As the title suggests, Behind the Climb brings viewers behind the scenes with Colin Haley and Tyler Karow as they take on the Southeast Ridge of Cerro Torre. Colin Haley has tried the route, which he calls a modern classic, three times already without success. He hopes that by teaming up with Tyler Karow, the fourth time will be the charm.
As the short film opens, Haley introduces us to the route in voiceover, while on-screen, he and Karow make the approach, crossing ice fields and fording streams. The route is divided into three main sections: the Haston Crack, Ice Towers, and Headwall. Haley was turned back twice by bad weather on the Ice Towers; neither of them has finished the Headwall.
The Headwall section of Cerro Torre. Photo: Screenshot
The attempt
Hoping to catch the Ice Towers still frozen and the Headwall still warmed by the sun, they wake up so early that the sun hasn’t actually finished setting yet. At that point, it seems more accurate to say that they took an evening nap and then climbed through the night.
Interspersed with clips of climbing, Haley and Karow review the footage, sharing the little logistical details and impressions of the climb. The Ice Towers, which Karow recalls attempting many years ago, have changed since he last encountered them. Once, as the name implies, thick with ice, much of it has now melted. “In another ten years,” Karow predicts, they will “look drastically different.”
Ice or no, they complete the second section. This time, the weather cooperates. Haley takes over for the final section, the dastardly Headwall which has repeatedly eluded him. The climbing itself is going well, but melting snow above is making the rock run with water. This, he admits, is a significant disadvantage to their carefully timed plan.
Photo: Screenshot
Despite the wet holds, Haley makes good progress. With only a few pitches to go, the self-described pessimist Haley admits that he finally thinks they’ll make it to the top. When he does finally reach the summit, grinning widely at the camera, voiceover reveals he has already started worrying about the descent.
Keeping with the promise to go behind the scenes, the video doesn’t stop at the summit, where they stand victoriously and admire the views. We follow the pair as they rappel down.
At the bottom, when asked how they feel about the adventure, both men reply simply that their hands hurt. Not all of us can be poets.
