Stuck Inside But Craving Adventure - Film Edition!
Quarantine Adventure Hack #2: We’ve also been catching up on iconic movies and documentaries that feature the great outdoors. Here are some of our favorite adventure movies and documentaries that keep us on the edge of our seat and remind us of the exhilaration of personal challenges. These are also all available to view on YouTube for free!
Touching the Void
This documentary features two young climbers: Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, who set out to be the first to reach the summit of the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. When Simpson breaks his leg in a fall and a storm threatens their lives, a literal cliffhanger ensues: Yates must decide whether to cut the rope and risk Simpson's likely death.
WATCH IF YOU LIKE: excruciating tension, ethical dilemmas, the Peruvian Andes
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94%
Mountain
The perfect combination for all those music and travel enthusiasts out there! Mountain is a unique cinematic and musical collaboration between the Australian Chamber Orchestra and BAFTA-nominated director Jennifer Peedom, exploring our obsession with mountains. Watch this incredible film to discover the ongoing power of mountains in shaping not only our adventures, but also our lives.
WATCH IF YOU LIKE: stunning cinematography, sweeping soundtracks, pontification
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 87%
Eiger Solo
Featuring Eric Jones’ solo ascent of the notorious North Face of the Eiger, recreatingJohn Harlin's 5,000 ft fall during the historic winter ascent and also contains rare interviews with Heinrich Harrer, Anderl Heckmair, Don Whillans and Adolf Rubi. Regarded as a masterpiece of a mountaineering film, this film is sure to thrill and inspire climbers and mountaineers alike.
WATCH IF YOU LIKE: award-winners (kendal mountain film festival, gravity sports film festival), rare interviews
Rotten Tomatoes rating: N/A
The Man Who Skied down Everest
This Oscar-winning documentary tells the story behind Japanese daredevil Yuichiro Miura's 1970 effort to ski down the world's tallest mountain. Includes passages from the journal Miura kept during the adventure as well as footage of the descent.
WATCH IF YOU LIKE: award-winners, skiing
Rotten Tomatoes rating: N/A
The Race for Everest
A BBC documentary on Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's historic ascent of Everest in 1953. This one is a must-see for its previously unseen material filmed on the expedition, along with intriguing interviews with surviving members of the team and members of the rival Swiss team.
WATCH IF YOU LIKE: historic climbs
Rotten Tomatoes rating: N/A
Beyond the Edge
Another docudrama featuring Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary's historical ascent of Mount Everest in 1953, this time featuring re-enactments and archival material that are sure to fascinate.
WATCH IF YOU LIKE: historic climbs
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 69%
K2 The Killer Summit
A K2 Adventure Documentary by BBC, this film features amazing moments of scaling the mountains and contains a mystery about Ger McDonnell: the first Irishman to summit K2. An extraordinary and exhilarating watch!
WATCH IF YOU LIKE: investigative documentaries, multinational teams, survival stories
Rotten Tomatoes rating: N/A
Between the Peaks
This film follows three friends who set out on the adventure of their lives, planning to climb 2 of 7 Summits and volunteer in every country they travel through in-between. Of course, not everything goes to plan, and the friends soon find themselves stuck living on a Chilean border town beach, venturing up volcanic cloud forests in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, exploring the Amazon jungle, and fighting a whiteout snowstorm above 20,000ft.
WATCH IF YOU LIKE: sustainable travel, cultural experiences, buddy movies, award winners
Rotten Tomatoes rating: N/A (no ratings yet)
Almost Alpine
This climbing film was made by three climbers from the Appalachian Mountains, based on the actual first ascent of the North Fork Mountain Traverse in West Virginia. Learn more about the Mid-Atlantic region, how to talk like a rock climber, and develop a new appreciation for the art of belaying. What makes this film even cooler is that it was entirely filmed and produced by local climbers!
WATCH IF YOU LIKE: adventures with humor, local climbs, indie films, buddy movies
Rotten Tomatoes rating: N/A
Ama Dablam Climbing Documentary
A great quick watch, just 50 minutes! Follows a team of climbers on their attempt to summit the breathtaking Ama Dablam in the shadow of Mount Everest.
WATCH IF YOU LIKE: blue mountain film festival picks, quick watches, indie films
Rotten Tomatoes rating: N/A
We hope these films keep you at the edge of your seat and help you stay in adventure-mode from the safety of your home. Be sure to let us know what you think or if you have any recommendations for us to try as well, we'd love to hear from you!
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