I hope you find value in this post about the best climbing documentaries!
There are dozens of epic climbing documentaries available online nowadays.
And I, for one, can’t get enough of them!
I’m not even a climber, but something about this sport/lifestyle (and the climbing movies made about it) makes for compelling viewing.
Maybe it’s the impressive people pushing their limits, scaling unimaginable heights, and, sometimes, risking their lives.
Perhaps it’s the extreme physical and mental strength they display.
Or maybe I’m just drawn to the dirtbag lifestyle many hardcore climbers live!
Whatever the case, if you’re anything like me you’ll find the best climbing documentaries hard to take your eyes off.
With so many to choose from, though, it can feel even harder to pick one to watch.
Know the struggle? Well, I hope this post helps!
Check it out for 15 rock climbing documentary options and where to watch them.
15 of the Best Climbing Documentaries Ever Made
Let’s crack on then! In no particular order, here are 15 incredible documentaries about climbing!
Climbing documentaries on Netflix don’t get much better than the Dawn Wall.
1. The Dawn Wall (2018) (Best Climbing Movies On Netflix)
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
Watch it on: Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube Movies
I rate The Dawn Wall as one of the best climbing documentaries on this list of incredible climbing documentaries!
Why?
Well, first, it features one of my favour professional climbers (Tommy Caldwell).
And second, it’s an epic account of his bid to climb the monstrous 3000ft Dawn Wall in Yosemite National Park, California.
Attempting the ascent with his climbing partner, Kevin Jorgeson, the documentary charts Tommy’s tumultuous life journey up to that point and the series of events that led him to attempt this seemingly impossible task.
This is a tale of ups and downs (no pun intended), perseverance, friendship, and two amazing people fighting against the odds to achieve unforgettable things.
One of the best films you’ll ever see, let alone the best climbing documentaries, Free Solo’s a must-watch.
2. Free Solo (2018) (My Favourite Rock Climbing Documentary)
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
Watch it on: Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play
It may be number 2 on this list, but Free Solo is arguably the best climbing documentary you’ll ever watch!
Heck, it’s one of my favourite movies, period.
This Oscar-winning documentary film follows famous climber, Alex Honnold, as he attempts to fulfil his dream of climbing the 3,200ft El Capitan, in Yosemite.
…without a rope.
Nail-biting, stomach-churning, and heart-dropping are just a few of the words I’d use to describe it. You’ll love the incredible cinematography, learn a thing or two about fear management, and discover what it means to risk your life in pursuit of what you love most in the world.
Watch this climbing documentary to learn all about the dirtbag lifestyle and the climber who personified the term.
3. Dirtbag (2017)
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
Watch it on: Amazon Prime
The term “dirtbag” is used in the climbing world to denote someone who devotes their entire life to climbing; doing whatever it takes to scrape by so they can spend every waking moment ascending one wall or another.
Think hobo meets high ropes and you won’t be far away!
Dirtbag, the documentary, follows the personification of this lifestyle:
The late Fred Beckey.
A legend in and of the rock climbing world, you’ll watch and learn about this maverick, rebel, and force of nature who let nothing get between him and a rockface.
An incredible Yosemite climbing documentary, Valley Uprising’s simply unmissable!
4. Valley Uprising (2014)
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
Watch it on: Tubi, Amazon Prime, YouTube
Want to learn about the origins of rock climbing in Yosemite National Park?
Want to see long-haired, tie-dye-wearing ne’er-do-wells ascend giant walls of granite, looking like rockstars at every turn?
Watch Valley Uprising!
Another amazing documentary climbing enthusiasts will love, you’ll discover the distinct eras of climbing that have come and gone in this infamous part of America, as well as the current challenges faced by climbers there today.
Aside from a fascinating dive into Yosemite climbing culture and how it’s transformed, Valley Uprising introduces viewers to hilarious stories, legendary climbers of old (and their rivalries), and top footage of this beautiful part of the world.
Pretty Strong is another epic documentary about climbing.
