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Hello, boys and girls.
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This is Tim Ferriss,
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and welcome to
"The Tim Ferriss Show".
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In this episode, we have
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one of the most recognized
climbers in the world,
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Alex Honnold.
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-Welcome to the show.
- Thanks for having me.
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Alex, who impresses you
right now?
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This kid Marc-André
Leclerc. This Canadian guy.
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Hardly anyone has heard of him
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because he's so under
the radar.
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He's been doing, like, all
kinds of crazy alpine soloing.
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What makes it so crazy?
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He just goes out and climbs
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some of the most
difficult walls
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and alpine faces in the world.
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The most challenging things
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that anyone's ever climbed,
really.
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So he's just next level?
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Yeah, it's, like, so
crazy. Like, I don't know.
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And for those people
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who want to see visuals
on this stuff,
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we'll grab some video
and links...
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An interesting thing
about Marc-André
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is I don't know
if there is video
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of most of the stuff
he's doing.
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Oh, really?
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Yeah, he's just going
out and climbing for himself
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in such a pure style.
It's pretty full on.
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At 23 years old,
Marc-André Leclerc
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was already one of the boldest
alpinists of his generation.
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00:02:43,890 --> 00:02:47,529
But he was
almost completely unknown.
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I spent two years
following this elusive climber,
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trying to document his ascents,
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00:03:16,923 --> 00:03:21,662
and understand
his wild vision of adventure.
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Throughout
my journey with Marc,
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I kept coming back
to these mysteries
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00:03:49,461 --> 00:03:51,329
at the heart of climbing
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00:03:51,364 --> 00:03:54,959
that have gripped me
since I was a kid.
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00:03:57,337 --> 00:04:00,932
Growing up as a young climber
in Colorado,
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I idolized the legendary
free-soloist Derek Hersey,
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00:04:07,072 --> 00:04:10,678
scaling the cliffs above town
with no rope.
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Just a chalk bag and a pair
of old climbing shoes.
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But one day,
Derek was out soloing
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and he fell.
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Derek Hersey
was killed last week.
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Some people thought he had
a death wish, but he said,
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"There's nothing else
that makes me feel so alive."
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Ever since then,
I've been fascinated
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by these
larger-than-life figures...
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Getting ready.
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...who push the limits
of adventure in the mountains.
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I've seen
some amazing things...
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00:05:06,439 --> 00:05:09,033
Tommy Caldwell
attempting to free climb
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the Dawn Wall.
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...and been left to grieve...
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00:05:12,412 --> 00:05:14,379
Dean Potter lost his life.
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...when friends died
pursuing their passion
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One of the world's
best-known mountaineers
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00:05:19,386 --> 00:05:22,079
Ueli Steck has died
in an accident.
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After 20 years of filming,
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I'm not sure I've gotten any
closer to understanding at all.
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Fucking hell.
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Check out the no-hands knee bar,
baby.
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Alex, why take the risk?
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-Why not use a rope?
-Uh...
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Those are just dumb questions.
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Meanwhile, the sport
of climbing has changed a lot.
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Let's head to the gym! Boom!
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What was once a rogue activity
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for misfits and vagabonds
has hit the big time.
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Rock climbing
makes its Olympic debut.
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Climbers have become
superstar athletes...
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It's raised my profile
a little bit, for sure.
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...with armies
of social media followers.
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And their ascents
are celebrated and hyped.
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Professional climbers
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are sharing Snapchat videos
from Everest.
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This is hair by Everest.
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It's a new hashtag,
it's a thing.
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-Hair by Everest.
-It's a thing.
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So I was surprised to come
across an obscure blog post
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about an unknown
young Canadian climber
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by the name
of Marc-André Leclerc.
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He had climbed a 4,000-foot
route of rock and ice
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in one of the harshest
environments on Earth.
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And all by himself.
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This was a monumental feat,
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but it was just a handful
of close observers
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freaking out about it online.
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So, who was this guy?
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To find out, I headed up
to Squamish, British Columbia,
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the heart
of the Canadian climbing scene.
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Weird-looking donuts, guys
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We got some fresh bites for you.
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-You wanna buy a donut?
-Yeah, sure.
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Full donut's two bucks.
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When I first met Marc,
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I didn't know
what to make of him.
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This is called
"a sky hump into a front flip".
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Wow.
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You want one?
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All right.
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He was clearly
unaccustomed
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to being in front
of the camera.
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Whoa. That's a crazy light.
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Clap in front of your face.
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00:08:00,239 --> 00:08:02,206
Cool. So tell us
how old you are,
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where you're from,
and what you do.
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Cool. I'm Marc-André Leclerc
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and I'm from the Fraser Valley,
British Columbia,
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lived in BC my whole life.
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I'm 23 years old
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and I'm a climber,
generally speaking.
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Yeah, as a young climber
growing up in western Canada,
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Squamish was, like,
the place to go.
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The most accessible
big steep cliff
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with super-rad hard
routes,
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the center of
the climbing universe, I guess.
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Marc had moved
to Squamish,
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fresh out of high school,
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eager to join the ranks of
the hard-core local climbers.
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Right away, as soon
as he moved to town,
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he was pretty hard to miss
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because of his crazy,
youthful exuberance and stoke.
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Come down and switch the rope.
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I think I was,
like, pretty dorky.
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Like, super psyched.
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And I was always
sort of chomping at the bit,
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like, gotta get up early,
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like, climb until
my fingertips are bleeding.
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He was not afraid to jump
right into the deep end.
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Oh, no! Oh, shit.
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Crazy.
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He came in
just all guns blazing.
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I was like, "This kid's
a really special breed."
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He was a bit young
and brash.
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You know, it's like, "I'm here,"
you know what I mean?
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But if you're not young
and brash
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between 17 and about 24,
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you might as well
shoot yourself,
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cos that's when people
are young and brash.
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Marc was just
a true dirtbag.
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Like, seriously broke.
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He didn't have a car,
he didn't even have a phone.
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I had a phone
for a while.
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Left it in a stuff sack
with some smoked salmon
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00:09:57,862 --> 00:10:00,390
and then the phone
was stolen by a wild fox.
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No way!
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I feel like maybe
I'm just better off without one.
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00:10:05,232 --> 00:10:06,704
For a couple of summers there,
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he was, like,
living in a stairwell.
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It was surprising
when he managed
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to find a cute blonde girl
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to live in the stairwell
with him.
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His stairwell
was just, like, a small futon
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at the bottom of the stairwell,
like, an entryway.
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The longer time I spent there,
the more it became decorated.
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So then, like, he had tapestries
and pictures.
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His stairwell became,
like, the lounge.
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There was no need
to live luxuriously,
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because we have
what we want, which is climbing.
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It was easiest just to live
as cheaply as we could.
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And then we decided to just
move into a tent in the forest.
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I was attracted to him
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because he was so different
than anyone I'd ever met.
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He was also
super socially awkward.
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But I didn't care,
cos, like, that's who he is
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and I love him for that.
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-Going on?
-Look, there he is.
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Your timing's perfect, guys.
You nearly missed me.
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They call me Hevy Duty.
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It's a nickname that's been
with me since the early '70s.
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I'm more like Light Duty now
than Hevy Duty. Or Old Duty.
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Hevy is kind of, like, the mayor
of Squamish rock climbing.
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He's also, like,
a hula hoop expert.
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00:11:57,245 --> 00:11:58,475
All right.
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00:12:10,896 --> 00:12:12,489
I am the hoop guy.
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00:12:15,802 --> 00:12:17,296
Yeah, tell me
about Marc-André.
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I can tell Marc-André stories
all day.
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Please do, yeah.
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00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:22,939
My first memories of Marc-André
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was seeing him come running out
of the forest in Squamish,
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barefoot with no shirt.
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He just broke my speed record
on the Grand Wall
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00:12:29,816 --> 00:12:31,541
and I was just like,
"Who is that guy?"
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00:12:31,576 --> 00:12:35,116
The Grand Wall might be the most
iconic route in Squamish.
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00:12:35,151 --> 00:12:38,416
I'd climbed it the fastest
bottom to top.
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00:12:38,451 --> 00:12:39,484
Speed records are a game.
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00:12:39,519 --> 00:12:41,485
They're not the most important
thing in climbing,
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00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:43,454
but I do love speed records.
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00:12:43,489 --> 00:12:44,961
And then this local kid,
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00:12:44,996 --> 00:12:47,161
who I'd never heard of,
did it faster.
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00:12:47,196 --> 00:12:49,262
I was soloing the route
quite regularly,
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00:12:49,297 --> 00:12:52,364
and one time, I just decided to
see how long it would take me.
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00:12:52,399 --> 00:12:54,366
I got to the top
and checked the time,
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00:12:54,401 --> 00:12:56,533
I was, like,
two or three minutes faster
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00:12:56,568 --> 00:12:59,074
than the established record.
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00:12:59,109 --> 00:13:02,176
And suddenly, Alex Honnold
came back to Squamish
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00:13:02,211 --> 00:13:05,212
to get his record back
on the Grand Wall
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00:13:05,247 --> 00:13:08,545
that I had kind of, like,
unintentionally broken.
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00:13:08,580 --> 00:13:11,988
I was like,
"Oh, man, I'm gonna go fast."
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00:13:14,058 --> 00:13:17,026
He totally destroyed it.
He cut my time in half.
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00:13:17,061 --> 00:13:19,193
I think
I did quite a bit faster.
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00:13:21,527 --> 00:13:23,461
Enough so that it
discouraged Marc
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00:13:23,496 --> 00:13:27,234
from ever wanting
to try again.
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00:13:27,269 --> 00:13:29,434
Marc is a very, very driven
climber,
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00:13:29,469 --> 00:13:31,975
but he doesn't care
about accolades.
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00:13:32,010 --> 00:13:34,340
He doesn't even care if anybody
knows what he's climbing.
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00:13:34,375 --> 00:13:37,112
I've always approach climbing
from an athletic background.
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00:13:37,147 --> 00:13:37,946
I grew up climbing in the gym
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00:13:37,981 --> 00:13:39,345
and I think of it
more as a sport.
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00:13:39,380 --> 00:13:40,279
But he cares about,
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00:13:40,315 --> 00:13:43,118
I don't wanna say
the spiritual component,
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00:13:43,153 --> 00:13:44,416
but he cares
about the experience
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00:13:44,451 --> 00:13:46,220
in the mountains,
and the journey,
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00:13:46,255 --> 00:13:47,452
and just wants
to have a good time
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00:13:47,487 --> 00:13:48,319
while he's out there.
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00:13:48,355 --> 00:13:51,588
And I really respect that.
It's a...
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00:13:51,623 --> 00:13:53,931
I mean, obviously,
it contributes to him
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00:13:53,966 --> 00:13:56,164
performing
at such a crazy level.
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00:14:01,105 --> 00:14:03,435
The first climb
we filmed with Marc
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00:14:03,470 --> 00:14:07,076
was a solo ascent
of the Grand Wall.
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00:14:15,185 --> 00:14:16,646
It's always nerve-racking
227
00:14:16,681 --> 00:14:21,387
to film someone
climbing without a rope.
228
00:14:21,422 --> 00:14:25,358
But for Marc, this was
just part of his daily routine.
229
00:14:26,460 --> 00:14:29,065
When I'm soloing
rock climbs,
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00:14:29,100 --> 00:14:31,903
I don't really like
to feel like I'm pushing myself.
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00:14:31,938 --> 00:14:35,170
That's not the reason
for soloing rock for me.
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00:14:35,205 --> 00:14:36,171
I don't like to feel
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00:14:36,206 --> 00:14:39,108
like I'm doing something
intense and scary or...
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00:14:39,143 --> 00:14:41,341
So then why do it?
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00:14:41,376 --> 00:14:45,642
Like, more just
to have a casual fun adventure
236
00:14:45,677 --> 00:14:49,888
and... cruise around.
237
00:15:09,107 --> 00:15:10,634
And when
you watch him climb,
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00:15:10,669 --> 00:15:12,372
he's just magic on the rock.
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00:15:16,081 --> 00:15:20,611
He's got style, he doesn't
lunge, he's very precise.
240
00:15:22,087 --> 00:15:24,054
There's not the slightest margin
for error
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00:15:24,089 --> 00:15:26,551
from the minute you set off,
is there?
