Summit Fever (2022) - full transcript

A daring dream to scale the world's most challenging trio of mountains soon turns into a terrifying nightmare for a group of friends when a deadly storm traps the climbers near the summit and cuts off all hope of rescue. With the ...

Doing good.

Yeah.

Keep going. Yeah.

Just on the left.

Left foot where your knee is.

Ugh... Agh... Huh!

Fuck!

Whoo-hoo-hoo!

You okay?

Yeah, I'm fine.

Slipped on the hold.

Cogs beat the shit out

of me, man.

Almost had it.

Yeah.

Nice one.

Ah, you made it look easy.

There's not a hundred people

in this country

that could have made

that move, man.

You're climbing two grades

better than last time.

Yeah.

Did I tell you I got

a few sponsors looking at me?

Yeah?

Yeah.

To climb out in Chamonix, man.

If I can make enough noise

this summer, they should bite.

Nice one, man.

Got a couple of interviews

lined up.

Planning on posting

some big routes.

Yeah? Like what?

Like what?

Like Matterhorn,

Eiger

and the south face

of Mont Blanc.

Ah, the big three.

It's quite an ask.

Yep.

Which is why I need

my climbing partner.

Ah, I can't, man.

Even if I wanted to.

The internship starts on

Monday. You know that.

Oh, yeah. Insurance, right?

It's just temporary.

It's gonna be temporary

for the next 50 years, man,

if you're not careful.

Come on. Term's over.

This is our last

real summer holiday.

Ever.

You can worry about next year

next year.

What do you say?

Suit and tie...

or ice ax and crampons?

Twenty-two years on this planet,

you still can't tie a tie.

Label's sticking out.

Smarten up.

You've got

a real opportunity here.

Fit in.

Keep up.

Ah, David.

This is my son, Michael.

All right, son, how you doing?

Give him the tour, would you?

See that?

Six grands' worth of kettle.

Shoes, another bag.

Whistle, three large.

See the Porsche outside?

That's mine, innit.

I'm walking round this place with a

hundred grand wrapped round me.

You know how I got it?

On the fucking phones.

This is you.

Now, pick up the phone

and dream big.

Carol, where's that latte?

I'd love to have

a minute of your time.

Hello.

How we doing, boy?

What we got?

That should have been done

about 1:00. Yeah, but it's my first day.

Don't really care, buddy.

I know.

Don't really care.

Fake it till you make it.

Any other cliché you want, mate.

Hey, Mikey, Mikey!

Just want you to see

what you're missing out here.

Look at that!

Yee-hoo-hoo!

Mm?

All right.

High pressure moving in.

One mountain, one week.

You'll be back in front of your

computer before you're even missed.

I do appreciate you didn't

break into your own house.

Yeah, right, mate. Yeah, yeah.

Aaah, Mikey! There he is!

A postcard?

Ah, man, what, you traveled

back in time to get this?

1984. I knew

it would get your attention.

A text would have been fine.

You ignore my texts, man.

All right, guys,

a couple of quick intros.

Michael, say hi to Natascha.

Natascha, say hi to Michael.

Hey.

American?

Canadian.

Yep.

But don't get any ideas.

'Cause this is Leo,

her boyfriend.

He's a climbing guide.

Alps, Andes,

wherever you wanna die, man.

'Sup?

Not Canadian.

California. Make a lot more money

here than back home in the Sierra.

Well, Mr. Moneybags...

And this is Rudi.

He's a snowboarder.

He should turn pro

any day now, yeah?

Yeah, and then I can kiss

my day job goodbye.

I need money, bro.

Gimme your watch, hmm?

Ah.

Uh-huh.

A review on Tripadvisor

called me "a fucking prick".

A review we can all trust.

Ha, fuck you!

It was my proudest moment.

So what?

Yeah.

All right, brother,

how long have I got you?

Five days.

It's the best I could do, man.

Any longer and I'm out of a job.

All right, finish up,

girls and boys.

Let's go climbing.

'Bout time.

Let's go!

Wait. What, what, what, now?

Yeah.

Man, I've just driven 500 miles.

I've hardly slept.

What are you, like, 40?

We need to get you

acclimatized, man!

Come on.

This is it, Mikey!

Grab your kit, man.

We take the telecabin

in 20 minutes, all right?

Uh...

Ha ha!

You're in Chamonix, baby!

Climbed anything of note

out here, Michael?

It's my first time in the Alps.

Fledgling, huh?

Guess you must like babysitting.

Ah, Michael can handle himself.

He put up a new route

on the Orion Face.

Orion Face?

Never heard of it.

It's on Ben Nevis.

I did Scotland once.

Never again.

Who the hell climbs

in weather like that?

Yeah, well, any fool can

climb when the sun's out.

We'll see.

I can feel the altitude.

I mean, come on.

You just ascended a third of

Mount Everest in 20 minutes.

Push through, man. Couple of

days, you won't even notice it.

