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Hello, boys and girls.
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This is Tim Ferriss,
and welcome to "The Tim Ferriss Show".
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In this episode, we have 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
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?
- He just goes out and climbs
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some of the most difficult walls
and alpine faces in the world.
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The most challenging things
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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00:01:25,376 --> 00:01:28,254
And for those people
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
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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00:02:30,191 --> 00:02:35,029
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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But he was almost completely unknown.
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00:03:03,433 --> 00:03:07,687
I spent two years
following this elusive climber,
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trying to document his ascents,
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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
at the heart of climbing
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00:03:51,564 --> 00:03:54,942
that have gripped me since I was a kid.
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Growing up
as a young climber in Colorado,
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00:04:01,491 --> 00:04:06,037
I idolized the legendary free-soloist
Derek Hersey,
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00:04:07,497 --> 00:04:10,875
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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You can look down and just,
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you know, take in the exposure.
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Oh, this is cool!
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But one day,
Derek was out soloing
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00:04:33,856 --> 00:04:35,817
and he fell.
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00:04:36,609 --> 00:04:38,569
Derek Hersey
was killed last week.
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00:04:38,736 --> 00:04:41,948
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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00:05:04,679 --> 00:05:06,639
I've seen some amazing things...
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00:05:06,764 --> 00:05:10,309
Tommy Caldwell attempting
to free climb the Dawn Wall.
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00:05:10,435 --> 00:05:12,478
...and been left to grieve...
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00:05:12,562 --> 00:05:14,439
Dean Potter lost his life.
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...when friends died
pursuing their passion.
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00:05:17,108 --> 00:05:19,485
One of the world's
best-known mountaineers.
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00:05:19,610 --> 00:05:22,405
Ueli Steck has died in an accident.
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00:05:22,572 --> 00:05:25,491
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 are
sharing Snapchat videos from Everest.
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This is hair by Everest.
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 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,
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
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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Cool. So tell us how old you are,
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
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,
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,
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
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.
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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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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For a couple of summers there,
he was, like, living in a stairwell.
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It was surprising when he managed
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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00:10:18,785 --> 00:10:21,454
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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00:10:31,506 --> 00:10:33,591
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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00:10:43,810 --> 00:10:47,814
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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00:11:03,746 --> 00:11:05,039
- Going on?
- Look, there he is.
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00:11:05,164 --> 00:11:07,667
Your timing's perfect, guys.
You nearly missed me.
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00:11:08,042 --> 00:11:09,293
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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I went to some big rave out in the woods
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and we got talking
and I spin hoops, and he spun hoops,
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00:11:27,311 --> 00:11:29,522
and that's kind of
how I got in with Marc.
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And you talk to him,
what he's climbed and what he's done.
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It was like, whoa, and you never
heard of him or anything.
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I see young climbers everywhere,
millions of people,
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"Look how good I am,"
stroking themselves on Instagram.
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00:11:48,082 --> 00:11:52,879
The modern world can be a bit bland
but Marc, he belongs in a different era.
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00:11:52,962 --> 00:11:56,841
He belongs in the '80s, the '70s
when it was, like, wild.
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All right.
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He's a man out of his own time,
isn't he?
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That's why he's so special,
he's a breath of fresh air.
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See, I got him going this time.
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I am the hoop guy.
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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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00:12:20,865 --> 00:12:23,034
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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and I was just like, "Who is that guy?"
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00:12:31,918 --> 00:12:34,670
The Grand Wall might be
the most iconic route in Squamish.
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I'd climbed it the fastest
bottom to top.
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00:12:38,758 --> 00:12:39,758
Speed records are a game.
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00:12:39,842 --> 00:12:42,922
They're not the most important thing in
climbing, but I do love speed records.
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00:12:43,679 --> 00:12:47,183
And then this local kid,
who I'd never heard of, did it faster.
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I was soloing the route
quite regularly,
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00:12:49,394 --> 00:12:52,605
and one time, I just decided
to see how long it would take me.
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00:12:52,730 --> 00:12:54,565
I got to the top and checked the time,
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I was, like, two or three minutes faster
than the established record.
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00:12:59,362 --> 00:13:02,365
And suddenly,
Alex Honnold came back to Squamish
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00:13:02,490 --> 00:13:05,326
to get his record back on the Grand Wall
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00:13:05,493 --> 00:13:08,830
that I had kind of, like,
unintentionally broken.
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00:13:08,955 --> 00:13:11,874
I was like,
"Oh, man, I'm gonna go fast."
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00:13:14,127 --> 00:13:17,130
He totally destroyed it.
He cut my time in half.
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00:13:17,255 --> 00:13:19,006
I think I did quite a bit faster.
194
00:13:19,132 --> 00:13:21,843
Here I am in a god ray. Ah!
195
00:13:21,968 --> 00:13:26,055
Enough so that it discouraged Marc
from ever wanting to try again.
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00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:32,061
Marc is a very, very driven climber,
but he doesn't care about accolades.
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00:13:32,145 --> 00:13:34,439
He doesn't even care
if anybody knows what he's climbing.
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00:13:34,647 --> 00:13:37,150
I've always approach climbing
from an athletic background.
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00:13:37,233 --> 00:13:39,503
I grew up climbing in the gym
and I think of it more as a sport.
200
00:13:39,527 --> 00:13:43,281
But he cares about, I don't wanna say
the spiritual component,
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00:13:43,406 --> 00:13:46,325
but he cares about the experience
in the mountains, and the journey,
202
00:13:46,451 --> 00:13:48,470
and just wants to have a good time
while he's out there.
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00:13:48,494 --> 00:13:51,831
And I really respect that. It's a...
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00:13:51,956 --> 00:13:56,044
I mean, obviously, it contributes to him
performing at such a crazy level.
205
00:14:01,257 --> 00:14:03,760
The first climb
we filmed with Marc
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00:14:03,926 --> 00:14:07,138
was a solo ascent
of the Grand Wall.
207
00:14:15,396 --> 00:14:20,026
It's always nerve-racking
to film someone climbing without a rope.
208
00:14:21,694 --> 00:14:25,239
But for Marc,
this was just part of his daily routine.
209
00:14:26,657 --> 00:14:29,160
When I'm soloing rock climbs,
210
00:14:29,243 --> 00:14:31,871
I don't really like
to feel like I'm pushing myself.
211
00:14:32,038 --> 00:14:35,208
That's not the reason
for soloing rock for me.
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00:14:35,333 --> 00:14:39,170
I don't like to feel like I'm doing
something intense and scary or...
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00:14:39,295 --> 00:14:40,338
So then why do it?
214
00:14:41,547 --> 00:14:45,802
Like, more just
to have a casual fun adventure
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00:14:45,927 --> 00:14:49,722
and... cruise around.
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00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:12,245
And when you watch him climb,
he's just magic on the rock.
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00:15:16,332 --> 00:15:20,545
He's got style, he doesn't lunge,
he's very precise.
218
00:15:22,255 --> 00:15:24,257
There's not the slightest margin
for error
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00:15:24,340 --> 00:15:26,509
from the minute you set off, is there?
220
00:16:00,293 --> 00:16:04,297
Watching Marc move
so beautifully up the wall,
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00:16:05,506 --> 00:16:09,510
it was clear this goofy, unassuming kid
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00:16:09,635 --> 00:16:11,971
was a master of his craft.
223
00:16:37,789 --> 00:16:40,625
I really love
just watching him climbing.
224
00:16:43,461 --> 00:16:48,049
Marc is a very calm
and, like, steady, controlled climber.
225
00:16:48,132 --> 00:16:51,010
Hey, Marco, I missed you.
226
00:16:51,135 --> 00:16:54,138
Yeah, I missed you, too.
227
00:16:55,306 --> 00:16:58,309
I get the fact that he wants
to solo, because I love it, too.
228
00:16:58,393 --> 00:17:01,604
I'm feeling really, like, calm
and good with soloing, too,
229
00:17:01,687 --> 00:17:04,732
so I would be psyched
on going and climbing...
230
00:17:05,942 --> 00:17:08,486
It puts you directly in the present.
231
00:17:08,611 --> 00:17:11,114
You can't be thinking
about anything else.
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00:17:13,449 --> 00:17:17,078
And you're interacting
and improvising in the moment.
233
00:17:18,579 --> 00:17:21,416
And you're just in control.
234
00:17:29,924 --> 00:17:31,926
When I first met Brette,
235
00:17:32,051 --> 00:17:34,804
she definitely had
a pretty big impact on me.
236
00:17:36,097 --> 00:17:40,601
At that time, I'd lost touch with the
whole climbing portion of my life.
237
00:17:42,353 --> 00:17:45,273
There is a really lively party scene
in Squamish.
238
00:17:46,774 --> 00:17:49,569
Definitely got hard into the partying.
239
00:17:49,652 --> 00:17:53,781
At the beginning, it was pretty, like,
basic experimentation,
240
00:17:53,948 --> 00:17:59,537
like, it was really fun to experience
all these different states of mind.
241
00:18:00,997 --> 00:18:03,416
It's almost like a parallel to climbing.
242
00:18:03,541 --> 00:18:07,712
My friends like to explore a little bit,
and sometimes I like to explore a lot,
243
00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:10,423
and it was the same with the partying.
244
00:18:10,548 --> 00:18:15,636
Everyone would wanna take a tab of acid
and hang out and have a good time,
245
00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:19,807
and I'd wanna take six tabs of acid
and disappear for 20 hours.
246
00:18:23,686 --> 00:18:26,373
But I got to the point where I felt
like I couldn't really do anything
247
00:18:26,397 --> 00:18:28,107
without taking drugs.
248
00:18:30,943 --> 00:18:33,362
Which isn't a healthy place to be.
249
00:18:34,447 --> 00:18:35,740
I remember that.
250
00:18:35,907 --> 00:18:38,451
When Brette and I started
climbing together,
251
00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:40,745
she was just totally going for it.
252
00:18:41,996 --> 00:18:45,833
Hanging out with her
reminded me of what I'd lost,
253
00:18:45,958 --> 00:18:49,712
what it was like to be... spirited.
254
00:18:54,092 --> 00:18:56,427
- Fun.
- Yeah, super fun, hey?
255
00:18:56,552 --> 00:18:57,804
Yeah.
256
00:18:58,638 --> 00:19:03,434
I could see how Marc could
have easily slid down that path,
257
00:19:03,518 --> 00:19:05,853
the dark side of drug life.
258
00:19:10,566 --> 00:19:13,277
- Have a good day, guys.
- Thanks, guys.
259
00:19:15,822 --> 00:19:19,575
Marc is interested
in intense experiences
260
00:19:19,700 --> 00:19:21,285
and living to the fullest.
261
00:19:22,370 --> 00:19:26,999
Drugs can provide some version of that,
but it's not genuine.
