The Alpinist
PART ONE — THE PRICE OF LIFE
THE ALPINIST — THE MOST AMAZING CLIMBER YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF
In a trio of exclusive interviews — Alex Honnold, Brette Harrington and the directors at Sender Films weigh in on the themes from the latest outdoors film to hit the big screen.
I’m sure I’m not alone when I say the pandemic has changed my life. There’s been a shift from exploring the mountains to an embarrassing consumption of chocolate, Instagram content and outdoor films. I have to get my mountain fix somewhere.
These films, no matter the sport, the location or the cast, suffer some familiar patterns. An adventurous hero, a lofty quest, significant setbacks and their triumph as the credits roll. Que my expedition into the kitchen for more chocolate.
But what if our hero isn’t interested in the limelight? What if their aspirations didn’t lie in fame or records? Rather, they were more focused on an unadulterated, pure experience in the mountains. A climber chasing genuine connection to the hills.
Introducing Marc-André Leclerc - “the guy who’s doing the coolest shit, and nobody knows about him” - the words of the directors at Sender Films.
The Alpinist takes what we know about a traditional outdoors feature film and turns it on its head. Gone are the ego, the glamour and the acclaim. It’s a raw, intimate perspective into solo climbing, our heroes, and what it means to live a well-founded, meaningful life. As the film goes live across Australia and New Zealand this month, I caught up with Alex Honnold, Brette Harrington and the directors, Pete Mortimer & Nick Rosen, to explore their thoughts and the events since the completion of the film.
Spoiler Alert
This article contains spoilers from the final scenes of the film.
Purists may wish to camp here for the night.
PART ONE : THE PRICE OF LIFE
“If you fall and die, everybody thinks you’re an idiot. If you succeed everybody celebrates you as a hero. But the reality is you’re the same person either way.” Alex Honnold
On the spectrum of risky outdoor activities, alpine solo climbing is right up there on the pointy end. Thanks to recent theatrical releases popularising the concept of solo climbing amongst the masses, the world is already debating the risk and consequences of climbing unprotected. Though when it comes to alpine soloing, even Alex Honnold draws a line in the sand.
“It’s a long and complicated conversation around risk assessment in the mountains. I personally have a hard time accepting random risk that you can’t mitigate. And that’s part of the reason I don’t love alpinism because it’s so hard to predict snow and ice conditions.”
The Alpinist is, at its heart, an insight into the connection that Marc had while in this state of solo climbing, but many viewers will simply be left in shock and awe at the extent to which Marc takes these risks.
His partner Brette Harrington, an exceptional alpinist, climber and soloist in her own right, puts things into perspective.
“Everybody has their own level of risk because everyone has a different skill set and different experiences. With Marc, he took very calculated risks based on what he felt like he was capable of and, in his mind, he didn’t have a high level of risk. But for somebody else who maybe didn’t have his coordination, or his vision, would perhaps think that it’s highly risky.”
Solo alpinism is one thing, but to film it adds a whole extra level of complexity. The Alpinist certainly delivers on the cinematic experience, but this is no Hollywood set. The stakes are extremely high; demanding additional shots, repeat attempts and unnecessary moments of pause in these environments weigh heavily on the mind of co-director Nick Rosen.
“When we’re filming Marc soloing, we’re never more aware of the moral hazard. And how careful we have to be in a situation like that. And fortunately, we have so much trust in Marc, to really make the call.”
I asked Alex Honnold for his perspective into Marc’s risk analysis and his comfort in the hills. He responds “Marc was spending so much time on that type of terrain that he felt a certain comfort with it, he probably felt that those types of things were predictable”.
“For most of us, the mountains may seem incredibly inhospitable. but for somebody with the skills of Marc, it’s just an incredible playground.”
Nick’s partner at Sender Films, Pete Mortimer, echoes Alex’s sentiment. “As we got later in the film, and Marc started to understand what we wanted to do he was basically telling us what to do.”
“He just knows that terrain. Same thing on Mount Slesse, he had climbed that whole route years before, but he didn’t feel comfortable with the avalanche conditions on the bottom half. We’re not going to say, ‘No, let’s go shoot the avalanche conditions’, you know. I didn’t feel like there was a line that we were ever pushing, or even able to ask Marc to do stuff that he wasn’t going to [be comfortable doing].”
The film goes on to document an incredible chapter of Marc’s life, packed with gripping images of his solo feats on rock, ice and in the alpine. But the heavy deck of cards with which Marc plays eventually take their toll, as he loses his life to the mountains of Alaska.
The mood of the film swings from one of acclaim and celebration, to raw, visceral grief.
“Of course, his death was always a possibility.”
“It was his Mum and Brett who were the most affected” Nick admits. “Although both of them I think, after a lot of emotion and processing, arrived at the same conclusion; that ‘I trusted him when he was doing this, we knew he had to do it. Yeah, of course, his death was always a possibility. And I knew it. I can’t just say, I wish he had done something else. He had to do what he wanted, live the life he wanted to live’.
We just felt it was really important to include the aftermath. To check in with the people who really loved him the most, and see how they were processing. That was a reality of what Marc did.”
When the camera turns to Brette, who appears to be only just holding it together on screen, the reality of Marc’s endeavours truly hits home. As the viewer, we’re left to weigh up the decisions that he made. Does the consequence of a lifestyle choice, and its effect on those around you, justify the decision? I asked Brette how Marc’s passing had changed her perspective.
“Right after Marc passed away, I could not go soloing at all. I was climbing all the time but I think it was just me being alone in my head. That… was really challenging. And I remember going to try and solo Mt Slesse, up a route that I had soloed before, and even just the hike itself was too much for me, just being alone hiking. So I always wanted to be with somebody.
I’m soloing again… but it’s not as easy as it used to be. With Marc, it was so easy. We just… we always had each other as partners.”
There’s a twist of irony in Brette’s reflection. Perhaps while climbing, it’s not the rope that provides the most protection, but the confidence and support from those around you.
Thank you for reading Part One of this three part series!
The Alpinist is now live in theatres across Australia and New Zealand. Click here for screening availability.
Adam Flower
Adam is an Australian creative freelancer and content creator. Willing to put his equipment into situations that most won’t — if it’s outdoors, Adam’s either tried it already or it’s on the bucket list.
Web : www.adsventures.com.au
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