The Limbless Mountaineer

The first I heard of The Limbless Mountaineer was a tweet from the BMC, ten minutes before the programme started, so I instantly rang up my sister to put it on record. I finally watched the documentary last night and now understand the hype about it. .

First screened at the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival, The Limbless Mountaineer is an awe inspiring watch. But  I was also extremely surprised to find it on Channel 5 – the channel that wouldn’t let Big Brother die and where most documentaries consist of conspiracy theories.

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Following the wrong decision 14 years ago in the Alps, Jamie Andrew didn’t just loose both hands and feet, but his climbing partner too. After re-learning how to walk, Jamie became obsessed with taking on new challenges – seeing what was possible without hands and feet. From snowboarding to marathons, Jamie soon returned to his much loved climbing.

In his latest challenge we see him follow a dream and take on the Matterhorn, and once again facing an extremely difficult decision. The Limbless Mountaineer follows his incredible journey.

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I thought this documentary was an excellent watch. Jamie is an incredible human being – his determination, strength and resilience. His attitude was inspirational: rather than thinking about what he couldn’t do anymore after loosing his limbs, he focussed on what he could. I especially loved his drawer of innovative tools and prosthetics, such as a snowball thrower.

This documentary definitely made me think about disability, especially the term ‘disabled.’ Although Jamie no longer has hands and feet, he is still able to do so much. There is one scene where he is making a cup of tea and turns to the camera man saying something along the lines of ‘you probably find this fascinating, but I’m just making a cup of tea.’ It just seems like ‘disabled’ is way too much of a negative term.

Very much like K2: The Killer Summit, The Limbless Mountaineer is a stark reminder of the risks involved with extreme sports, and that the wrong decision can be fatal. But it was also inspirational tale of making the best of a bad situation. I definitely recommend it.

The Limbless Mountaineer is apparently available on Channel 5’s Demand 5 until 31 December 2020.

Nepal says Everest climbers ‘must collect 8kg litter’

Nepal says Everest climbers ‘must collect 8kg litter’

Storyville – K2: The Killer Summit

Storyville is a BBC 4 series “showcasing the best of international documentaries.” The latest film featured in the series was K2: The Killer Summit, directed by Nick Ryan, which was released worldwide as The Summit.

For every four climbers that summit K2, another one dies and over a quarter of those who do make it to the top, don’t live to tell the tale. The second highest mountain in the world has the reputation of one of the most dangerous.

K2: The Killer Summit follows the tragic events of the 2008 disaster, the worst in the mountain’s history – of the 25 mountaineers that made it to camp 4, 11 died.

I found this film was a fascinating yet heartbreaking insight into extreme mountaineering, and I definitely wasn’t expecting such an examination into human nature. It seemed that the higher you climb, the greater the risk, and life was just gambled away. The greater the altitude, the poorer the decision-making.

The film focuses on Ger McDonnell, an Irishmen who lost his life, attempting to save others. But we also see a husband fall to his death in front of his wife and two Sherpas perish after being ordered up the mountain in unsafe conditions.

This film is an excellent watch for anyone interested in the outdoors and I found it to be a stern reminder on how much we should value our companions.

For me it also raised the question of how much is a summit really worth? Hindsight is an amazing thing, and many of the climbers featured in the film highlight points where they could have turned back, but summit sight trumped sense. We all need to remember that there are points where the risk is just too high, and you are putting yourself and others at serious risk. You almost always have the opportunity to turn back and attempt it another time.

Furthermore, this film made me have a serious think about high altitude climbing. I’ve always said I’d like to do the Seven Summits (I’ve already got one of them out of the way), but I don’t think I’ve really properly thought about what that actually entailed. Although scaling some of these mountains is an amazing feat, I don’t think I ever want to be in that position where if one of your team is dying, you move on or die with them. Life is too precious.

Fist broadcast on BBC on 5th February, K2: The Killer Summit is available on BBC iPlayer until 8th April 2014.