262
00:19:27,166 --> 00:19:32,004
And I think he recognized
that climbing is the real experience.
263
00:19:32,672 --> 00:19:34,841
- Nice, Brette.
- It's so cool.
264
00:19:34,966 --> 00:19:36,759
I know, isn't it beautiful?
265
00:19:38,386 --> 00:19:40,805
- What a fun route.
- See?
266
00:19:41,431 --> 00:19:43,015
I know for Marc,
267
00:19:43,141 --> 00:19:46,769
rock climbing in Squamish
is all about having fun.
268
00:19:48,563 --> 00:19:54,444
But Marc's vision is more towards
soloing big alpine faces
269
00:19:54,527 --> 00:19:56,696
on beautiful mountains.
270
00:19:56,779 --> 00:20:01,159
He loves the mountains
and he is definitely ambitious.
271
00:20:01,868 --> 00:20:05,163
He wants to improve upon
what's been done before
272
00:20:05,288 --> 00:20:09,042
to make his contribution
to the history of alpinism.
273
00:20:15,048 --> 00:20:20,344
Alpinism, the discipline
of climbing big technical mountains,
274
00:20:20,470 --> 00:20:22,138
is more than just a sport.
275
00:20:22,263 --> 00:20:26,350
It's an ideal
that has evolved over generations.
276
00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:31,606
In the first half of the 20th century,
277
00:20:31,773 --> 00:20:37,236
large-scale expeditions
used lots of equipment and manpower
278
00:20:37,361 --> 00:20:39,530
to conquer the world's highest peaks.
279
00:20:39,614 --> 00:20:43,701
They stand victorious
on the windswept roof of the world.
280
00:20:45,953 --> 00:20:47,580
By the 1950s,
281
00:20:47,663 --> 00:20:51,584
it was no longer about getting
to the top of the mountain,
282
00:20:51,667 --> 00:20:53,503
but how you got there.
283
00:20:55,171 --> 00:20:56,631
In the European Alps,
284
00:20:56,798 --> 00:21:02,387
there was a revolution
in climbing technique and philosophy.
285
00:21:02,470 --> 00:21:05,515
Smaller teams using less gear
286
00:21:05,598 --> 00:21:09,310
tackled steeper
and more dangerous faces.
287
00:21:09,435 --> 00:21:13,106
That was the next step
in the evolution of alpinism.
288
00:21:13,231 --> 00:21:17,110
Climbing harder, climbing faster
and climbing in better style.
289
00:21:17,235 --> 00:21:21,572
A rope, a rack, and the pack
on your back, that's all you get
290
00:21:21,697 --> 00:21:23,991
and you have to make it work with that.
291
00:21:25,952 --> 00:21:28,413
When you look
through the history of alpinism,
292
00:21:28,538 --> 00:21:31,082
climbing was a form of freedom.
293
00:21:33,626 --> 00:21:38,131
It was physical freedom,
but it was also a philosophical freedom.
294
00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:43,803
And the ultimate experience of freedom
was to climb alone.
295
00:21:45,054 --> 00:21:49,475
Unfettered, unleashed, absolutely solo.
296
00:21:51,352 --> 00:21:55,690
Solo climbing on a high level
is an expression of art.
297
00:21:55,815 --> 00:22:00,361
The art of surviving
in the most crazy situations.
298
00:22:01,779 --> 00:22:05,366
While solo alpinism
may be the purest,
299
00:22:05,491 --> 00:22:07,827
most adventurous form
of climbing,
300
00:22:09,162 --> 00:22:11,372
it's also the deadliest.
301
00:22:11,497 --> 00:22:17,962
Maybe half of the leading solo climbers
of all times died in the mountains,
302
00:22:18,171 --> 00:22:23,551
and this is tragic
and it's difficult to defend.
303
00:22:25,970 --> 00:22:28,431
But this is the philosophy.
304
00:22:29,223 --> 00:22:31,768
If you're going in an adventure,
you need difficulties.
305
00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:34,437
You need danger.
306
00:22:34,562 --> 00:22:39,901
If death was not a possibility,
coming out would be nothing.
307
00:22:40,068 --> 00:22:41,986
It would be kindergarten.
308
00:22:43,237 --> 00:22:47,158
But not an adventure and not an art.
309
00:22:56,709 --> 00:22:59,712
A few months
after our shoot in Squamish,
310
00:23:00,963 --> 00:23:03,508
we followed Marc to the Canadian Rockies
311
00:23:05,009 --> 00:23:08,596
where he'd come
for the world-renowned ice climbing.
312
00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:10,848
There's always a point
313
00:23:10,973 --> 00:23:13,643
where I just cannot wait
for ice-climbing season.
314
00:23:14,102 --> 00:23:17,271
I'm just ready
to go climb frozen waterfalls.
315
00:23:18,731 --> 00:23:23,236
Ice climbing
is a crucial skill in alpinism.
316
00:23:23,319 --> 00:23:28,491
Over the years, it's developed
into its own highly technical sport
317
00:23:28,616 --> 00:23:32,036
and the ice in Canmore
is a proving ground.
318
00:23:33,871 --> 00:23:35,581
By the time we arrived,
319
00:23:35,706 --> 00:23:38,543
Marc had already been there
for a few weeks,
320
00:23:38,668 --> 00:23:40,837
camping outside of town
321
00:23:40,962 --> 00:23:44,048
and climbing things
that had the locals talking.
322
00:23:44,132 --> 00:23:46,092
First time I heard
about Marc-André,
323
00:23:46,217 --> 00:23:49,095
he was living in a snow cave
on the parkway or something.
324
00:23:50,096 --> 00:23:53,099
And he was, like, soloing
all these ice routes all day long.
325
00:23:54,308 --> 00:23:57,770
I was like, "Here's somebody who's
just going after it and pushing things
326
00:23:57,895 --> 00:24:00,815
that is pretty much unknown."
327
00:24:08,698 --> 00:24:13,536
Ice climbing, solo,
it's not something many people do.
328
00:24:15,371 --> 00:24:17,331
You're climbing frozen water
329
00:24:19,542 --> 00:24:21,794
with just a few centimeters
of your ice tools
330
00:24:21,919 --> 00:24:24,297
and crampons in the ice.
331
00:24:30,636 --> 00:24:32,513
It's a very ephemeral medium.
332
00:24:37,101 --> 00:24:40,313
Climbing something that wasn't there
maybe a few weeks earlier
333
00:24:40,396 --> 00:24:43,107
and that might not be there
the next day
334
00:24:43,232 --> 00:24:45,610
if the thing you're climbing on
decides to collapse.
335
00:24:51,115 --> 00:24:53,576
People think the free soloing
that I'm doing seems crazy,
336
00:24:53,701 --> 00:24:55,036
but what I'm doing is on rock.
337
00:24:55,161 --> 00:24:57,872
It's safe in a lot of ways.
The medium is super solid.
338
00:24:59,123 --> 00:25:02,293
And then I see Marc-André
free soloing on ice and snow.
339
00:25:03,419 --> 00:25:07,173
It just shows so much experience
on such different kinds of terrain.
340
00:25:13,179 --> 00:25:15,515
In all my years of climbing,
341
00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:22,188
I don't think I've seen another climber
quite as hungry for it as Marc-André.
342
00:25:26,818 --> 00:25:30,363
He's got this headspace
that nobody else seems to have.
343
00:25:34,283 --> 00:25:36,077
Nothing fazes him.
344
00:26:02,186 --> 00:26:07,233
Marc doesn't just solo the ice,
he goes out and solos mixed routes.
345
00:26:09,944 --> 00:26:12,113
With mixed climbing,
it's the whole mentality
346
00:26:12,196 --> 00:26:16,284
of the ice doesn't have to be
fully formed to be climbed.
347
00:26:17,618 --> 00:26:20,913
Instead of embedding
your picks in the ice,
348
00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:23,958
you're just kind of placing them
on these little rock edges.
349
00:26:25,251 --> 00:26:28,087
That adds another dimension
of insecurity.
350
00:26:50,568 --> 00:26:56,074
Filming Marc on this
insecure terrain was terrifying.
351
00:27:00,495 --> 00:27:03,664
But he couldn't have been more relaxed.
352
00:27:03,831 --> 00:27:05,583
Holy shit, dude.
353
00:27:06,709 --> 00:27:09,212
Then he took it up a notch
354
00:27:09,337 --> 00:27:13,883
by climbing solo
on the notorious Stanley Headwall.
355
00:27:15,259 --> 00:27:19,347
The Stanley Headwall is the
centerpiece of Rockies mixed climbing.
356
00:27:20,473 --> 00:27:22,892
None of the ice
is a hundred percent continuous.
357
00:27:22,975 --> 00:27:27,230
It forms in blobs,
and pillars and hanging daggers.
358
00:27:27,313 --> 00:27:31,943
You have to climb steep, overhanging
rock just to get to the ice.
359
00:27:33,820 --> 00:27:36,948
And so it makes for really good,
engaging climbing.
360
00:27:42,870 --> 00:27:45,081
There's a high degree
of craftsmanship
361
00:27:45,206 --> 00:27:50,001
that has to go
into the mixed-climbing equation.
362
00:27:50,127 --> 00:27:54,256
The pick of an ice ax can hang on
to just the smallest of edges.
363
00:28:01,596 --> 00:28:04,725
But you don't have nerves
going to the end of the ice ax.
364
00:28:06,143 --> 00:28:09,771
You have to evaluate and test.
365
00:28:13,358 --> 00:28:17,404
The difference between having
your pick solidly seated on a hold
366
00:28:17,571 --> 00:28:22,659
and having that pick
explode off of it is very, very small.
367
00:28:32,919 --> 00:28:36,757
I don't know if I've seen someone
climb bare-handed with ice tools
368
00:28:38,675 --> 00:28:40,802
in the freezing temps,
being able to improvise
369
00:28:40,927 --> 00:28:44,139
between pulling on the rock
and pulling on ice tools.
370
00:28:45,724 --> 00:28:48,602
He's just combining all these
unconventional tactics.
371
00:31:18,919 --> 00:31:23,173
Marc soloing the
Stanley Headwall, it's just like, "Wow!
372
00:31:23,256 --> 00:31:26,468
I never thought of that
in my wildest dreams."
373
00:31:28,220 --> 00:31:32,140
- How was it?
- It was super fun. Yeah.
374
00:31:32,224 --> 00:31:34,768
- Scary?
- No, not particularly.
375
00:31:36,978 --> 00:31:42,192
- Just another day out?
- A really good day out. Yeah.
376
00:31:42,275 --> 00:31:44,778
Definitely a memorable day out.
377
00:31:44,903 --> 00:31:49,574
Marc-André soloing
those routes was pretty stunning.
