Bozeman Man Persues Distant Peak in New Documentary Film

I want to climb a mountain about as much as a dog wants fleas, but an excellent documentary like Meru at least gives the indolent viewer an idea of why climbers go in for this grueling activity in the first place, while allowing we sloths the chance to experience the chill, the trench foot, the sharp rocks, and sleepless nights vicariously as a warning to never try the exercise ourselves.

Meru features Bozeman resident Conrad Anker, one of the world's most skilled climbers, an Outside cover subject and crazed seeker of peak triumphs. His goal in the first half of Meru is to climb the Indian mountain's Shark's Fin route, located 21,000 feet above the source of the Ganges, and an especially difficult trek that requires three skills, like an insane Olympic winter sport: ice climbing, rock climbing, and wall climbing. So difficult was the task that as of 2008 no one had succeeded. That's when Mr. Anker and two friends, National Geographic photographer Jimmy Chin and photographer and editor Renan Ozturk endeavored to set a world record.

Naturally, disaster looms. What was to be a 10-day event stretched weeks longer, with a depletion of food, energy, and willpower. It's not spoiling anything to say that this attempt failed. But as Mr. Chin says in the film, great mountain climbers have bad memories, and though after they were airlifted from the base camp in wheelchairs, and vowing to never test the mountain's patience again, within the year they had forgotten their depravations and were eagerly planning a revisit – especially given that nobody else had succeeding at the climb.

Ridiculous disasters intervened. Mr. Chin survived a near-fatal avalanche near Jackson Hole, Wyo., leading to what could be interpreted as a nervous breakdown, while during the same photo shoot event, Mr. Ozturk cracked open his skull in a skiing accident. A period of recovery later, though, both are still raring to go back to Mount Meru. Whether they succeed on their second attempt awaits the viewer's discovery.

Co-directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi explore the personal lives and motivations of the climbers. Mr. Chin comes across as something of a loner, while Mr. Ozturk is the most mysterious, determined to dominate his disabilities and work with the team. Mr. Anker is the pilot of some 17 climbs, including a trek that resulted in the discovery of George Malory's cadaver on Mount Everest. The film explores his complicated private life and noble ambitions, and writer Jon Krakauer is on hand to explain the allure of climbing in general and the Shark's Fin in particular. A host of photographers capture the sublime majesty of the Himalayas and GoPro cameras put the viewer right in the action, such as when the trio rest precariously in a tent glued to the wall of a precipice. Meru is a terrific experience, one that most of us are happy to enjoy at second hand. Look for it at a theater near you, or when it comes to the video shop or streaming service near you.