First Ascent

Follow Alex Honnold as he attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite's 3,000 foot high El Capitan wall. With no ropes or safety gear, this would arguably be the greatest feat in rock climbing history.

The life of Canadian mountain climber Marc-André Leclerc as he pushes the boundaries of climbing while on an expedition to Patagonia.

One of the world’s youngest elite rock climbers, Ashima Shiraishi spent her formative years breaking numerous age-based climbing milestones, spurred on by her number one fan and coach, her father, Poppo a retired Butoh dancer and avant-garde performer with no formal climbing experience. When these New Yorkers travel to South Africa to conquer a V14 boulder problem, father and daughter must face their interpersonal struggles in tandem with the challenging ascent.

No ropes. No fear. Free solo legend Alex Honnold risks it all in a high-stakes, live ascent of one of the world's tallest skyscrapers in Taipei, Taiwan.

Behind every breakthrough in the progression of climbing, there's a true story of doubt and determination, perseverance in the face of failure. From boulders, to big walls, to competition podiums, the climbers at the top of the game share a commitment to do whatever it takes to achieve their vision.

Professional climber Emily Harrington has summited Everest, 8000-meter peaks, and dominated the competition circuit but, her greatest challenge extends beyond the physical. To cement her legacy in the male dominated world of elite rock climbing, she sets her sights on a career-defining 24-hour ascent of Yosemite's El Capitan. Caught between the pursuit of personal ambition and the ticking biological clock of life, a near-fatal fall forces Emily to reckon with what she's willing to risk. Equal parts gripping survival story and intimate portrait, Girl Climber isn't just about breaking records, it's about breaking barriers. Amongst Yosemite's legendary boy's club, Emily isn't just proving she's the best *Girl Climber-- she's proving she is one of the best. Period.

A short film played at the beginning of Reel Rock 20.

Climbers Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell set out on a daring expedition to tackle Alaska's formidable Devils Thumb. Battling harsh conditions and daunting peaks, they push their physical and mental limits, while their deep friendship faces its toughest trial yet.

This documentary starring climber Alex Honnold and famous biologist Bruce Means document their expedition to the South American sky islands in search of new species and discoveries. Follows elite climber Alex Honnold and a world-class climbing team led by National Geographic Explorer and climber Mark Synnott on a grueling mission deep in the Amazon jungle as they attempt a first-ascent climb up a 1000 foot sheer cliff.

Reel Rock 20 World Tour showcases the world's best climbing stories: Olympic champion Janja Garnbret sets her sights on the legendary climb Bibliographie, Michaela Kiersch goes on a global sending spree, Ben Mayforth redefines adaptive climbing in his intense pursuit of 5.13, and Colin Haley attempts an historic solo winter ascent of Cerro Torre.

“There’s a fine line between being bold and being a dumbass. And I think Brad did some time on both sides of the line.” Such are the words filmmaker and climber Cedar Wright uses to describe the subject of his new film. Meet Brad Gobright, 27 years old, busboy at a fine dining establishment, dirtbag, college dropout. Gobright’s diet consists of sprinkled donuts, scraps from work, glazed croissants, apple pie, and any and all junk food. And one other thing: Gobright is one of the best and boldest free solo climbers in the sport — who nobody has ever heard of. Safety Third shines the spotlight on Gobright, probably for a shorter moment than he deserves. But it doesn’t matter. His mind is elsewhere, focused on his next free solo.

Movie about David Lama climbing the Patagonian mountain Cerro Torre for the first time free, a mountain that has been dubbed the most difficult to climb in the world.

In the shady campgrounds of Yosemite valley, climbers carved out a counterculture lifestyle of dumpster-diving and wild parties that clashed with the conservative values of the National Park Service. And up on the walls, generation after generation has pushed the limits of climbing, vying amongst each other for supremacy on Yosemite's cliffs. "Valley Uprising" is the riveting, unforgettable tale of this bold rock climbing tradition in Yosemite National Park: half a century of struggle against the laws of gravity -- and the laws of the land.

Once again, Masters of Stone breaks through to the cutting edge of the sport. Harder, Faster, Bolder, Newer, and more...six points of breakthrough in all.... where human edges toward the superhuman. This is the Super Bowl, Olympics, and Boston Marathon of rock climbing, all rolled into one. More than any other sport, rock climbing continually redefines its rules and resets its limits. Yesterday's impossible becomes today's warm-up as advances in mental and physical mastery combine to break new ground. Every few years the Masters of Stone series delivers a new episode that captures these breakthroughs in a tasty mix of music, character, commentary, and above all, visual action.

After their success climbing the world’s hardest offwidth, the Wide Boyz, Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall, embark on their next crack climbing mission. This time their sights are set on the thinner end of the crack climbing spectrum. Their goal is the mighty Cobra Crack in Squamish BC, considered to be the hardest finger crack in the world. First climbed by Canadian ‘rock star’ Sonnie Trotter after battling it out with Didier Berthod, the route hit the media spotlight in the film First Ascent. With no local hard cracks to train on, the Wide Boyz refit their underground training dungeon and commit to a year of torturous finger training. With only a short trip to Canada planned, the Boyz face their biggest challenge yet against the sharp granite bite of the mighty Cobra Crack!

