UKC

A new 90-minute documentary following the exploits of Swiss speed solo alpinists Ueli Steck and Dani Arnold launches on Netflix today.

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In reply to UKC News:

What's with the anodyne translation of the film title, Netflix?

In reply to UKC News:

Looking forward to this. We took the whole family to see Ueli Steck give a talk at the royal geographical society not too long before he died. He came across really well, approachable and down to earth. Our son had a poster of him up on his wall after that.

In reply to felt:

Duell am Abgrund - Duel at the Abyss?

or more western like: High Duel?

In reply to felt:

I'm confused by your question. In what language was the film originally made? What are its titles in other languages?

In reply to Rob Parsons:

It's a German-language film called Duell am Abgrund, with subtitles. Not sure what it's called in other languages.

I'm reminded of this exchange.

Sheldon Cooper: I'm experiencing what the Germans call 'Weltschmerz'.

Mary Cooper: Uh-huh, and what do Americans call it?

Sheldon Cooper: The pain of the world.

Mary Cooper: Sounds more fun in German.

Sheldon Cooper: Most things do.

In reply to felt:

What translation would you have preferred? Google Translate suggests 'Duel on the Edge/Abyss/Precipice/Chasm', none of which sound quite right, but I wouldn't expect it to do any better.

In reply to UKC News:

The cinematography was quite good in places but I did not really enjoy it or find it particularly engaging. I also thought it reflected quite badly on both the protagonists, especially since people who spent time with Ueli seemed to only have good things to say about him. 

In reply to Luke90:

It's funny, having lived a long time in Finland I was always amused how they would take a film with an interesting title in English and not really translate it, but rather give it a rather boringly descriptive title in Finnish. They seemed to stop doing this through the Noughties I guess as the movie marketing companies came to understand basically everyone in the potential audience, beyond little kid films, perfectly understood the original English. But from the late 90s my favorite example was the reasonably evocative Black Hawk Down, that became in Finnish "Iskuu Mogadishu" (battle (literally "strike") in Mogadishu). It's funny here that the boring translation is the English version. I think "Duel on the Edge" sounds much better! 

In reply to Luke90:

Not sure. Abyss seems to have been commandeered by submarine books/films, and is now overused. A shame, as Abgrund always suggests abyss to me, after the standard English rendering of "Und wenn du lange in einen Abgrund blickst, blickt der Abgrund auch in dich hinein." But you do need to make a play with the Abgrund concept, as the first few minutes of the film (all I've watched) seem to focus on overcoming the fear of the yawning abyss, the bottomless depths (or I certainly did. I don't get on with watching soloing). This is where the English title goes wrong, as apart from being so beige, it looks the wrong way, up not down.

You also don't want anything suggestive of the "Duel in the Sun" Nicklaus/Watson Turnberry face-off ("Duel Above the Chasm"). So no duelling.

At the title meeting I'd probably have suggested something like Two Go Mad Over the Bottomless Depths and worked from there.

In reply to felt:

Ok, thanks.

Oddly enough, there is a 2000 TV movie of the same name - see https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0270855/

I don't suppose the reference is deliberate.

In reply to UKC News:

Watched it today: (spoiler alert)

3 takeaways:

Steck was - perhaps - tormented enough by his Annapurna doubters to go back to the Himalaya to lay the ghost, only to become one.

Arnold *probably* might have mentioned, when he claimed the Eiger record, that he used the fixed ropes on the HT...

Both men needled and perhaps haunted by the ethical controversies they got caught up in, rather than by each other.

The Californian dude in the cap and 'bear hug' T-shirt nails it near the end - I won't spoil that bit for y'all

In reply to kaiser:

I haven't done the route, but have always assumed that everybody uses those fixed ropes. Did Steck?

In reply to Rob Parsons:

I haven't done it either.

Steck says not, in the film in question.  It even includes some footage of his crampons scratching around in a heart stopping way during that section.  

Arnold also seems to imply that the ropes are part of the route, solo or not.

It's obviously critical to the time of the ascent as it's a longish traverse.  

The film seems to want to dig into these ethical / truthful issues in a rather salacious way.

In reply to kaiser:

https://www.climbing.com/news/ueli-steck-takes-back-eiger-speed-record/ seems to confirm that.

I guess what's possible on that part of the route depends very much on the snow and ice conditions. There are plenty of people on this forum who will have direct experience - perhaps they might comment.

In reply to UKC News:

Alex Honnold also nails it when he basically says:  "Steck did what he did - only he knows what that was - screw everyone else and their opinions"

In reply to kaiser:

Ditto Arnold of course.

In reply to Rob Parsons:

well yes, but Honnold was referring to Stecks climbs / career in the Himalaya where (the film suggests) he forgot - too often - to take pictures or turn on his GPS to prove he reached summits

Arnold's Alpine speeds climb are much more easy to record

In reply to kaiser:

Ok. I will now excuse myself from further comment: I haven't seen the film.

In reply to PaulJepson: Totally agree with this. In particular Ueli Steck comes across badly…..basically as a probable cheat. I never followed his climbing exploits closely but always assumed he was a driven, super fit, highly talented and nice guy climbing top end routes in incredible style. The film gave the impression of a guy struggling to maintain a public image and cheating to do so. I do not think I really needed to know this stuff about him…..innuendo or not. 

In reply to The Grist:

People might be interested in reading Ed Douglas's The Magician's Glass if looking for another opinion on Uli Steck and Annapurna, although it raises similar questions about the lack of evidence.