The Ridge

The south wall of Mount Annapurna in the Nepalese Himalayas is known among climbers as the most dangerous climb in the world. To reach the mountain's summit at over 8,000 meters above sea level, mountaineers have to traverse a seven-kilometer-long ridge at 7,500 meters - an impossible task, especially for "pure" climbers who brave the thin air without oxygen tanks. So when experienced Spanish climber Iñaki Ochoa de Olza falls seriously ill while crossing the ridge in 2008, his hopes are slim. After his climbing partner Horia Colibasanu sounds the alarm, 12 fellow climbers from all over the world (Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Russia and the United States) mount a highly dangerous rescue operation. This exciting and gorgeously photographed film travels the world to let these 12 rescuers tell their stories in their home environments. Archive footage and photographs combine in a reconstruction of the rescue attempt, and we also learn about their motivations for climbing. Why would they risk their lives to reach these mountaintops? Whatever the result of the rescue will be, these 12 heroes show us that the human spirit is alive and well.