5. Pretty Strong (2020)
IMDB Rating: N/A
Watch it on: Vimeo
I’d never heard about Pretty Strong until I began researching this post.
Having seen the trailer, though, it’s quickly landed at the top of my list of must-watch documentary climbing movies!
Described as “a climbing film about women, by women, for everyone”, it follows eight incredible female climbers (including Hazel Findlay and Nina Williams) as they set about sending some of the hardest projects in the world.
An antidote to other male-dominated documentaries in this post and highly-rated around the web, Pretty Strong seems like an inspiring insight into what it takes to be a pro climber.
I can’t say enough positive things about this 3-part movie about rock climbing!
6. Reel Rock 14 (2019)
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
Watch it on: Redbull.com
I remember being blown away by Reel Rock 14 when I watched it a couple of years ago! Split into three separate short films, it has everything:
Compelling storylines, amazing climbing, and stunning cinematography.
In the first, you watch Nina Williams test herself (and prevail) against some outlandish boulder problems.
In the second, you watch a local community meet, butt heads, and ultimately learn to get along with the burgeoning climbing community who arrive in town for the world-class bouldering opportunities there.
And, in the third and longest part, you see Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell fight to break the speed climbing record up the Nose of El Capitan, Yosemite.
Each one is well worth watching!
Check out a free shortened version on the Redbull website, or purchase it on the Reel Rock Tour site to watch it all!
Looking for an exhilarating, eye-opening rock climbing documentary? Meru will be perfect.
7. Meru (2015)
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
Watch it on: Amazon Prime, YouTube
Conrad Anker’s another legend in the world of mountaineering.
And, in the breath-taking climbing documentary Meru, you watch him lead a 3-man team (Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk) in an attempt to ascend the immense mountain of the same name.
A visual masterpiece, expect near-death experiences, devastating accidents, and a gripping insight into what it takes to ascend mountains of this nature.
Related Posts You Might Like:
- The Best Movies About Hiking
- 120 Epic Adventure Ideas
- What to Wear Hiking
- 15 Different Types of Camping
- How to Boil Water Camping
- How to Attach a Sleeping Bag to a Backpack
- The Best Hiking Backpacks Under $100
Based on the book of the same name, Touching the Void’s one of the best climbing movies I’ve ever seen!
8. Touching the Void (2003)
IMDB Rating: 8/10
Watch it on: Amazon Prime
I went through a phase of being obsessed with Joe Simpson, his book “Touching the Void”, and then the documentary film of the same name that’s based upon it.
Read/watch it for yourself and I think you’ll understand why!
It’s an insane story of survival, impossible choices, and the strength of the human spirit. Touching the Void will shock, inspire, and awe you in equal measure.
For a very rough, no-spoiler summary, two mountaineers (Joe Simpson and his climbing partner Simon Yates) attempt to summit a mountain in the Peruvian Andes, when an accident occurs at the worst possible time.
The book/movie details the unbelievable account of what happens next…
Want to watch British climbing films? Look no further than Statement of Youth.
9. Statement of Youth (2019)
IMDB Rating: N/A
Watch it on: Vimeo (free), YouTube (free)
Another climbing movie that, to my detriment, I’m yet to watch, Statement of Youth’s all about the “Birth of British Sport Climbing” in the 1980s.
It follows a bunch of young British punk-rock reprobates as they beg, borrow, and steal their way into the climbing history books!
With nothing else on their agendas but an undimmed desire to climb, these guys do whatever it takes to do their hobby full-time.
And they transform the sport in the process.
All told, Statement of Youth looks like an entertaining and enlightening look at the reality of what it meant to be a climber in Margaret Thatcher’s 1980s Britain.
Rotpunkt is a free climbing movie you can watch on YouTube…for free!
10. Rotpunkt (2019)
IMDB Rating: 7/10
Watch it on: YouTube (free)
Alex Megos is a beast. Insanely strong and incredibly driven, he wants to be the best climber in the world.
And Rotpunkt is a short, 50-minute climbing documentary all about him (…with a look at the history of free-climbing thrown in for good measure).
