Jean-Christophe Lafaille

Gure Himalaya is a documentary about the mountaineering exploits of the Iñurrategi brothers between 1990 and 1998 — from climbing Pumori and Gyala Peri to tracking down the yeti. It was directed by Alberto Iñurrategi in 2005 and produced by BBK, starring Alberto Iñurrategi, Félix Iñurrategi, José Luís Zuloaga, Juanjo San Sebastián, Jon Lazkano, Iñaki Ochoa de Olza and others.

To understand the difficulties of an ascent to over eight thousand metres, it is enough to remember the almost 300 victims these peaks have claimed. The Swiss alpinist Ehrart Loretan, the third alpinist in the world to have climbed all 14 8,000, and the Austrian alpinist Kurt Diemgerger cover the whole history of the conquest of the world’s 8,000, from the fifties to the present day, together with other alpinists and film directors who have climbed them. They talk about their experienced when they ventured into the death zone.

Daulagiri (8167m), Naga Parbat (8125m) and Broad Peak (8051m) are among the 14 peaks in the world. Jean-Christophe Lafaille has set himself the goal of reaching these 3 peaks in the space of two months. This film takes us on a surprising journey that begins in Nepal and ends in Pakistan, while exploring the soul of this committed mountaineer… Ed Viesturs and Katia Lafaille accompanied Lafaille on his adventure.

Jean-Christophe Lafaille is the first mountaineer to attempt the solo ascent of the steep Himalayan face of "Shishapangma". As one of the 14 highest peaks in the world, Shishapangma peak rises over 8000 meters. Jean-Christophe defies the merciless conditions of the Himalayan winter. Without oxygen and exposed to extreme cold, Jean-Christophe, aware of the objective danger, is determined to achieve this long-held dream by reaching the summit by the magnificent British South West face course of 1982, with a new course on the first 1000 meters. He will reach the summit on December 11, some, like the Pole Krzysztof Wielicki, challenge him for the first. Jean-Christophe will be very upset and some of his relatives will be worried to see him then lock himself into an increasingly obstinate quest, some of whom were already guessing the outcome.

Climbing safely is within everyone's reach. Introduction, progression, training, rope maneuvers, sequence of movements, equipment, and high-level practice—everything you want to know about climbing. Accessing the vertical world means learning to read the rock, combining positioning, balance, and self-control, and having fun. Demonstrations by Jean-Christophe Lafaille (high mountain guide) take place in the dizzying scenery of the Vercors cliffs (Presles and Corrençon-en-Vercors) and the Dentelles de Montmirail. Jean-Pierre Bouvier, known as "Mouche," takes you to the magical boulders of Fontainebleau, while François Legrand (world champion on climbing walls) gives you his advice on how to progress.

For twenty years, the Beghin-Lafaille route on the South Face of Annapurna was considered one of the most difficult and dangerous in the Himalayas. In the autumn of 2013, it was climbed first by Ueli Steck solo, and then by the team of Yannick Graziani and Stéphane Benoist. It is an extraordinary route that profoundly changed the lives of those who tackled it. The film recounts the remarkable convergence of destinies surrounding this climb and explores how such an ascent can transform a life. Drawing inspiration from the experiences of astronauts returning from the moon—who suffered from "absolute achievement" syndrome—the filmmakers sought to understand how the deep-seated drives that compel mountaineers to prepare for and commit to such climbs can shatter at the very moment a lifelong goal appears to have been reached.

This is the story, in eight episodes, of the conquest of Mount Everest in the Himalayas and its impact on the world. We meet the climbers who reached the summit and those who perished attempting the ascent. We encounter the Sherpa people, an ethnic group originating from Tibet, explore high-altitude mountaineering techniques, and hear the stories of expedition leaders and team members throughout their journey, while cameras capture every danger on the icy peaks. Viewers will remember that Everest is a world of illusions, a world that can become hostile in an instant, swept by fierce winds and deadly ice slides. A more recent, political, ecological, and economic perspective focuses primarily on present-day Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan and their economies, including the Tibetan carpet industry and the Chinese occupation.