Netflix The Alpinist

[Sanlmar]

I saw 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible. Interesting. A good take. Not threadworthy.

The Alpinist however is blowing my fucking mind. A character study of what makes this enigmatic 23 year old free soloist tick is the best thing I’ve seen on Netflix since Queens Gambit.

Halfway through and I can’t recommend this enough. I’m kind of at a loss to describe it properly yet.

The toxic glorification of men who stare death in the face is present in recent climbing documentaries Free Solo, Meru and The Dawn Wall. All are packed with incredible camerawork, documenting some truly exhilarating athletic feats – yet it seems that the main agenda of these films is to romanticise the allure of the solo climber and his rugged individualism.

Enter Marc-André Leclerc, a low-profile, camera-shy twentysomething whose humility brings a more grounded perspective. Actively shunning the limelight, he seems indifferent to being this film’s subject, dropping out mid-production to go on a solo climb without notifying the crew, claiming that it wouldn’t feel like an authentic solo climb had they been there.

Aside from his climbing feats, the film shows Marc-André opening up about growing up with ADHD, having a history of abusing hallucinogenic substances, and living in a stairwell before moving into a tent with his girlfriend and fellow solo climber Brette Harrington. By exposing his emotional vulnerability in this way, it’s impossible not draw comparisons with Free Solo’s Alex Honnold.

Ultimately, however, it’s the enigma of Marc-André that makes this such a compelling documentary. The Alpinist strikes a good balance between delineating Marc-André’s character and showcasing some of his more astonishing climbing feats, including a monumental ascent of Torre Egger – the first solo winter ascent of the Patagonian peak. It’s a refreshing alternative to the aforementioned trio of films, which are too eager to put their maverick protagonists on a pedestal.

[Sloppy Joe]

Yeah it's sick. I follow a lot of the mountianeering and climbing accounts on Instagram but didn't know about it until right before it dropped.

Caught it in a theater all to myself and was surprised.

14 peaks was terrible, I was so psyched for it and it somehow minimized the accomplishment of the feat.

[Sanlmar]

LeClerc’s mother, “Get out of here. Go do what you love”. Knowing full well the casualties this sport creates. Her family lived in a free solo Mecca

[Sanlmar]

Yeah it's sick. I follow a lot of the mountianeering and climbing accounts on Instagram but didn't know about it until right before it dropped.

Caught it in a theater all to myself and was surprised.

14 peaks was terrible, I was so psyched for it and it somehow minimized the accomplishment of the feat.

You saw the Alpinist in a theater? IMAX?

[Sloppy Joe]

Yeah it's sick. I follow a lot of the mountianeering and climbing accounts on Instagram but didn't know about it until right before it dropped.

Caught it in a theater all to myself and was surprised.

14 peaks was terrible, I was so psyched for it and it somehow minimized the accomplishment of the feat.

You saw the Alpinist in a theater? IMAX?

No, regular screen.

There's a theater in town that airs all those type of docs.

Got to see Free Solo with Alex Honnold in the building who did a Q&A afterwards.

Have done a lot of the mountains in the Pacific Northwest and climb at a gym as well but did proper rock climbing in a canyon in Wyoming this fall; obv roped up but looking down at 200+ feet was probably scariest moment of my life.

[lol wow]

theres a joke in here about todge being the scalpinist cuz hes going bald or hes selling bootleg wnba tickets but i refuse to look for it sal

[lol wow]

BUT I DONT TRADE IN LOW END WILLY NILLY HUMOR I JUST DONT

[sonatine]

i kinda dont want to watch it only because we all know exactly what the sad story will be when this thread gets bumped in a year or two.

[limitles]

[Sanlmar]

i kinda dont want to watch it only because we all know exactly what the sad story will be when this thread gets bumped in a year or two.

“sad story” is how literally no one will characterize his passing while soloing. this is exactly the message this beautiful piece conveys.

you are more poet than nearly anyone here. you will be close to tears.

[sonatine]

you are more poet than nearly anyone here.

first of all how dare you.

[BCR]

i kinda dont want to watch it only because we all know exactly what the sad story will be when this thread gets bumped in a year or two.