378
00:31:49,741 --> 00:31:52,202
I think right there
that made me sit up and go, "Wow!
379
00:31:52,911 --> 00:31:54,746
Who is this guy?"
380
00:32:06,550 --> 00:32:09,136
I grew up
near a town called Chilliwack.
381
00:32:10,554 --> 00:32:13,140
In Chilliwack, you become
completely desensitized
382
00:32:13,223 --> 00:32:15,892
to the smell of cow manure,
383
00:32:16,017 --> 00:32:18,478
but it's surrounded
by beautiful mountains.
384
00:32:19,438 --> 00:32:22,649
When we were growing up,
my dad was doing construction jobs
385
00:32:22,858 --> 00:32:25,610
and my mom was serving in restaurants.
386
00:32:25,777 --> 00:32:27,529
Aren't you and your mom
really close?
387
00:32:27,612 --> 00:32:28,612
Yeah.
388
00:32:28,655 --> 00:32:33,410
My mom, she's definitely been
a big influence on me.
389
00:32:33,535 --> 00:32:34,828
It's kind of hard to explain.
390
00:32:34,911 --> 00:32:38,582
We've just been really good friends
my whole life.
391
00:32:38,707 --> 00:32:41,334
Marc-André did have
some challenges as a kid.
392
00:32:41,460 --> 00:32:44,421
He certainly didn't come into this world
393
00:32:44,546 --> 00:32:46,590
as a square peg
ready to fit into a square hole.
394
00:32:47,299 --> 00:32:50,510
And he had a diagnosis of ADHD.
395
00:32:50,635 --> 00:32:52,846
So, he didn't sit still for very long
396
00:32:52,971 --> 00:32:58,560
and he didn't fit easily into
the typical educational environment.
397
00:32:58,685 --> 00:33:01,688
Kindergarten was awesome,
like, that first year.
398
00:33:01,855 --> 00:33:07,277
You build things out of blocks,
and do art, and that kind of stuff.
399
00:33:07,402 --> 00:33:11,323
When it started into actual first grade,
and we had to sit at our desks,
400
00:33:11,406 --> 00:33:14,868
it turned into hell for me.
401
00:33:15,035 --> 00:33:17,913
For a kid who had a ton of energy,
who loved to learn,
402
00:33:18,038 --> 00:33:22,626
he was losing his, his joy in learning,
you know, to be in school,
403
00:33:22,751 --> 00:33:27,172
so I made the leap
and I schooled him at home for a while.
404
00:33:27,297 --> 00:33:32,094
We'd do some schoolwork for a while.
Usually it would finish at lunchtime.
405
00:33:32,177 --> 00:33:34,304
And we would do cool things together
406
00:33:34,388 --> 00:33:37,516
like go explore the forest
and identify plants,
407
00:33:37,641 --> 00:33:40,435
instead of just always sitting
at your desk.
408
00:33:40,519 --> 00:33:44,189
If you're never given free
rein to have little adventures as a kid,
409
00:33:44,314 --> 00:33:46,691
you never really learn who you are,
410
00:33:46,817 --> 00:33:49,444
you don't learn what your strengths
or your weaknesses are,
411
00:33:49,569 --> 00:33:52,364
and you never learn that you're capable.
412
00:33:53,323 --> 00:33:56,993
She wanted me to discover
what I wanted to do
413
00:33:57,119 --> 00:34:01,373
rather than pick out what she thought
I should do with my life.
414
00:34:01,498 --> 00:34:03,542
We may not have had
two cents to rub together,
415
00:34:03,667 --> 00:34:07,587
but we always had books
and Marc-André was a voracious reader.
416
00:34:09,089 --> 00:34:12,467
He was really captured by adventure,
417
00:34:12,592 --> 00:34:15,137
so we had a house
full of those kind of books.
418
00:34:15,262 --> 00:34:18,222
And the more interest he showed in them,
the more books I provided for him.
419
00:34:18,265 --> 00:34:20,517
I must have been, like, eight years old.
420
00:34:20,684 --> 00:34:25,689
It was this big, awesome picture book
with stories from all these expeditions.
421
00:34:27,691 --> 00:34:31,111
And the ones about mountains
always really captured my attention.
422
00:34:32,904 --> 00:34:35,991
Looking at pictures of big snowy peaks,
423
00:34:36,116 --> 00:34:39,035
guys with ice axes
trying to climb these things,
424
00:34:39,161 --> 00:34:40,481
I don't know, it seemed really...
425
00:34:41,663 --> 00:34:42,998
brave.
426
00:34:43,081 --> 00:34:47,586
I was so inspired
by all of these climbers of the past
427
00:34:47,711 --> 00:34:49,379
and I wanted to be a part of it.
428
00:34:50,756 --> 00:34:53,508
Like, carrying on the tradition
or something.
429
00:34:57,471 --> 00:35:00,098
At first, it was
just jeans, running shoes,
430
00:35:00,223 --> 00:35:02,309
a few granola bars in the pocket.
431
00:35:02,434 --> 00:35:06,104
Always off trail,
never had a rope or anything.
432
00:35:07,606 --> 00:35:11,443
At times, I was concerned
something could happen to him out there,
433
00:35:11,568 --> 00:35:13,945
but he had a great sense of direction,
434
00:35:14,071 --> 00:35:16,990
and he was very confident
when he was out and about.
435
00:35:18,241 --> 00:35:21,828
After, like, a couple of years
of scrambling around by myself,
436
00:35:21,995 --> 00:35:25,332
it just naturally progressed
to technical climbing.
437
00:35:26,083 --> 00:35:28,502
When I'm in the mountains
on a big adventure,
438
00:35:28,627 --> 00:35:30,420
life is so incredibly simple.
439
00:35:32,089 --> 00:35:33,673
I'm, like, totally focused.
440
00:35:33,799 --> 00:35:38,095
I don't feel that squirrel-brained,
twitchy sort of stuff.
441
00:35:40,180 --> 00:35:44,851
And I have the feeling of clarity
and calmness and control.
442
00:35:46,603 --> 00:35:50,941
The whole climbing part of my life,
everything was falling into place.
443
00:35:51,066 --> 00:35:54,069
But then, like, I went back to school
for high school.
444
00:35:55,695 --> 00:35:59,533
He eventually had to go back
to the standard curriculum at school.
445
00:35:59,658 --> 00:36:01,827
I think to him it was
like a form of incarceration.
446
00:36:02,411 --> 00:36:03,412
Help me!
447
00:36:03,495 --> 00:36:05,497
He was never looking
for trouble,
448
00:36:05,622 --> 00:36:08,583
but he certainly seemed to find it.
449
00:36:08,709 --> 00:36:10,377
Firecrackers explode!
450
00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:26,226
It was clear
he was never going to get
451
00:36:26,309 --> 00:36:28,520
a standard nine-to-five job or life.
452
00:36:28,645 --> 00:36:31,022
He was never wired that way.
453
00:36:31,148 --> 00:36:35,485
Hi, I'm Marc-André Joseph Leclerc.
You might have heard of me.
454
00:36:35,569 --> 00:36:38,488
I am doing some
of the biggest walls in the world.
455
00:36:38,572 --> 00:36:43,160
When he graduated at 16,
he was doing drywall, making some money.
456
00:36:43,285 --> 00:36:47,330
He didn't have a real clear purpose
or plan at that point.
457
00:36:47,456 --> 00:36:50,917
I told him, "If you want
to do this climbing thing,
458
00:36:51,084 --> 00:36:52,502
what are you waiting for?"
459
00:36:53,712 --> 00:36:58,050
And off he went.
Marc-André found freedom to be himself.
460
00:36:58,216 --> 00:37:01,928
He's going to go
as far as he can take it.
461
00:37:03,805 --> 00:37:06,600
- We got it!
- Yeah, yeah.
462
00:37:07,100 --> 00:37:09,704
- Can you just do a kind of blank...?
- I'm gonna look like an idiot.
463
00:37:09,728 --> 00:37:10,854
Smile.
464
00:37:13,315 --> 00:37:16,943
Marc's plan
to become a full-time climber
465
00:37:17,110 --> 00:37:19,112
certainly seemed to be working out.
466
00:37:20,155 --> 00:37:23,241
He'd recently landed
his first sponsorship.
467
00:37:24,409 --> 00:37:27,829
And here we were making a film
about him.
468
00:37:27,913 --> 00:37:29,790
- Serious.
- Really serious?
469
00:37:29,915 --> 00:37:31,833
Really serious,
like your passport.
470
00:37:33,001 --> 00:37:36,338
But Marc had little patience
for posing.
471
00:37:37,464 --> 00:37:39,341
And he was getting restless.
472
00:37:40,801 --> 00:37:45,389
As we were planning the next shoot,
Marc just suddenly dropped off the radar
473
00:37:47,766 --> 00:37:49,726
to who knows where.
474
00:37:53,897 --> 00:37:57,484
We'd even bought him a phone
to keep in contact...
475
00:37:57,609 --> 00:37:59,486
- I'm sorry.
- ...but he wasn't picking up.
476
00:37:59,569 --> 00:38:02,322
The person you called has a
voicemail box that has not been set up.
477
00:38:02,447 --> 00:38:05,575
It's just
a frustrating situation.
478
00:38:05,700 --> 00:38:07,744
You've got Marc
somewhere in the backwoods.
479
00:38:07,869 --> 00:38:10,622
He just disappears
and doesn't call us for months on end,
480
00:38:10,747 --> 00:38:13,500
having all of us waiting and on hold.
481
00:38:13,625 --> 00:38:15,794
My bags are packed.
Everyone's bags are packed.
482
00:38:15,877 --> 00:38:18,088
If we don't hear from Marc,
we might not do the shoot.
483
00:38:18,672 --> 00:38:22,092
We started seeing him
in other climbers' social media posts.
484
00:38:23,927 --> 00:38:27,848
It's day six on the wall
and day five of the storm.
485
00:38:27,973 --> 00:38:30,016
Brette was posting these videos.
486
00:38:30,183 --> 00:38:33,603
- What are you doing, Marc?
- I'll just get a T-slot my for skis
487
00:38:33,729 --> 00:38:35,939
so I can lower Brette over this cliff.
488
00:38:36,148 --> 00:38:37,274
Oh, man.
489
00:38:38,233 --> 00:38:41,445
We saw they'd gone
all the way out to Baffin Island.
490
00:38:41,570 --> 00:38:43,905
- This is so awesome.
- Whoo!
491
00:38:45,157 --> 00:38:47,659
Then Marc was in Scotland
492
00:38:47,784 --> 00:38:52,080
where he knocked off a string of solos
like they were nine holes of golf.
493
00:38:52,247 --> 00:38:53,957
All righty. All righty, then.
