2011 Reel Rock Tour Review

Last night I got to check out a showing of the Reel Rock Tour at the Glenwood Springs High School. The first half of the show was solid, but I felt the second left something to be desired. The line between achievements that are cutting edge, and those that are just in the freakshow/irrelevant category, is becoming increasingly thin, and I think this year’s tour strayed a little too close to that edge. Thankfully there were some good segments to offset the ones where you were left scratching your head, thinking, huh…

Yet again it was one of the filmmaking competition shorts that probably got the most laughs of the evening, with the Climber Kid/Karate Kid spoof. After that, things got kicking with Ice Revolution, which was a cool look at the most bizarre ice climbing on the planet. Even though it’s obscure, it was hard not to get caught up in Will and Tim’s enthusiasm, and Helmcken Falls looks like a truly surreal place to climb.

Next up, Cold, which I saw at the 5Point Film Festival, and which has been winning awards left and right in the film community. First time around, I thought it was a brilliant and raw glimpse into the world of extreme high altitude mountaineering. Second time around, it was just as powerful. The moment after the avalanche when Cory Richards is looking into the camera the look of raw fear on his face is simply unbelievable. My only gripe the first time ’round was the excessive use of f-bombs, which I thought detracted from an otherwise excellent film, so I was pleased to see it was edited for Reel Rock into a much more polished version.

And then finally we got some rock climbing, with another glimpse at the Dawn Wall project on El Cap with Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson. Billed as the “hardest big wall” in the world, their efforts on the ultra techy granite are truly impressive and inspiring. The segment was a little shorter than I would have liked, but since it remains undone, I’m sure we’ll see more in the future.

I was hesitant about the bouldering segment, only knowing it revolved around a nine year old kid. It seems like every year there is a feature on some uber-strong grom who by the next fall has fallen off the map because the stress of high end rock climbing is just too much for their young minds. This one, however, ended up being my favorite film of the night, as it had a real story to it. I’d always wondered what happened to Obe Carrion, and this film shed light on his rise to stardom, his burnout, and his return to the sport he loves. In a way, it was just as much a film about him as it was the incredibly talented, nine year old Ashima, who puts down a V12 in Hueco in impressive style.

The second half of the show kicked off with an overly long segment about the speed record on the Nose. Those of us who went to 5Point a couple years ago felt like we were seeing Hans Florine’s slideshow from that festival turned into a movie. It’s certainly interesting, and crazy to see some of the risks these guys take. “No gear don’t fall” is yelled by Potter as he and Sean Leary near the top, and it’s hard to imagine being that high on El Cap, that tired, with no margin for error. I think this would have been better as a shorter segment in the first half, and they could have used this space for something a little more interesting to the masses than a speed record which, these days, comes down to mere seconds.

And then there was the last segment, about a sketchy fellow named Andy, who apparently is the top slackliner in the world. He spends his days cooking up insane tricks and free solo high lines between desert towers. I honestly felt like I was watching an episode of Jackass, where they recruited a bunch of dirtbag climbers to do all the dumbest stuff possible. I also cringed as I thought of all the high school kids in the audience, watching these guys pull off stunts that should not be emulated by kids without much technical savvy. This one left a sour taste in my mouth, and it may sound harsh, but no one will be shocked when we learn that this guy has perished. I’m not saying there isn’t a place for a film like this, but why feature it in the closing spot? I’d much rather go home with something inspirational like the Obe/Ashima piece swirling through my thoughts.

Overall, a fun show to be sure, and always fun to see the local community come out of the woodwork. Hopefully they raised a bunch of money for the high school, it seemed much better attended than last year’s event. I think overall the Tour wasn’t as impressive as year’s past, though the first half of the show felt cohesive and complete. I would have preferred to see the spotlight in the second half given to something with a little more substance, but I guess there’s always next year!