is the best of the bunch for mountaineering documentaries with not many on Netflix. Consider this a warning. Creating the documentary allowed the former reality star to discover footage of his brother he didn't even know existed. The climbers that do are usually left with lingering effects. A Chinese climber reported stumbling across "an English dead" at 26,570 feet (8,100 meters) in 1975, but the man was killed in an avalanche the following day before the report could be verified. However, when the unexpected Everest ice avalanche struck, the storyline shifts to focus on the tragedy and its aftermath. Jennifer lives in Los Angeles. They also made several modifications to the drones' climb speed, descent speed, and flight ceiling so they could climb higher and descend faster. Its quite a big difference.. Along the way, team geologists collected sediment samples from the bottom of a Himalayan lake; biologists surveyed the biodiversity at various elevations to track how plants, animals, and insects are adapting to a warming climate; and climate scientists collected ice cores from the highest elevation to date to better understand glacier evolution. For Matthews, it seems to have been a necessary one. This is the type of film that someone without any connection to climbing could enjoy. Mallory was 37 at the time and jumped at the chance to take part in such an exciting adventure, as he feared his advancing age would make it impossible in the future. Featuring stunning scenes of him free solo climbing (alone with no rope) while switching between rock and ice, from using ice axes to his hands and back. The fact that its always referenced when people talk about me, I think is a bit of a shame. By what name was Death Zone: Cleaning Mount Everest (2018) officially released in Canada in English? Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. Nobody ever saw Mallory and Irvine again, although their spent oxygen tanks were found just below the First Step. Try a free month of Prime Video here. Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. Read more Who Was Alex Lowe? Either way, this is an interesting deep dive into the life of someone who started off in the Dolomites as a child with his dad and progressed to lofty heights. Sometimes, you need to satisfy your mountain-climbing itch when there arent any mountains around. Over the years there has been much discussion over whether they had made the first summit. With the climbing season going ahead this autumn, discussion . After 6 years as part of this historic unit of the British Army, he was accepted into the elite Special Boat Service. Touching The Void is a classic mountaineering movie/documentary that left its imprint on both the genre and viewers. Sixteen sherpas died in the avalanche. It sings of explorers and the unknown, trail-breaking exploits of famous explorers. If you dont know about Alex Lowe, he was widely regarded as the best climber of the 90s. NatGeo documentary crews are well-accustomed to overcoming harsh, challenging conditions to get that glorious footage we all know and love. Falls + Crevasses On Everest Khumbu Icefall Queues, Exhaustion, Lack Of Oxygen An Easy Answer. Simple right? Man ignored illness before Everest death - inquest, Gurkha's attempt to climb Mount Everest nears, The black climbers chasing Mt Everest history, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. Gifts For Rock Climbers 100+ Unique Climbing Gift Ideas! The film is a work of historical fiction focussing on the 1936 attempt to climb the north face of the Eiger. Read all Stars Phurba Tashi Sherpa Extreme Everest Expedition EEE is the historical and miracle campaign on the Mt. Directors Marina Martins Starring Patrick Stewart, Namgyal Sherpa, Chakra B. Karki Genres Documentary, International Subtitles English [CC] After finding it 'unbearable' knowing that his brother's body was still on Mount Everest 23 years after his disappearance, Spencer Matthews has decided to create a documentary of his near . Obviously, he died when I was very young the fact that his story has never really been told is something that I wanted to change.. Edmund Hillary and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay made climbing history when they became the first men to successfully summit Mount Everest on May 29, 1953. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. Climbing Mount Everest is a serious endurance test and only professional should attempt to make such a dangerous climb, but even pros get in over their heads and get stranded on top of the mountain, freezing to death! Directed by Jennifer Peedom who also directed The Summit. Approximately 300 people have died trying to scale it in an early scene from the documentary, Matthews searches for Michaels name on a memorial of climbers who have died trying to make the ascent. One of the most horrifying sights on Mount Everest is the body of Hannelore Schmatz. But on his descent, marred by snow and incredibly fast winds, his guide lost sight of him . The film documents his training from day one, forming his team, and attempting peaks like Everest and K2. As is made abundantly clear during the documentary, Everest is an unforgiving mistress. That's when it's time to turn to the best mountaineering documentaries you can find on the internet. In 1999 Conrad Anker discovered George Mallory's body on Everest. Finding dead bodies on Everest is much more common than you might think. This film is about survival in high places when all the odds seem to turn against you. And the danger doesn't end there as NOVA discovers during the descent, when one climber's respiratory illness takes a terrifying turn on the isolated mountainside. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. The fact that he was 22 and the youngest Brit to climb Mount Everest you know, it has always been something that Ive been really proud of, he says; indeed, the family set up the Michael Matthews Foundation in his memory, which supports education projects in Africa and Asia. The team thought it was Irvine's body and hoped to recover the camera, since there was a chance any photographs could be retrieved to determine once and for all whether Mallory and Irvine reached the summitthereby changing mountaineering history. Renan Ozturk (right) pilots a drone at Advanced Base Camp while Matt Irving (left, in red) operates the camera on a separate controller. This is one film of a series called Summits Of My Life made to chronicle Kilians milestone challenges. Spencer referred to the reaction he'd received so far as "incredibly humbling" and he hopes the documentary helps people and moves them. NatGeo is also premiering a second companion documentary, Expedition Everest, narrated by actor Tate Donovan (MacGyver, Man in the High Castle), following an international team that included multiple scientists as they trek up the mountain. "Obviously then when the disaster happened and Michael never came home it was a devastating blow for everyone. Despite the risks, and the bodies they will encounter, thousands of people flock to Everest every year to attempt one of the most impressive feats known to man today. Undeterred, Mallory was back in 1924 for the fated Everest expedition that would claim his life at age 37. And I felt that very much from him. Watch Free On Amazon Prime Watch on iTunes. The activity can be incredibly dangerous even for elite climbers with years of experience. Good movie would recommend (documentary-ish) Ultimate Survival Everest (2004) - Good documentary about a few teams climbing Everest and all of . Probably not. Torn has rare access to footage, pictures, and personal letters about Alexs trips because it was directed by Max Alexs oldest son who was 10 at the time of Alexs death. To me, its like ancient history. The film is biographical, as Messner looks back over his mountain climbing career with surprising candour and self revelation. Featuring a wide cast of climbers and extreme sportspersons. I think the whole attitude towards climbing Mt Everest has become rather horrifying, he added.