“sad story” is how literally no one will characterize his passing while soloing. this is exactly the message this beautiful piece conveys.

you are more poet than nearly anyone here. you will be close to tears.

Incredible. I watched it last night on your recommendation and was glued. I found myself struggling to watch during some of the climb. In the way a Michael Phelps was just born to swim, that kid was just burn to climb. I kind of shrugged off the notion as his climbs were art when it was first suggested by one of those interviewed and thought him being dramatic, but they certainly were artistic.

Just the idea of solo climbs appealing to the ADHD kid was revealing, but made sense. That need to be present for every second of a climb like that because not being present or distracted is game over. Everyone in the doc was enjoyable.

Great suggestion.

[BCR]

Why can’t you edit your own posts now? I pumped that response out on my phone as soon as I woke to give San kudos for such a great recommendation and just noticed how many typos I had and went back to clean it up, and can’t? New feature? Just a bug?

[BCR]

You saw the Alpinist in a theater? IMAX?

No, regular screen.

There's a theater in town that airs all those type of docs.

Got to see Free Solo with Alex Honnold in the building who did a Q&A afterwards.

Have done a lot of the mountains in the Pacific Northwest and climb at a gym as well but did proper rock climbing in a canyon in Wyoming this fall; obv roped up but looking down at 200+ feet was probably scariest moment of my life.

I find those kids amazing in a multitude of ways, but also from a purely athletic sense.

I’ve always been really strong in the gym sense, but that kid was doing shit that blew my mind. Just that certainty in grip strength. There was a time when I was younger when I was in the same ballpark as a strong NFL Lb, but I’ve never for a moment trusted my grip strength or just core strength like those climbers do routinely with their lives.

As someone who has never done it, is that a developed skill? Like I thought this is the strongest kid ever, then I’d see his girl do solo climbs. My grip strength always improved, but I found myself using wraps and such even with heavy weights when I didn’t trust it. I can’t imagine developing that level of trust.

I’m sure a female skillset is less reliant on upper body strength, but having never done it or know anyone who was a climber, is that something you just find yourself developing as you practice and kind of know when you’re ready?

Hand and core strength of that level blows my mind. He’s always keeping his few points of contact, but you could see he’s essentially often just pulling his entire body weight up with one arm.

I’d guess someone like a competitive male gymnast might transition well, but it also seems to help to have a decent wingspan when you’re stretched out looking for the right handhold, which most gymnasts don’t.

I found myself in awe of the confidence he had on those climbs and can’t imagine the muscle endurance. When he found that weather window, went light, and just scaled that Patagonia mountain up and back, I just shook my head at the fitness level. It made me realize how much familiarity with the climb cuts down the time required. That might be common sense, but I had never entertained that. So many of those climbs are basically shit no one has ever done before.

[BCR]

You saw the Alpinist in a theater? IMAX?

No, regular screen.

There's a theater in town that airs all those type of docs.

Got to see Free Solo with Alex Honnold in the building who did a Q&A afterwards.

Have done a lot of the mountains in the Pacific Northwest and climb at a gym as well but did proper rock climbing in a canyon in Wyoming this fall; obv roped up but looking down at 200+ feet was probably scariest moment of my life.

I ended up pausing and looking up this kid as I found him entertaining during the doc. His competitive streak when he went back out and shaved almost 20 minutes off his recently broke speed record and put it out of reach.

There was something about all those dudes, like they were not human and lacked some fear gene.

I found this interesting when I looked him up.

In 2016, he was subjected to Functional magnetic resonance imaging scans that revealed that, unlike other high sensation seekers, his amygdala barely activates when watching disturbing images. He however confesses feeling fear occasionally. Through imagination and practice, he has desensitized himself to most fearful situations.

I’m surprised they don’t all have that result on a test. How calm they were I couldn’t grasp. That guy making the doc who said he still doesn’t understand them after twenty years, I get that. I don’t understand how they’re wired either. It wouldn’t matter how good I was in some gym setting, once I got out on the mountain, they’d need to helicopter me out of there. I’d be clinging to the hill crying.

[Sanlmar]

IMHO it’s all about the calming effect climbing had on his ADHD “squirrel brain”. You are in the moment for hours on end. I don’t wish to reduce his character to just this though.