Ah, au revoir, motherfuckers!

Yee-hoo!

Be safe.

Au revoir.

Tres bien.

Hey! Isa.

Hey, Michael, this is

Isabelle. She's one of us.

Not much of a climber, though.

And you're not much of a skier.

Ooh.

First day?

Yeah.

I can see that.

He's used to climbing molehills

in Scotland.

And Wales.

And Wales.

Yeah, he's just finding out

what thin air tastes like,

that's all.

We're gonna see how the

Englishman copes at altitude.

All righty.

Well, good luck and be safe.

- You too.

- Thanks.

Hey, this is slow, Michael.

Even for you. Come on.

I haven't acclimatized yet.

Gimme a break.

Don't get used to

these baby rocks, Michael.

You won't find them

on the Matterhorn.

Shit.

Well, I'd better go home then.

Too late, baby!

I got you now.

Whoo-hoo!

Hey, honey,

JP's climbing faster than you.

If he tries to pass you,

push him off.

I'll say it was an accident.

All right, let's go.

Hey, Michael,

look beneath your feet, man!

Yee-hoo-hoo!

Wait, wait, wait, wait!

Yeah!

That's a keeper, my friend.

You don't wanna wait

for JP and Michael?

I need a beer.

There's no bar up here

last I checked.

They'll catch up.

Okay.

Well, age before beauty.

Mwah.

Come on, Mikey.

Last few steps. Almost there.

Heh heh, yeah!

Yeah.

Whoo-hoo!

Welcome to the asylum

above 4,000 meters!

You nutter, huh?

Worth bleeding for?

That's the altitude, man.

Worth bleeding for.

Yeah.

This is only

the beginning, mate.

Come on. We're gonna miss

the last lift.

Ah, we'll make it!

Yeah, you might.

He looks fried.

Well, I made it

to the top, didn't I?

Yeah, and it beat the crap

out of you in the process.

The Dent's a training climb.

There's no skills required,

just big fat ropes.

Did you shit yourself while you were up

there, Michael? You need a fresh diaper?

No, I already went. I'll save

you one for the Matterhorn.

I love a good dick-measuring

contest. I'll just get mine out.

Ugh, please don't.

And you can put yours back in

your pants for now, Leo, okay?

Okay, okay.

Hey, don't worry about him.

The locals take a while

to warm up. That's all.

He's about as local as I am.

Well, he's not French.

But this is Chamonix.

The only way to be one

is to put in the time.

He's earned it.

Oh, right.

Thank you, Laura.

Mmm.

Ah, man.

Who was that?

Mm. A client.

Like, just because I

laugh at one of his jokes,

he thinks it's a come on.

I would.

I know you would,

you little pig.

Oh, ho ho! Okay.

Salut, Michael.

Salut.

Merci.

Santé.

Santé. Santé.

So, what are we doing tomorrow?

I'm working tomorrow.

Leo's guiding. Uh... Oh.

What about you, Isa?

What?

I'm doing nothing. Why?

Why don't you take

Michael skiing, hmm?

He should get into the

glacier every chance he gets.

I need him acclimatized

for the Matterhorn.

Do you ski well? Well, you're not

gonna have to babysit me or anything.

I won't. Keep up.

Ooh...

Okay.

Okay, yes.

Hello.

Mm.

Is that a Super 8?

Yeah.

Late '70s model.

I just love the images.

Soft and imperfect.

There is no romance

with digital.

You want to have a try?

Sure.

You just have to squeeze

the trigger there

and you're rolling.

Okay.

Hello!

Me?

Yes, you.

I'm camera shy.

I don't know what to do.

Oh, are you now?

I am.

Mm.

So, what's the deal

with you and Jean Pierre?

Are you like, uh...

Like?

You know, dating or...

Well, we're good friends.

He's like a brother

to me now, you know.

What do you mean now?

You have so many questions!

I... Uh...

Well, yeah, we've been dating.

Like two or three years ago.

And, actually,

he was my first love.

Right.

Why?

Are you jealous, Michael?

Course not.

Liar.

Jesus.

- Poor bastards.

- Come August,

they'll be dying

almost every day out here.

Nice one.

Yeah, man.

The face is pretty loose.

Yeah. It will settle.

Plenty of good ice

further up the route.

He's fast!

Definitely better than us.

Yeah, he's in

a different league.

Whoo-hoo-hoo!

Man, that's Damien Roux.

The guy's a movie star here.

Yeah, he's pretty insane.

Oh, man, look at that!

That's climbing.

All right.

I'll take the next pitch.

You sure?

Yeah!

All right.

But don't hang about.

I wanna be on the summit

long before sunset, okay?

Agh!

Yeah, we made it, man!

Yep.

Whoo! Well done.

Whoo-hoo!

Yes!

Lucy would love this.

Your sister could have led that

with one hand

tied behind her back, man.

Yeah.

This should have been

her mountain.

