the intention behind it was to show a side of climbing that
I didn’t think that mainstream audience really got.
We embarked in 2008 on this climb
and started shooting together
but one of the themes that we talk about in the film is risk.
( sound of pitons and ascenders )
So much of being a climber and alpinist is
obviously risk assessment,
but you’re also struggling to move upwards.
It’s a very kind of calculated space you have to be in
and you have to constantly balance
what your ego is telling you and, your drive, and
the safety of the team.
Chai: Well, risk was this
I mean, it was constant dialogue because what we were–
In this dream to have this film kind of speak to
a more general audience, we had to address this idea of
“are they bonkers or not”?, like, “are they totally crazy”?
And the “crazy” question always worked against that
because then people would write them off
“they’re just crazy”.
And then another side of this is that
the climbing community and genre is quite understated.
Like, if you ask them was that difficult
they’re like, “It was fine.
We almost died, but it was fine.”
You know, it’s a very, very understated culture
and there’s like, I’ve got some–
like, I’m allowed to make fun of Jimmy for this a little bit
because I’m his wife and his film-making partner
but it’s just… I wanted–
It was important for me to include the next clip
that we’re going to show
because it was just an interesting
and it wasn’t included originally and I…
it spoke to the understatement of the culture, and…
how Jimmy was loathe to put himself in the movie.
Five, four, three, two, one.
Xavier De La Rue.
( instrumental music )
Jeremy: The general mood was pretty light
our objective for the day had been reached.
Good vibes.
Our conversation before dropping in was
go one at a time, make sure everyone’s in a safe spot.
Drop in!
Jimmy: So, Jeremy made a couple of turns
cut up on the side of this safe zone.
Called me in,
and I make a turn right next to his turn, and then,
and then I feel it…
the whole slope… shift.
( sound of avalanche )
Jeremy: I yell avalanche.
Just screaming, “get out, get out, get out.”
Jimmy: For a moment it looks like slow motion
and the next moment everything went to fast forward, and
it just… I got swept.
I’m airborne.
Totally weightless.
( sound of avalanche )
Jeremy: And I lost sight of him.
That was the last I saw Jimmy and the slide…
just kept going and going and going and going.
Jimmy: I just got crushed under an ocean of car-sized blocks.
Probably going 70-80 miles an hour,
down 2,000 vertical feet.
And in my mind, I heard this voice
having this conversation, it was like
why I always wondered how I was going to die
and now, now I know.
-( sound of avalanche ) -( trees snapping )
Jimmy: I was just expecting to get torn to pieces
but after a while it started to slow down
and this weird undercurrent
started pushing me up through the snow, and
at the last moment I popped out of the toe of this thing
buried up to my chest.
I was in that moment being like
“Oh, my god, I’m in one piece”
like I coughed up this huge chunk of snow
and I took this huge breath and I was like
( sound of deep breath )
and I looked at my arms and I was like, I mean
I couldn’t even believe I’m still connected to my body.
And then…
yeah, it was a lot.
”
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