Whether you consider yourself an avid mountaineer or simply enjoy observing humans pushing themselves beyond the limits of what was considered possible, the below films are for you. This list of must watch mountaineering documentaries covers a range of different environments, climbers and a mix of triumph and tragedy, tackling peaks in some of the most inhospitable places on earth. 3 are available for viewing free on YouTube, the other 3 will cost you around $3 each (also available on YouTube). Enjoy.

Messner

“Reinhold Messner, the world’s greatest mountain climber, looks back over his career with surprising candor and self-revelation. It is the career of a man who began climbing with his father in the exquisite Italian Dolomites, but whose restless quest for self-knowledge through extreme adventures made him the most accomplished climber of modern times. MESSNER includes rare film of his astonishing climbs of the world’s highest mountains – without using bottled oxygen and often alone.”

Touching The Void

“Touching the Void is a 2003 documentary based on the book of the same name by Joe Simpson about Simpson’s and Simon Yates’ disastrous and near fatal attempt to climb Siula Grande (6,344 m) in the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHA2uKa6Z3M

Into The Mind (Trailer)

“Blur the lines between dream state and reality, as you perceive the world through the minds of many. Into the Mind contemplates the experiences passed between mentors and peers to paint a philosophical portrait of human kind. What drives us to overcome challenge? How do we justify risk? What forces are at the core of a mountain addiction? Unique athlete segments over a multitude of mountain sport genres depict the connectivity of Earth, and window into never seen before moments. Explore how we begin our perception of self, construct the foundations of confidence, and are ultimately led up the path of self-actualization.”

The Summit (Trailer)

“In August of 2008, 22 climbers from several international expeditions converged on High Camp of K2, the last stop before the summit of the most dangerous mountain on Earth. 48 hours later, eleven had been killed or simply vanished into thin air. Like a horror movie come-to-life, it was as if the mountain began stealing lives, one climber at a time.

One such climber was the fun-loving, friendly Ger McDonnell, the first Irishman to summit K2. Faced with a moral dilemma after finding three climbers tangled and struggling in K2’s perilous “death zone”, Ger defied the climber’s code and attempted to help his fellow climbers descend. This is as much Ger’s story as it is an homage to the fearsome power of nature”

Meru (Trailer)

In the high-stakes pursuit of big-wall climbing, the Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru may be the ultimate prize. Sitting 21,000 feet above the sacred Ganges River in Northern India, the mountain’s perversely stacked obstacles make it both a nightmare and an irresistible calling for some of the world’s toughest climbers. In October 2008, renowned alpinists Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk arrived in India to tackle Meru. Their planned seven-day trip quickly declined into a 20-day odyssey in sub-zero temperatures with quickly depleting food rations. Despite making it to within 100 meters of the elusive summit, their journey, like everyone before them, was not a successful one.

Discovery Channel-Ultimate Survival: Everest

“This critically acclaimed six-part mini-series… Shot between March and June 2004, Ultimate Survival: Everest chronicles the Everest efforts of Team Discovery, which included two Canadian climbers – producer and experienced adventure guide Ben Webster, and his girlfriend, rookie climber and PhD candidate in Sports Psychology, Shauna Burke – plus Australian Andrew Lock and Hector Ponce De Leon from Mexico, both veterans of Everest and the world’s most intimidating peaks.”