242
00:16:00,026 --> 00:16:05,227
Watching Marc move
so beautifully up the wall,
243
00:16:05,262 --> 00:16:09,429
it was clear this goofy,
unassuming kid
244
00:16:09,464 --> 00:16:12,135
was a master of his craft.
245
00:16:37,558 --> 00:16:40,658
I really love
just watching him climbing.
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00:16:43,267 --> 00:16:47,797
Marc is a very calm and, like,
steady, controlled climber.
247
00:16:47,832 --> 00:16:51,075
Hey, Marco, I missed you.
248
00:16:51,110 --> 00:16:54,111
Yeah, I missed you, too.
249
00:16:55,114 --> 00:16:57,246
I get the fact
that he wants to solo,
250
00:16:57,281 --> 00:16:58,447
because I love it, too.
251
00:16:58,482 --> 00:17:01,514
I'm feeling really, like, calm
and good with soloing, too,
252
00:17:01,549 --> 00:17:05,650
so I would be psyched
on going and climbing...
253
00:17:05,685 --> 00:17:08,389
It puts you directly
in the present.
254
00:17:08,424 --> 00:17:11,260
You can't be thinking
about anything else.
255
00:17:13,330 --> 00:17:17,200
And you're interacting
and improvising in the moment.
256
00:17:18,467 --> 00:17:21,534
And you're just in control.
257
00:17:29,775 --> 00:17:31,610
When I first met Brette,
258
00:17:31,645 --> 00:17:34,811
she definitely had
a pretty big impact on me.
259
00:17:35,847 --> 00:17:37,550
At that time, I'd lost touch
260
00:17:37,585 --> 00:17:40,685
with the whole
climbing portion of my life.
261
00:17:42,326 --> 00:17:46,493
There is a really lively
party scene in Squamish.
262
00:17:46,528 --> 00:17:49,463
Definitely got hard
into the partying.
263
00:17:49,498 --> 00:17:53,764
At the beginning, it was pretty,
like, basic experimentation,
264
00:17:53,799 --> 00:17:55,403
like, it was really fun
265
00:17:55,438 --> 00:18:00,639
to experience all these
different states of mind.
266
00:18:00,674 --> 00:18:03,444
It's almost like a parallel
to climbing.
267
00:18:03,479 --> 00:18:05,578
My friends like
to explore a little bit,
268
00:18:05,613 --> 00:18:07,547
and sometimes
I like to explore a lot,
269
00:18:07,582 --> 00:18:10,286
and it was the same
with the partying.
270
00:18:10,321 --> 00:18:13,223
Everyone would wanna
take a tab of acid
271
00:18:13,258 --> 00:18:15,489
and hang out
and have a good time,
272
00:18:15,524 --> 00:18:17,788
and I'd wanna take
six tabs of acid
273
00:18:17,823 --> 00:18:19,790
and disappear for 20 hours.
274
00:18:23,565 --> 00:18:24,564
But I got to the point
275
00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:26,335
where I felt like
I couldn't really do anything
276
00:18:26,370 --> 00:18:28,238
without taking drugs.
277
00:18:30,671 --> 00:18:33,474
Which isn't a healthy place
to be.
278
00:18:34,444 --> 00:18:35,477
I remember that.
279
00:18:35,512 --> 00:18:38,776
When Brette and I started
climbing together,
280
00:18:38,811 --> 00:18:41,713
she was just totally
going for it.
281
00:18:41,748 --> 00:18:45,651
Hanging out with her
reminded me of what I'd lost,
282
00:18:45,686 --> 00:18:49,754
what it was like
to be... spirited.
283
00:18:53,826 --> 00:18:56,464
-Fun.
-Yeah, super fun, hey?
284
00:18:56,499 --> 00:18:58,433
Yeah.
285
00:18:58,468 --> 00:19:03,372
I could see how Marc could
have easily slid down that path,
286
00:19:03,407 --> 00:19:05,902
the dark side of drug life.
287
00:19:10,414 --> 00:19:13,415
-Have a good day, guys.
-Thanks, guys.
288
00:19:15,617 --> 00:19:19,520
Marc is interested
in intense experiences
289
00:19:19,555 --> 00:19:22,226
and living to the fullest.
290
00:19:22,261 --> 00:19:26,857
Drugs can provide some version
of that, but it's not genuine.
291
00:19:26,892 --> 00:19:32,500
And I think he recognized that
climbing is the real experience.
292
00:19:32,535 --> 00:19:34,700
-Nice, Brette.
-It's so cool.
293
00:19:34,735 --> 00:19:36,735
I know,
isn't it beautiful?
294
00:19:38,002 --> 00:19:41,278
-What a fun route.
-See?
295
00:19:41,313 --> 00:19:42,675
I know for Marc,
296
00:19:42,710 --> 00:19:48,384
rock climbing in Squamish
is all about having fun.
297
00:19:48,419 --> 00:19:54,456
But Marc's vision is more
towards soloing big alpine faces
298
00:19:54,491 --> 00:19:56,656
on beautiful mountains.
299
00:19:56,691 --> 00:20:01,694
He loves the mountains
and he is definitely ambitious.
300
00:20:01,729 --> 00:20:04,862
He wants to improve upon
what's been done before
301
00:20:04,897 --> 00:20:09,207
to make his contribution
to the history of alpinism.
302
00:20:14,841 --> 00:20:17,248
Alpinism, the discipline
303
00:20:17,283 --> 00:20:20,284
of climbing big
technical mountains,
304
00:20:20,319 --> 00:20:21,879
is more than just a sport.
305
00:20:21,914 --> 00:20:26,389
It's an ideal that has evolved
over generations.
306
00:20:29,295 --> 00:20:31,526
In the first half
of the 20th century,
307
00:20:31,561 --> 00:20:36,861
large-scale expeditions used
lots of equipment and manpower
308
00:20:36,896 --> 00:20:39,534
to conquer
the world's highest peaks.
309
00:20:39,569 --> 00:20:41,437
They stand victorious
310
00:20:41,472 --> 00:20:43,604
on the windswept roof
of the world.
311
00:20:45,806 --> 00:20:47,106
By the 1950s,
312
00:20:47,141 --> 00:20:51,546
it was no longer about getting
to the top of the mountain,
313
00:20:51,581 --> 00:20:53,614
but how you got there.
314
00:20:54,914 --> 00:20:56,650
In the European Alps,
315
00:20:56,685 --> 00:20:58,586
there was a revolution
316
00:20:58,621 --> 00:21:02,359
in climbing technique
and philosophy.
317
00:21:02,394 --> 00:21:05,329
Smaller teams using less gear
318
00:21:05,364 --> 00:21:09,058
tackled steeper
and more dangerous faces.
319
00:21:09,093 --> 00:21:12,963
That was the next step
in the evolution of alpinism.
320
00:21:12,998 --> 00:21:16,934
Climbing harder, climbing faster
and climbing in better style.
321
00:21:16,969 --> 00:21:21,444
A rope, a rack, and the pack
on your back, that's all you get
322
00:21:21,479 --> 00:21:24,007
and you have to make it work
with that.
323
00:21:25,780 --> 00:21:28,451
When you look
through the history of alpinism,
324
00:21:28,486 --> 00:21:31,289
climbing was a form of freedom.
325
00:21:33,590 --> 00:21:35,084
It was physical freedom,
326
00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:38,593
but it was also
a philosophical freedom.
327
00:21:38,628 --> 00:21:44,830
And the ultimate experience
of freedom was to climb alone.
328
00:21:44,865 --> 00:21:50,935
Unfettered, unleashed,
absolutely solo.
329
00:21:50,970 --> 00:21:55,643
Solo climbing on a high level
is an expression of art.
330
00:21:55,678 --> 00:22:01,451
The art of surviving
in the most crazy situations.
331
00:22:01,486 --> 00:22:05,081
While solo alpinism
may be the purest,
332
00:22:05,116 --> 00:22:07,886
most adventurous form
of climbing,
333
00:22:08,856 --> 00:22:11,021
it's also the deadliest.
334
00:22:11,056 --> 00:22:16,697
Maybe half of the leading
solo climbers of all times
335
00:22:16,732 --> 00:22:17,731
died in the mountains,
336
00:22:17,767 --> 00:22:23,638
and this is tragic
and it's difficult to defend.
337
00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:28,973
But this is the philosophy.
338
00:22:29,008 --> 00:22:31,844
If you're going in an adventure,
you need difficulties.
339
00:22:32,550 --> 00:22:34,451
You need danger.
340
00:22:34,486 --> 00:22:39,819
If death was not a possibility,
coming out would be nothing.
341
00:22:39,854 --> 00:22:42,921
It would be kindergarten.
342
00:22:42,956 --> 00:22:47,090
But not an adventure
and not an art.
343
00:22:56,508 --> 00:23:00,642
A few months
after our shoot in Squamish,
344
00:23:00,677 --> 00:23:04,646
we followed Marc
to the Canadian Rockies
345
00:23:04,681 --> 00:23:08,683
where he'd come for the
world-renowned ice climbing.
346
00:23:09,653 --> 00:23:10,850
There's always a point
347
00:23:10,885 --> 00:23:13,886
where I just cannot wait
for ice-climbing season.
348
00:23:13,921 --> 00:23:18,495
I'm just ready
to go climb frozen waterfalls.
349
00:23:18,530 --> 00:23:23,093
Ice climbing
is a crucial skill in alpinism.
350
00:23:23,128 --> 00:23:24,294
Over the years,
351
00:23:24,329 --> 00:23:28,439
it's developed into
its own highly technical sport
352
00:23:28,474 --> 00:23:32,102
and the ice in Canmore
is a proving ground.
353
00:23:33,809 --> 00:23:34,975
By the time we arrived,
354
00:23:35,010 --> 00:23:38,548
Marc had already been there
for a few weeks,
355
00:23:38,583 --> 00:23:40,682
camping outside of town
356
00:23:40,717 --> 00:23:43,883
and climbing things
that had the locals talking.
357
00:23:43,918 --> 00:23:45,984
First time I heard
about Marc-André,
358
00:23:46,019 --> 00:23:47,084
he was living in a snow cave
359
00:23:47,119 --> 00:23:49,856
on the parkway or something.
360
00:23:49,891 --> 00:23:54,025
And he was, like, soloing all
these ice routes all day long.
361
00:23:54,060 --> 00:23:55,026
I was like, "Here's somebody
362
00:23:55,061 --> 00:23:57,798
who's just going after it
and pushing things
363
00:23:57,833 --> 00:24:00,933
that is pretty much unknown."
364
00:24:08,547 --> 00:24:13,682
Ice climbing, solo, it's
not something many people do.
365
00:24:15,147 --> 00:24:17,488
You're climbing frozen water
366
00:24:19,118 --> 00:24:21,855
with just a few centimeters
of your ice tools
367
00:24:21,890 --> 00:24:24,462
and crampons in the ice.
368
00:24:30,569 --> 00:24:32,668
It's a very ephemeral medium.
369
00:24:36,971 --> 00:24:40,071
Climbing something that wasn't
there maybe a few weeks earlier
370
00:24:40,106 --> 00:24:43,008
and that might not be there
the next day
371
00:24:43,043 --> 00:24:45,747
if the thing you're climbing on
decides to collapse.
372
00:24:50,853 --> 00:24:52,281
People think
the free soloing
373
00:24:52,316 --> 00:24:53,590
that I'm doing seems crazy,
374
00:24:53,625 --> 00:24:54,724
but what I'm doing is on rock.
375
00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:58,826
It's safe in a lot of ways.
The medium is super solid.
376
00:24:58,861 --> 00:25:02,500
And then I see Marc-André
free soloing on ice and snow.
377
00:25:03,261 --> 00:25:04,931
It just shows so much experience
378
00:25:04,966 --> 00:25:07,197
on such different kinds
of terrain.
379
00:25:13,007 --> 00:25:15,546
In all my years
of climbing,
380
00:25:15,581 --> 00:25:18,780
I don't think I've seen
another climber
381
00:25:18,815 --> 00:25:22,245
quite as hungry for it
as Marc-André.
382
00:25:26,724 --> 00:25:30,528
He's got this headspace
that nobody else seems to have.
