The Alpinists

Netflix Documentary 🎥 Review: “The Alpinists”

Rotten Tomatoes rating 93% with the audience rating of 97%

Rated: PG 13 with a run time of 1 hr and 32 mins and an IMDb of 7.9/10.

Real Life Cast: Marc-Andre Leclerc, Brette Harrington, Alex Honnold, Reinhold Messner, Peter Mortimer and Barry Blanchard

Documentary Description: Marc-André Leclerc climbs alone, far from the limelight. On remote alpine faces, the free-spirited 23-year-old Canadian makes some of the boldest solo ascents in history. Yet, he draws scant attention. With no cameras, no rope, and no margin for error, Leclerc's approach is the essence of solo adventure.

This documentary is not for the faint of heart, nor those of you with vertigo. Watching this can be terrifying at times and you might definitely feel it in your gut! However should you choose to watch this, you will have the experience of a lifetime to say the least…..WOW!

Right off the bat you will come to understand that Marc-Andre Leclerc never found a rock he didn't want to climb. As “unknown” to the climbing world as he was in the beginning….. he quickly became one of the world's pre-eminent Alpinists, which largely means free solo with minimal equipment (emphasis on minimal).

This film has some of the most remarkable photography of climbing with amazing closeup shots of his hands, sometimes bloody, but always firmly grasping small crevasses to anchor his ascent along with cleated shoes and phenomenal courage.

As with other mountaineering documentaries, this documentary is a story of perseverance and strength. Marc-André Leclerc is an incredible climber whose spirit and humility is quite the beacon for those who wish to overcome any obstacle, be it addiction, mental illness, or that mountain on the horizon.

Watching this film I knew nothing of his story and assuming I was in for another tale of an ego-driven young climber making history for the himself, however that couldn't be further from the truth.

This film left me stunned and grounded in how truly spectacular the human spirit is when one pursues their passion for no other reason than to be one with themselves and the environment around them.

p.s. - It can also be found on YouTube TV $5.99, Apple TV $5.99, Google Play Movies & TV $5.99 and Vudu $5.99