I liked this film a lot.
Firstly, you can watch it for free on YouTube!
Second, it provides a close and intimate look at a) just how good professional climbers, like Megos, are at what they do and b) the insane amounts of time, hard work, and dedication required to reach their level.
And third?
You learn more than a thing or two about free-climbing in the process.
Great climbing movies don’t always need big budgets! Case and point? Rampage.
11. Rampage (1999)
IMDB Rating: N/A
Watch it on: YouTube
Okay, so Rampage is a very different kind of movie about rock climbing!
Don’t expect anything like the same level of cinematography or production quality you get in the others on this list…
It’s got more of a “grainy home-video vibe” going on.
Because that’s exactly what it is!
Filmed way back in 1999 and featuring the then up-and-coming, now legendary climber, Chris Sharma, Rampage is a cult movie assembled from footage of an epic bouldering trip he went on with his friends.
Watch an 18-year-old Sharma establish and send some awesome problems around the American midwest. The best part?
It’s totally free on YouTube!
Rock climbing films meet Kentucky ice to make Gone Tomorrow, another entertaining documentary about climbing!
12. Gone Tomorrow (2019)
IMDB Rating: N/A
Watch it on: Amazon Prime, Vimeo
Winters in Kentucky have a claim to fame…
Apparently, visit at the right time and you’ll find more frozen waterfalls there than in almost any other part of the country!
Subtitled “The Story of Kentucky Ice Climbing”, Gone Tomorrow’s a unique and humorous climbing movie about the adventurous individuals who go looking for (and scaling) them.
In a race against time, you’ll watch these passionate people rush to find and climb these stunning columns of ice before they melt.
Watch Alex Honnold and Hazel Findlay do what they do best in Africa Fusion.
13. Africa Fusion (2014)
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
Watch it on: Amazon Prime
Featuring two famous names we’ve come across already, Africa Fusion follows Alex Honnold and Hazel Findlay as they explore the culture and climbing opportunities in South Africa.
Produced by Fresh Rock Films and Directed by Nic Good, expect stunning cinematography, impressive first ascents, and a unique look at this beautiful and exotic part of the world!
Featuring leading figures in the industry, Fine Lines is another of the best mountain climbing movies you’ll find online right now.
14. Fine Lines (2019)
IMDB Rating: 7/10
Watch it on: Amazon Prime, YouTube
20 elite figures in the climbing industry (including Jimmy Chin, Tommy Caldwell, Alex Honnold, Steph Davis, and Lynn Hill) discuss their passion, their relationship with risk, and why they do what they do.
That, in a nutshell, seems to be what you get with Fine Lines!
Honest and eye-opening, you’ll enjoy a privileged look into the minds of professional climbers/mountaineers and find out exactly what makes them tick.
Not all mountain climbing movies have happy endings! But don’t let that put you off watching The Summit.
15. The Summit (2012)
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
Watch it on: YouTube, Amazon Prime
The Summit may not have the best rating from IMDB on this list.
But it tells the story of such a gripping, heart-wrenching event that it definitely deserves a place on it!
This visually impressive movie’s all about K2, the world’s most dangerous mountain, and the fateful day when 11 mountaineers (out of a group of 25) died in unexplained circumstances.
A hybrid documentary, you can expect “dramatized recreations” combined with actual footage and first-hand accounts that paint a vivid picture of that fateful day on the mountain.
Pick a Documentary About Climbing
There are so many epic climbing documentaries online nowadays that choosing the best one to watch can be a challenge.
It’s the classic paradox of choice!
Too many good options make it tricky to pick one over another.
You’re left scrolling through Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon, reading reviews and watching endless trailers, desperate for a fix of high-altitude entertainment.
That’s why I decided to put this post together.
I hope the suggestions above will help you choose the best climbing documentaries possible, with none of the usual fuss!
First good movie I saw 30+ years ago was: "El Capitan"
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4257072/
When I started Climbing back in the early 70’s, all the climbers I knew, including me, were like Fred Beckey. All dirtbags!