494
00:38:54,082 --> 00:38:55,751
You know, he's on a roll, yeah.
495
00:38:56,668 --> 00:38:58,754
He's climbing route after route.
496
00:39:01,506 --> 00:39:03,759
He's just driven at the moment.
497
00:39:04,134 --> 00:39:05,844
Marc has a fire that burns inside.
498
00:39:05,969 --> 00:39:07,888
It just burns.
499
00:39:07,971 --> 00:39:10,640
At one point,
I was climbing in South America,
500
00:39:10,724 --> 00:39:14,603
we could see this tiny, tiny speck
on this 4,000-foot wall.
501
00:39:14,728 --> 00:39:18,023
We could look over and be like,
"That is Marc-André, by himself,
502
00:39:18,190 --> 00:39:19,983
on this fricking journey to the gods."
503
00:39:20,108 --> 00:39:23,236
I was like, "This is messed up.
I cannot believe he's soloing that."
504
00:39:25,822 --> 00:39:28,950
Finally,
we heard Marc was back in Canada,
505
00:39:29,076 --> 00:39:31,661
climbing in the remote Ghost Wilderness.
506
00:39:33,038 --> 00:39:36,458
In an act of desperation,
I called a filmmaker from the area
507
00:39:36,625 --> 00:39:40,212
to go into the backcountry
and track Marc down.
508
00:39:40,295 --> 00:39:41,296
Sender Films,
509
00:39:41,380 --> 00:39:43,799
they said they have lost
their rock-star climber.
510
00:39:44,841 --> 00:39:49,471
Off the grid
and they can't get in contact with him.
511
00:39:49,596 --> 00:39:52,891
They want me to go and see
if I can find him.
512
00:39:57,062 --> 00:40:02,359
He shows up, and Marc
is out there with Brette and a friend,
513
00:40:02,484 --> 00:40:05,737
and they're putting up
hard first ascents
514
00:40:05,904 --> 00:40:07,823
on these huge walls,
515
00:40:09,741 --> 00:40:12,369
having the time of their lives.
516
00:40:15,288 --> 00:40:16,748
Nice, Brette.
517
00:40:24,423 --> 00:40:25,549
Falling!
518
00:40:27,509 --> 00:40:29,636
Hey, Marco,
how is it down there?
519
00:40:30,637 --> 00:40:31,930
It's great.
520
00:40:34,266 --> 00:40:35,267
Here we go.
521
00:40:39,563 --> 00:40:42,482
I think it's so cool
that you're making a movie about Marc.
522
00:40:43,608 --> 00:40:47,821
But honestly,
he doesn't care about movies.
523
00:40:47,946 --> 00:40:50,240
He's not gonna put
the time and energy
524
00:40:51,283 --> 00:40:54,995
into making his own climb
significant to the world.
525
00:40:56,788 --> 00:40:59,041
He's out climbing,
he's too busy climbing.
526
00:41:03,628 --> 00:41:05,464
Pretty incredible, the weather.
527
00:41:06,757 --> 00:41:10,260
He's different than any climber
we've ever dealt with.
528
00:41:11,511 --> 00:41:14,097
He doesn't share
any information with us.
529
00:41:14,806 --> 00:41:18,935
It's frustrating,
but at the same, it's pretty noble.
530
00:41:20,145 --> 00:41:24,608
Marc just kind of follows his own path.
He's a free spirit.
531
00:41:24,733 --> 00:41:27,402
And that can be difficult
to plan around.
532
00:41:27,527 --> 00:41:30,530
Kind of makes him lovable
in this weird way, you know?
533
00:41:30,655 --> 00:41:32,282
He doesn't give a fuck.
534
00:41:33,909 --> 00:41:37,037
This whole time,
chasing Marc around,
535
00:41:37,162 --> 00:41:40,832
it was clear he was building up
to something big.
536
00:41:42,167 --> 00:41:45,003
But we had no idea what it would be.
537
00:41:46,338 --> 00:41:48,340
Then the news broke.
538
00:41:50,425 --> 00:41:56,848
He had made the first-ever solo
of the Emperor Face on Mount Robson.
539
00:41:56,932 --> 00:42:00,352
And it sent shockwaves
through the climbing world.
540
00:42:00,519 --> 00:42:03,063
When I heard
that Marc had soloed the Emperor Face,
541
00:42:03,146 --> 00:42:08,193
it was one of those like, "Holy shit!
Marc soloed the Emperor Face."
542
00:42:08,318 --> 00:42:12,239
That is absolutely outstanding
and probably the greatest solo ascent
543
00:42:12,406 --> 00:42:15,367
of anything
that's been done in North America.
544
00:42:18,995 --> 00:42:21,915
Robson is the king.
545
00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:25,001
It's the highest mountain
in the Canadian Rockies.
546
00:42:27,087 --> 00:42:30,632
It's like three El Caps.
547
00:42:30,799 --> 00:42:33,093
But Robson is not Yosemite.
548
00:42:34,261 --> 00:42:38,890
It's got glaciation, it's got crevasses,
it's got avalanche.
549
00:42:39,850 --> 00:42:44,187
You're climbing rock, ice and snow
all at the same time.
550
00:42:44,855 --> 00:42:49,735
It's a legendary, mythical objective,
even with a rope.
551
00:42:52,946 --> 00:42:57,659
I was frustrated
that Marc had made this historic ascent
552
00:42:57,784 --> 00:43:00,662
and he hadn't even let us in
on his plan.
553
00:43:02,956 --> 00:43:07,461
Eventually, we reached Marc
and asked him why.
554
00:43:07,586 --> 00:43:09,796
When you guys approached me
about doing a film,
555
00:43:09,880 --> 00:43:11,590
it seemed like a cool experience,
556
00:43:11,715 --> 00:43:15,927
but I've never let you guys
come and shoot one of my real solos.
557
00:43:16,053 --> 00:43:17,054
Why not?
558
00:43:17,137 --> 00:43:21,058
Because it wouldn't be a solo
to me if somebody was there.
559
00:43:22,642 --> 00:43:27,189
Yeah, I mean, I guess that's true.
560
00:43:27,314 --> 00:43:31,318
It's just a completely different
experience if somebody comes with you.
561
00:43:31,485 --> 00:43:33,487
Yeah, even if they don't help you.
562
00:43:34,946 --> 00:43:39,618
It just wouldn't even be remotely close
to the adventure that I was looking for.
563
00:43:39,743 --> 00:43:42,871
The only way I was interested
was actually doing it fully by myself.
564
00:43:42,954 --> 00:43:46,291
And if that happened,
I'd be OK to go back and film.
565
00:43:47,793 --> 00:43:50,670
I had this really awesome experience.
566
00:43:50,796 --> 00:43:53,632
Now, I'm actually ready
to share it with people.
567
00:43:56,760 --> 00:44:00,931
So Marc invited us back up
to film on Mount Robson
568
00:44:02,724 --> 00:44:08,480
so we could see first-hand
his approach to solo alpinism.
569
00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:16,071
For me, the very best climbs
570
00:44:16,196 --> 00:44:19,282
are when you can walk up to a mountain
with nothing
571
00:44:19,408 --> 00:44:22,911
except for your ability to climb,
and that's it.
572
00:44:27,541 --> 00:44:31,878
Being by yourself out there,
immersed in your environment,
573
00:44:33,255 --> 00:44:36,133
tuning in to the rustle of the leaves...
574
00:44:37,634 --> 00:44:39,970
...the sound of the wind
across the ridge,
575
00:44:42,055 --> 00:44:44,975
the aura that the mountain has.
576
00:44:47,728 --> 00:44:52,107
On his big mountain solos,
Marc follows a simple set of rules.
577
00:44:53,650 --> 00:44:56,361
He carries no communication device
578
00:44:56,528 --> 00:45:00,490
that could be used as a lifeline
if things go wrong.
579
00:45:02,492 --> 00:45:04,453
And he climbs on sight,
580
00:45:04,578 --> 00:45:07,581
meaning he's never been
on the mountain before,
581
00:45:07,664 --> 00:45:10,000
never rehearsed the route.
582
00:45:11,835 --> 00:45:14,796
He has to figure it out on the fly.
583
00:45:18,258 --> 00:45:22,637
The gold standard of alpinism
is the on-sight solo.
584
00:45:22,804 --> 00:45:28,143
A climber approaches a mountain
without any prior knowledge
585
00:45:28,268 --> 00:45:31,813
and just climbs it.
586
00:45:35,150 --> 00:45:39,154
But it's only for the very best climbers
on their very best days.
587
00:45:39,279 --> 00:45:40,781
You know, it's such a deadly game.
588
00:45:43,325 --> 00:45:46,078
The goal is
to climb as safely as possible.
589
00:45:47,162 --> 00:45:49,372
But when you step into the mountains,
590
00:45:51,458 --> 00:45:53,627
and there's stuff
that's beyond your control.
591
00:45:56,671 --> 00:45:58,507
You control what you're doing,
592
00:45:58,673 --> 00:46:00,801
but you can't control
what the mountain's doing,
593
00:46:00,884 --> 00:46:04,054
and that's by far
the biggest danger in my mind.
594
00:46:04,137 --> 00:46:07,766
The mountains are alive all around you
and you're kind of at their mercy.
595
00:46:09,643 --> 00:46:11,728
You have to think about avalanches,
596
00:46:12,687 --> 00:46:15,190
seracs that can collapse at any time.
597
00:46:16,149 --> 00:46:20,404
You have to learn to read the signals
that the mountains are sending you.
598
00:46:22,114 --> 00:46:27,119
The conditions of the snow, the ice,
what time of day is it gonna get sun,
599
00:46:27,244 --> 00:46:30,997
what the weather's gonna do.
It's like a game of chess.
600
00:46:32,749 --> 00:46:34,418
You have this ultimate goal,
601
00:46:34,584 --> 00:46:38,046
but then unpredictable things
are going to happen.
602
00:46:46,638 --> 00:46:51,351
I think that interaction with
the environment, with the mountain,
603
00:46:51,518 --> 00:46:55,897
is, like, a huge part of what makes
alpine climbing so interesting.
604
00:46:58,024 --> 00:47:01,528
And if you're smart
and you, like, make the right moves,
605
00:47:01,695 --> 00:47:07,200
you can, sometimes against the odds,
pull off a great climb.
606
00:47:16,960 --> 00:47:18,420
One of the coolest feelings
607
00:47:18,587 --> 00:47:22,174
that a human can experience
is, like, to feel so small
608
00:47:23,258 --> 00:47:25,302
in a world that's so big.
609
00:47:40,734 --> 00:47:44,154
Moving over the mountain
unencumbered
610
00:47:44,279 --> 00:47:46,990
is about as close
as you're gonna come as a climber
611
00:47:47,115 --> 00:47:51,161
to sprouting wings
and being totally free.
