Meru: Risk and Responsibility in Climbing | Nat Geo Live
Jimmy: The thing about this film is that the intention behind it was to show a side of climbing that I didn't think that mainstream audience really got. We embarked in 2008 on this climb and started shooting together, but one of the themes that we talk about in the film is risk. (sound of pitons and ascenders) So much of being a climber and alpinist is obviously risk assessment, but you're also struggling to move upwards. It's a very kind of calculated space you have to be in and you have to constantly balance what your ego is telling you, and your drive, and the safety of the team.
Chai: Well, risk was this—I mean, it was constant dialogue because what we were—In this dream to have this film kind of speak to a more general audience, we had to address this idea of "are they bonkers or not", like, "are they totally crazy"? And the "crazy" question always worked against that because then people would write them off "they're just crazy." And then another side of this is that the climbing community and genre is quite understated. Like, if you ask them was that difficult, they're like, "It was fine. We almost died, but it was fine." You know, it's a very, very understated culture and there's like, I've got some—like, I'm allowed to make fun of Jimmy for this a little bit because I'm his wife and his film-making partner but it's just... I wanted—It was important for me to include the next clip that we're going to show because it was just an interesting and it wasn't included originally and I... it spoke to the understatement of the culture, and... how Jimmy was loathe to put himself in the movie. Five, four, three, two, one. Xavier De La Rue. (instrumental music)
Jeremy: The general mood was pretty light; our objective for the day had been reached. Good vibes. Our conversation before dropping in was go one at a time, make sure everyone's in a safe spot. Drop in!
Jimmy: So, Jeremy made a couple of turns, cut up on the side of this safe zone. Called me in, and I make a turn right next to his turn, and then, and then I feel it... the whole slope... shift. (sound of avalanche)
Jeremy: I yell avalanche. Just screaming, "get out, get out, get out."
Jimmy: For a moment it looks like slow motion and the next moment everything went to fast forward, and it just... I got swept. I'm airborne. Totally weightless. (sound of avalanche)
Jeremy: And I lost sight of him. That was the last I saw Jimmy and the slide... just kept going and going and going and going.
Jimmy: I just got crushed under an ocean of car-sized blocks. Probably going 70-80 miles an hour, down 2,000 vertical feet. And in my mind, I heard this voice having this conversation, it was like why I always wondered how I was going to die and now, now I know. (sound of avalanche) (trees snapping)
Jimmy: I was just expecting to get torn to pieces but after a while it started to slow down and this weird undercurrent started pushing me up through the snow, and at the last moment I popped out of the toe of this thing buried up to my chest. I was in that moment being like "Oh, my god, I'm in one piece" like I coughed up this huge chunk of snow and I took this huge breath and I was like (sound of deep breath) and I looked at my arms and I was like, I mean I couldn't even believe I'm still connected to my body. And then... yeah, it was a lot.