RACE TO THE SUMMIT

It is a well known mountaineering adage that “speed is safety” in alpinism. However, there is a critical point at which going fast starts to introduce its own dangers. Released in 2023, Race to the Summit explores the achievements of Ueli Steck and Dani Arnold, who became experts in the art of speed alpinism.

Climbing as a sport has traditionally developed as an underground culture which trod carefully to avoid the spectacle of the media and mass publicity.

In a world where the general population assessed sporting performance by

“how high”, “how far”, “how fast”, the difficulty of a climbing route or indeed a mountaineering route was not given much merit. In response to this, Ueli Steck became known for his aggressively public, high speed ascents of some of the largest and most difficult peaks around the world.

Throughout Ueli's life he traded speed records with fellow Swiss mountaineer Dani Arnold, a rivalry which spun into drama as it entered the public sphere.

The film questions the impact of social media on climbing and the effects of having a high risk solo sport interfacing with the general media and public opinion.

This is a particularly interesting watch for climbers and mountaineers interested in how the definition of ‘elitism' in climbing has changed in the modern world.

Streaming on Netflix