383
00:25:34,061 --> 00:25:36,160
Nothing fazes him.
384
00:26:02,122 --> 00:26:04,287
Marc doesn't just solo the ice,
385
00:26:04,322 --> 00:26:07,290
he goes out and solos
mixed routes.
386
00:26:09,701 --> 00:26:11,965
With mixed climbing,
it's the whole mentality
387
00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:17,300
of the ice doesn't have to be
fully formed to be climbed.
388
00:26:17,335 --> 00:26:20,875
Instead of embedding
your picks in the ice,
389
00:26:20,910 --> 00:26:25,011
you're just kind of placing them
on these little rock edges.
390
00:26:25,046 --> 00:26:28,179
That adds another dimension
of insecurity.
391
00:26:50,269 --> 00:26:51,939
Filming Marc
392
00:26:51,974 --> 00:26:56,174
on this insecure terrain
was terrifying.
393
00:27:00,114 --> 00:27:03,753
But he couldn't have been
more relaxed.
394
00:27:03,788 --> 00:27:06,382
Holy shit, dude.
395
00:27:06,417 --> 00:27:09,022
Then he took it up a notch
396
00:27:09,057 --> 00:27:14,962
by climbing solo on
the notorious Stanley Headwall.
397
00:27:14,997 --> 00:27:17,701
The Stanley Headwall
is the centerpiece
398
00:27:17,736 --> 00:27:20,231
of Rockies mixed climbing.
399
00:27:20,266 --> 00:27:22,772
None of the ice
is a hundred percent continuous.
400
00:27:22,807 --> 00:27:27,172
It forms in blobs,
and pillars and hanging daggers.
401
00:27:27,207 --> 00:27:30,175
You have to climb steep,
overhanging rock
402
00:27:30,210 --> 00:27:32,012
just to get to the ice.
403
00:27:33,477 --> 00:27:37,083
And so it makes for really good,
engaging climbing.
404
00:27:42,486 --> 00:27:44,959
There's a high degree
of craftsmanship
405
00:27:44,994 --> 00:27:49,898
that has to go into
the mixed-climbing equation.
406
00:27:49,933 --> 00:27:52,032
The pick of an ice ax
can hang on
407
00:27:52,067 --> 00:27:54,298
to just the smallest of edges.
408
00:28:01,274 --> 00:28:04,847
But you don't have nerves
going to the end of the ice ax.
409
00:28:06,081 --> 00:28:09,885
You have to evaluate and test.
410
00:28:13,286 --> 00:28:15,154
The difference between
411
00:28:15,189 --> 00:28:17,255
having your pick
solidly seated on a hold
412
00:28:17,290 --> 00:28:22,832
and having that pick explode
off of it is very, very small.
413
00:28:32,536 --> 00:28:34,778
I don't know
if I've seen someone
414
00:28:34,813 --> 00:28:36,879
climb bare-handed
with ice tools
415
00:28:38,443 --> 00:28:40,443
in the freezing temps,
being able to improvise
416
00:28:40,478 --> 00:28:45,448
between pulling on the rock
and pulling on ice tools.
417
00:28:45,483 --> 00:28:48,792
He's just combining all these
unconventional tactics.
418
00:31:18,702 --> 00:31:23,177
Marc soloing the Stanley
Headwall, it's just like, "Wow!
419
00:31:23,212 --> 00:31:26,543
I never thought of that
in my wildest dreams."
420
00:31:28,118 --> 00:31:32,087
-How was it?
-It was super fun. Yeah.
421
00:31:32,122 --> 00:31:34,958
-Scary?
-No, not particularly.
422
00:31:36,654 --> 00:31:42,196
-Just another day out?
-A really good day out. Yeah.
423
00:31:42,231 --> 00:31:44,528
Definitely a memorable day out.
424
00:31:44,563 --> 00:31:48,004
Marc-André
soloing those routes
425
00:31:48,039 --> 00:31:49,434
was pretty stunning.
426
00:31:49,469 --> 00:31:52,569
I think right there that made me
sit up and go, "Wow!
427
00:31:52,604 --> 00:31:54,912
Who is this guy?"
428
00:32:06,387 --> 00:32:10,290
I grew up
near a town called Chilliwack.
429
00:32:10,325 --> 00:32:13,128
In Chilliwack, you become
completely desensitized
430
00:32:13,163 --> 00:32:15,658
to the smell of cow manure,
431
00:32:15,693 --> 00:32:18,562
but it's surrounded
by beautiful mountains.
432
00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:20,199
When we were growing up,
433
00:32:20,234 --> 00:32:22,467
my dad was doing
construction jobs
434
00:32:22,502 --> 00:32:25,536
and my mom
was serving in restaurants.
435
00:32:25,571 --> 00:32:27,472
Aren't you and your mom
really close?
436
00:32:27,507 --> 00:32:28,540
Yeah.
437
00:32:28,575 --> 00:32:33,379
My mom, she's definitely been
a big influence on me.
438
00:32:33,414 --> 00:32:34,413
It's kind of hard to explain.
439
00:32:34,449 --> 00:32:38,351
We've just been really
good friends my whole life.
440
00:32:38,386 --> 00:32:41,354
Marc-André did have
some challenges as a kid.
441
00:32:41,389 --> 00:32:44,423
He certainly didn't come
into this world
442
00:32:44,458 --> 00:32:47,228
as a square peg
ready to fit into a square hole.
443
00:32:47,263 --> 00:32:50,330
And he had a diagnosis of ADHD.
444
00:32:50,365 --> 00:32:52,761
So, he didn't sit
still for very long
445
00:32:52,796 --> 00:32:54,730
and he didn't fit easily
446
00:32:54,765 --> 00:32:58,404
into the typical
educational environment.
447
00:32:58,439 --> 00:33:01,539
Kindergarten was awesome,
like, that first year.
448
00:33:01,574 --> 00:33:05,345
You build things out of blocks,
and do art,
449
00:33:05,380 --> 00:33:07,314
and that kind of stuff.
450
00:33:07,349 --> 00:33:09,613
When it started
into actual first grade,
451
00:33:09,648 --> 00:33:11,153
and we had to sit at our desks,
452
00:33:11,188 --> 00:33:14,651
it turned into hell for me.
453
00:33:14,686 --> 00:33:16,620
For a kid
who had a ton of energy,
454
00:33:16,655 --> 00:33:17,521
who loved to learn,
455
00:33:17,556 --> 00:33:20,591
he was losing
his, his joy in learning,
456
00:33:20,626 --> 00:33:22,494
you know, to be in school,
457
00:33:22,529 --> 00:33:23,693
so I made the leap
458
00:33:23,728 --> 00:33:27,169
and I schooled him at home
for a while.
459
00:33:27,204 --> 00:33:29,435
We'd do some schoolwork
for a while.
460
00:33:29,470 --> 00:33:31,734
Usually
it would finish at lunchtime.
461
00:33:31,769 --> 00:33:34,143
And we would do cool things
together
462
00:33:34,178 --> 00:33:37,443
like go explore the forest
and identify plants,
463
00:33:37,478 --> 00:33:40,314
instead of just always sitting
at your desk.
464
00:33:40,349 --> 00:33:42,250
If you're never
given free rein
465
00:33:42,285 --> 00:33:44,087
to have little adventures
as a kid,
466
00:33:44,122 --> 00:33:46,518
you never really learn
who you are,
467
00:33:46,553 --> 00:33:48,355
you don't learn what
your strengths
468
00:33:48,390 --> 00:33:49,256
or your weaknesses are,
469
00:33:49,291 --> 00:33:53,195
and you never learn
that you're capable.
470
00:33:53,230 --> 00:33:56,759
She wanted me to discover
what I wanted to do
471
00:33:56,794 --> 00:33:59,531
rather than pick out
what she thought
472
00:33:59,566 --> 00:34:01,269
I should do with my life.
473
00:34:01,304 --> 00:34:03,568
We may not have had
two cents to rub together,
474
00:34:03,603 --> 00:34:04,833
but we always had books
475
00:34:04,868 --> 00:34:07,638
and Marc-André
was a voracious reader.
476
00:34:08,806 --> 00:34:12,280
He was really captured
by adventure,
477
00:34:12,315 --> 00:34:15,085
so we had a house
full of those kind of books.
478
00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:16,581
And the more interest
he showed in them,
479
00:34:16,616 --> 00:34:17,846
the more books
I provided for him.
480
00:34:17,881 --> 00:34:20,453
I must have been,
like, eight years old.
481
00:34:20,488 --> 00:34:22,686
It was this big, awesome
picture book
482
00:34:22,721 --> 00:34:25,755
with stories
from all these expeditions.
483
00:34:27,561 --> 00:34:28,857
And the ones about mountains
484
00:34:28,892 --> 00:34:31,167
always really captured
my attention.
485
00:34:32,599 --> 00:34:35,765
Looking at pictures
of big snowy peaks,
486
00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:38,801
guys with ice axes
trying to climb these things,
487
00:34:38,836 --> 00:34:40,506
I don't know,
it seemed really...
488
00:34:41,542 --> 00:34:42,641
brave.
489
00:34:42,677 --> 00:34:47,612
I was so inspired by all
of these climbers of the past
490
00:34:47,647 --> 00:34:50,582
and I wanted to be a part of it.
491
00:34:50,617 --> 00:34:53,618
Like, carrying on the tradition
or something.
492
00:34:57,294 --> 00:34:59,822
At first, it was
just jeans, running shoes,
493
00:34:59,857 --> 00:35:02,198
a few granola bars
in the pocket.
494
00:35:02,233 --> 00:35:06,268
Always off trail,
never had a rope or anything.
495
00:35:07,436 --> 00:35:09,238
At times,
I was concerned
496
00:35:09,273 --> 00:35:11,438
something could happen
to him out there,
497
00:35:11,473 --> 00:35:13,605
but he had a great sense
of direction,
498
00:35:13,640 --> 00:35:17,774
and he was very confident
when he was out and about.
499
00:35:17,809 --> 00:35:20,183
After, like,
a couple of years
500
00:35:20,218 --> 00:35:21,679
of scrambling around by myself,
501
00:35:21,714 --> 00:35:25,683
it just naturally progressed
to technical climbing.
502
00:35:25,718 --> 00:35:28,488
When I'm in the mountains
on a big adventure,
503
00:35:28,523 --> 00:35:30,556
life is so incredibly simple.
504
00:35:31,823 --> 00:35:33,526
I'm, like, totally focused.
505
00:35:33,561 --> 00:35:36,331
I don't feel
that squirrel-brained,
506
00:35:36,366 --> 00:35:38,234
twitchy sort of stuff.
507
00:35:39,798 --> 00:35:44,900
I have the feeling of clarity
and calmness and control.
508
00:35:46,442 --> 00:35:48,541
The whole climbing part
of my life,
509
00:35:48,576 --> 00:35:50,708
everything
was falling into place.
510
00:35:50,743 --> 00:35:54,250
But then, like, I went back
to school for high school.
511
00:35:55,550 --> 00:35:57,352
He eventually
had to go back
512
00:35:57,387 --> 00:35:59,486
to the standard curriculum
at school.
513
00:35:59,521 --> 00:36:02,357
I think to him it was
like a form of incarceration.
514
00:36:02,392 --> 00:36:03,325
Help me!
515
00:36:03,360 --> 00:36:05,426
He was never looking
for trouble,
516
00:36:05,461 --> 00:36:08,594
but he certainly
seemed to find it.
517
00:36:08,629 --> 00:36:10,398
Firecrackers explode!
518
00:36:23,479 --> 00:36:25,875
It was clear
he was never going to get
519
00:36:25,910 --> 00:36:28,515
a standard nine-to-five job
or life.
520
00:36:28,550 --> 00:36:30,781
He was never wired that way.
521
00:36:30,816 --> 00:36:33,487
Hi, I'm Marc-André
Joseph Leclerc.
522
00:36:33,522 --> 00:36:35,390
You might have heard of me.
523
00:36:35,425 --> 00:36:38,360
I am doing some of
the biggest walls in the world.
524
00:36:38,395 --> 00:36:40,494
When he graduated at 16,
525
00:36:40,529 --> 00:36:42,925
he was doing drywall,
making some money.