612
00:47:54,873 --> 00:47:58,293
Absolutely awake, absolutely alive.
613
00:47:59,127 --> 00:48:02,964
Receiving any kind of impulse
that's coming in
614
00:48:03,090 --> 00:48:05,884
and reacting to it almost instinctively.
615
00:48:08,178 --> 00:48:09,930
It's a great dance.
616
00:48:32,077 --> 00:48:36,373
Marc is doing things
that people thought could never be done.
617
00:48:36,498 --> 00:48:39,292
He's redefining what's possible.
618
00:48:39,376 --> 00:48:41,753
This is the evolution of alpinism,
619
00:48:41,878 --> 00:48:43,922
and it's happening right now
in our backyard,
620
00:48:44,089 --> 00:48:46,049
and it's happening with that young guy.
621
00:48:57,144 --> 00:49:01,815
But I am definitely concerned
for Marc-André
622
00:49:01,940 --> 00:49:06,278
and anyone else pushing the limit
of what's been accomplished soloing.
623
00:49:06,361 --> 00:49:11,283
The place he is in
is such a special, finite place,
624
00:49:11,408 --> 00:49:13,577
and such an incredibly risky place.
625
00:49:14,828 --> 00:49:18,290
Marc-André is playing
with a pretty heavy deck right now.
626
00:49:18,457 --> 00:49:23,712
He is walking relatively close
to the edge in big environments.
627
00:49:23,879 --> 00:49:26,882
And I think he can do a fair amount
of that and get away with it,
628
00:49:27,007 --> 00:49:28,550
but sooner or later,
629
00:49:29,676 --> 00:49:31,053
it's gonna bite him.
630
00:49:31,178 --> 00:49:34,681
He is gaining recognition
because of his solo climbing,
631
00:49:34,848 --> 00:49:38,810
and all of this is wonderful for him,
and it's exciting to hear about,
632
00:49:38,935 --> 00:49:41,021
and read about and watch.
633
00:49:43,065 --> 00:49:47,069
But... I mean,
maybe it's just an age thing,
634
00:49:47,152 --> 00:49:50,030
but I find it a little bit scary.
635
00:49:50,155 --> 00:49:52,407
I just... You know,
I just hope he's careful.
636
00:49:52,532 --> 00:49:57,412
He's really comfortable
in mountainous terrain.
637
00:49:57,537 --> 00:50:02,334
Sometimes I wonder
if he's just almost too comfortable.
638
00:50:02,417 --> 00:50:06,463
One could say
that it's crazy and irresponsible
639
00:50:06,588 --> 00:50:11,718
to place yourself in that kind of danger
for what?
640
00:50:11,885 --> 00:50:13,470
Kicks, glory?
641
00:50:13,595 --> 00:50:16,390
I think that free soloing
is a very emotionally charged subject
642
00:50:16,515 --> 00:50:18,600
and so it draws strong reactions
from everybody.
643
00:50:18,725 --> 00:50:21,228
If you fall and die,
everybody thinks you're an idiot,
644
00:50:21,353 --> 00:50:24,731
you're a risk-taker, daredevil,
like, "What an idiot."
645
00:50:24,898 --> 00:50:27,442
If you succeed,
everyone celebrates you as a big hero.
646
00:50:27,567 --> 00:50:29,647
But the reality is you're
the same person either way.
647
00:50:33,448 --> 00:50:35,700
People are always freaking out
about soloing,
648
00:50:35,867 --> 00:50:38,787
"It's such an unacceptable risk.
People shouldn't be doing this.
649
00:50:38,954 --> 00:50:40,872
What kind of example does this set?"
650
00:50:41,498 --> 00:50:43,667
I mean, I know it's dangerous.
651
00:50:43,834 --> 00:50:47,879
I'm not, like, deluding myself
that it's not dangerous to go soloing,
652
00:50:48,004 --> 00:50:53,427
but I probably just have
a different view of everything, I guess.
653
00:50:53,552 --> 00:50:57,347
You know, like, to me,
it's not really an unacceptable risk.
654
00:50:58,265 --> 00:51:01,351
I'm still so young.
There are so many things I wanna do.
655
00:51:02,978 --> 00:51:05,772
I've really had to think about it
within our own lives,
656
00:51:05,981 --> 00:51:07,941
because we do put ourselves
in situations
657
00:51:08,066 --> 00:51:10,277
that anything could happen.
658
00:51:10,402 --> 00:51:12,779
Like, an avalanche
could take you out randomly.
659
00:51:12,946 --> 00:51:14,906
The more times
you put yourself in that situation,
660
00:51:14,990 --> 00:51:17,325
the more likely it's gonna happen.
661
00:51:17,409 --> 00:51:23,081
And yeah, sometimes it's concerning
the amount of soloing he wants to do.
662
00:51:24,041 --> 00:51:28,503
He has an insatiable desire
to do more at an extreme level.
663
00:51:29,713 --> 00:51:33,216
I worry for him, of course.
664
00:51:45,020 --> 00:51:49,191
A few months after Robson,
Marc set off for Patagonia
665
00:51:49,941 --> 00:51:52,944
at the far southern tip
of South America.
666
00:51:54,237 --> 00:51:58,241
His objective was a climb
that had never been attempted.
667
00:51:58,366 --> 00:52:04,998
A winter solo ascent of Torre Egger,
the most difficult peak in the range.
668
00:52:06,166 --> 00:52:08,460
Patagonia's jagged summits
669
00:52:08,543 --> 00:52:12,214
are a proving ground
for serious alpinists,
670
00:52:12,339 --> 00:52:15,425
who gather each summer
in the village of El Chaltén.
671
00:52:17,260 --> 00:52:22,057
But in the winter, the mountains
are lashed by vicious storms
672
00:52:22,182 --> 00:52:24,851
and El Chaltén is a ghost town.
673
00:52:31,149 --> 00:52:35,570
To go winter climbing
in Patagonia solo,
674
00:52:35,695 --> 00:52:37,739
he's definitely upping the game
by a lot.
675
00:52:37,864 --> 00:52:41,868
Going to Patagonia in the winter!
It's just mind boggling.
676
00:52:42,035 --> 00:52:43,662
The weather is horrific.
677
00:52:44,371 --> 00:52:46,623
Avalanche hazards
can be extremely high.
678
00:52:46,748 --> 00:52:49,292
And trying to solo Torre Egger
on sight.
679
00:52:49,418 --> 00:52:52,504
I mean, Torre Egger is a coveted peak.
680
00:52:52,629 --> 00:52:55,882
Some people consider it
the hardest peak in the Americas.
681
00:52:57,092 --> 00:52:59,302
People ask me,
"Don't you worry he's not coming back?"
682
00:52:59,428 --> 00:53:00,762
I just shake my head,
683
00:53:01,471 --> 00:53:04,516
"Marc will be coming back.
He's got this sixth sense."
684
00:53:09,730 --> 00:53:14,317
Soloing Torre Egger
had long been a dream of Marc's.
685
00:53:14,443 --> 00:53:17,237
So he obviously didn't want
a big film crew.
686
00:53:18,280 --> 00:53:22,075
But this time,
he was willing to bring one cameraman,
687
00:53:22,200 --> 00:53:25,203
his climbing buddy, Austin Siadak.
688
00:53:25,328 --> 00:53:27,456
I'm gonna basically just try to keep up,
689
00:53:27,539 --> 00:53:29,916
tag along, and document
as best as I can along the way.
690
00:53:30,584 --> 00:53:33,128
I don't wanna, like,
impose on his experience.
691
00:53:34,379 --> 00:53:37,466
Austin would hang with Marc
in town
692
00:53:37,549 --> 00:53:41,011
and shoot some climbing
on the lower sections of the route.
693
00:53:43,472 --> 00:53:47,350
But for the summit push,
Marc would climb alone
694
00:53:47,517 --> 00:53:52,147
and bring a small camera
to capture what he could in real time.
695
00:53:53,065 --> 00:53:55,275
Yeah, this is Torre Egger.
696
00:53:57,694 --> 00:54:03,033
I've been thinking about this climb
for the better part of a year.
697
00:54:03,700 --> 00:54:05,869
If there's ice, it might be quick
698
00:54:06,036 --> 00:54:09,372
to go straight up this ice gully
under the serac and then...
699
00:54:09,498 --> 00:54:13,001
Torre Egger
is this 1,000-meter rock pillar
700
00:54:13,126 --> 00:54:17,130
rising up out of the glacier
with an ice arête in the middle.
701
00:54:17,214 --> 00:54:23,345
You know, not always perfect rock
and capped with ice mushrooms.
702
00:54:24,179 --> 00:54:26,390
I could look at it on paper and be like,
703
00:54:26,515 --> 00:54:30,602
"OK, like, this is
totally mathematically, like, feasible."
704
00:54:31,728 --> 00:54:34,564
But at the same time,
it still seems a little bit out there,
705
00:54:34,648 --> 00:54:37,943
like, "Whoa, this is the next step
for me."
706
00:54:39,069 --> 00:54:42,280
I spent the majority
of the last year doing things
707
00:54:42,406 --> 00:54:44,282
that would prepare me for this climb.
708
00:54:44,366 --> 00:54:47,619
A ton of mixed climbing,
and a ton of ice climbing,
709
00:54:47,744 --> 00:54:49,913
and then the Emperor Face.
710
00:54:50,122 --> 00:54:55,001
It was all sort of preparation
with Egger in mind.
711
00:54:58,922 --> 00:55:01,633
Just gonna check weather models.
712
00:55:01,717 --> 00:55:04,803
I check all these models
multiple times a day.
713
00:55:04,928 --> 00:55:08,432
Friday morning, the wind rolls in,
with precip.
714
00:55:10,600 --> 00:55:14,688
When the lines are close together,
that means a lot of wind.
715
00:55:16,314 --> 00:55:18,942
The peaks right now
are just getting nuked.
716
00:55:19,109 --> 00:55:22,738
We have to hang out in town
and wait for a weather window.
717
00:55:24,865 --> 00:55:27,409
Coming down here by yourself
in the winter time...
718
00:55:29,161 --> 00:55:32,414
...you become immersed
in the El Chaltén life.
719
00:55:35,167 --> 00:55:37,044
Hanging out with the locals.
720
00:55:37,210 --> 00:55:40,213
And they're making you
part of the family.
721
00:55:43,925 --> 00:55:47,763
Yeah, it's actually like
a big part of the whole experience.
722
00:56:11,078 --> 00:56:15,374
I know a lot
of the best climbers in the world.
723
00:56:15,540 --> 00:56:18,335
Marc is a really unique person.
724
00:56:22,923 --> 00:56:26,635
He has an incredible humility.
