Pilgrimage DVD 000 by Josh Lowell Review

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(More customer reviews)I've long been a big fan of Josh Lowell's climbing videos (www.bigupproductions.com). They are the best bouldering DVDs out there. Pilgrimage is good but doesn't quite live up to the standard set by Josh's earlier videos Rampage and Dosage in terms of pure climbing footage.
One explanation is that the climbers were hit hard with stomach illnesses. You can see them dehydrated and gaunt. But they climb on. And tear apart beautiful problems.
The production value of Pilgrimage is much better than previous BigUp DVDs (no more shaky handy-cams). And there's even a story line!
We get to see the return of Katie Brown (a child climbing phenom who was thought to be the best female competition climber in the world at the age of 17 and first female to on-sight a 5.13d) to the limelight and hear her story of why she dropped out of the climbing scene for so many years. We hear Sharma talk about his rise to fame and dealing with his icon status. And we get to see them search for and climb hard problems in Hampi, India.
If you've already seen Rampage and Dosage, then Pilgrimage will be a great addition to your collection of climbing movies. The scenery and footage are gorgeous. The problems are burly. I just wish there was a bit more pure climbing footage and a bit more footage of Katie Brown's climbing style.


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The Man Who Skied Down Everest Review

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Winner of the 1975 Best Documentary Oscar©, and certainly among the greatest adventure documentaries of all time, THE MAN WHO SKIED DOWN EVEREST (Image) might also be the first extreme Zen film.
The opening, widescreen shot shows Everest (29,002') through a gap in the clouds just as the morning sun hits the forbidding peak. And then this quote: "Throughout time, mas has aspired to great heights in search of peace of mind and a quiet heart. This is the story of such a man..."
The man in question is Yuichiro Miura, poet, adventurer and world champion skier (he set a speed record). The film follows his audacious attempt to ski down the upper slopes of Everest. The film, shot in 35MM Panavision, begins in Katmandu where 800 porters begin a trek of 185 miles with 27 tons of equipment.
Along the way, Miura visits Sir Edmund Hillary, who, in 1953, was the first climber (with his Sherpa partner Tenzing Norgay) to conquer Everest and return. Hillary says, "When we stop looking for challenges, human beings will be in a very bad way."
The poetic Miura is quoted as saying, "The challenge of the peaks is the challenge of life itself: To always struggle higher." Later he's quoted again: "We have wandered from the paths of the wind and become children of fear."
After trekking 185 miles across the high passes to Tibet and the base of Everest they take on 400 Sherpas. It takes another 40 days to traverse the next three miles.
Exquisitely photographed in beautifully composed shots, the breathtaking vistas are a dance of light and shadow and the memorable, poetic thoughts of Miura as he acclimates for his high altitude challenge in his "life of adventure to escape the labyrinth of the city."
During the treacherous climb, death claims six team members as they cross an icefall. About a thousand feet from the summit, Miura dons his skis, and with oxygen and a parachute, begins his descent. Zooming, almost free-falling, over ice and rock, he travel upright almost a mile and half. And then it happens. The wind knocks him off balance, he hits a big rock and falls, skidding, bouncing, across rocky ridges, skipping like a stone for 1,320 feet. He is stopped by a snowfield seconds away from the sure death of the Bergshrund Crevasse.
I have never seen a movie anything like this. If you have a big, widescreen TV, the pristine, high resolution images of this exotic place and extreme challenge will fill your field of vision and bend your mind until it literally takes your breath away during the last five minutes. This is an ultimate armchair adventure.


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Higher Ambitions Review

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(More customer reviews)Just watched the new video last night and I highly recommend it. I'm pretty jaded when it comes to mountaineering films - too much Hollywood, and too many 'content-free' films. This is neither. A compelling story, fantastic footage, and a sense of realism that's missing from most climbing films.
I just came back from the Himalaya (Tibet) myself, and can say that Higher Ambitions captures the 'feel' of climbing in China.

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Two years in the making, Higher Ambitions captures a relentless pursuit for the summit of one of China's most revered and challenging peaks to climb. This personal and inspirational film reveals the motivation and drive that propels individuals onward while overcoming obstacles and setbacks. Siguniang Shan also known as the Four Maidens Mountains are located in the Sichuan Province of southwest China. Here within the Qionglai Mountain Range, Siguniang's 20,500-foot presence is a stunning scene that stirs the emotions of those who see it for the first time. For the Chinese climbing community, this peak has been considered too difficult to climb. But that's about to change.Follow along on a twisted journey as two Americans and six Chinese climbers attempt to summit this mountain. Experience the hardships and an ironic twist of fate that makes standing on the summit of this mountain a uniquely symbolic triumph. In the end, history is made and a sense of accomplishment is felt with the completion of this film.

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