526
00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:47,270
He didn't have a real clear
purpose or plan at that point.
527
00:36:47,305 --> 00:36:50,768
I told him, "If you want
to do this climbing thing,
528
00:36:50,803 --> 00:36:53,474
what are you waiting for?"
529
00:36:53,509 --> 00:36:57,742
And off he went. Marc-André
found freedom to be himself.
530
00:36:57,777 --> 00:37:01,977
He's going to go
as far as he can take it.
531
00:37:03,552 --> 00:37:06,817
-We got it!
-Yeah, yeah.
532
00:37:06,852 --> 00:37:08,423
Can you just do
a kind of blank...?
533
00:37:08,458 --> 00:37:09,589
I'm gonna look like an idiot.
534
00:37:09,624 --> 00:37:10,722
Smile.
535
00:37:12,924 --> 00:37:16,629
Marc's plan
to become a full-time climber
536
00:37:16,664 --> 00:37:19,797
certainly seemed
to be working out.
537
00:37:19,832 --> 00:37:23,966
He'd recently landed
his first sponsorship.
538
00:37:24,001 --> 00:37:27,574
And here we were making a film
about him.
539
00:37:27,609 --> 00:37:29,675
-Serious.
-Really serious?
540
00:37:29,710 --> 00:37:31,710
Really serious,
like your passport.
541
00:37:32,946 --> 00:37:37,353
But Marc had
little patience for posing.
542
00:37:37,388 --> 00:37:40,554
And he was getting restless.
543
00:37:40,589 --> 00:37:42,556
As we were planning
the next shoot,
544
00:37:42,591 --> 00:37:45,493
Marc just suddenly
dropped off the radar
545
00:37:47,629 --> 00:37:49,794
to who knows where.
546
00:37:53,668 --> 00:37:57,406
We'd even bought him a phone
to keep in contact...
547
00:37:57,441 --> 00:37:59,441
- I'm sorry.
-...but he wasn't picking up.
548
00:37:59,476 --> 00:38:01,377
The person
you called has a voicemail box
549
00:38:01,412 --> 00:38:02,311
that has not been set up.
550
00:38:02,347 --> 00:38:05,579
It's just
a frustrating situation.
551
00:38:05,614 --> 00:38:06,646
You've got Marc
552
00:38:06,681 --> 00:38:07,680
somewhere in the backwoods.
553
00:38:07,715 --> 00:38:08,780
He just disappears
554
00:38:08,815 --> 00:38:10,584
and doesn't call us
for months on end,
555
00:38:10,619 --> 00:38:13,048
having all of us waiting
and on hold.
556
00:38:13,083 --> 00:38:15,622
My bags are packed.
Everyone's bags are packed.
557
00:38:15,657 --> 00:38:18,526
If we don't hear from Marc,
we might not do the shoot.
558
00:38:18,561 --> 00:38:19,627
We started seeing him
559
00:38:19,662 --> 00:38:22,299
in other climbers'
social media posts.
560
00:38:23,698 --> 00:38:27,601
It's day six on the wall
and day five of the storm.
561
00:38:27,636 --> 00:38:29,438
Brette was posting
these videos.
562
00:38:29,473 --> 00:38:30,868
What are you doing, Marc?
563
00:38:30,903 --> 00:38:33,508
I'll just get a T-slot
my for skis
564
00:38:33,543 --> 00:38:35,840
so I can lower Brette
over this cliff.
565
00:38:35,875 --> 00:38:37,842
Oh, man.
566
00:38:37,877 --> 00:38:41,384
We saw they'd gone all
the way out to Baffin Island.
567
00:38:41,419 --> 00:38:44,816
-This is so awesome.
-Whoo!
568
00:38:44,851 --> 00:38:47,489
Then Marc was in Scotland
569
00:38:47,524 --> 00:38:49,623
where he knocked off
a string of solos
570
00:38:49,658 --> 00:38:51,790
like they were nine holes
of golf.
571
00:38:51,825 --> 00:38:54,089
All righty.
All righty, then.
572
00:39:07,808 --> 00:39:10,545
At one point,
I was climbing in South America,
573
00:39:10,580 --> 00:39:12,844
we could see
this tiny, tiny speck
574
00:39:12,879 --> 00:39:14,615
on this 4,000-foot wall.
575
00:39:14,650 --> 00:39:17,915
We could look over and be like,
"That is Marc-André, by himself,
576
00:39:17,950 --> 00:39:19,950
on this fricking journey
to the gods."
577
00:39:19,985 --> 00:39:21,050
I was like, "This is messed up.
578
00:39:21,085 --> 00:39:23,393
I cannot believe
he's soloing that."
579
00:39:25,595 --> 00:39:28,794
Finally, we heard Marc
was back in Canada,
580
00:39:28,829 --> 00:39:31,731
climbing in the remote
Ghost Wilderness.
581
00:39:32,833 --> 00:39:34,404
In an act of desperation,
582
00:39:34,439 --> 00:39:36,131
I called a filmmaker
from the area
583
00:39:36,166 --> 00:39:40,476
to go into the backcountry
and track Marc down.
584
00:39:56,890 --> 00:39:58,123
He shows up,
585
00:39:58,158 --> 00:40:02,091
and Marc is out there
with Brette and a friend,
586
00:40:02,126 --> 00:40:05,732
and they're putting up
hard first ascents
587
00:40:05,767 --> 00:40:07,932
on these huge walls,
588
00:40:09,705 --> 00:40:12,508
having the time of their lives.
589
00:40:15,073 --> 00:40:16,875
Nice, Brette.
590
00:40:24,247 --> 00:40:25,686
Falling!
591
00:40:26,524 --> 00:40:27,423
Whoo!
592
00:40:27,459 --> 00:40:29,756
Hey, Marco,
how is it down there?
593
00:40:30,561 --> 00:40:31,989
It's great.
594
00:40:34,026 --> 00:40:35,124
Here we go.
595
00:40:39,504 --> 00:40:40,336
I think it's so cool
596
00:40:40,372 --> 00:40:43,231
that you're making
a movie about Marc.
597
00:40:43,266 --> 00:40:47,675
But honestly,
he doesn't care about movies.
598
00:40:47,710 --> 00:40:50,876
He's not gonna put
the time and energy
599
00:40:50,911 --> 00:40:55,045
into making his own climb
significant to the world.
600
00:40:56,686 --> 00:40:59,082
He's out climbing,
he's too busy climbing.
601
00:41:03,594 --> 00:41:06,562
Pretty incredible, the weather.
602
00:41:06,597 --> 00:41:11,226
He's different than any
climber we've ever dealt with.
603
00:41:11,261 --> 00:41:14,636
He doesn't share
any information with us.
604
00:41:14,671 --> 00:41:19,905
It's frustrating, but
at the same, it's pretty noble.
605
00:41:19,940 --> 00:41:24,547
Marc just kind of follows his
own path. He's a free spirit.
606
00:41:24,582 --> 00:41:27,077
And that can be difficult
to plan around.
607
00:41:27,112 --> 00:41:30,586
Kind of makes him lovable
in this weird way, you know?
608
00:41:30,621 --> 00:41:33,721
He doesn't give a fuck.
609
00:41:33,756 --> 00:41:36,856
This whole time,
chasing Marc around,
610
00:41:36,891 --> 00:41:41,795
it was clear he was building up
to something big.
611
00:41:41,830 --> 00:41:45,062
But we had no idea
what it would be.
612
00:41:46,098 --> 00:41:48,505
Then the news broke.
613
00:41:50,201 --> 00:41:52,971
He had made the first-ever solo
614
00:41:53,006 --> 00:41:56,711
of the Emperor Face
on Mount Robson.
615
00:41:56,746 --> 00:42:00,110
And it sent shockwaves
through the climbing world.
616
00:42:00,145 --> 00:42:02,849
When I heard that Marc
had soloed the Emperor Face,
617
00:42:02,884 --> 00:42:05,786
it was one of those like,
"Holy shit!
618
00:42:05,821 --> 00:42:08,118
Marc soloed the Emperor Face."
619
00:42:08,153 --> 00:42:09,922
That is absolutely outstanding
620
00:42:09,957 --> 00:42:11,990
and probably
the greatest solo ascent
621
00:42:12,025 --> 00:42:15,532
of anything that's been done
in North America.
622
00:42:18,900 --> 00:42:21,736
Robson is the king.
623
00:42:21,771 --> 00:42:25,069
It's the highest mountain
in the Canadian Rockies.
624
00:42:27,007 --> 00:42:30,305
It's like three El Caps.
625
00:42:30,340 --> 00:42:34,012
But Robson is not Yosemite.
626
00:42:34,047 --> 00:42:39,655
It's got glaciation, it's got
crevasses, it's got avalanche.
627
00:42:39,690 --> 00:42:44,627
You're climbing rock, ice
and snow all at the same time.
628
00:42:44,662 --> 00:42:47,993
It's a legendary,
mythical objective,
629
00:42:48,028 --> 00:42:49,830
even with a rope.
630
00:42:52,703 --> 00:42:55,264
I was frustrated
that Marc
631
00:42:55,299 --> 00:42:57,365
had made this historic ascent
632
00:42:57,400 --> 00:43:00,808
and he hadn't even
let us in on his plan.
633
00:43:02,713 --> 00:43:07,243
Eventually, we reached Marc
and asked him why.
634
00:43:07,278 --> 00:43:09,685
When you guys approached
me about doing a film,
635
00:43:09,720 --> 00:43:11,346
it seemed like
a cool experience,
636
00:43:11,381 --> 00:43:13,216
but I've never let you guys
637
00:43:13,251 --> 00:43:15,922
come and shoot
one of my real solos.
638
00:43:15,957 --> 00:43:17,056
Why not?
639
00:43:17,092 --> 00:43:19,387
Because it wouldn't be
a solo to me
640
00:43:19,422 --> 00:43:21,125
if somebody was there.
641
00:43:22,326 --> 00:43:26,999
Yeah, I mean,
I guess that's true.
642
00:43:27,034 --> 00:43:29,837
It's just a completely
different experience
643
00:43:29,872 --> 00:43:31,135
if somebody comes with you.
644
00:43:31,170 --> 00:43:34,710
Yeah, even if
they don't help you.
645
00:43:34,745 --> 00:43:36,976
It just wouldn't
even be remotely close
646
00:43:37,011 --> 00:43:39,407
to the adventure
that I was looking for.
647
00:43:39,442 --> 00:43:40,508
The only way I was interested
648
00:43:40,543 --> 00:43:42,784
was actually doing it
fully by myself.
649
00:43:42,819 --> 00:43:47,283
And if that happened,
I'd be OK to go back and film.
650
00:43:47,318 --> 00:43:50,253
I had this really
awesome experience.
651
00:43:50,288 --> 00:43:53,795
Now, I'm actually ready
to share it with people.
652
00:43:56,393 --> 00:44:02,298
So Marc invited us back
up to film on Mount Robson
653
00:44:02,333 --> 00:44:08,678
so we could see first-hand
his approach to solo alpinism.
654
00:44:13,113 --> 00:44:15,949
For me,
the very best climbs
655
00:44:15,984 --> 00:44:19,216
are when you can walk up
to a mountain with nothing
656
00:44:19,251 --> 00:44:23,022
except for your ability
to climb, and that's it.
657
00:44:27,259 --> 00:44:33,032
Being by yourself out there,
immersed in your environment,
658
00:44:33,067 --> 00:44:36,068
tuning in to the rustle
of the leaves...
659
00:44:37,335 --> 00:44:40,105
...the sound of the wind
across the ridge,
660
00:44:42,043 --> 00:44:45,110
the aura that the mountain has.
661
00:44:47,378 --> 00:44:49,719
On his big mountain solos,
662
00:44:49,754 --> 00:44:53,250
Marc follows
a simple set of rules.
663
00:44:53,285 --> 00:44:56,121
He carries
no communication device
664
00:44:56,156 --> 00:45:00,697
that could be used as a
lifeline if things go wrong.
665
00:45:02,327 --> 00:45:04,294
And he climbs on sight,
666
00:45:04,329 --> 00:45:07,363
meaning he's never been
on the mountain before,
667
00:45:07,398 --> 00:45:10,135
never rehearsed the route.