725
00:56:26,718 --> 00:56:29,596
One hundred percent positive,
very peaceful,
726
00:56:29,679 --> 00:56:32,099
and always treating the world
with lots of love.
727
00:56:34,726 --> 00:56:41,024
It's like the mountains have elevated
his consciousness to another level.
728
00:56:51,493 --> 00:56:53,703
Just checking
the latest meteogram.
729
00:56:54,621 --> 00:56:57,666
Looks good, like, Tuesday, Wednesday.
730
00:56:57,749 --> 00:57:00,585
- What does that mean?
- Means we're going climbing.
731
00:57:06,967 --> 00:57:09,177
Part of the crux of soloing
in these mountains
732
00:57:09,302 --> 00:57:11,430
is the amount of stuff
that you have to carry.
733
00:57:11,555 --> 00:57:12,973
It's pretty heavy.
734
00:57:13,098 --> 00:57:15,058
Like, when you have
to put everything on your back
735
00:57:15,142 --> 00:57:16,893
and just, like, solo with the pack on.
736
00:57:17,060 --> 00:57:20,981
This bag, like, ripped open.
I've taped it shut.
737
00:57:21,106 --> 00:57:24,609
It's lost half its insulation.
It just means it's even lighter.
738
00:57:25,777 --> 00:57:27,779
It's even more super light.
739
00:57:29,489 --> 00:57:31,074
What's your general diet
740
00:57:31,158 --> 00:57:33,785
for getting ready
for the mountains there, Marc?
741
00:57:33,869 --> 00:57:38,832
Well, I don't wanna sound grim
or fatalistic,
742
00:57:38,999 --> 00:57:44,004
but it's, you know, undeniable
that every time you go to the mountains,
743
00:57:44,171 --> 00:57:46,631
it could be your last time,
744
00:57:46,757 --> 00:57:50,802
so all these things that you love
you have to appreciate.
745
00:57:54,890 --> 00:57:57,434
Whatever dinner you'd want
to possibly be your last dinner,
746
00:57:57,559 --> 00:57:59,061
you have to eat it.
747
00:58:00,645 --> 00:58:04,191
Cos you're going to the mountains.
748
00:58:06,485 --> 00:58:07,819
Yeah.
749
00:58:28,507 --> 00:58:30,842
The whole game
is very simple.
750
00:58:37,766 --> 00:58:40,852
We go somewhere that we should not go.
751
00:58:43,397 --> 00:58:47,818
Where our own instinct is telling us,
"Do not go there."
752
00:58:53,365 --> 00:58:54,741
Many things can happen.
753
00:58:57,452 --> 00:58:59,037
We can fall.
754
00:59:00,455 --> 00:59:02,582
The storm can take me away.
755
00:59:03,333 --> 00:59:05,877
We know that we could die up there.
756
00:59:11,925 --> 00:59:14,803
But still, we go there.
757
00:59:16,847 --> 00:59:20,809
We try to make real our dreams.
758
00:59:21,977 --> 00:59:23,687
Our visions.
759
00:59:27,232 --> 00:59:30,610
I had spent a whole year
imagining this climb,
760
00:59:30,736 --> 00:59:33,905
and I felt
like I had the skills to do it,
761
00:59:33,989 --> 00:59:35,907
and it would require all of them.
762
00:59:36,616 --> 00:59:39,161
But I don't know the route whatsoever.
763
00:59:39,286 --> 00:59:44,291
No idea how this is gonna go.
Like, no idea what to expect.
764
00:59:46,501 --> 00:59:49,796
Conditions
are definitely tough right now.
765
00:59:49,880 --> 00:59:50,960
You can see my trail there.
766
00:59:51,048 --> 00:59:53,884
I was literally
digging through a trench,
767
00:59:53,967 --> 00:59:56,928
through chest-deep snow
with wind slab on top,
768
00:59:57,012 --> 01:00:01,808
and I think there could be
a lot of this kind of snow
769
01:00:01,933 --> 01:00:03,685
on the hanging glacier in the gully.
770
01:00:03,810 --> 01:00:05,687
And not only is it really hard work,
771
01:00:05,812 --> 01:00:09,566
I think avalanche conditions
could be quite dangerous.
772
01:00:09,649 --> 01:00:13,904
So I'm gonna go over
and see how the rock is
773
01:00:13,987 --> 01:00:15,906
and see if that goes.
774
01:00:17,532 --> 01:00:21,828
I started on really snowed-up rock,
which took quite a long time.
775
01:00:21,953 --> 01:00:27,667
Well, two pitches of climbing
and it's kind of heinous, actually.
776
01:00:27,793 --> 01:00:28,960
Here's my tracks.
777
01:00:31,171 --> 01:00:33,131
I have to go tack
along the edge of that serac
778
01:00:33,256 --> 01:00:35,509
and bivvy on top of it.
779
01:00:35,634 --> 01:00:39,846
The climbing was hard and slow.
Conditions were awful.
780
01:00:39,930 --> 01:00:42,057
I think the route goes up there.
781
01:00:46,311 --> 01:00:48,730
I had to keep taking my gloves off.
782
01:00:48,855 --> 01:00:51,566
My hands were numb because of the cold.
783
01:00:53,318 --> 01:00:55,487
Almost on top of the glacier.
784
01:00:56,947 --> 01:00:59,658
Definitely challenging so far.
785
01:01:00,575 --> 01:01:02,953
There's my backpack that I'm hauling up.
786
01:01:03,036 --> 01:01:04,246
Check out my hands.
787
01:01:04,413 --> 01:01:09,251
My fingers were bleeding
and everything was just kind of gnarly.
788
01:01:10,043 --> 01:01:13,588
Well, here I am at the top
of the hanging glacier
789
01:01:13,755 --> 01:01:16,091
and I'm settled in for the night.
790
01:01:16,216 --> 01:01:19,219
I originally hoped to be
six pitches higher than this
791
01:01:19,344 --> 01:01:22,973
on the snow arête.
Not going as fast as I wanted to.
792
01:01:30,188 --> 01:01:33,024
You split left
off of that hanging glacier
793
01:01:33,150 --> 01:01:37,028
and that brings you to the snow arête
in the middle of the east pillar.
794
01:01:39,114 --> 01:01:40,615
I've come a good ways now.
795
01:01:40,741 --> 01:01:44,453
Here's the snow arête
that I wanted to make it to yesterday,
796
01:01:44,578 --> 01:01:46,621
but, you know, it just goes how it goes.
797
01:01:46,747 --> 01:01:49,374
There's the upper headwall,
so we'll see.
798
01:01:49,541 --> 01:01:52,753
I might be able to keep going
even if I have to make one extra bivvy,
799
01:01:52,836 --> 01:01:54,087
one more than planned.
800
01:01:55,672 --> 01:01:59,885
You're switching constantly
between boots, crampons and rock shoes.
801
01:02:01,344 --> 01:02:03,096
You'll climb an ice pitch
802
01:02:03,221 --> 01:02:07,434
and then all of a sudden,
you're on a rock pillar climbing 5.10.
803
01:02:10,937 --> 01:02:13,774
Or mixed climbing
804
01:02:13,899 --> 01:02:17,027
through some narrow gully
filled with ice.
805
01:02:25,035 --> 01:02:28,163
It's just, like, everything
in the repertoire.
806
01:03:10,163 --> 01:03:12,332
Well, I'm in the upper ramp,
807
01:03:12,457 --> 01:03:14,876
looking down the route.
808
01:04:00,213 --> 01:04:05,177
When you encounter a situation
where you're like, "OK, this is real.
809
01:04:09,473 --> 01:04:13,185
I can either keep it together
and do this
810
01:04:13,310 --> 01:04:16,104
or I can, like, fall apart
and have a meltdown."
811
01:04:19,900 --> 01:04:21,860
You gotta do one or the other.
812
01:04:32,079 --> 01:04:35,540
And that process
of evaluating the situation,
813
01:04:35,707 --> 01:04:39,002
and then getting it together,
and carrying on,
814
01:04:42,047 --> 01:04:44,174
it's a challenge every time.
815
01:05:03,443 --> 01:05:07,489
Well, persevering,
and things are working out.
816
01:05:08,115 --> 01:05:09,533
Quite the view.
817
01:05:09,658 --> 01:05:12,536
I'm literally in the middle
of the headwall.
818
01:05:13,036 --> 01:05:16,998
I'm stomping out
this sick little platform to sleep on,
819
01:05:17,124 --> 01:05:20,335
the only place I could find to bivvy,
which is super cool.
820
01:05:20,419 --> 01:05:24,172
I'm gonna freeze my ass off tonight,
that's for sure, but that's OK.
821
01:05:25,090 --> 01:05:28,093
Yesterday,
progress was so slow and difficult
822
01:05:28,260 --> 01:05:32,013
that it was kind of discouraging,
but now I'm in a really good position
823
01:05:32,139 --> 01:05:35,934
to go for the summit tomorrow morning.
I'm only a few pitches away.
824
01:05:36,643 --> 01:05:39,563
So as long as the weather holds,
I'm psyched.
825
01:05:52,534 --> 01:05:56,246
Hey, Brette, this video's for you.
826
01:05:56,371 --> 01:05:58,206
I just wanted to, uh...
827
01:05:59,458 --> 01:06:03,086
let you know that when I'm out here
in these mountains by myself,
828
01:06:03,211 --> 01:06:04,379
I really miss you.
829
01:06:05,505 --> 01:06:09,885
And I'm thinking about you a lot,
830
01:06:10,010 --> 01:06:13,972
and there's a part of me that...
831
01:06:15,015 --> 01:06:18,977
wishes I could just quickly rap
to the ground,
832
01:06:19,102 --> 01:06:21,855
and get out of here,
and change my flights,
833
01:06:21,938 --> 01:06:26,276
and come back and see you,
cos I'd love to...
834
01:06:27,861 --> 01:06:31,239
just... yeah, see you.
835
01:06:34,826 --> 01:06:36,536
I love you.
836
01:06:44,669 --> 01:06:46,880
I woke up at around five in the morning,
837
01:06:46,963 --> 01:06:50,425
peeked outside my sleeping bag.
A full snowstorm was starting.
838
01:06:52,219 --> 01:06:54,513
Now, I just have to pack up
as quick as I can
839
01:06:54,638 --> 01:06:58,934
and rappel the whole mountain
in blizzard conditions.
840
01:07:01,895 --> 01:07:06,483
I hope it goes well, cos it's a long
and complicated way down.
841
01:07:11,154 --> 01:07:12,280
Holy shit!
842
01:07:30,173 --> 01:07:32,968
Well, I'm back in my tent.
843
01:07:34,010 --> 01:07:38,098
I am sorry to say
that I did not reach the summit.