Solving the riddle of this kid is the movie. The Hannold guy is obviously a star but less interesting to me personally.

I’m the social media hater. You can imagine how I further gravitate to LeClerc for this reason too. Kid is real. No artifice for views. Thus, he’s the enigma in this retarded “look at me” era. He’s counter culture. I’m always down with that.

[Sanlmar]

These guys never suffer cramping, pulled hamstring, tendinitis? If you do you are stranded on the mountain face.

[BCR]

These guys never suffer cramping, pulled hamstring, tendinitis? If you do you are stranded on the mountain face.

This is what I kept thinking. Like most strong people have that burst. Even now, at 52 and under 200lbs, I can still move 405 for a rep or two, but I’d need to drop 125lbs off by the sixth. I rarely do it other than just to see as it hurts.

I was always like that. Most athletes have that decent explosive first push. Lineman and DE all have that in football.

There was always that kid playing sports who was strong, but his ceiling wasn’t as high, and he would struggle on rep 1, but get out 10 or 12 reps that looked the same.

I was so different that it would always puzzle me how you could struggle on the first and keep going, and I lacked that muscle endurance even when I’d try to lower weight and train for it.

I never understood those dudes. I had a buddy like that and I guess that’s why he became a Marine drill instructor. Just all day endurance. Those guys usually also get very strong at some point, it just isn’t natural off the bat, and when they do, they are something.

I’m the guy where the first rep feels light and I’m shot at 3 when doing something really strenuous. I get cramps all the time and shooting shit in my neck. I’d be so dead even had I tried that at 20.

It’s why I’m so curious about how one trains for this? I read up on him as I found him so interesting, and he was in it from a young age. Won state competitions which I didn’t even know existed. Probably don’t most places. As you said, that’s a Mecca for that.

I guess it’s just cumulative training and some freakish type of muscle endurance and functional strength that separates the enthusiasts from the truly great, and he legit scaled that shit like he was born to. You could tell even the other freaks found him freaky good.

I always knew those guys were freaks on the rare occasion I’d see one, and I’d occasionally see some sports science thing saying they are the fittest athletes by some metrics, but that doc sent me down a rabbit hole. Like you, I found the calming effect and just the kid and his mom and girl the most interesting. Interesting people.

That need to be present. I shipped it to my buddy who has a son with really bad ADHD, as I thought he’d find it interesting. Not enough to want his kid to start scaling mountains, but maybe it would help to get into it in a gym setting and he’d get some benefit overall. His mother might nix it with the fear he’ll eventually want to take it to the real world.

[Sanlmar]

I was in Colorado this past summer. Every morning I was up in the mountains, mines and caves.

Driving those roads freaked me out. Not gonna lie. I wish I had the presence of mind to ask for my wife’s Fitbit watch. I woulda maxed BP and heart rate. Pikes Peak had me frightened. I mean I like to be scared periodically but I was rattled.

I remember stopping and having my brake discs measured for heat by the park Rangers and getting told to pull over. I gave her a silent thank you.

Posts from a flat lander

[Sloppy Joe]

IMHO it’s all about the calming effect climbing had on his ADHD “squirrel brain”. You are in the moment for hours on end. I don’t wish to reduce his character to just this though.

Solving the riddle of this kid is the movie. The Hannold guy is obviously a star but less interesting to me personally.

I’m the social media hater. You can imagine how I further gravitate to LeClerc for this reason too. Kid is real. No artifice for views. Thus, he’s the enigma in this retarded “look at me” era. He’s counter culture. I’m always down with that.

The mindfulness is one of the biggest draws for me to climbing.

You have to be fully locked in with your feet and your ice axe if required, knowing how to pace so not to get burnt out. I feel altitude at around 10,000', so that often adds another variable to be mindful of. Even when roped falls can be fucking painful and dangerous.

Slipping on snow quickly becomes scary if you can't quickly dig in.

All while at the mercy of nature which you cant control; I dont come remotely close to what this guy does but have climbed in dicey conditions where you hear creaking and breaking around you. Have trekked in Nepal where I saw a landslide about 100 feet in front of me that almost certainly would have been fatal had we started 5 minutes earlier that morning.

It's addicting and I'll keep scaling up until I get gout.