668
00:45:11,468 --> 00:45:14,909
He has to figure it out
on the fly.
669
00:45:18,079 --> 00:45:22,444
The gold standard of
alpinism is the on-sight solo.
670
00:45:22,479 --> 00:45:28,087
A climber approaches a mountain
without any prior knowledge
671
00:45:28,122 --> 00:45:31,959
and just climbs it.
672
00:45:34,964 --> 00:45:37,525
But it's only for
the very best climbers
673
00:45:37,560 --> 00:45:39,065
on their very best days.
674
00:45:39,100 --> 00:45:40,902
You know,
it's such a deadly game.
675
00:45:43,170 --> 00:45:46,875
The goal is
to climb as safely as possible.
676
00:45:46,910 --> 00:45:49,405
But when you step
into the mountains,
677
00:45:51,145 --> 00:45:53,816
and there's stuff
that's beyond your control.
678
00:45:56,480 --> 00:45:58,282
You control what you're doing,
679
00:45:58,317 --> 00:46:00,482
but you can't control
what the mountain's doing,
680
00:46:00,517 --> 00:46:04,057
and that's by far
the biggest danger in my mind.
681
00:46:04,092 --> 00:46:05,861
The mountains are alive
all around you
682
00:46:05,896 --> 00:46:07,896
and you're kind of
at their mercy.
683
00:46:09,262 --> 00:46:12,395
You have to think
about avalanches,
684
00:46:12,430 --> 00:46:15,871
seracs that can collapse
at any time.
685
00:46:15,906 --> 00:46:18,038
You have to learn
to read the signals
686
00:46:18,073 --> 00:46:20,436
that the mountains
are sending you.
687
00:46:21,912 --> 00:46:24,440
The conditions of the snow,
the ice,
688
00:46:24,475 --> 00:46:26,981
what time of day is it
gonna get sun,
689
00:46:27,016 --> 00:46:31,084
what the weather's gonna do.
It's like a game of chess.
690
00:46:32,483 --> 00:46:34,318
You have this ultimate goal,
691
00:46:34,353 --> 00:46:38,124
but then unpredictable things
are going to happen.
692
00:46:46,398 --> 00:46:49,938
I think that interaction
with the environment,
693
00:46:49,973 --> 00:46:51,335
with the mountain,
694
00:46:51,370 --> 00:46:52,534
is, like, a huge part
695
00:46:52,569 --> 00:46:56,010
of what makes alpine climbing
so interesting.
696
00:46:57,607 --> 00:47:01,279
And if you're smart and you,
like, make the right moves,
697
00:47:01,314 --> 00:47:05,019
you can, sometimes
against the odds,
698
00:47:05,054 --> 00:47:07,285
pull off a great climb.
699
00:47:16,901 --> 00:47:18,263
One of the coolest feelings
700
00:47:18,298 --> 00:47:23,103
that a human can experience
is, like, to feel so small
701
00:47:23,138 --> 00:47:25,402
in a world that's so big.
702
00:47:40,452 --> 00:47:44,091
Moving over the mountain
unencumbered
703
00:47:44,126 --> 00:47:46,929
is about as close as
you're gonna come as a climber
704
00:47:46,964 --> 00:47:51,230
to sprouting wings
and being totally free.
705
00:47:54,466 --> 00:47:58,908
Absolutely awake,
absolutely alive.
706
00:47:58,943 --> 00:48:02,912
Receiving any kind of impulse
that's coming in
707
00:48:02,947 --> 00:48:06,014
and reacting to it
almost instinctively.
708
00:48:08,084 --> 00:48:10,051
It's a great dance.
709
00:48:31,976 --> 00:48:33,404
Marc is doing things
710
00:48:33,439 --> 00:48:36,407
that people thought
could never be done.
711
00:48:36,442 --> 00:48:39,212
He's redefining what's possible.
712
00:48:39,247 --> 00:48:41,577
This is the evolution
of alpinism,
713
00:48:41,612 --> 00:48:43,612
and it's happening right now
in our backyard,
714
00:48:43,647 --> 00:48:46,186
and it's happening
with that young guy.
715
00:48:57,067 --> 00:49:01,564
But I am definitely concerned
for Marc-André
716
00:49:01,599 --> 00:49:03,533
and anyone else pushing
the limit
717
00:49:03,568 --> 00:49:06,140
of what's been accomplished
soloing.
718
00:49:06,175 --> 00:49:11,178
The place he is in
is such a special, finite place,
719
00:49:11,213 --> 00:49:14,478
and such
an incredibly risky place.
720
00:49:14,513 --> 00:49:18,284
Marc-André is playing with
a pretty heavy deck right now.
721
00:49:18,319 --> 00:49:23,586
He is walking relatively close
to the edge in big environments.
722
00:49:23,621 --> 00:49:26,688
I think he can do a fair amount
of that and get away with it,
723
00:49:26,723 --> 00:49:28,624
but sooner or later,
724
00:49:29,528 --> 00:49:30,661
it's gonna bite him.
725
00:49:30,696 --> 00:49:34,564
He is gaining recognition
because of his solo climbing,
726
00:49:34,599 --> 00:49:36,764
and all of this is wonderful
for him,
727
00:49:36,799 --> 00:49:38,634
and it's exciting to hear about,
728
00:49:38,669 --> 00:49:41,175
and read about and watch.
729
00:49:42,805 --> 00:49:46,774
But... I mean,
maybe it's just an age thing,
730
00:49:46,809 --> 00:49:49,678
but I find it
a little bit scary.
731
00:49:49,713 --> 00:49:52,417
I just... You know,
I just hope he's careful.
732
00:49:52,452 --> 00:49:57,389
He's really comfortable
in mountainous terrain.
733
00:49:57,424 --> 00:50:02,130
Sometimes I wonder if he's just
almost too comfortable.
734
00:50:02,165 --> 00:50:06,332
One could say that
it's crazy and irresponsible
735
00:50:06,367 --> 00:50:11,634
to place yourself in that kind
of danger for what?
736
00:50:11,669 --> 00:50:13,438
Kicks, glory?
737
00:50:13,473 --> 00:50:16,408
I think that free soloing is a
very emotionally charged subject
738
00:50:16,443 --> 00:50:18,542
and so it draws strong reactions
from everybody.
739
00:50:18,577 --> 00:50:21,215
If you fall and die, everybody
thinks you're an idiot,
740
00:50:21,250 --> 00:50:24,548
you're a risk-taker, daredevil,
like, "What an idiot."
741
00:50:24,583 --> 00:50:27,254
If you succeed, everyone
celebrates you as a big hero.
742
00:50:27,289 --> 00:50:29,553
But the reality is you're
the same person either way.
743
00:50:33,229 --> 00:50:35,625
People are always
freaking out about soloing,
744
00:50:35,660 --> 00:50:38,628
"It's such an unacceptable risk.
People shouldn't be doing this.
745
00:50:38,663 --> 00:50:41,400
What kind of example
does this set?"
746
00:50:41,435 --> 00:50:43,633
I mean, I know it's dangerous.
747
00:50:43,668 --> 00:50:45,503
I'm not, like, deluding myself
748
00:50:45,538 --> 00:50:47,802
that it's not dangerous
to go soloing,
749
00:50:47,837 --> 00:50:49,705
but I probably just have
750
00:50:49,740 --> 00:50:53,379
a different view
of everything, I guess.
751
00:50:53,414 --> 00:50:58,087
You know, like, to me, it's not
really an unacceptable risk.
752
00:50:58,122 --> 00:51:02,685
I'm still so young. There are
so many things I wanna do.
753
00:51:02,720 --> 00:51:05,622
I've really had to think
about it within our own lives,
754
00:51:05,657 --> 00:51:07,756
because we do put ourselves
in situations
755
00:51:07,791 --> 00:51:10,099
that anything could happen.
756
00:51:10,134 --> 00:51:12,662
Like, an avalanche
could take you out randomly.
757
00:51:12,697 --> 00:51:14,664
The more times you put
yourself in that situation,
758
00:51:14,699 --> 00:51:17,106
the more likely
it's gonna happen.
759
00:51:17,141 --> 00:51:19,801
And yeah,
sometimes it's concerning
760
00:51:19,836 --> 00:51:23,706
the amount
of soloing he wants to do.
761
00:51:23,741 --> 00:51:28,612
He has an insatiable desire
to do more at an extreme level.
762
00:51:29,582 --> 00:51:33,320
I worry for him, of course.
763
00:51:44,663 --> 00:51:47,202
A few months
after Robson,
764
00:51:47,237 --> 00:51:49,534
Marc set off for Patagonia
765
00:51:49,569 --> 00:51:53,802
at the far southern tip
of South America.
766
00:51:53,837 --> 00:51:57,839
His objective was a climb
that had never been attempted.
767
00:51:57,874 --> 00:52:01,348
A winter solo ascent
of Torre Egger,
768
00:52:01,383 --> 00:52:05,847
the most difficult peak
in the range.
769
00:52:05,882 --> 00:52:08,322
Patagonia's jagged summits
770
00:52:08,357 --> 00:52:12,161
are a proving ground
for serious alpinists,
771
00:52:12,196 --> 00:52:15,560
who gather each summer
in the village of El Chaltén.
772
00:52:16,926 --> 00:52:18,059
But in the winter,
773
00:52:18,094 --> 00:52:21,896
the mountains are lashed
by vicious storms
774
00:52:21,931 --> 00:52:24,899
and El Chaltén is a ghost town.
775
00:52:30,808 --> 00:52:35,448
To go winter climbing
in Patagonia solo,
776
00:52:35,483 --> 00:52:37,582
he's definitely upping the game
by a lot.
777
00:52:37,617 --> 00:52:41,784
Going to Patagonia in the
winter! It's just mindboggling.
778
00:52:41,819 --> 00:52:44,193
The weather is horrific.
779
00:52:44,228 --> 00:52:46,591
Avalanche hazards
can be extremely high.
780
00:52:46,626 --> 00:52:48,956
And trying to solo Torre
Egger on sight.
781
00:52:48,991 --> 00:52:52,399
I mean, Torre Egger
is a coveted peak.
782
00:52:52,434 --> 00:52:56,799
Some people consider it the
hardest peak in the Americas.
783
00:52:56,834 --> 00:52:59,340
People ask me, "Don't you
worry he's not coming back?"
784
00:52:59,375 --> 00:53:01,243
I just shake my head,
785
00:53:01,278 --> 00:53:04,642
"Marc will be coming back.
He's got this sixth sense."
786
00:53:09,550 --> 00:53:13,882
Soloing Torre Egger had
long been a dream of Marc's.
787
00:53:13,917 --> 00:53:17,886
So he obviously didn't want
a big film crew.
788
00:53:17,921 --> 00:53:21,824
But this time, he was willing
to bring one cameraman,
789
00:53:21,859 --> 00:53:24,926
his climbing buddy,
Austin Siadak.
790
00:53:24,961 --> 00:53:27,467
I'm gonna basically
just try to keep up,
791
00:53:27,502 --> 00:53:30,371
tag along, and document
as best as I can along the way.
792
00:53:30,406 --> 00:53:33,836
I don't wanna, like,
impose on his experience.
793
00:53:33,871 --> 00:53:37,444
Austin would hang
with Marc in town
794
00:53:37,479 --> 00:53:38,512
and shoot some climbing
795
00:53:38,547 --> 00:53:41,217
on the lower sections
of the route.
796
00:53:43,012 --> 00:53:47,289
But for the summit push,
Marc would climb alone
797
00:53:47,324 --> 00:53:48,851
and bring a small camera
798
00:53:48,886 --> 00:53:52,756
to capture what he could
in real time.
799
00:53:52,791 --> 00:53:55,429
Yeah, this is Torre Egger.
800
00:53:57,532 --> 00:54:00,533
I've been thinking
about this climb
801
00:54:00,568 --> 00:54:03,503
for the better part of a year.
802
00:54:03,538 --> 00:54:05,769
If there's ice,
it might be quick
803
00:54:05,804 --> 00:54:09,311
to go straight up this ice gully
under the serac and then...
804
00:54:09,346 --> 00:54:12,809
Torre Egger
is this 1,000-meter rock pillar
805
00:54:12,844 --> 00:54:16,879
rising up out of the glacier
with an ice arête in the middle.