Welcome to the wildest competition known to man -- the speed record on the Nose route of El Capitan. Yosemite legends Dean Potter and Hans Florine go head-to-head, racing up 3,000 feet of vertical rock in under three hours, risking life and limb.

From death-defying speed link-ups of the wildest faces in the Alps, to Olympian displays of strength and tenacity on the hardest boulders ever climbed, Reel Rock 2010 features a breathtaking journey through the vertical realm with the heroes of rock and snow.

At the Limit is a documentary about extreme climbing. In this sports documentary, Pepe Danquart shows brothers Thomas and Alexander Huber climbing in Patagonia and on the granite rock "El Capitan" in Yosemite Valley (USA). A key part of the film is their attempt at a speed ascent of the 1,000-meter-high route "The Nose," in which the two athletes aim to break the then speed record of 2:48:30 hours, set by Hans Florine and Yuji Hirayama in September 2002.

Yet more American climbing mayhem. Speed big wall soloing by Dean Potter, Dan Osman's world record rope jump, slack lining. Dean Potter is a human acetylene torch, burning down the walls of the, "impossible." Potter's raw power, emotional intensity and deadly commitment reveal a terrifying world at the outer edge of human ability. Steph Davis is beautiful, brilliant and bold...free-soloing 5.12 and 5.11+ on red desert sandstone. Dan Osman's fatal final adventure must be seen to be believed. Hanging by fingertips 3000 feet off the ground with no rope or safety gear, tip-toeing a one-inch strip of nylon across a 120 foot-wide chasm, leaping off cliffs with laughter and fury, Potter and his friends deliver a whole new level of climbing action, set to a high-quality, adrenaline-pounding soundtrack featuring Metallica.

Reel Rock 19 showcases three world-premiere climbing films spanning disciplines, characters, and continents: a heartfelt story of second chances in love and climbing on Squamish’s legendary Cobra Crack; an outrageous 18-day big wall epic on Patagonia’s towering Torre Central; and the pursuit of a lifelong dream—a 5.15 first ascent—made possible by an unlikely partnership.

Twenty-three year old Alex Honnold is taking the high-stakes sport of free solo climbing to new heights. Climbing truly massive walls without a rope, and zero chance of survival if he falls, Alex is calm and fearless (except when it comes to girls). But attempting the 2,000-foot wall of Half Dome, the greatest free solo ever attempted, would finally teach Alex the meaning of fear.

The Tyrolean David Lama has climbed an 8a route already at the age of ten, and he has become several times Youth World Champion and European Youth Champion in bouldering and lead climbing. In 2010, at the age of 20 years, David decided to leave the indoor climbing and competition world behind him. Since then, he is focusing on Alpinism, the most difficult routes and first ascents in the Alps, but as well in India and America. This documentary portrays David Lama from his first climbing attempts as a little boy to his big adventures in present time. We see famous locations, such as the climbing paradise on Lake Garda, the notorious Sagwand Face in the Zillertal Alps, and the 7.821m high Masherbrum in the Karakorum with its still untouched north east face.

For nearly three years, director Dina Khreino interviewed world-class mountain climbing athletes, listening to what compels them to leave behind families, friends, and everyday comforts to risk everything for a fleeting glimpse into the unknown. What she found was a tribe, a diverse group of professional adventurers and amateur philosophers forged by the ultimate test of body, mind, and spirit. In the face of shifting winds, sheer granite cliffs, and impossible odds, they climb. Each for their own reason, but every one connected by the vertical world. In this rarefied air, these athletes are fundamentally changed, not just as climbers, but as human beings.

Follow David Lama and Conrad Anker as they make a second attempt to climb the 6,907m Himalayan peak, Lunag Ri. Weather capers, technical challenges and health problems are just a few of the challenges Lama and Anker face.

A celebration of the eccentric climbers of Colorado's Front Range. Includes bouldering with Urban Ape Timmy O'Neill, trad climbing with Heidi Wertz, Matt Samet, Topher Donahue, adventures with Biscuit the infamous climbing dog, a tribute to the late solo guru Derek Hersey, and more.

An outrageous 20 year saga, following a whirlwind romance, devastating failure on a legendary climb, a religious epiphany, family betrayal, a single mom's struggle and a desperate attempt to reconnect for a rare second chance - at love, fatherhood, and climbing.

“How are you, little sister? Come here so I can give you a hug.” These are the opening lines of Toune d'automne, a song by Les Cowboys Fringants, a famous Quebec folk band. But since 2020, Toune d'automne has also been the name of a route opened by Didier Berthod and Nicole Berthod on the legendary summit of Petit Clocher du Portalet. Although the first few meters were climbed in 2020, the route was not completed until the fall of 2024. In the meantime, Nicole had to face a terrible ordeal in her life: breast cancer. Didier could have finished the project alone. Instead, he chose to wait until his “little sister” had regained her strength so that they could finish the project together and finally “embrace” each other at the summit of Petit Clocher du Portalet.