Why do you think

I sent the postcard, eh?

Oh, okay.

I'm gutted she never

made it out here.

But you did.

That counts for something.

Yeah.

Yep.

You want a picture?

No.

This is enough.

Hell yeah.

Leo reckons the weather's

breaking for the Eiger.

There's gonna be a window

in the next couple of days, man.

Don't start.

You just climbed

the north face

of the Matterhorn.

You can do this.

I'm so tempted.

Stay one more day at least.

You know, we're heading to

the Valley Noir in Italy tomorrow.

Yeah. It's kind of

a tradition we have

to mark the summer solstice.

I know. You've said.

And it's the last chance

to ski the glacier.

I've skied the glacier.

Not like this, my friend.

Not like this.

Look, I'd love to,

but I've gotta go.

I can't miss that ferry.

Yeah.

She likes you I think.

Who?

You know who.

We went skiing, Jean Pierre,

that's all.

Chamonix gossips, my friend.

We went skiing!

Chamonix gossips!

We went skiing!

Ooh, it's baking down here now.

Yeah.

Must be 80/85.

Gotta stop talking in

Fahrenheit. No one understands!

Yes, please, sir.

And feet.

Why do you use feet, bro?

Yep.

I don't get it.

Meters and Celsius, honey.

- Okay, it's fucking hot, man.

- Better.

But it's still cool up high.

That's what matters.

Oui.

Yo!

Hey, Mikey! There he is!

- You good?

- Ca va?

Aha!

What about your job?

Ah, I'll get fired.

What about your father?

Well, he told me

to follow my dreams.

Whoa, he actually said that?

No, he called me

a cunt and hung up.

Ah.. Well, life's

not over yet my friend.

You're surfing. Hm?

Yo!

You coming up?

Ah, no, I didn't bring any skis.

I just came to say hi.

No way, man.

You can't miss this ride.

You brought a spare pair?

Thanks, man. You haven't

seen what we're skiing yet.

Exactly!

I'm ready. Whoo!

On y va.

A ce soir.

Whoo-hoo!

Michael!

Ca va?

Whoo!

Whoo-hoo!

Allez!

Whoo-hoo!

Come on, Michael!

Oh, shit!

Shit!

Oh, shit!

Oh, fuck.

Michael!

You made a left

through the ice tunnel?

Isabelle told me.

That's fucking nuts, man!

Yeah, it was a wrong

turn. No, no, no.

It's only a wrong turn if you

don't make it out, right?

Did you hear about this?

He was skiing like he was

Roger Moore or some shit.

Heard he went full-on

View to a Kill up there.

Almost like he's one

of our own. Aw, Leo.

Anybody who climbs the north

face of the Matterhorn in one day

gets my vote.

Well, it was pretty messy, okay?

It can be messy.

It's a big fucking tick, man.

And that's all you're getting.

I'll take it.

I bet that was hard for him.

Well, he sees a lot of fresh faces

come up to Chamonix, Michael.

All gear and no idea.

You can't just expect him

to welcome you in

with open arms.

Yeah.

Gotta earn that.

I think you just did.

Really?

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Oh, we all love you, Michael.

But I don't think I'm the girl you

should be talking to right now.

Go get 'em, tiger.

Hello.

You look, uh,

you look good tonight.

Only tonight?

N... Not just tonight.

I'm sorry, I've, uh,

I've had a few beers.

Wow, you really know

how to make a girl feel special.

No, come on.

That's not what I meant.

You know what I meant.

So what did you mean?

Well, I said it before,

that you look...

You look beautiful.

You got anything else

than I'm beautiful?

It's a bit lousy.

Okay.

Okay, wait, wait, wait, wait.

Uh... Mm...

It was really special

skiing with you today.

And what was so special

about skiing with me?

The chase.

And what do you plan to do

if you got me?

Hmm?

So, why did you come back?

Well, 'cause I wanted to climb

and help JP realize his dream.

Mm. That's the only reason

you stayed?

Well, it's not the only reason.

So?

Are you really gonna

make me say it?

Yeah.

Because I wanted to see you.

And I thought that maybe...

Mm...

Mm...

Good morning.

Did you sleep well?

Mmm...

Mmm...

I'm going for a swim.

Isn't it a bit cold?

No.

Ooh la la!

It's good!

Yeah?

Hey...

Hey!

So we're holding hands now?

Ah. You can let go

anytime.

Then put it through the till

like any other bar beer.

That's pretty much it.

Got it.

It's a boring job but pays

enough to get up to the glacier.

That's all that

really matters, right?

Yep.

There he is!

With a whole new career.

How did it go, lover boy?

All right, you don't

have to say a word.

How's working with Béa?

Yeah, she's cool.

Yeah, she's cool, man.

She's playing the same game

as the rest of us.

Just waiting to become

the next big thing.

How good is she?

Man, she was hot

for a little while.

Then her sponsor

got a crush on someone new.