806
00:54:16,914 --> 00:54:20,289
You know,
not always perfect rock
807
00:54:20,324 --> 00:54:23,820
and capped with ice mushrooms.
808
00:54:23,855 --> 00:54:26,295
I could look at it on paper
and be like,
809
00:54:26,330 --> 00:54:31,531
"OK, like, this is totally
mathematically, like, feasible."
810
00:54:31,566 --> 00:54:34,435
But at the same time, it still
seems a little bit out there,
811
00:54:34,470 --> 00:54:38,802
like, "Whoa, this is
the next step for me."
812
00:54:38,837 --> 00:54:42,311
I spent the majority
of the last year doing things
813
00:54:42,346 --> 00:54:44,005
that would prepare me
for this climb.
814
00:54:44,040 --> 00:54:47,580
A ton of mixed climbing,
and a ton of ice climbing,
815
00:54:47,615 --> 00:54:49,780
and then the Emperor Face.
816
00:54:49,815 --> 00:54:55,049
It was all sort of preparation
with Egger in mind.
817
00:54:58,824 --> 00:55:01,561
Just gonna check
weather models.
818
00:55:01,596 --> 00:55:04,729
I check all these models
multiple times a day.
819
00:55:04,764 --> 00:55:08,568
Friday morning, the wind
rolls in, with precip.
820
00:55:10,506 --> 00:55:12,836
When the lines
are close together,
821
00:55:12,871 --> 00:55:14,673
that means a lot of wind.
822
00:55:16,006 --> 00:55:18,809
The peaks right now
are just getting nuked.
823
00:55:18,844 --> 00:55:22,813
We have to hang out in town
and wait for a weather window.
824
00:55:24,652 --> 00:55:27,488
Coming down here by yourself
in the winter time...
825
00:55:28,986 --> 00:55:32,559
...you become immersed
in the El Chaltén life.
826
00:55:34,926 --> 00:55:36,860
Hanging out with the locals.
827
00:55:36,895 --> 00:55:40,369
And they're making you
part of the family.
828
00:55:43,707 --> 00:55:47,673
Yeah, it's actually like a big
part of the whole experience.
829
00:56:51,167 --> 00:56:54,168
Just checking
the latest meteogram.
830
00:56:54,203 --> 00:56:57,545
Looks good, like,
Tuesday, Wednesday.
831
00:56:57,580 --> 00:57:00,680
-What does that mean?
-Means we're going climbing.
832
00:57:06,721 --> 00:57:09,084
Part of the crux of soloing
in these mountains
833
00:57:09,119 --> 00:57:11,218
is the amount of stuff
that you have to carry.
834
00:57:11,253 --> 00:57:12,824
It's pretty heavy.
835
00:57:12,859 --> 00:57:14,925
Like, when you have
to put everything on your back
836
00:57:14,960 --> 00:57:16,762
and just, like,
solo with the pack on.
837
00:57:16,797 --> 00:57:20,931
This bag, like, ripped open.
I've taped it shut.
838
00:57:20,966 --> 00:57:24,704
It's lost half its insulation.
It just means it's even lighter.
839
00:57:25,674 --> 00:57:27,839
It's even more super light.
840
00:57:33,715 --> 00:57:38,850
Well, I don't wanna sound grim
or fatalistic,
841
00:57:38,885 --> 00:57:41,050
but it's, you know, undeniable
842
00:57:41,085 --> 00:57:43,954
that every time
you go to the mountains,
843
00:57:43,989 --> 00:57:46,627
it could be your last time,
844
00:57:46,662 --> 00:57:50,895
so all these things that
you love you have to appreciate.
845
00:57:54,703 --> 00:57:57,264
Whatever dinner you'd want
to possibly be your last dinner,
846
00:57:57,299 --> 00:58:00,267
you have to eat it.
847
00:58:00,302 --> 00:58:04,205
Cos you're going
to the mountains.
848
00:58:06,242 --> 00:58:07,945
Yeah.
849
00:58:28,165 --> 00:58:30,968
The whole game is very simple.
850
00:58:37,647 --> 00:58:40,912
We go somewhere
that we should not go.
851
00:58:43,081 --> 00:58:47,886
Where our own instinct is
telling us, "Do not go there."
852
00:58:53,190 --> 00:58:54,860
Many things can happen.
853
00:58:57,194 --> 00:58:59,128
We can fall.
854
00:59:00,197 --> 00:59:03,033
The storm can take me away.
855
00:59:03,068 --> 00:59:05,937
We know that
we could die up there.
856
00:59:11,879 --> 00:59:14,913
But still, we go there.
857
00:59:16,851 --> 00:59:20,919
We try to make real our dreams.
858
00:59:21,889 --> 00:59:23,790
Our visions.
859
00:59:27,092 --> 00:59:30,357
I had spent a whole year
imagining this climb,
860
00:59:30,392 --> 00:59:33,734
and I felt
like I had the skills to do it,
861
00:59:33,769 --> 00:59:36,231
and it would require
all of them.
862
00:59:36,266 --> 00:59:39,036
But I don't know
the route whatsoever.
863
00:59:39,071 --> 00:59:44,305
No idea how this is gonna go.
Like, no idea what to expect.
864
00:59:46,210 --> 00:59:49,783
Conditions
are definitely tough right now.
865
00:59:49,818 --> 00:59:50,717
You can see my trail there.
866
00:59:50,753 --> 00:59:53,886
I was literally
digging through a trench,
867
00:59:53,921 --> 00:59:56,691
through chest-deep snow
with wind slab on top,
868
00:59:56,726 --> 01:00:01,729
and I think there could be
a lot of this kind of snow
869
01:00:01,764 --> 01:00:03,698
on the hanging glacier
in the gully.
870
01:00:03,733 --> 01:00:05,359
And not only
is it really hard work,
871
01:00:05,394 --> 01:00:09,363
I think avalanche conditions
could be quite dangerous.
872
01:00:09,398 --> 01:00:13,906
So I'm gonna go over
and see how the rock is
873
01:00:13,941 --> 01:00:16,040
and see if that goes.
874
01:00:17,241 --> 01:00:19,813
I started on really
snowed-up rock,
875
01:00:19,848 --> 01:00:21,815
which took quite a long time.
876
01:00:21,850 --> 01:00:24,147
Well, two pitches of climbing
877
01:00:24,182 --> 01:00:27,656
and it's kind of heinous,
actually.
878
01:00:27,691 --> 01:00:29,053
Here's my tracks.
879
01:00:30,892 --> 01:00:33,123
I have to go tack
along the edge of that serac
880
01:00:33,158 --> 01:00:35,356
and bivvy on top of it.
881
01:00:35,391 --> 01:00:39,899
The climbing was hard and slow.
Conditions were awful.
882
01:00:39,934 --> 01:00:42,165
I think the route goes up there.
883
01:00:46,105 --> 01:00:48,369
I had to keep taking
my gloves off.
884
01:00:48,404 --> 01:00:51,746
My hands were numb
because of the cold.
885
01:00:53,178 --> 01:00:55,277
Almost on top of the glacier.
886
01:00:56,918 --> 01:01:00,183
Definitely challenging so far.
887
01:01:00,218 --> 01:01:02,922
There's my backpack
that I'm hauling up.
888
01:01:02,957 --> 01:01:04,253
Check out my hands.
889
01:01:04,288 --> 01:01:06,090
My fingers were bleeding
890
01:01:06,125 --> 01:01:09,797
and everything
was just kind of gnarly.
891
01:01:09,832 --> 01:01:13,328
Well, here I am at the top
of the hanging glacier
892
01:01:13,363 --> 01:01:16,001
and I'm settled in
for the night.
893
01:01:16,036 --> 01:01:19,070
I originally hoped to be
six pitches higher than this
894
01:01:19,105 --> 01:01:23,107
on the snow arête. Not going
as fast as I wanted to.
895
01:01:30,050 --> 01:01:32,853
You split left
off of that hanging glacier
896
01:01:32,888 --> 01:01:34,921
and that brings you
to the snow arête
897
01:01:34,956 --> 01:01:37,088
in the middle
of the east pillar.
898
01:01:38,960 --> 01:01:40,421
I've come a good ways now.
899
01:01:40,456 --> 01:01:44,260
Here's the snow arête that I
wanted to make it to yesterday,
900
01:01:44,295 --> 01:01:46,394
but, you know,
it just goes how it goes.
901
01:01:46,429 --> 01:01:49,298
There's the upper headwall,
so we'll see.
902
01:01:49,333 --> 01:01:50,805
I might be able to keep going
903
01:01:50,840 --> 01:01:52,774
even if I have to make
one extra bivvy,
904
01:01:52,809 --> 01:01:54,204
one more than planned.
905
01:01:55,405 --> 01:01:57,207
You're switching constantly
906
01:01:57,242 --> 01:01:59,979
between boots, crampons
and rock shoes.
907
01:02:01,180 --> 01:02:03,081
You'll climb an ice pitch
908
01:02:03,116 --> 01:02:07,481
and then all of a sudden, you're
on a rock pillar climbing 5.10.
909
01:02:10,827 --> 01:02:13,421
Or mixed climbing
910
01:02:13,456 --> 01:02:17,161
through some narrow gully
filled with ice.
911
01:02:24,808 --> 01:02:28,238
It's just, like, everything
in the repertoire.
912
01:03:10,084 --> 01:03:12,348
Well, I'm in the upper ramp,
913
01:03:12,383 --> 01:03:14,889
looking down the route.
914
01:03:14,924 --> 01:03:16,121
Whoo!
915
01:04:00,167 --> 01:04:02,101
When you encounter a situation
916
01:04:02,136 --> 01:04:05,236
where you're like,
"OK, this is real.
917
01:04:09,275 --> 01:04:13,046
I can either keep it together
and do this
918
01:04:13,081 --> 01:04:16,214
or I can, like, fall apart
and have a meltdown."
919
01:04:19,681 --> 01:04:21,989
You gotta do one or the other.
920
01:04:31,935 --> 01:04:35,365
And that process
of evaluating the situation,
921
01:04:35,400 --> 01:04:39,138
and then getting it together,
and carrying on,
922
01:04:41,978 --> 01:04:44,308
it's a challenge every time.
923
01:05:03,197 --> 01:05:08,068
Well, persevering,
and things are working out.
924
01:05:08,103 --> 01:05:09,300
Quite the view.
925
01:05:09,335 --> 01:05:12,567
I'm literally in the middle
of the headwall.
926
01:05:12,602 --> 01:05:16,703
I'm stomping out this sick
little platform to sleep on,
927
01:05:16,738 --> 01:05:20,146
the only place I could find
to bivvy, which is super cool.
928
01:05:20,181 --> 01:05:22,313
I'm gonna freeze my ass off
tonight,
929
01:05:22,348 --> 01:05:24,953
that's for sure, but that's OK.
930
01:05:24,988 --> 01:05:28,022
Yesterday, progress was so slow
and difficult
931
01:05:28,057 --> 01:05:29,991
that it was
kind of discouraging,
932
01:05:30,026 --> 01:05:31,685
but now
I'm in a really good position
933
01:05:31,720 --> 01:05:34,160
to go for the summit
tomorrow morning.
934
01:05:34,195 --> 01:05:36,426
I'm only a few pitches away.
935
01:05:36,461 --> 01:05:39,627
So as long as
the weather holds, I'm psyched.
936
01:05:52,345 --> 01:05:56,281
Hey, Brette,
this video's for you.
937
01:05:56,316 --> 01:05:59,218
I just wanted to, uh...
938
01:05:59,253 --> 01:06:01,286
let you know
that when I'm out here
939
01:06:01,321 --> 01:06:03,057
in these mountains by myself,
940
01:06:03,092 --> 01:06:05,257
I really miss you.
941
01:06:05,292 --> 01:06:09,756
And I'm thinking about you
a lot,
942
01:06:09,791 --> 01:06:14,761
and there's a part of me that...
943
01:06:14,796 --> 01:06:18,732
wishes I could just quickly rap
to the ground,
944
01:06:18,767 --> 01:06:21,504
and get out of here,
and change my flights,
945
01:06:21,539 --> 01:06:26,410
and come back and see you,
cos I'd love to...