844
01:07:39,141 --> 01:07:42,269
But... I survived,
845
01:07:42,352 --> 01:07:45,230
which I think counts for a lot.
846
01:07:46,606 --> 01:07:49,484
Kind of a bummer, cos I made it
within four pitches of the top.
847
01:07:50,610 --> 01:07:55,323
It was still probably one of my very
best solo efforts in the mountains,
848
01:07:55,407 --> 01:07:59,661
just in terms of sticking with it
and coming really close, and...
849
01:07:59,786 --> 01:08:02,956
And, you know I always said...
850
01:08:03,039 --> 01:08:05,375
Cos I've always dreamed
of trying to solo Egger
851
01:08:05,459 --> 01:08:07,502
and I always said
852
01:08:07,627 --> 01:08:11,590
that if you got caught in bad weather
near the top of Egger by yourself,
853
01:08:11,715 --> 01:08:17,429
that's the ultimate nightmare,
and it actually happened to me,
854
01:08:17,554 --> 01:08:23,852
and I made it down just fine, so...
That's kind of... That's cool, I guess.
855
01:08:28,774 --> 01:08:33,195
I was relieved to hear
that Marc had made it back down.
856
01:08:36,198 --> 01:08:41,745
And after such a close scrape,
I figured he would just fly home,
857
01:08:41,912 --> 01:08:44,456
unsuccessful, but safe.
858
01:08:45,749 --> 01:08:52,130
Well, it's amazing just feeling
how tired I am from that climb.
859
01:08:58,345 --> 01:09:01,598
But Marc couldn't let it go.
860
01:09:02,474 --> 01:09:06,103
He saw another weather window
in the forecast,
861
01:09:06,228 --> 01:09:08,772
this one even shorter than the last.
862
01:09:08,939 --> 01:09:11,566
And on Friday,
you have half of a good day,
863
01:09:11,691 --> 01:09:13,485
and overnight's good.
864
01:09:14,528 --> 01:09:18,156
And he decided to go for it,
again.
865
01:09:18,281 --> 01:09:21,201
This time, he was raising the stakes.
866
01:09:21,284 --> 01:09:25,038
Because I already know the route,
I decided I could do the route in a day
867
01:09:25,163 --> 01:09:27,165
without carrying any bivvy equipment.
868
01:09:28,500 --> 01:09:31,837
But I won't have the option
of sleeping up there on the mountain.
869
01:09:32,003 --> 01:09:35,507
I have to go really light and move fast
in order to get it done.
870
01:09:37,843 --> 01:09:39,177
Here we go.
871
01:09:41,680 --> 01:09:46,184
For his second attempt,
Marc would carry just a small pack
872
01:09:46,268 --> 01:09:49,813
with no sleeping bag, no extra food.
873
01:09:50,397 --> 01:09:53,817
Just the basic tools
to climb light and fast.
874
01:09:56,778 --> 01:09:59,156
Starting the climb that night,
875
01:09:59,322 --> 01:10:03,493
he hoped he could get
to the summit and back down
876
01:10:03,577 --> 01:10:06,037
before the next storm crashed in.
877
01:10:10,083 --> 01:10:11,334
Good luck, Marc!
878
01:10:30,562 --> 01:10:35,984
Well, it's 5:45 in the morning
and I'm back at my first bivvy site
879
01:10:36,151 --> 01:10:37,527
on top of the hanging glacier.
880
01:10:37,611 --> 01:10:39,738
It's only taken me a couple of hours
to get here.
881
01:10:41,114 --> 01:10:43,492
So, yeah, off to a good start.
882
01:10:51,708 --> 01:10:54,127
I'm just going for it,
883
01:10:54,252 --> 01:10:59,091
just this tiny little adventure
on this huge mountain.
884
01:11:02,552 --> 01:11:05,222
Well, the sun's rising.
885
01:11:05,347 --> 01:11:08,266
Check out how incredible this is.
886
01:11:08,934 --> 01:11:11,311
I'm more than halfway
up the route already.
887
01:11:20,487 --> 01:11:22,155
Well, I'm in the upper ramp.
888
01:11:27,160 --> 01:11:28,578
Things are working out.
889
01:11:40,966 --> 01:11:42,926
I'm on the summit of Egger!
890
01:11:43,677 --> 01:11:45,095
Super psyched!
891
01:11:47,723 --> 01:11:50,350
Yeah, look at this!
892
01:11:51,268 --> 01:11:52,728
Holy smokes!
893
01:11:53,729 --> 01:11:55,355
To solo Torre Egger
894
01:11:56,189 --> 01:12:00,485
seemed like the perfect combination
of everything I'd learned how to do.
895
01:12:01,695 --> 01:12:04,448
Pretty full-on conditions.
896
01:12:04,573 --> 01:12:09,828
It's almost like my whole life
leading me to a certain place.
897
01:12:22,507 --> 01:12:23,592
Nice work, dude.
898
01:12:23,675 --> 01:12:25,844
Yo.
899
01:12:26,928 --> 01:12:29,181
- How's it going, dude?
- How do you feel?
900
01:12:30,599 --> 01:12:33,226
- Perfect.
- Dude, yeah, things are awesome.
901
01:12:33,351 --> 01:12:36,855
No alpine ascent is truly complete
until the beers go clink.
902
01:12:37,647 --> 01:12:39,775
- Cheers.
- Cheers, man.
903
01:12:42,444 --> 01:12:47,074
Here we have the guy
who climbed the Torre Egger, Marc.
904
01:12:47,282 --> 01:12:49,618
- Sí.
- Sí.
905
01:12:50,160 --> 01:12:54,498
When you grow up,
you'll climb Torre Egger many times.
906
01:13:08,220 --> 01:13:10,305
Psyched to be going back
to States?
907
01:13:10,430 --> 01:13:12,641
Yeah, I'm super stoked to see Brette
908
01:13:12,724 --> 01:13:16,520
and eventually see the family
back up in Canada.
909
01:13:16,645 --> 01:13:18,105
There's the taxi.
910
01:13:18,271 --> 01:13:21,441
I have to negotiate,
cos I don't have pesos.
911
01:13:38,792 --> 01:13:41,753
When Marc comes out
of the mountains,
912
01:13:41,878 --> 01:13:44,840
he has this, like, radiating energy.
913
01:13:44,965 --> 01:13:48,844
He's had some sort of extreme experience
914
01:13:48,969 --> 01:13:52,431
that had moved him deeper
than anything else could have.
915
01:13:53,807 --> 01:13:56,810
When you're in the mountains
with a mission,
916
01:13:56,935 --> 01:14:00,939
it's like all the superficialities
of life just sort of evaporate,
917
01:14:01,064 --> 01:14:04,484
and you can often find yourself
in a deeper state of mind,
918
01:14:04,609 --> 01:14:07,612
and that can stick with you
for a while after a big climb.
919
01:14:09,072 --> 01:14:12,451
You appreciate everything so much
920
01:14:12,576 --> 01:14:14,911
that you take for granted
most of the time.
921
01:14:18,749 --> 01:14:19,791
It's kind of funny.
922
01:14:21,168 --> 01:14:23,754
The actual achievement
doesn't really change your life
923
01:14:23,879 --> 01:14:26,965
like you think it might,
when you're building up to it,
924
01:14:27,090 --> 01:14:30,969
but what you're left with is the journey
that got you to that point
925
01:14:31,094 --> 01:14:33,805
and if you have this big journey
926
01:14:33,930 --> 01:14:35,640
where you had
to figure a lot of stuff out,
927
01:14:35,766 --> 01:14:38,894
and you had to plan,
and it was more immersive,
928
01:14:39,019 --> 01:14:41,897
and then you were somewhere
really beautiful for a long time,
929
01:14:42,022 --> 01:14:44,191
and then had to work really hard,
930
01:14:44,357 --> 01:14:46,735
and overcome
some kind of mental barrier,
931
01:14:46,818 --> 01:14:50,113
you're left with so much more
of a story
932
01:14:50,322 --> 01:14:53,075
or, like, a memory and an experience.
933
01:14:53,200 --> 01:14:55,911
And that's what I find
is the most important.
934
01:15:01,750 --> 01:15:04,836
For two years
filming Marc's climbs,
935
01:15:05,462 --> 01:15:08,465
it was like trying
to capture lightning in a bottle.
936
01:15:13,553 --> 01:15:20,560
Now, it was time to assemble the film
and release Marc back into the wild.
937
01:15:21,019 --> 01:15:24,523
He still had so many mountains to climb.
938
01:15:26,400 --> 01:15:28,568
OK, Brette, I'm secure!
939
01:15:31,363 --> 01:15:32,656
Hey, dude.
940
01:15:33,115 --> 01:15:37,702
And that is where
I thought this story would end.
941
01:15:39,246 --> 01:15:40,664
But while we were editing,
942
01:15:40,747 --> 01:15:45,585
Marc chased a weather window
up to Juneau, Alaska,
943
01:15:45,711 --> 01:15:48,630
where he met up with
a strong local climber,
944
01:15:49,089 --> 01:15:50,549
Ryan Johnson.
945
01:15:51,842 --> 01:15:55,721
Climbing as a team, with a rope,
they made a first ascent
946
01:15:55,887 --> 01:15:59,266
on the north face
of the Mendenhall Towers.
947
01:16:00,559 --> 01:16:03,770
At the summit, there was cell reception.
948
01:16:03,854 --> 01:16:09,359
So Marc sent text messages
to his mom and to Brette.
949
01:16:12,446 --> 01:16:15,699
And Ryan sent a video message
to his girlfriend.
950
01:16:15,824 --> 01:16:17,909
Hey, babe, figured why not
be up here with me?
951
01:16:17,993 --> 01:16:20,912
- Marc, right there.
- Yeah.
952
01:16:21,288 --> 01:16:22,664
Pretty amazing up here.
953
01:16:22,789 --> 01:16:25,292
We've got a long way to get down,
so we're gonna get to it.
954
01:16:25,459 --> 01:16:27,878
The descent
does not look straightforward.
955
01:16:32,507 --> 01:16:36,386
But by the next morning,
nobody had heard from them.
956
01:16:39,139 --> 01:16:43,685
Brette was on a sailboat
off the coast of Tasmania.
957
01:16:43,852 --> 01:16:48,482
She was the first to realize
they were late to check in.
958
01:16:49,149 --> 01:16:53,445
She contacted search and rescue,
took the next flight out,
959
01:16:53,570 --> 01:16:56,782
and called us
when she landed in Alaska.
960
01:16:56,865 --> 01:16:59,117
They didn't make it back
to their skis.
961
01:16:59,242 --> 01:17:02,829
- Fuck!
- Yeah, so I don't know, Pete.
962
01:17:02,954 --> 01:17:06,291
- I'm so sorry.
- I don't know what to do.