Someone crazier.

She's gotta up her game though.

Bust some big-ass routes.

Just like you, right?

Ah, Mikey, Mikey.

You know, if you stay

in your comfort zone,

you'll stay here behind this

shitty bar for the rest of your life.

Come on. You know, this

life-and-death business

is very fickle.

It's Damien Roux.

Hey, turn this up, would you?

Yeah, Damien!

Yeah, my man!

Yes.

Harder ground's

not stopping him.

He'll need to slow down

on the crux pitch.

There's no shortcuts.

Holy crap!

This guy is nuts.

Wait, lemme see.

Wait.

Lemme see!

Damien, you legend!

Turn the music off!

Turn the music off now!

Turn the goddamn

fucking music off!

Don't make me

come up there, asshole!

Hero amongst

the climbing fraternity,

veteran of the Alps,

Damien Roux has been killed

attempting a new speed record

on the route Divine Providence

on Mont Blanc.

He is the latest victim

in a string of accidents

to take place in the Alps

this summer.

One moment he was just

picking it to shreds,

unlocking all these moves

and then...

I feel sick.

I feel a lot of things.

Surprise ain't one of them.

Dance music, a fucking DJ?

It wasn't climbing,

it was a freak show

set up by his sponsors demanding

bigger, bolder, scarier routes.

That's what

we all came to see, Leo.

They pushed him too hard, man.

You saw those slick moves

and the flashy touches.

That's showboating.

No.

Damien is a legend.

One of a kind.

Yeah, you keep telling a man

that, he'll start to believe you.

Vanity is a deadly thing

to bring into these mountains.

Come in!

- Hello, hello!

- Hey!

Cold snap's kicked out a good dusting

of snow on the Bernese Oberland.

Folks round Interlaken reckon

the Eiger's gonna play ball.

Yeah? She's in condition?

About as good as

you're gonna get right now.

If you want it perfect,

wait till November.

Let's do this!

Michael?

We took 16 hours

on the Matterhorn.

We could have done it in ten.

The Eiger's twice the size.

You heard what he just said.

We might not get another chance.

That's a risk that could end in

disappointment, not... not death, JP.

This is not about the Eiger.

It's about Damien Roux.

You know why he's dead, Michael?

'Cause free solo climbers

don't live to a ripe old age.

That's just

a cold, hard fact of life.

No ropes, no partner.

Just a matter of time.

Me? I'd like to get back to some

good, old-fashioned mountaineering.

Put yesterday behind us.

Thank you.

Yo.

That's what separates

him and us.

And I'll be at the end

of that rope,

babysitting you as always.

And just remember, Michael,

yes or no is the right answer.

I won't climb with you

on a maybe.

You make your decision,

we'll back you either way.

Hey, Michael.

Hello.

Hey.

It's not so bad here.

No, best hotel in Chamonix.

And how is your room service?

You're looking at it.

Mm, cup of tea?

No, no, no, I don't drink tea.

I'm not one of

your English girls, Michael.

Okay.

Mm. In the backpack.

The real gourmet stuff.

But I see something interesting.

Mm-hmm-hmm.

Let's have a look.

Oh, put a in.

That's a strong look.

I was young.

Oh, who's this?

She's very pretty.

Should I be jealous?

That's Lucy, my sister.

Mmm.

You do look a bit alike.

Same big, bright eyes.

Did I say something wrong?

Uh, nothing.

She's not with us anymore.

Okay. I'm so sorry.

If you want, we can

talk about something else.

It's okay.

Uh, I don't mind.

Are you sure?

Usually, uh, I can't stand

talking about her.

I can barely even think

about her without...

But out here, it's strange.

It's like she's with us.

I know it sounds silly.

No, it's not.

So, she was a climber too?

Yeah.

A good one.

When my mum died,

my dad...

kinda went off the deep end.

He was pretty horrible

to be around.

Still is.

Her solution was

to take us climbing.

So, she got you hooked.

She did.

When you climb,

it's like...

nothing else exits.

You know, there's no room

for bullshit, grief, pain.

Only the present.

The next move.

And what happened to her?

We were on a climb in Scotland,

and the weather turned.

Total whiteout.

It... It was... It was scary.

When we got back

to the car park,

we were so buzzed that we'd made

it back that we had a couple of beers.

Just a couple.

Take the edge off, you know.

She was in such a rush

to get home.

She wanted to drive.

I just had this... feeling.

Like something bad

was gonna happen.

And I did nothing.

Michael, get down!

Ah, fuck!

Fuck.

Michael! You all right?

Yeah.

Hey, hey, get in!

Whoa.

The face is falling

to fucking bits.

The sun is warming up the face,

melting the ice.

All that compacted rock's

come loose.

We need to stop climbing now.

Bivvy at the Swallow's Nest.

See how it is tomorrow.

Oh, my God.

All right now, you got this.

Just get to me.

All right, honey,

I'm right here.