946
01:06:27,644 --> 01:06:31,349
just... yeah, see you.
947
01:06:34,618 --> 01:06:36,552
I love you.
948
01:06:44,529 --> 01:06:46,727
I woke up at around five
in the morning,
949
01:06:46,762 --> 01:06:51,765
peeked outside my sleeping bag.
A full snowstorm was starting.
950
01:06:51,800 --> 01:06:54,471
Now, I just have to pack up
as quick as I can
951
01:06:54,506 --> 01:06:59,080
and rappel the whole mountain
in blizzard conditions.
952
01:07:01,678 --> 01:07:03,150
I hope it goes well,
953
01:07:03,185 --> 01:07:06,549
cos it's a long
and complicated way down.
954
01:07:10,852 --> 01:07:12,390
Holy shit!
955
01:07:29,838 --> 01:07:33,675
Well, I'm back in my tent.
956
01:07:33,710 --> 01:07:38,812
I am sorry to say
that I did not reach the summit.
957
01:07:38,847 --> 01:07:42,321
But... I survived,
958
01:07:42,356 --> 01:07:46,490
which I think counts for a lot.
959
01:07:46,525 --> 01:07:50,164
Kind of a bummer, cos I made it
within four pitches of the top.
960
01:07:50,199 --> 01:07:53,431
It was still probably one of
my very best solo efforts
961
01:07:53,466 --> 01:07:55,202
in the mountains,
962
01:07:55,237 --> 01:07:57,468
just in terms
of sticking with it
963
01:07:57,503 --> 01:07:59,602
and coming really close, and...
964
01:07:59,637 --> 01:08:02,803
And, you know I always said...
965
01:08:02,838 --> 01:08:05,311
Cos I've always dreamed
of trying to solo Egger
966
01:08:05,346 --> 01:08:07,445
and I always said
967
01:08:07,480 --> 01:08:09,513
that if you got caught
in bad weather
968
01:08:09,548 --> 01:08:11,581
near the top of Egger
by yourself,
969
01:08:11,616 --> 01:08:17,356
that's the ultimate nightmare,
and it actually happened to me,
970
01:08:17,391 --> 01:08:20,194
and I made it down just fine,
so...
971
01:08:20,229 --> 01:08:23,857
That's kind of...
That's cool, I guess.
972
01:08:28,600 --> 01:08:30,534
I was relieved to hear
973
01:08:30,569 --> 01:08:34,142
that Marc had made it
back down.
974
01:08:35,937 --> 01:08:38,542
And after such a close scrape,
975
01:08:38,577 --> 01:08:41,710
I figured
he would just fly home,
976
01:08:41,745 --> 01:08:45,582
unsuccessful, but safe.
977
01:08:45,617 --> 01:08:52,292
Well, it's amazing just feeling
how tired I am from that climb.
978
01:08:58,234 --> 01:09:02,203
But Marc couldn't let it go.
979
01:09:02,238 --> 01:09:05,833
He saw another weather window
in the forecast,
980
01:09:05,868 --> 01:09:08,638
this one even shorter
than the last.
981
01:09:08,673 --> 01:09:11,542
And on Friday,
you have half of a good day,
982
01:09:11,577 --> 01:09:14,281
and overnight's good.
983
01:09:14,316 --> 01:09:17,812
And he decided
to go for it, again.
984
01:09:17,847 --> 01:09:21,222
This time,
he was raising the stakes.
985
01:09:21,257 --> 01:09:22,850
Because I already
know the route,
986
01:09:22,885 --> 01:09:24,819
I decided I could do
the route in a day
987
01:09:24,854 --> 01:09:27,294
without carrying
any bivvy equipment.
988
01:09:28,363 --> 01:09:29,659
But I won't have the option
989
01:09:29,694 --> 01:09:31,661
of sleeping up there
on the mountain.
990
01:09:31,696 --> 01:09:33,927
I have to go really light
and move fast
991
01:09:33,962 --> 01:09:35,566
in order to get it done.
992
01:09:37,669 --> 01:09:39,339
Here we go.
993
01:09:41,574 --> 01:09:43,475
For his second attempt,
994
01:09:43,510 --> 01:09:45,906
Marc would carry
just a small pack
995
01:09:45,941 --> 01:09:49,877
with no sleeping bag,
no extra food.
996
01:09:49,912 --> 01:09:53,881
Just the basic tools
to climb light and fast.
997
01:09:56,688 --> 01:09:58,853
Starting the climb that night,
998
01:09:58,888 --> 01:10:03,297
he hoped he could get
to the summit and back down
999
01:10:03,332 --> 01:10:06,201
before the next storm
crashed in.
1000
01:10:09,800 --> 01:10:11,470
Good luck, Marc!
1001
01:10:30,392 --> 01:10:33,261
Well,
it's45 in the morning
1002
01:10:33,296 --> 01:10:35,890
and I'm back
at my first bivvy site
1003
01:10:35,925 --> 01:10:37,397
on top of the hanging glacier.
1004
01:10:37,432 --> 01:10:39,828
It's only taken me
a couple of hours to get here.
1005
01:10:40,897 --> 01:10:43,568
So, yeah, off to a good start.
1006
01:10:51,611 --> 01:10:54,007
I'm just going for it,
1007
01:10:54,042 --> 01:10:59,254
just this tiny little adventure
on this huge mountain.
1008
01:11:02,523 --> 01:11:04,952
Well, the sun's rising.
1009
01:11:04,987 --> 01:11:08,725
Check out
how incredible this is.
1010
01:11:08,760 --> 01:11:11,431
I'm more than halfway
up the route already.
1011
01:11:20,409 --> 01:11:22,343
Well, I'm in the upper ramp.
1012
01:11:26,976 --> 01:11:28,679
Things are working out.
1013
01:11:40,825 --> 01:11:43,562
I'm on the summit of Egger!
1014
01:11:43,597 --> 01:11:45,300
Super psyched!
1015
01:11:45,665 --> 01:11:47,566
Whoo!
1016
01:11:47,601 --> 01:11:50,503
Yeah, look at this!
1017
01:11:51,000 --> 01:11:53,605
Holy smokes!
1018
01:11:53,640 --> 01:11:55,871
To solo Torre Egger
1019
01:11:55,906 --> 01:11:58,005
seemed like
the perfect combination
1020
01:11:58,040 --> 01:12:00,579
of everything
I'd learned how to do.
1021
01:12:04,420 --> 01:12:09,885
It's almost like my whole life
leading me to a certain place.
1022
01:12:22,163 --> 01:12:23,602
Nice work, dude.
1023
01:12:23,637 --> 01:12:26,671
Yo.
1024
01:12:26,706 --> 01:12:29,102
-How's it going, dude?
-How do you feel?
1025
01:12:30,138 --> 01:12:32,908
-Perfect.
-Yeah, things are awesome.
1026
01:12:32,943 --> 01:12:35,042
No alpine ascent
is truly complete
1027
01:12:35,077 --> 01:12:37,451
until the beers go clink.
1028
01:12:37,486 --> 01:12:39,882
-Cheers.
-Cheers, man.
1029
01:12:46,924 --> 01:12:49,694
-Sí.
-Sí.
1030
01:13:07,945 --> 01:13:10,077
Psyched to be going
back to States?
1031
01:13:10,112 --> 01:13:12,552
Yeah, I'm super stoked
to see Brette
1032
01:13:12,587 --> 01:13:16,457
and eventually see the family
back up in Canada.
1033
01:13:16,492 --> 01:13:17,986
There's the taxi.
1034
01:13:18,021 --> 01:13:21,594
I have to negotiate,
cos I don't have pesos.
1035
01:13:38,580 --> 01:13:41,713
When Marc comes out
of the mountains,
1036
01:13:41,748 --> 01:13:44,716
he has this,
like, radiating energy.
1037
01:13:44,751 --> 01:13:48,687
He's had some sort
of extreme experience
1038
01:13:48,722 --> 01:13:53,527
that had moved him deeper
than anything else could have.
1039
01:13:53,562 --> 01:13:56,728
When you're in the
mountains with a mission,
1040
01:13:56,763 --> 01:13:59,566
it's like all
the superficialities of life
1041
01:13:59,601 --> 01:14:00,767
just sort of evaporate,
1042
01:14:00,802 --> 01:14:04,197
and you can often find yourself
in a deeper state of mind,
1043
01:14:04,232 --> 01:14:07,541
and that can stick with you
for a while after a big climb.
1044
01:14:08,874 --> 01:14:12,106
You appreciate everything
so much
1045
01:14:12,141 --> 01:14:14,977
that you take for granted
most of the time.
1046
01:14:18,686 --> 01:14:20,983
It's kind of funny.
1047
01:14:21,018 --> 01:14:23,755
The actual achievement
doesn't really change your life
1048
01:14:23,790 --> 01:14:26,857
like you think it might,
when you're building up to it,
1049
01:14:26,892 --> 01:14:29,222
but what you're left with
is the journey
1050
01:14:29,257 --> 01:14:30,993
that got you to that point
1051
01:14:31,028 --> 01:14:33,732
and if you have this big journey
1052
01:14:33,767 --> 01:14:35,261
where you had
to figure a lot of stuff out,
1053
01:14:35,296 --> 01:14:38,671
and you had to plan,
and it was more immersive,
1054
01:14:38,706 --> 01:14:40,838
and then you were
somewhere really beautiful
1055
01:14:40,873 --> 01:14:43,973
for a long time, and then
had to work really hard,
1056
01:14:44,008 --> 01:14:46,646
and overcome
some kind of mental barrier,
1057
01:14:46,681 --> 01:14:49,880
you're left with so much more
of a story
1058
01:14:49,915 --> 01:14:52,982
or, like, a memory
and an experience.
1059
01:14:53,017 --> 01:14:56,018
And that's what I find
is the most important.
1060
01:15:01,564 --> 01:15:05,126
For two years
filming Marc's climbs,
1061
01:15:05,161 --> 01:15:08,635
it was like trying to capture
lightning in a bottle.
1062
01:15:13,103 --> 01:15:16,643
Now, it was time
to assemble the film
1063
01:15:16,678 --> 01:15:20,779
and release Marc
back into the wild.
1064
01:15:20,814 --> 01:15:24,684
He still had so many
mountains to climb.
1065
01:15:26,248 --> 01:15:28,721
OK, Brette, I'm secure!
1066
01:15:31,121 --> 01:15:32,387
Hey, dude.
1067
01:15:32,423 --> 01:15:37,829
And that is where
I thought this story would end.
1068
01:15:39,030 --> 01:15:40,196
But while we were editing,
1069
01:15:40,231 --> 01:15:45,298
Marc chased a weather window
up to Juneau, Alaska,
1070
01:15:45,333 --> 01:15:48,906
where he met up with
a strong local climber,
1071
01:15:48,941 --> 01:15:51,337
Ryan Johnson.
1072
01:15:51,372 --> 01:15:53,812
Climbing as a team,
with a rope,
1073
01:15:53,847 --> 01:15:55,275
they made a first ascent
1074
01:15:55,310 --> 01:16:00,148
on the north face
of the Mendenhall Towers.
1075
01:16:00,183 --> 01:16:03,591
At the summit,
there was cell reception.
1076
01:16:03,626 --> 01:16:09,564
So Marc sent text messages
to his mom and to Brette.
1077
01:16:12,096 --> 01:16:15,328
And Ryan sent a video message
to his girlfriend.
1078
01:16:15,363 --> 01:16:17,803
Hey, babe, figured why not
be up here with me?
1079
01:16:17,838 --> 01:16:21,103
-Marc, right there.
-Yeah.
1080
01:16:21,138 --> 01:16:22,368
Pretty amazing up here.
1081
01:16:22,403 --> 01:16:24,007
We've got a long way
to get down,
1082
01:16:24,042 --> 01:16:25,075
so we're gonna get to it.
1083
01:16:25,110 --> 01:16:27,978
The descent
does not look straightforward.
1084
01:16:32,149 --> 01:16:34,248
But by the next morning,
1085
01:16:34,283 --> 01:16:36,591
nobody had heard from them.
1086
01:16:38,793 --> 01:16:43,389
Brette was on a sailboat
off the coast of Tasmania.
