To the Limit

2008 Documentary

Speed rock climbing is the latest wrinkle in the growing pantheon of extreme sports; high-speed climbers take the basic rudiments of mountain climbing and shift them into overdrive, climbing sheer cliffs in a matter of hours rather than days. Filmmaker Pepe Danquart offers a look at this exciting new sport and two of its best-known proponents in the documentary To the Limit. Alexander Huber and his brother Thomas Huber are profiled as they demonstrate their skills in the mountains of Patagonia and set out to climb El Capitan, a mountain in Yosemite National Park over 3,000 feet high, in a furious 150 minutes, a notion Alexander jokingly describes as "an assault against common sense." While featuring dazzling footage of the Huber brothers in action, To the Limit also offers an insight on the rivalry between the siblings and their passionate need to confront fellow climbers as well as nature itself. more..

Director: Pepe Danquart

Reviews

  • To The Limit is full of a lot of talk about "risk" and "dreams" and "making the impossible possible," and Danquart's stabs at making this an inspirational tale can be a little exhausting.

    Noel Murray - The A.V. Club

    20 January 2013

  • A visually breathtaking essay about daredevils hooked on the thrill of speed rock-climbing.

    - Variety

    20 January 2013

  • We're compelled to admire these athletes because, despite their obvious skill, they are in constant danger.

    Walter Addiego - The San Francisco Chronicle

    20 January 2013

  • Pepe Danquart's To the Limit from Germany looks great, but it's an altogether different animal.

    Lou Lumenick - New York Post

    20 January 2013

  • Daring enough to appeal to more than just the usual extreme-sports junkies.

    - Village Voice

    20 January 2013

Awards

  • Best Documentary (Dokumentarfilmpreis)

    Bavarian Film Awards (2008)

  • Pepe Danquart

    European Film Awards (2007)

     
  • Best Sound (Beste Tongestaltung)

    German Film Awards (2008)