A man and a woman are standing on a tiny plinth more than 1,000 feet above a city. The woman leans far back, repositioning into a ballet posture; the man holds her back with one hand, grabbing the building with the other. There should be wires somewhere steadying the duo, but there are not. They take videos and photos for their social media; luckily, this time, all is well.
This is rooftopping, an internet phenomenon that has been gaining popularity over the last decade. It’s easy to see why: the resulting pictures are truly astounding, with the bravery and skill of the climbers on full show.
Two of the climbers leading the sport are Russian daredevil couple Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, and new Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story, which arrives on Friday, explores their relationship and ambitions. The film is not for the faint hearted: the fearless duo scale skyscrapers, constantly putting their lives at risk. Nikolau, a gymnast, performs acrobatic stunts as she teeters on the edge of buildings.
Skywalkers: A Love Story joins an ever-expanding genre of excellent documentaries highlighting extraordinary climbing feats – from high-wire acts to mountaineering. Here’s our pick of the films that really do scale the heights...
The Alpinist (2021)
In 2018, Canadian rock and ice climber Marc-André Leclerc was killed in an avalanche while climbing the Mendenhall Towers in Alaska. It makes this documentary about his extraordinary achievements all the more poignant. Leclerc is utterly charming: a quiet, private, slightly odd character who is most at home scaling terrifying alpine routes. This documentary explores his life and his relationship with his girlfriend, and features interviews with everyone from his mum to Free Solo-star Alex Honnold.
Sherpa (2014)
Sherpas are Tibetan mountain-dwellers who play a critical role in the ascent and descent of Mount Everest. Having lived in the area for generations, they know how to navigate the difficult mountainous environment and work at high-altitudes – making for excellent guides.
In 2014, an avalanche caused the death of 16 Sherpas who then stopped working for the rest of the season: “The decision throws the plans of hundreds of foreign mountaineers into chaos, with many of them waiting in base camp after paying tens of thousands of dollars to scale the world's highest peak,” wrote The Guardian at the time. This 2014 documentary shines a light on the lives of these indigenous people who make Westerners’ achievements possible.
Torn (2021)
Renowned mountaineer Alex Lowe was killed by an avalanche in 1999, while climbing Shishapangma, a 26,335ft Tibetan mountain. This moving documentary follows the party who go to retrieve his body when it is found 17 years later, and includes interviews with his children, widow and his best friend, Conrad Anker, who was there the day Lowe died.
The Dawn Wall (2017)
This multi-award-winning documentary is about American mountaineers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson’s ambitions to climb the 3000ft vertical wall of Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan – the same mountain face featured in the documentary Free Solo. A story of extraordinary human feats and awe-inspiring bravery, it is all the more moving to watch the interviews with Caldwell and Jorgeson’s family members, who have been put through a lot.
Man on Wire (2008)
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In 1974, French highwire artist Philippe Petit decided to walk on a tightrope between the two World Trade Centre buildings. At 415m and 417m respectively – 110 floors high – this was no easy feat, even for the experienced tight-rope walker. In this jaw-dropping cinematic documentary, your nerves will be tested as he puts his life on the line.
Touching the Void (2003)
This incredible film from Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland) unpacks the terrible true story of a mountain descent gone wrong. Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, two experienced British mountaineers, both in their 20s, were climbing down Peru’s Siula Grande, attached to each other by a rope, when Simpson broke his leg.
Near enough to the camp, they continued their descent, but when Yates accidently lowered Simpson over the edge of a cliff, he faced a horrendous predicament: in the howling winds there was no chance of pulling Simpson back up, but if Yates waited, he would also be pulled over the side. He did the unthinkable to save his own life, and cut the rope.
The Dark Glow of the Mountains (1985)
Over the past five decades, acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog has made over 30 documentaries on topics including child soldiers in Nicaragua, oil fields in post-Gulf War Kuwait, Russian mysticism, the history of aviation and explorers of Antarctica. This remains one of his best, as he follows an expedition of mountain climbers Reinhold Messner and Hans Kammerlander.
Herzog’s real interest lies in understanding the mountaineers’ motivations, and there is less focus on technical feats than in some of the other documentaries on this list. His intelligent approach to the subject matter, and the stupendous, awe-inspiring vistas, made it a classic of the genre.
Free Solo (2018)
This extraordinary film, which won the Best Documentary Oscar in 2018, follows American climber Alex Honnold as he attempts to scale the 3,000ft El Capitan granite rock face in Yosemite National Park – described as “the centre of the rock climbing universe” – without any ropes.
Described by reviewers as “visually staggering” and “showcasing a dedication and prowess that seems superhuman”, the near-impossible nature of Honnold’s task transforms the documentary, made by American filmmaker Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and her husband Jimmy Chin, into a kind of unforgettable thriller.
Skywalkers: A Love Story becomes available on Netflix on July 19
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