1087
01:16:43,424 --> 01:16:48,867
She was the first to realize
they were late to check in.
1088
01:16:48,902 --> 01:16:51,298
She contacted
search and rescue,
1089
01:16:51,333 --> 01:16:53,168
took the next flight out,
1090
01:16:53,203 --> 01:16:56,974
and called us
when she landed in Alaska.
1091
01:16:59,374 --> 01:17:02,650
-Fuck!
-Yeah, so I don't know, Pete.
1092
01:17:02,685 --> 01:17:06,082
-I'm so sorry.
-I don't know what to do.
1093
01:17:06,117 --> 01:17:09,085
I don't know
what's gonna happen
1094
01:17:09,120 --> 01:17:11,890
or what would happen if...
1095
01:17:13,696 --> 01:17:16,961
A climber from Squamish
has gone missing in Alaska.
1096
01:17:16,996 --> 01:17:19,931
Marc-André Leclerc
and another climber
1097
01:17:19,966 --> 01:17:21,702
were last seen on March 4th.
1098
01:17:21,737 --> 01:17:24,265
We followed Brette
up to Juneau
1099
01:17:24,300 --> 01:17:28,709
and met Marc's family at
the search and rescue office.
1100
01:17:31,307 --> 01:17:33,681
Some of Marc's friends
from Squamish
1101
01:17:33,716 --> 01:17:37,113
had come along
to help with the search.
1102
01:17:37,148 --> 01:17:38,818
But a storm had rolled in,
1103
01:17:38,853 --> 01:17:43,185
so nobody could get
a helicopter in there.
1104
01:17:43,220 --> 01:17:49,224
All we could do was wait
for the weather to break
1105
01:17:49,259 --> 01:17:54,834
and hope that somehow,
they were still alive up there.
1106
01:18:02,778 --> 01:18:04,844
After four agonizing days,
1107
01:18:04,879 --> 01:18:07,847
the weather
finally cleared enough
1108
01:18:07,882 --> 01:18:10,146
for search and rescue
1109
01:18:10,181 --> 01:18:14,183
to fly a helicopter
into that zone
1110
01:18:14,218 --> 01:18:17,692
and get visuals
of their descent route.
1111
01:18:19,091 --> 01:18:20,257
With all the new snow,
1112
01:18:20,292 --> 01:18:24,094
conditions were
too dangerous to land there,
1113
01:18:24,129 --> 01:18:27,130
but they spotted a rope.
1114
01:18:29,970 --> 01:18:33,367
It was covered
in avalanche debris
1115
01:18:33,402 --> 01:18:40,110
and it was clear that Marc
and Ryan were buried there.
1116
01:18:42,180 --> 01:18:45,819
There was no chance
of survival.
1117
01:19:09,306 --> 01:19:14,342
We were hoping to do a
recovery of their bodies but...
1118
01:19:14,377 --> 01:19:17,884
it didn't happen. They just
disappeared into the glacier.
1119
01:19:23,892 --> 01:19:25,991
I remember sitting out there
1120
01:19:26,026 --> 01:19:29,192
on the ice field
and wondering, like,
1121
01:19:30,360 --> 01:19:33,295
"Why wasn't I with him?"
1122
01:19:34,430 --> 01:19:37,233
Like, I felt
I should've been there.
1123
01:19:38,874 --> 01:19:42,942
I didn't even know
that life could be that painful.
1124
01:19:42,977 --> 01:19:46,077
I didn't even know it existed
until you experience it.
1125
01:19:46,112 --> 01:19:51,280
It's like we're kind of living
in this blissful magical life,
1126
01:19:51,315 --> 01:19:53,986
and then you're hit
with this shockwave of pain,
1127
01:19:54,021 --> 01:19:56,120
and you'll never be the same.
1128
01:20:02,062 --> 01:20:05,800
After he died, I just
didn't care about anything.
1129
01:20:07,265 --> 01:20:08,803
Nothing mattered.
1130
01:20:10,268 --> 01:20:13,808
Maybe I would
just disappear also.
1131
01:20:18,045 --> 01:20:20,881
But then I remembered
this conversation
1132
01:20:20,916 --> 01:20:23,147
that I had with Marc.
1133
01:20:23,182 --> 01:20:25,919
Marc said that if something
happened to him,
1134
01:20:25,954 --> 01:20:28,416
he wants me to keep going.
1135
01:20:31,223 --> 01:20:34,323
He didn't want me
to lose my spirit.
1136
01:20:34,358 --> 01:20:38,195
He just wanted me to keep
climbing, keep loving life,
1137
01:20:39,198 --> 01:20:42,837
and be happy. Yeah.
1138
01:20:44,104 --> 01:20:45,532
You have no idea how hard it is.
1139
01:20:45,567 --> 01:20:48,975
In theory you can say it, but
to actually be living that...
1140
01:20:54,279 --> 01:20:56,444
I went back to Alaska.
1141
01:20:57,282 --> 01:20:59,315
It's so beautiful there,
1142
01:20:59,350 --> 01:21:04,452
but being there without him
felt so awful.
1143
01:21:10,526 --> 01:21:13,967
I was in so much pain
1144
01:21:14,002 --> 01:21:18,004
and the only time
I could feel an escape from that
1145
01:21:18,039 --> 01:21:19,874
was being in the mountains.
1146
01:21:22,472 --> 01:21:26,276
I keep returning to these places
we climbed together.
1147
01:21:29,149 --> 01:21:32,084
They are infused with him.
1148
01:21:33,615 --> 01:21:38,156
I came upon this piton
and I'm certain it's Marc's.
1149
01:21:40,061 --> 01:21:43,029
I feel like you're here, Marc.
1150
01:21:43,064 --> 01:21:46,428
I just miss him so much, like,
I miss our adventures together.
1151
01:21:55,274 --> 01:21:58,275
But I know that you'd want me
to be here
1152
01:21:58,310 --> 01:22:00,376
and I know that you'd be proud.
1153
01:22:19,496 --> 01:22:21,166
Just his typical smile.
1154
01:22:22,532 --> 01:22:24,334
Yeah.
1155
01:22:27,636 --> 01:22:30,945
You guys have a similar
smile.
1156
01:22:33,444 --> 01:22:35,642
How I'm doing
is a day-to-day thing.
1157
01:22:37,712 --> 01:22:41,120
Without Marc-André, yeah,
1158
01:22:41,155 --> 01:22:44,024
it was like something
was suddenly
1159
01:22:44,059 --> 01:22:47,423
and irrevocably wrong
with the universe.
1160
01:22:47,458 --> 01:22:52,494
It was, like, that's just
not how it should be.
1161
01:23:02,209 --> 01:23:04,011
I'm sorry.
1162
01:23:06,807 --> 01:23:13,218
In some indefinable way,
you've moved to another place
1163
01:23:13,253 --> 01:23:15,990
and you have to learn
how to live there.
1164
01:23:29,104 --> 01:23:31,797
A few months
after the accident,
1165
01:23:31,832 --> 01:23:34,074
friends came to Squamish
1166
01:23:34,109 --> 01:23:37,638
from all over the world
to celebrate Marc.
1167
01:23:58,166 --> 01:24:00,595
He was one of a kind.
1168
01:24:00,630 --> 01:24:03,565
He was an individual individual.
1169
01:24:03,600 --> 01:24:05,600
He just burned very bright
1170
01:24:05,635 --> 01:24:07,206
and he left an indelible mark
1171
01:24:07,241 --> 01:24:10,143
on a lot of people
in a short time, didn't he?
1172
01:24:14,512 --> 01:24:16,512
Wow, there's a lot of you.
1173
01:24:18,186 --> 01:24:21,748
As any parent knows,
raising children is a tough job,
1174
01:24:21,783 --> 01:24:23,354
but I am thankful
1175
01:24:23,389 --> 01:24:25,488
that at least God
granted me the grace
1176
01:24:25,523 --> 01:24:27,424
to understand
this about my son,
1177
01:24:27,459 --> 01:24:31,098
to not stand in the way of
his passion for the mountains.
1178
01:24:44,575 --> 01:24:46,773
Of course, I worried.
1179
01:24:46,808 --> 01:24:49,611
What mother doesn't worry
about the children she's raised
1180
01:24:49,646 --> 01:24:50,679
to leave her and go out
1181
01:24:50,714 --> 01:24:54,451
into this beautiful
but dangerous and broken world?
1182
01:24:54,486 --> 01:24:57,718
It's so exposed.
1183
01:24:57,753 --> 01:24:59,291
I believe Marc-André
1184
01:24:59,326 --> 01:25:01,887
lived the life
he was intended to live.
1185
01:25:01,922 --> 01:25:04,857
That he was meant
to scale mountains,
1186
01:25:04,892 --> 01:25:08,663
stand on summits, find his way
into lonely valleys...
1187
01:25:08,698 --> 01:25:10,203
Super happy.
1188
01:25:10,238 --> 01:25:11,336
...and love one woman
1189
01:25:11,371 --> 01:25:12,634
with all his heart,
his little B.
1190
01:25:12,669 --> 01:25:17,375
-How are you, Brette?
-It's pretty chilly.
1191
01:25:18,444 --> 01:25:20,444
Tolkien in The Hobbit says,
1192
01:25:20,479 --> 01:25:23,645
"There are no safe paths
in this part of the world.
1193
01:25:23,680 --> 01:25:26,351
You're over the edge
of the wild now."
1194
01:25:26,386 --> 01:25:28,617
Oh, yeah, look at that.
1195
01:25:28,652 --> 01:25:29,585
Well, Marc-André,
1196
01:25:29,620 --> 01:25:31,389
you are truly over the edge
of the wild now.
1197
01:25:31,424 --> 01:25:33,886
The storm came in
with a strong north wind.
1198
01:25:33,921 --> 01:25:36,394
I hope
the mountains there are amazing
1199
01:25:36,429 --> 01:25:37,527
and the sunsets are beautiful.
1200
01:25:37,562 --> 01:25:39,595
And then it cleared
for a bit
1201
01:25:39,630 --> 01:25:41,531
as the eye of the storm
passed over us.
1202
01:25:41,566 --> 01:25:42,565
We are all richer
1203
01:25:42,601 --> 01:25:46,767
for calling you son, brother,
partner and friend.
1204
01:25:46,802 --> 01:25:48,637
Whoo!
1205
01:25:48,672 --> 01:25:51,310
Thank you for
giving us 25 remarkable years.
1206
01:25:51,345 --> 01:25:53,246
Holy fuck!
1207
01:25:57,747 --> 01:25:59,582
Whoo!
1208
01:26:08,395 --> 01:26:11,660
Having come
to know Marc as a friend,
1209
01:26:11,695 --> 01:26:13,530
as well as a climber...
1210
01:26:15,637 --> 01:26:21,307
...it's hard to reconcile
the idealism of his ascents
1211
01:26:21,342 --> 01:26:24,178
with the tragic consequences.
1212
01:26:27,843 --> 01:26:29,777
That's why alpinism remains
1213
01:26:29,812 --> 01:26:32,384
such a contradiction
in my mind,
1214
01:26:32,419 --> 01:26:33,946
such a mystery.
1215
01:26:37,457 --> 01:26:38,951
But I believe what Marc did
1216
01:26:38,986 --> 01:26:41,723
with his time on Earth
was beautiful.
1217
01:26:45,300 --> 01:26:48,862
He followed
the course of his own dreams.
1218
01:26:52,736 --> 01:26:54,637
A lot of us live our lives
1219
01:26:54,672 --> 01:26:56,375
thinking of the things
we'd like to do
1220
01:26:56,410 --> 01:27:00,478
or the adventures we'd like
to have, but we hold back.
1221
01:27:02,812 --> 01:27:05,010
That's what really
stands out to me
1222
01:27:05,045 --> 01:27:07,419
about Marc-André's journey.
1223
01:27:08,719 --> 01:27:12,391
It's about what is it
that you would do
1224
01:27:12,426 --> 01:27:14,459
if you were able to overcome
1225
01:27:14,494 --> 01:27:17,660
the things that you
see as limitations
1226
01:27:17,695 --> 01:27:20,630
or the things
that you're afraid of?
1227
01:27:20,665 --> 01:27:22,698
You know, what would you do?
1228
01:28:25,125 --> 01:28:29,028
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