Andy Kirkpatrick on the new Psycho Vertical film
A film produced by Jen Randall and Alex Gorham at Light Shed Pictures, based on Andy Kirkpatrick’s Boardman-Tasker Award-winning autobiography.
When it comes to Andy Kirkpatrick, it’s probably best to expect the unexpected. He looks and sounds like an ordinary bloke but, describing himself as “a danger to other people”, he’s an intriguing character who has made the impossible possible, breaking the conventions of the climbing world, mountain literature and – now – film.
Andy is a mountaineer, specialising in soloing the hardest technical climbs worldwide. In 2014 he spent two weeks at -30 deg C to ascend the south ridge of Ulvetanna Peak – the ‘wolf’s tooth’ – in Antarctica. He’s climbed America’s hardest big wall, El Capitan, in Yosemite over 24 times, including once with this 13-year-old daughter, and most recently on an 18-day ascent that forms the backdrop of his new film, Psycho Vertical.
Psycho Vertical began as a book first published in 2008, which had enormous reach beyond that of the climbing community. Despite severe dyslexia which meant that he struggled with everyday tasks, Andy wrote a book which tackled far more than his climbing achievements and reached right into the soul of himself to reveal just what it takes to face death, conquer fear and accomplish the unimaginable. He has a rare ability to express himself with an honesty, clarity and humour that resonates with others.
In 2012 Andy met climber and film-maker Jen Randall on El Capitan and two years later a plan to produce a film based on his book was hatched; it was released in October 2017.
True to Andy’s style, the film defies expectations. It’s not a celebration of his great achievements. It’s not a film about climbing mountains. There’s no stories of near-death experiences. Like the book, this film is very much a portrait of a man.
Interviews with Andy delve into a childhood where his family was torn apart by his father’s obsession with climbing. Over the course of his life, Andy found that climbing distilled life to a “Stone Age simplicity”, where there was no room for “why”, only “do”. He reflects with stark honesty on the selfishness and obsession involved in his own pursuits, and the damage that did to his growing family.
Footage of Andy’s ascent of El Capitan runs like beautiful background music to the interviews. His style of solo-climbing is portrayed as difficult and intensely lonely. It’s hard to even imagine the dedication and physical effort required to climb this imposing slab of kilometre-high granite, sleeping every night on a hanging portaledge, while carrying all the climbing gear and sustenance required for 18 days… and yet there is no pomp or ceremony when he reaches the top.
So, should you see it? Well, the style of the film is poetic and real. And it’s certainly not Hollywood. But if you want a glimpse inside the head of a man who gave up everything to achieve the impossible, there’s nothing like it!