THE STORY – The race to grab the last great prize in mountaineering, K2 in winter, left five dead. It exposed deep fault lines in alpinism today: pressures from commercialization, toxic effects of social media, and long-brewing tensions between those who’ve been marginalized and those who’ve always basked in the sport’s glory.
THE CAST – N/A
THE TEAM – Amir Bar-Lev (Director)
THE RUNNING TIME – 98 Minutes
Terror and negligence define the opening moments of Amir Bar-Lev’s “The Last First: Winter K2.” Located along the Pakistan-China border in the Karakoram Range and nicknamed “The Savage Mountain,” K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth. Several mountaineers, sports journalists, athletes, filmmakers, and influencers had been eyeing K2 for years. It was the last big achievement in the climbing scene. It was the summit that had never been conquered, hence being called “the last first.” There was a fatal attraction to the thrill that this mountain carried. In 2021, a group of climbers attempted to become the first to reach K2 during the wintertime, its deadliest season. As harsh winds, blue ice, and freezing temperatures intensified, climbers’ bodies deteriorated faster than they could recover. Drawing on footage from various cameras, walkie-talkie recordings, and talking-head interviews, Bar-Lev’s documentary chronicles a historical disaster that was doomed from the start. This all makes for riveting subject matter, and while a gripping experience to watch unfold, some of the climbers’ compelling stories get left behind.
“The Last First: Winter K2” introduces us to the climbing world initially from a personal perspective. Two months before the K2 climb, Icelandic extreme mountaineer John Snorri Sigurjónsson is asked if he thinks about death. John responds that death is naturally very close when he embarks on a trip like the one to K2. He just hopes to be able to stand upright and even feel proud, if faced with such a moment. As described by John’s wife, Lina Moey, mountaineering fulfills his need to live on the edge and escape the norm. Through this perspective, it becomes clear that the danger of descending a mountain is no match for the thrill of chasing its peak.
There’s a sense of team spirit and cooperation when we first reach K2. John arrives with two climbing companions: Ali and Sajid Sadpara, a father-and-son duo from Pakistan who bring high-altitude experience. Footage of their camaraderie offers admirable insight into the genuine appeal of this sport and the stamina required to endure it. They are a picture of resilience, speaking to the documentary’s core theme of survival. As the trio spends a few weeks setting up base camp and laying the groundwork, they lay the groundwork for a safe trek. All seemingly goes well until the arrival of Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal “Nims” Purja. Nicknamed the Himalayan rockstar, Nims is known in the community for his unconventional methods of breaking summit-climbing records. One example noted is his use of helicopters to fly between base camps. Nims arrives on K2 with a full crew, including cameraman Sandro Gromen-Hayes, who reveals in a retrospective interview that some people on the mountain wished Nims were not there.
The inclusion of Nims opens an intriguing, necessary dialogue around increasingly nationalistic climb strategies and individual goals. At the core are the Nepalese mountaineers, who believe that becoming the first to reach the K2 summit in winter would be a victory for their country. Bar-Lev draws on their perspective to show racial disparity in the mountaineering industry, highlighting that white climbers are far more celebrated and represented in media coverage of expedition achievements. This dialogue becomes integral to the documentary’s balance of portraying climbing as both an independent and collective venture. We see effective observations on how it’s a sport driven by self-motivation, but also greatly impacted and pressurized in a group setting. For instance, the climb becomes commercialized by an expedition company called Seven Summit Treks, which sends a handful of inexperienced participants to K2. With so many people on the mountain, some better equipped than others, competition intensifies, and safety precautions are compromised.
The documentary does a decent job of covering multiple perspectives to show the scope of the K2 disaster, from the ground level to its international reach. The overall structure, while oddly pedestrian for a story of such extreme subject matter, allows the viewer to trace clear lines of accountability. It’s easy to follow the trail of negligence to corporate and government interests that place more value on success than human needs. Seven Summit Treks sending clients up a mountain without enough tents, food, or supplies leads to widespread exhaustion, with devastating ripple effects on their clientele and far beyond. With this revelation comes another shift. After the first of five deaths on the mountain, Pakistani military officials arrive. The majority of climbers want to return home. Adventure filmmaker Elia Saikaly, who had been observing from the outside in (through floating-head interview footage), sees an opportunity for a story about an underdog. Saikaly arrives on K2 with a pitch to the military: he will tell a Pakistani story and help raise Ali as their mountain star. The intense pressure placed on Ali to succeed ultimately encourages the other climbers to stay and continue their journeys, but it also brings new consequences.
While the documentary has plenty of coverage on several people’s stories, the competing narratives shift the focus too swiftly. There’s a missed opportunity to approach certain subjects more thoughtfully. For instance, the image of Ali as a national hero for Pakistan and the relationship with his son go largely unexplored. Additionally, Saikaly’s efforts to make a film from Ali Sadpara’s perspective leave the viewer wanting more from that storytelling angle. However, the documentary excels at unearthing several layers of urgency, interrogating the failures that led to the K2 disaster, and letting harrowing footage speak for itself. Bar-Lev’s direction immerses us in the vast, haunting environment and makes strong use of archive material, resulting in some unforgettably painful imagery. Ultimately, “The Last First: Winter K2” resonates as a complex story of human resilience, accountability, and survival.