I'm right here.

Okay.

Quick as you can.

Hey!

Hey, honey...

All right, get to me.

I got you!

Right, recover!

Gimme some slack!

Come on.

Okay.

All right.

Oh, my God!

That was close.

I'm sorry for freaking out.

No, no, it's crazy.

It's still coming.

JP, Michael, come in.

Yep, Leo.

How are you two doing?

We're at Death Bivvy,

about to turn in

for the night. You?

We're at Swallow's Nest.

Could've gotten further,

but there's a lot of rockfall,

and we don't need to push it

right now.

Yeah, it gets worse higher up.

It's too warm,

there's not enough ice.

It's choppy as fuck.

Yeah, but should be fine

if we get moving early enough.

It's your call, Leo.

What are you thinking?

I mean, Natascha and I

are above all the problems now.

We should be able to summit

pretty easily tomorrow.

You guys still got all that

bad shit in front of ya.

Do you suggest a retreat?

Over.

Come on, man, he isn't

saying that. What the fuck?

If you wanna go for the summit,

you gotta keep your foot down.

Hit the face

before the sun comes up.

Exactly what we're

planning to do, Leo.

What are you doing? It's a

fucking blitzkrieg on the ice fields.

Get them off the damn thing.

Hey, guys, you're still

close enough to Railway Tunnel.

You might wanna consider

a retreat

while you're still

in a position to do so.

Fine, yes, we will.

Stay safe.

Always. We'll meet you in

Kleine Scheidegg tomorrow night

for a beer

no matter what you decide.

Sure thing,

sure thing. Out.

It's gotta be their choice.

Do you think they'll turn back?

Did we?

- A lot colder than yesterday.

- Yeah.

Face looks pretty good.

Yeah.

So, up or down?

I don't know, man.

Ah...

Couple hours and we

could be having breakfast

with the best view

in Switzerland.

Eggs, bacon, coffee.

Come on, man. I didn't come this

far to eat eggs and fucking bacon!

Now, come on, at least let's

try a couple more pitches.

See how it plays out.

So...

up or down?

More like it.

It looks loose.

Not so bad.

Small steps.

All right. Come on.

Come across, man.

Michael! Watch out!

Oh, fuck!

Michael! Get over here!

Hurry the fuck up, man!

Hurry up!

Michael!

Come on, man!

Come on, come on, come on!

Forget the fucking ice screw

and get over here! Hurry!

Michael! Get down!

Michael!

No!

Michael!

Michael!

Michael.

Michael!

Can you reach the face?

I can't get it, man!

Ah, fuck.

Try your ice axes!

I can't reach!

Ah, fuck!

Put a in! Merde!

All right! Hold on!

I'll rig a hoist!

Vite, vite, vite, vite, vite.

Allez, vite, vite, vite.

I can't get it!

I got you, brother!

Fuck.

I'm calling mountain rescue.

I'm all right. I'm not too bad.

I'm okay.

Yeah, I'm okay, I'm okay.

Natascha, Leo,

lost to the Eiger.

We're all grieving.

The respect you commanded

was indisputable.

As was the love.

We can all go crazy trying to

figure out what happened up there.

Was it a slip?

Was it a rockfall?

Did their gear fail?

The truth is, we'll never know.

But what we know

is that you guys

were together at the end.

Whoo!

We love you!

And we're fucking thankful

for that.

Yeah. Yeah!

And now, we raise our glasses,

Yeah! and we drink the

biggest fucking toast we can!

To you guys!

Leo!

Natascha!

We fucking love you!

We fucking love you!

Can you reach the top?

Can you reach the top?

We fucking love you!

We love you, guys!

I just don't understand.

They're all laughing and

drinking as if nothing happened.

It just doesn't feel right.

Wakey, wakey!

Ah!

You ready?

For what?

Climbing. Come on.

Are you serious?

Two of your best friends have

just been put in the ground.

This is how we honor them.

Come on. Grab your harness,

get your gear.

Five minutes.

Hey, what's going on?

Low-Lower me down, man.

Why?

Lower me down!

What the fuck happened up there?

Look, I'm not in the mood

for honoring anyone today.

Hey, what's the matter?

What's the matter?

This place is insane.

People are dropping like flies.

Yeah, well, next summer,

it will be the same, man.

Leo and Natascha may have died,

but they died doing what they loved,

doing what they lived for.

Doing what they loved?

Are you serious?

They died screaming,

Jean Pierre.

Don't you get it?

That's why

we come back out here.

When we climb,

they're right here with us.

They're alive again.

Don't you feel it?

Come on, you...

You can't quit now.

Not when we're this close.

The Eiger said no.

Fine, we have to respect that.

So we move on

to the White Mountain.

I'm afraid.

I know you're afraid.

I'm afraid too.

But everything we ever wanted

is on the other side of fear.

I'm doing this with or

without you, Michael.

So make a decision.

