Related Films

The Lifer

2020 • 16 min • Mike Call

Subject in Attendance

Russ Clune is an integral part of climbing’s humble beginnings in America. Recently Black Diamond Athlete Sam Elias paid Clune a visit at his home in upstate New York, where he sampled the historic routes of the past, and attempted a rare ascent of the new-school trad testpiece: Brozone (5.14b). But perhaps the most important thing Sam walked away with, amid all the climbing history lessons, and constant, often hilarious, Clune cliff-banter, was an intimate view into the soul of a man who has dedicated his entire life to climbing.

Annapurna '78

2022 • USA • 8 min • Jim Aikman

Arlene Blum led the groundbreaking first American and first all-female ascent of Annapurna in 1978. Despite dangerous avalanches and tumultuous conditions, the team was determined to prove that “A Woman’s Place Is On Top.” And though they surely did, this groundbreaking ascent is also laced with tragedy. In this installment of the AAC’s Legacy Series, Arlene reflects on the triumphs and tragedy of their ‘78 ascent of Annapurna.

Can't

2024 • United States • 11 min • Brody Kuhar

Michigan Premiere

In 2021, a tragic car accident left Veranique (or V, as she’s known at Rox) paralyzed from the waist down. After a long stint in the hospital and multiple surgeries, doctors told Varanique she would never walk again. While this news would reshape her life, it wouldn’t alter her vibrant spirit. Veranique knew the key to living a full life rested in her mindset. In 2022, V set out to find a job, landing at Memphis Rox, a climbing gym in South Memphis. Witnessing climbing for the first time, she thought the gym would keep her behind the front desk — that she couldn’t participate in the sport. Until she did. Surrounded by community, Veranique is now a regular climber with a philosophy on and off the wall that the sky’s the limit.