963
01:17:06,458 --> 01:17:11,755
I don't know what's gonna happen
or what would happen if...
964
01:17:13,882 --> 01:17:17,219
A climber from Squamish
has gone missing in Alaska.
965
01:17:17,344 --> 01:17:21,890
Marc-André Leclerc and another climber
were last seen on March 4th.
966
01:17:21,973 --> 01:17:24,643
We followed Brette up to Juneau
967
01:17:24,768 --> 01:17:28,522
and met Marc's family
at the search and rescue office.
968
01:17:31,566 --> 01:17:36,488
Some of Marc's friends from Squamish
had come along to help with the search.
969
01:17:37,364 --> 01:17:38,907
But a storm had rolled in,
970
01:17:38,990 --> 01:17:41,576
so nobody could get
a helicopter in there.
971
01:17:43,745 --> 01:17:47,958
All we could do was wait
for the weather to break
972
01:17:49,543 --> 01:17:54,673
and hope that somehow,
they were still alive up there.
973
01:18:02,889 --> 01:18:07,853
After four agonizing days,
the weather finally cleared enough
974
01:18:07,978 --> 01:18:14,276
for search and rescue
to fly a helicopter into that zone
975
01:18:14,401 --> 01:18:17,487
and get visuals of their descent route.
976
01:18:19,197 --> 01:18:23,410
With all the new snow, conditions
were too dangerous to land there,
977
01:18:24,369 --> 01:18:26,997
but they spotted a rope.
978
01:18:30,208 --> 01:18:33,754
It was covered in avalanche debris
979
01:18:33,837 --> 01:18:40,052
and it was clear that Marc and Ryan
were buried there.
980
01:18:42,512 --> 01:18:45,640
There was no chance of survival.
981
01:19:09,414 --> 01:19:13,710
We were hoping
to do a recovery of their bodies but...
982
01:19:14,669 --> 01:19:17,714
it didn't happen.
They just disappeared into the glacier.
983
01:19:23,970 --> 01:19:29,101
I remember sitting out there
on the ice field and wondering, like,
984
01:19:30,435 --> 01:19:33,230
"Why wasn't I with him?"
985
01:19:34,648 --> 01:19:37,150
Like, I felt I should've been there.
986
01:19:39,069 --> 01:19:43,073
I didn't even know
that life could be that painful.
987
01:19:43,198 --> 01:19:46,118
I didn't even know it existed
until you experience it.
988
01:19:46,243 --> 01:19:51,456
It's like we're kind of living
in this blissful magical life,
989
01:19:51,665 --> 01:19:54,000
and then you're hit
with this shockwave of pain,
990
01:19:54,126 --> 01:19:56,044
and you'll never be the same.
991
01:20:02,259 --> 01:20:05,595
After he died,
I just didn't care about anything.
992
01:20:07,472 --> 01:20:08,640
Nothing mattered.
993
01:20:10,517 --> 01:20:13,645
Maybe I would just disappear also.
994
01:20:18,233 --> 01:20:22,279
But then I remembered this conversation
that I had with Marc.
995
01:20:23,447 --> 01:20:25,991
Marc said
that if something happened to him,
996
01:20:26,116 --> 01:20:28,368
he wants me to keep going.
997
01:20:31,580 --> 01:20:33,248
He didn't want me to lose my spirit.
998
01:20:34,750 --> 01:20:38,086
He just wanted me
to keep climbing, keep loving life,
999
01:20:39,296 --> 01:20:42,674
and be happy. Yeah.
1000
01:20:44,176 --> 01:20:45,761
You have no idea how hard it is.
1001
01:20:45,886 --> 01:20:48,805
In theory you can say it,
but to actually be living that...
1002
01:20:54,394 --> 01:20:56,396
I went back to Alaska.
1003
01:20:57,355 --> 01:20:59,441
It's so beautiful there,
1004
01:20:59,566 --> 01:21:04,362
but being there without him
felt so awful.
1005
01:21:08,158 --> 01:21:09,493
You're right over there.
1006
01:21:10,702 --> 01:21:14,081
I was in so much pain
1007
01:21:14,206 --> 01:21:18,001
and the only time
I could feel an escape from that
1008
01:21:18,168 --> 01:21:19,669
was being in the mountains.
1009
01:21:22,756 --> 01:21:26,176
I keep returning to these places
we climbed together.
1010
01:21:29,262 --> 01:21:31,973
They are infused with him.
1011
01:21:33,975 --> 01:21:38,063
I came upon this piton
and I'm certain it's Marc's.
1012
01:21:40,148 --> 01:21:41,691
I feel like you're here, Marc.
1013
01:21:43,151 --> 01:21:46,363
I just miss him so much,
like, I miss our adventures together.
1014
01:21:50,867 --> 01:21:53,203
I wish that we could be here
together again.
1015
01:21:55,455 --> 01:21:58,208
But I know that you'd want me to be here
1016
01:21:58,333 --> 01:22:00,293
and I know that you'd be proud.
1017
01:22:02,045 --> 01:22:03,714
Thank you for giving me your vision
1018
01:22:03,839 --> 01:22:06,049
and thank you for sharing everything
with me.
1019
01:22:19,604 --> 01:22:21,064
Just his typical smile.
1020
01:22:22,649 --> 01:22:24,276
Yeah.
1021
01:22:27,821 --> 01:22:30,741
You guys have a similar smile.
1022
01:22:33,618 --> 01:22:35,620
How I'm doing
is a day-to-day thing.
1023
01:22:37,998 --> 01:22:41,168
Without Marc-André, yeah,
1024
01:22:41,251 --> 01:22:47,591
it was like something was suddenly
and irrevocably wrong with the universe.
1025
01:22:47,799 --> 01:22:52,429
It was, like,
that's just not how it should be.
1026
01:23:02,355 --> 01:23:03,857
I'm sorry.
1027
01:23:07,194 --> 01:23:13,283
In some indefinable way,
you've moved to another place
1028
01:23:13,408 --> 01:23:15,786
and you have to learn how to live there.
1029
01:23:29,341 --> 01:23:31,718
A few months after the accident,
1030
01:23:32,177 --> 01:23:37,849
friends came to Squamish from
all over the world to celebrate Marc.
1031
01:23:43,145 --> 01:23:45,940
I traveled from Patagonia, Argentina,
1032
01:23:46,065 --> 01:23:47,483
to be here for Marc's memorial.
1033
01:23:47,608 --> 01:23:51,862
I think he left
a magical impression on all of us.
1034
01:23:51,946 --> 01:23:56,242
There will never be
another Marc-André Leclerc.
1035
01:23:58,202 --> 01:24:00,579
He was one of a kind.
1036
01:24:00,746 --> 01:24:02,581
He was an individual individual.
1037
01:24:03,874 --> 01:24:05,626
He just burned very bright
1038
01:24:05,751 --> 01:24:09,964
and he left an indelible mark on a lot
of people in a short time, didn't he?
1039
01:24:14,719 --> 01:24:16,429
Wow, there's a lot of you.
1040
01:24:18,305 --> 01:24:21,976
As any parent knows,
raising children is a tough job,
1041
01:24:22,101 --> 01:24:23,519
but I am thankful
1042
01:24:23,686 --> 01:24:27,565
that at least God granted me the grace
to understand this about my son,
1043
01:24:27,690 --> 01:24:30,901
to not stand in the way of his passion
for the mountains.
1044
01:24:44,665 --> 01:24:45,833
Of course, I worried.
1045
01:24:47,126 --> 01:24:49,587
What mother doesn't worry
about the children she's raised
1046
01:24:49,754 --> 01:24:50,921
to leave her and go out
1047
01:24:51,047 --> 01:24:54,508
into this beautiful
but dangerous and broken world?
1048
01:24:54,633 --> 01:24:56,761
It's so exposed.
1049
01:24:57,887 --> 01:25:01,265
I believe Marc-André
lived the life he was intended to live.
1050
01:25:02,391 --> 01:25:05,061
That he was meant to scale mountains,
1051
01:25:05,186 --> 01:25:08,773
stand on summits,
find his way into lonely valleys...
1052
01:25:08,939 --> 01:25:10,107
Super happy.
1053
01:25:10,232 --> 01:25:12,777
...and love one woman
with all his heart, his little B.
1054
01:25:12,943 --> 01:25:17,281
- How are you, Brette?
- It's pretty chilly.
1055
01:25:19,075 --> 01:25:20,534
Tolkien in The Hobbit says,
1056
01:25:20,659 --> 01:25:23,913
"There are no safe paths
in this part of the world.
1057
01:25:24,038 --> 01:25:26,374
You're over the edge of the wild now."
1058
01:25:26,457 --> 01:25:27,917
Oh, yeah, look at that.
1059
01:25:28,834 --> 01:25:31,629
Well, Marc-André, you
are truly over the edge of the wild now.
1060
01:25:31,754 --> 01:25:34,131
The storm came in
with a strong north wind.
1061
01:25:34,256 --> 01:25:37,802
I hope the mountains there are
amazing and the sunsets are beautiful.
1062
01:25:37,968 --> 01:25:41,597
And then it cleared for a bit
as the eye of the storm passed over us.
1063
01:25:41,722 --> 01:25:46,811
We are all richer for calling you son,
brother, partner and friend.
1064
01:25:48,813 --> 01:25:51,399
Thank you for giving us
25 remarkable years.
1065
01:25:51,482 --> 01:25:53,275
Holy fuck!
1066
01:26:08,708 --> 01:26:13,462
Having come to know Marc
as a friend, as well as a climber...
1067
01:26:16,215 --> 01:26:21,303
...it's hard to reconcile
the idealism of his ascents
1068
01:26:21,429 --> 01:26:24,014
with the tragic consequences.
1069
01:26:28,144 --> 01:26:32,398
That's why alpinism remains
such a contradiction in my mind,
1070
01:26:32,481 --> 01:26:33,899
such a mystery.
1071
01:26:37,611 --> 01:26:41,657
But I believe what Marc did
with his time on Earth was beautiful.
1072
01:26:45,536 --> 01:26:48,831
He followed
the course of his own dreams.
1073
01:26:53,169 --> 01:26:56,505
A lot of us live our lives
thinking of the things we'd like to do
1074
01:26:56,589 --> 01:27:00,384
or the adventures we'd like to have,
but we hold back.
1075
01:27:03,095 --> 01:27:07,266
That's what really stands out to me
about Marc-André's journey.
1076
01:27:09,018 --> 01:27:12,396
It's about what is it that you would do
1077
01:27:12,521 --> 01:27:17,735
if you were able to overcome
the things that you see as limitations
1078
01:27:17,902 --> 01:27:20,654
or the things that you're afraid of?
1079
01:27:20,780 --> 01:27:22,573
You know, what would you do?
90752
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