|
FESTIVAL
FILM MENU
2008 Reel Rock Tour
This yearfs Reel Rock Film Tour highlights King Lines:Chris
Sharmafs Search for the Planetfs Greatest Climbs, which
will take audiences globetrotting alongside Chris Sharma-the
25-year old climbing phenomenon-as he discovers and climbs
the worldfs most outrageously difficult and beautiful rock
climbing formations.
The opening act for King Lines is a highlight showing of Committed, a
new film documenting the legendary British appetite for hard and dangerous
rock climbing, by filmmakers Dave Brown and Paul Diffley of Hot Aches.
Chris
Sharma's King Lines
Chris Sharma is undoubtedly the strongest and most famous rock climber
of his time. For the past decade, he has consistently redefined the boundaries
of his sport, and, at 25 years old,
the Santa Cruz, California, native embarked on a new quest to seek the
planetfs greatest uncharted climbs. His first stop, in September 2006,
was off the coast of Mallorca, Spain, where, without a rope, he climbed
a spectacular route on a massive rock arch surrounded by the Mediterranean
Sea. This deep water solo tested Sharma time and time again over
the course of several visits. When interviewed during filming in
Mallorca, Sharma deemed the route, which he named Es Pontas, more
challenging than all the climbs hefd ever done.
"What makes this climb so difficult is that youfre upside down,
youfre hanging on your arms and on your fingertips the whole
time," Sharma said. "On top of that the wall is absolutely
blank for seven feet. You have to actually just leap through
the air and stick another hold." That
critical hold is just the size of three of Sharmafs fingers,
and that explosive upward leap, on the underbelly of a steep
overhang, is, Sharma said, "a pure, all-four-points, cut-loose
dyno. Ifve probably tried that move a hundred times." Every
time he missed the one hand-sized pocket, he plummeted 50 feet
into the sea below
Sharmafs spectacular first ascent of Es Pontas is just one of
the highlights of Chris Sharmafs King Lines. Film crews
follow Sharma to remote jungle plateaus of Venezuela; to stunning, untouched
limestone walls of Francefs Gorge du Verdon; to the sea cliffs of Kalymnos
in Greece, as well as to Nevada, where Sharma works on a new, difficult
breakthrough route. Along the way, Sharma is joined by fellow climbers,
BASE jumpers and other adventure junkies, and the film reveals the compellingly
private and focused personality of the man on the cutting edge of his amazing
sport.
More about CHRIS SHARMA
Chris Sharma, of Santa Cruz, California, has dominated the sport of rock
climbing for over a decade, since hitting the road full-time
at the age of 14. When he was fifteen, he made the first ascent
of America's hardest climb (Necessary Evil, in Arizona, rated
5.14c), and started collecting victories at national and international
competitions, including World Cup events and the ESPN X-Games.
In 2001, Sharma was the first to climb Realization, a landmark route in
the south of France considered the worldfs hardest at that time; Sharmafs
success there was the first climb that broke the elusive 5.15 difficulty
rating barrier. He then spent several years focusing on bouldering, a concentrated
and gymnastic form of ropeless climbing on overhanging boulders
up to 30 feet tall. He discovered and established some of the world's hardest
boulder problems in Switzerland, Arkansas, New Zealand, and India, some
of which have never been repeated. On his current worldwide quest-documented
in the new movie Chris
Sharmafs King Lines-Sharma, now 25, successfully made the first ascent
of the magnificent Es Pontas, a climb he considers more difficult
than Realization.
Beyond his phenomenal accomplishments, Sharma has always been known for
his humility and his spiritual approach to climbing. Raised
as a Buddhist, Sharma approaches climbing as a form of meditation,
and a way to experience and interact with the natural world.
In the summers he runs a series of camps for children, and
he started The Sharmafund to introduce climbing to underprivileged
youngsters. |