Via Bearzi
October 25, 2008 – 7:26 pm
Via Bearzi
(Michael Bearzi)
Via Bearzi is the completion of a film envisioned by Michael Bearzi just before his untimely death in the Himalaya in 2002. Bearzi’s aim was to portray the essence of two-man alpine climbing up a new route on Gyachung Kang in Tibet, with partner Bruce Miller. “Alpine-style” climbers believe in earning their summits. Two climbers, without support or fixed camps, attempting remote, difficult routes. They risk everything against the elements, relying on experience, each other and their luck.
Using Mike’s video and a lifetime of stunning mountain still-photography, with the accounts of his climbing partners, friends Jeff Alzner and Brook Kirklin finished “Mike’s film.” The result is a portrait of a man attempting to realize a dream.
As an introduction, the film also documents two earlier alpine style climbs. In 1986, he and fellow Boulder, Colorado alpinist Eric Winkelman completed the first free ascent of Cerro Torre’s remote West Face. Alaska-based climber Dieter Klose also recounts numerous attempts on the possibly “un-climbable” Northwest Face of Devils Thumb, Alaska.
Compelling music provided by Gompo Dhundup and Jamyang Yeshi, with fellow Tibetan performers, from the CD’s The Tara Cafe Project and The Karma of Snowland. Courtesy of Karen McDiarmid. The Tara Café Project, Banff, Alberta, Canada, promotes the cultural continuity of Tibetan music. Live performances, recordings, and film documentation involving Tibetan artists, both inside Tibet and in exile, are supported.
Via Bearzi reflects the motivations, humor and ethics of a climber who left an impression on everyone he touched.
