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15 Movies for Die-hard MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

Mountain trekking movies - streettrotter

On popular request, following our previous post on 9 Movies for Himalayan Lovers – Comes List 2 – 15 more must watch movies for our most passionate community of MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS. After receiving almost 15,000 views in a single week on the last list, I was compelled to put together another one, with true respect for all these movie makers and die-hard watchers alike. So, be it the Everest, the K2, the Alps, the Nanga Parbat or the Eiger – there is no single mountain that has not been conquered by some daring few – who keep making history from time to time! Indulge yourself in these intimidating conquests, before you go out there to write your own climbing story… 

#1. Vertical Limit (2000)

The Plot: “The Vertical Limit” is a high-adrenaline tale of a young climber who must launch a treacherous and extraordinary rescue effort up K-2, the world’s second highest peak, to save his sister and her summit team in a race against time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trp5hxov5tc

#2. Into Thin Air: Death on Everest (1997)

The Plot: An adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s best selling book, “Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster”. The movie attempts to recreate the disastrous events that took place during the Mount Everest climb on May 10, 1996.

#3. K2 The Ultimate High (1992)

The Plot: A pair of climbers share a love of risky mountain climbing and embark on numerous collaborative expeditions. During one of these climbs, they encounter a team of fellow mountaineers preparing to tackle the legendary Pakistani mountain K2. Brooks immediatelybecomes obsessed with this task, and he convinces the reluctant Jamison to join the team. The bulk of the film centers on the dangerous climb and even more challenging descent, beset with challenges both natural and human.

#4. Touching the Void (2003)

The Plot: The true story of two climbers and their perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985. They succeed, and the two embark on the treacherous descent down the mountain — only to meet with disaster when Simpson breaks his leg in a fall, leaving Yates to lower him the rest of the way with ropes. When a storm threatens both their lives, Yates must decide whether to cut the rope and risk Simpson’s likely death.

#5. Nanga Parbat (2010)

The Plot: The tragic Nanga Parbat expedition by the two Messner brothers in 1970, in which the younger of them died.

#6. North Face (2008)

The Plot: Based on a true story, North Face is a suspenseful adventure film about a competition to climb the most dangerous rock face in the Alps. Set in 1936, as Nazi propaganda urges the nation’s Alpinists to conquer the unclimbed north face of the Swiss massif – the Eiger – two reluctant German climbers begin their daring ascent.

#7. Cliffhanger (1993)

The Plot: A former mountain rescuer is pitted against a group of criminals who have lost their $100 million stash during a plane crash in the Rocky Mountains. After being persuaded to help rescue a group of stranded hikers, he discovers that they are in fact a gang of violent robbers who need help to locate their missing loot.

#8. The Climb (2002)

The Plot:  Two professional mountain climbers are constantly at each other’s throats. The men push their lives to the edge — and test one another’s endurance — when they decide to scale one of the highest peaks in the Chilean Andes.

#9. The Eiger Sanction (1975)

The Plot:  In this exciting adventure, the humble life of an art history professor is upended when his dark past catches up with him and he is blackmailed into resuming his former career as a professional assassin for a secret international organization. The leader of the organization tells the killer that they will release him after he performs this last “sanction” which is to take place during an ascent of the Swiss Alps notorious mountain, the Eiger.

#10. The Wildest Dream (2010)

The Plot:  Mountaineers Conrad Anker and Lou Houlding set out to recreate famed British explorer George Mallory’s ill-fated attempt to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1924.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgXlnLQHZLA

#11. To the Limit (2007)

The Plot:  Daredevil mountain climbers on their attempt to break yet another speed climbing record. While featuring dazzling footage of the Huber brothers in action, To the Limit also offers an insight on the rivalry between the siblings and their passionate need to confront fellow climbers as well as nature itself.

#12. Beyond the Edge (2013)

The Plot:  Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary’s monumental and historical ascent of Mt. Everest in 1953 – an event that stunned the world and defined a nation.

#13. 180 South (2010)

The Plot: The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia. After finding footage of the 1968 expedition, Johnson decided to make climbing the Corcovado Volcano in Patagonia as his life goal and, after speaking to Chouinard and Tompkins, planned his own journey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Duk7LPDSQY

#14. Five Days One Summer (1982)

The Plot: A 1930s Scottish doctor goes climbing in the Alps with an infatuated niece he passes off as his wife.

#15. The Mountain (1956)

The Plot: Two brothers climb to a plane crash in the Alps: one to help, the other to loot. ‘Watch this for the love of black and white cinema‘!

UPCOMING movie to watch out for: EVEREST (SEPTEMBER 2015)

Mountain trekking movies - streettrotter

Happy Watching! And do leave a comment telling me and all fellow readers – Which ones were your personal favorites? 

CategoriesCULTURE
STREETTROTTER

StreetTrotter is a Travel, Culture & Lifestyle blog, inspiring people everyday with real stories to look good and travel even better. Founded in 2012 by Shraddha Gupta, Founder & COO, this space is all about experiencing new things in life, be it a daring mountain trek, a frugal backpacking trip, a runway look made local, or simply anything that scares you enough to live a little more deeper.

  1. Nitesh says:

    Third man on the Mountain (1959) at least deserved a place in the second list, if not first. It’s a mountain movie very close to the spirit of mountaineering with perfect dialogues.

    1. Hi Nitesh! Thanks for the suggestion. I guessed I missed it. This list is never ending I think. I intentionally excluded some more too, trying to keep up the quality of the list as well, but I guess I never watched Third Man on the mountain. Thanks for adding it to the comments.

  2. ripple4it says:

    That’s a lovely post with some of the very good recommendations 🙂 … I have new thing to add in my To-do list for weekends 🙂

  3. Maria says:

    Wow… I did not know that there are so many mountain climbing movies… I loved the quote its not about conquering mountain but about comquring yourself…so true!!

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