Programme - Wednesday 16. October 2024

Daniela and Robert Jasper have been in a relationship for 30 years and are still a powerful mountaineering couple. Especially on the Eiger North Face, the two have mastered spectacularly difficult routes. “A typical mountaineering relationship,” says Daniela, “a constant up and down.” The film accompanies the couple on the first free ascent of their route Nordwestpassage on the Eiger North Face and sheds light on stages of their marriage: serious accidents, crises, disputes and top alpine performances.

The louder the glacier, the stronger the melt. Crackling, snapping and splashing: that is the voice of transience. Sound artist Ludwig Berger demonstrates how important it is to hear the world around us. The film accompanies him on one of his numerous visits to the Morteratsch Glacier in the Swiss Alps, where he collects fascinating sounds that might disappear forever.

Food, medicine, weapons and ammunition: During the Second World War, 17-year-old Antonietta transports these goods to her partisan group in the mountains – at night and at great risk. Antonietta also guides Jewish families from Milan to Verbania and sometimes to the Swiss border, saving their lives. In this film, she breaks her silence about that time because she fears that her memories of the Resistance will die with her.

The Swiss capital of Bern prides itself in an active underground bouldering scene. “Let it Bärn” invites you to discover a unique movement that aims to playfully reconquer the streets and playgrounds of the city. Banksy ghosts and bouldering guide authors Dr. Bäri and Dr. Bomb thus continue the longstanding tradition of “buildering” – a climbing practice performed in Cambridge as early as the 19th century. Today, it lives on in activities like parkour and freerunning.

Adrien Costa gave up his career in professional cycling to pursue his passion for climbing. However, his life took a dramatic turn when a mountain accident resulted in having to wear a prosthetic leg. The film depicts Adrien’s journey from the depths of rehabilitation to the top of para climbing. He works with renowned mountain guide Mark Allen. Their journey culminates in an awe-inspiring adventure in Washington State’s North Cascades.

For Basti Gmeinwieser and Markus Meitinger, it is their most demanding highline in the mountains: after months of preparation, they rig the 60 meter long line between the third east ridge tower on Blankenstein and the summit climb. A story about the value of friendship in a breathtaking setting. Emotional and genuine, reflected and close to people, between heaven and earth, 450 meters high above the ground in the Tegernsee mountains.

Picture the Austrian Alps; a father played by renowned crime actor Simon Schwarz; a son played by Nils Hohenhövel, famous for his role in the popular German police drama “Tatort”. They embark on a hike and attempt to scale the summit of their emotional world. “Should I talk to Dad about my separation?” Paul asks his mother. “Open up. Talk to each other. Listen carefully.” More easily said than done. But because mountains open up people, father and son manage to get intimate between campfire, schnapps tasting and sunscreen massacres.

For the duration of two summers, professional alpinist Michi Wohlleben makes the pilgrimage to the Western Trinity of the Swiss Alpstein Massif. Time and again, he attempts to free solo the route he previously opened: “Bodhichitta” – meaning the Buddhist striving for enlightenment. He almost despairs over the steep and featureless limestone, but Michi remains stubbornly true to his rigid climbing ethics. Not least because he finds a soul mate in the dairymaid Agnes Gmünder. She spends the summer months on the Rheintaler Sämtis pasture, and although her relationship to the mountain is of a more spiritual nature, she observes Michi’s vertical efforts with respect and admiration.

What are the mountains? An adventure playground, amphitheatre, business model – home? Every year, larger tourist crowds flock to the hostile region above 10,000 feet. Meanwhile, the rock crumbles under our hiking boots. Ski slopes are expanding, glaciers are retreating. Will a critical rethink happen before it’s too late? Scientists, ski lift operators, philosophers, artists and mountaineers dedicate themselves in various ways to the question of the Alpine region’s future. One thing is certain: The mountains would do fine if it weren’t for humans.

As a musician, mountaineer and skier, Maurice Baquet (1911-2005) was always on the move. His life revolved around two things: the cello and the mountains. He once described himself as a “cello skier”, the only one in this category, which prompted world champion skier James Couttet to remark: “Of all the skiers I know, he is the best cellist.” André Navarra, professor at the Conservatoire National Supérieur, topped this: “Of all the cellists I know, he is the best skier.”

At first glance, the Hahnenkamm cable car is just a transport facility in one of the world’s most famous ski resorts. But closer inspection reveals an exciting historical background packed with extraordinary incidents and fascinating people. The film shows the history of the cable car’s origins in an era marked by the urge for modernity and by new departures in architecture, art, design and marketing. The contemporary document portrays multifaceted characters and casts a glance at the future.

The Karakoram is the world’s wildest mountain range. One of the most spectacular mountains around the Baltoro Glacier is the Trango Tower, better known as the “Nameless Tower”. Edu Marín, together with his brother Alex and his father Novato, attempts the second free ascent of the Eternal Flame route – 33 years after the first ascent by Wolfgang Güllich and Kurt Albert and 13 years after the first free ascent by Alex and Thomas Huber. Novato is already 74 years old …

Alex Luger spent five years exploring his multi-pitch climbing limits on the Seventh Direction route in the Rätikon. As he nears completion of his psychotherapy degree, Alex reflects on his priorities and wonders what drives him to face these extreme difficulties and dangers. Together with his mentor Johannes Rauch, he embarks on an intimate journey to explore the complex relationship between his psyche and extreme climbing.

Climbing icon Nina Caprez embarks on the most exciting adventure of her life. Together with her partner extreme sports photographer Jérémy Bernard and her daughter Lia she boards their bus named Andrea, journeying to Morocco for a highly personal project. They wish to get to know the local culture and climbing scene. This journey through North Africa and the unforeseen twists and turns of life grant access to their joys, fears and, last but not least, their personalities.