I'm not sharing my headstone

with some mountain, JP.

I can't do it.

- Ca va?

- Comment allez-vous?

Mm-hmm.

Jean Pierre told me

that you're out now.

Yeah, it's over.

Done.

I was thinking that maybe...

we could take your car.

Just get away from here.

Be our chance to be alone

and be ourselves.

Merci.

Nine days,

that's all we have left,

and I have to leave, you know.

I hate that.

We get together,

then life gets in the way.

It doesn't have to.

Yeah, but it always does.

Doesn't it?

Come Christmas,

we would have gone

our separate ways

and you won't even know

what the fuck I look like.

This self-pitying drunk act,

it's boring.

Yeah.

Yeah, it doesn't suit you.

That's not who you are.

That's not who I am?

Mm-mmm.

I've known you

for seven fucking days.

You don't...

You don't know who I am.

I don't even know

who I fucking am, okay?

Enjoy.

See ya later.

Hey! Hey!

One of the stars of the future,

Jean Pierre Bourdain.

I hear you've got something pretty

special lined up for later in the summer.

Ooh, yeah. Well, I've seen a new

line on the Central Pillar of Frêney.

Reckon we'll give it

a push, you know.

Just gotta worry what I'm gonna

name it, that's all.

Shh! Shh!

Damien Roux

was tragically killed

attempting a new record

on Divine Providence.

How has his death affected

the climbing community?

We're all bleeding, you know.

Damien was the best.

Hands down.

You know,

the way he was climbing,

the way he was living his life,

he's just one of

my biggest inspirations, really.

Do you reckon you might be looking

to set some speed records of your own

in the next couple of years?

Ah, come on. Yeah, of course.

Well, if I can attract some sponsors, stay

in mountain, keep on training every day...

You know, anything's possible,

right? Watch this space.

Absolutely, man, come on.

Wait, wait, wait, wait!

Say hello to my new

climbing partners!

Well, mate, look,

best of luck for the future,

and I'll see you guys very soon.

We're gonna climb that, baby.

Open your eyes, we are

the stars today.

Whoo!

I just wanted to say that I...

What?

I probably deserved that.

And I can hit a lot harder.

You got off lightly.

Did I?

Mm-hmm.

Because I like you.

You like me?

Not right now.

You're insensitive,

you're a drunk. Dumb connard.

That's all you are.

Canard?

Yeah, connard.

I'm a... I mean...

I'm a duck?

No. Asshole.

Yeah.

I already knew that.

Okay.

Get in.

Oh, you smell so bad!

I can't... Oh, put a in! Oh, no.

Mmm!

You smell like a vat of

wine. It's disgusting. Yeah?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Go brush your teeth. Oh!

Go brush your teeth.

Please, go.

Okay.

You thought a bit more about

what we were saying?

You know, you and me

getting off a few days.

I did, yeah.

And?

I need to go and see JP.

About what?

Mont Blanc.

But you said you were finished.

I'm his climbing partner,

Isabelle. What do you want?

Well, from what I heard,

you've been replaced.

With Béa and Rudi?

Mmm.

They're not good enough.

He's not thinking straight.

I don't know, just...

Maybe you could...

just talk him out of it,

you know?

For me?

He won't listen.

You know that.

He's climbing that white

mountain no matter what.

That's his choice.

You know he's obsessional

and unbending.

I can't believe I'm so stupid.

Once again...

none of us stood a chance

against this place.

I owe him.

For what?

He was there for me

when I needed him most.

Okay? He... He...

He took me climbing,

he kept me busy,

he kept me sane.

And now

he's going to get you killed.

Lucy died because I did nothing.

I'm not gonna let that happen

to my best friend, too. No.

Let's push.

Come on.

Yep, come on. I don't have

all day, man. Come on.

He's not so bad.

Yeah, well, it's only a 6c man.

Should be running up that thing!

Hey, Rudi, you're shit.

Come on, right foot.

I want back in.

Now you change your mind.

Yeah, only because

I know you won't.

JP said you froze up

climbing Maladiere.

Yeah, well, I wasn't feeling it.

You want us to put our lives

on the line for how you feel?

No.

Just him.

You wanna tie in? Hmm?

Not bad. Not bad.

He's fast.

Hardly the south face

of Mont Blanc, is it?

He's really fucking fast.

You may come in useful

after all.

Let's go and knock

this bastard off.

Looking good! Moving fast! Hey.

Yeah.

Feeling good, man.

Oh.

Oh!

- What the fuck?

- Oh!

Guys! We've got a pair

of jokers above us.

What the fuck are these idiots

playing at?

They've been kicking rocks down

on us the whole fucking time, huh?

You shouldn't be here, assholes!

Merci, put a in!

Ahi. Ahi.

Okay. Uno.

Tre! Ah!

Tino!

Attenzione!

Look out!

Béa!

Béa!

Béa! Stay calm, Béa, okay?

Stay calm!

Béa! Béa!

Gimme some slack!

Yeah!

JP! Yeah, I'm here!

I'm here, I'm here.

I'm with you, I'm with you.

Give me rope.

Okay, coming! Coming!

It's okay, it's okay.

I'm with you.

I'm coming!

I'm coming.

I'm coming, baby.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Show me. Wha...

Look at me. Look at me. Okay.

Don't look. Don't look.

Don't look, okay?

Can you move it?

I got you. Béa, I got you.

Here, take these. Béa,

take these. Ibuprofen?

It's not much, but it should

take the edge off, okay?

Okay, hey. Easy, easy.

We're gonna call the rescue and

we're gonna have dinner tonight.

Okay? Easy. Don't worry.

The storm has

changed course. Yeah?

It's gonna be here

within the hour.

Coming in from the west. Shit.

Means we won't see it

till it hits.

Did you call Mountain Rescue?

They're sending a party on foot

but they have to come

up from Courmayeur. Fuck.

They won't get here

until tomorrow.

Well, then we retreat.

We dig in at the Eccles

shelter and we wait.

No, we cannot turn back, man.

That's exactly what

we're gonna do, Jean Pierre.

Climb's over.

Michael,

right below us

is the Frêney Glacier,

worst avalanche black spot

on the whole massif.

- Yeah.

- Half an hour of snow is all it needs.

No, we bivvy on the face.

Wait for the storm to pass.

That's it.

Shit!

What is it?

The rescue team are holed up

at the Messina heart.

They can't continue.

They're gonna

wait out the storm.

Should pass in a few hours.

It's another avalanche.

A big one.

Okay, there is no way down now.

Isabelle.

One, two, three.

One kilometer away!

I can't...

I can't feel my fingers.

Give me your hand.

I got you.

Okay.

Merde!

Put a in!

That's it.

That's all our fucking water!

All of it!

All of it gone!

Shut the fuck up.

Shut the fuck up!

Shut the fuck up!

Both of you!

It's gone, okay?

We're sitting on a giant

lightning conductor,

we need to get

the hell out of here. Now!

A rescue team will come.

In this?

They're playing cards

in a cozy little hut

3,000 feet south of here,

and you're stalling.

If we don't make

a decision now, we die.

The only way down is up.

Look, we climb to the top

of the Pillar.

We follow the ridge

to the summit

and then we get to the

Vallot Hut and we dig in.

Okay?

Come on.

Two hundred meters

in this storm?

It's fucking suicide, man!

Béa has hypothermia!

We don't have enough time.

You cannot climb!

Not in this!

No, you can't!

You can't climb it!

Fuck you! For fuck's sake!

Listen. Three years ago,

Cairngorms,

we got caught in all

fucking hell and I led us out.

Yeah. Yeah, he's right.

He's right.

He led us out.

You have to trust me.

Rudi, I can do this.

Huh?

Rescue party?

Are you the rescue party?

There is no rescue party!

It's just us.

What happened?

Took a fall.

Broke his leg.

Frost bite.

What about you?

One of us has a broken arm.

You dropped a rock the size

of a house on us.

The rock.

It broke like a rotten branch.

Can you help us?

You have a tough rope.

Michael's gonna pull you,

but you have to climb!

All right, take it!

Go Béa! Go!

You can do it Béa! Go!

Are you in?

Yeah.

Fucking novices.

We cannot take these two

with us. They're dead weight.

We have to try.

No, we don't.

They're responsible

for themselves.

They need our help, Jean Pierre!

They're gonna get us all killed!

I'm climbing to the next stance.

Tino, you're next!

Okay, I'm gonna pull you up

on the rope.

Use your arms, your good leg,

whatever will help me!

I'm gonna get you up

this, all right? Pitch by pitch.

Come on. Get up!

Okay, safe!

Come on, Tino!

Take care. Take care!

Keep going!

Come on!

Come on, try!

I'm sorry.

Harder!

Michael!

It's not gonna work!

Fuck!

Tino, you have to do this.

There's no other way.

Give us a fucking chance!

Piece of shit!

I couldn't limp across

the street, my friend.

How do you propose I can

traverse Monte Bianco?

My only chance is to wait here

for the rescue party.

Get out of here while

you still can. Please.

I stay with him.

Angelo, please.

Shut up.

Please! You don't need to.

You've said your piece.

I'm staying.

You and me, we get lifted off

this rock come the morning.

Right, boys?

I got you!

We did it, Michael.

How's your arm?

It's frozen below the elbow.

No! Béa! Béa

Béa! Béa!

Michael!

Fuck, put a in! No!

Okay, JP! Clip on!

Go, JP!

Safe?

Okay!

Allez, go!

All right, clip in, clip in.

Okay. C'est bon.

C'est bon. You're on.

Fucking hell.

Come on, guys. Keep pushing!

Hey, this is

the summit, I think.

You sure?

Well, we can't go

no higher, Michael.

Guys, we need to dig

a shelter right now!

The Vallot Hut is over there!

A few hundred meters away!

Come on, we've gotta keep going.

Come on.

Okay, your call. Your

fucking call! Come on.

Michael.

Michael.

Michael.

Michael, help me.

What the hell

have you just done?

Fuck you!

That's his lifeline,

you fucking... Shut up!

He's gonna get

us all killed, man!

Are you nuts?

He's done what he wants.

Fuck you!

What the fuck have you done?

Huh? Huh?

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Mike! Mike!

You wanna die, man!

Not with you.

Jean Pierre?

Jean Pierre?

Jean Pierre?

JP!

That could be hundreds

of meters deep, man.

No way he survived this.

We're gonna find out.

Jean Pierre?

Michael.

I can't move.

I'm fucked.

Stay there. Stay there.

I'm fucking dead, man.

You're gonna be fine.

Okay?

Rudi's gonna pull you up.

We're gonna get you out.

Okay Rudi! He's on!

Okay. Ready?

Here, ice ax.

Take it, take it.

Fuck.

On three. Okay Rudi?

When I say go, pull like hell!

Three, two, one.

Pull, Rudi!

Come on, JP.

Pull, Rudi!

Good job!

Rudi!

I got you, JP!

Rudi!

Rudi!

Rudi?

Rudi?

Not like this.

Not here.

I should have gone

for eggs and bacon.

Michael, I need you

to do something for me.

When you see my parents,

I want you to say that...

Don't say that, Jean Pierre.

We'll get you off this mountain.

Tell them I was happy.

Tell them you... you did

everything you could.

No way. All right, we're gonna

rest here for a few minutes.

Then we're gonna get our energy

back and I'll get you down.

I swear.

We're all gonna die here!

If we die, we die together.

'Cause I'm not leaving.

It doesn't...

doesn't hurt anymore.

Just rest here for a minute.

Just a couple...

Lucy?

I'm here.

I'm so sorry.

No. Michael, don't be.

Michael?

You have to go. Now.

- No.

- Michael?

I can't go back there.

I don't wanna go back.

- I wanna stay here.

- Michael? Michael!

I've missed you so much.

Michael! Michael!

Michael! Michael!

Hey. Hey!

You cannot sleep.

You sleep, you die.

If we stay here, we die!

All right? Come on.

Jean Pierre.

Hey, wake up, man.

I couldn't wake him.

Huh?

He's gone.

No, shut up.

He's gone.

Come on, man!

Come on!

Michael.

Wake up!

Michael.

Michael.

Jean Pierre...

Michael!

Michael!

Jean Pierre, wake up, man.

Michael. Michael!

Wake up. What?

Michael!

What do you want?

Listen to me!

Jean Pierre?

He's gone, man!

He can't be.

Look...

I'm sorry.

We need to go, man.

I won't leave you here, okay?

Okay.

Okay.

Michael! Michael!

I see the hut! Follow me!

Follow me!

We can make it.

Help!

Help!

Michael!

- Sarah!

- Yeah?

Michael.

Stay with me. Look at me.

Michael...

Hello, you.

Béa...

Jean Pierre...

I tried to get them down.

I crossed over, you know.

If I wanted to die,

all I had to do was...

lie down

and sleep.

That's when I saw them.

What did you see?

Ghosts.

Waiting for me to fall.

But there was someone else

up there, you know.

A presence...

that was keeping me alive.

Willing me on.

In the end...

there are no ghosts.

No...

guardian angels.

Just you...

and how much you have

left in you to get home.

And you did.

I'm told my son

may never be found.

That Mont Blanc

is now his grave.

How was Jean Pierre...

at the end?

He died doing what he loved.

Not many of us

have that privilege.

Is that what you believe?

I'm not interested in

beautiful fiction, Michael.

We were in hell.

We were making strange

decisions up there.

Uh...

Decisions that now,

sitting opposite you...

I mean, they don't make sense.

He wanted me to tell you

something.

That he was happy...

at the end.

He wasn't crying.

He wasn't in pain.

The last thing I saw

on his face was a smile.

That's the truth.

So...

So...

I guess we just have to

step away from this place.

Just like that?

Are we...

You really wanna

end it like this?

Do you really think I want to?

It has to.

I can't be part of this

any longer.

I can't watch all

the people I love die.

I won't.

You won't have to, okay?

Come on. You and me,

let's go somewhere completely

different and never come back.

I would love that.

But you're always going to

carry that place in your heart.

You're going to miss it.

No, I'm done with it.

All of it.

No.

I promise.

No.

You say that now.

Sooner or later, you'll be

back on the mountain

and I'll be stuck in a hut

hoping that you

make it back down.

That's it.

It won't be like that.

I know.

Because I'm not going

to let it happen.

I fell in love with you,

you know.

That's why I have to go.

But we will always have

this place, right?

Okay.