A New Way Up shows two mountaineers combining climbing and paragliding in a novel way on a previously unsummited Karakoram peak.
Fabi Buhl is a German climber, Will Sim is a British alpinist, and Jake Holland, a pilot and filmmaker, is the narrator. The itinerary integrates all their skill sets.
Fabi Buhl, left, and Will Sim debate the merits of every kilogram of weight in equipment. Photo: Screenshot
Buhl and Sim are shown going over equipment, comparing different clips, carefully weighing gear, and debating every detail. Their expertise and careful planning are on display.
Gulmit Tower rises 5,801m to form a rectangular jut of granite, powdered with snow. Previous attempts to reach the summit have been unsuccessful. Those earlier attempts all approached from the opposite side, from Gulmit village. As Holland lays out, their expedition will attempt it from the south side by paragliding onto the tower and then climbing the final stretch.
Gulmit Tower. Photo: Screenshot
A comfortable base
The expedition based itself in the green and comfortable town of Karimabad rather than a freezing tent camp. If the paragliding is successful, it will turn a strenuous hike of many days into an hour-long flight. But once in the air, they are at the mercy of the weather.
Karimabad, in the Hunza Valley. Photo: Screenshot
The flight is tense, as winds change in a moment and separate the three paragliders. This time, though, they were lucky and managed to reunite on the mountainside despite the fluctuating thermal. And just like that, they’ve skipped not only the drudge hike but the first two-thirds of the mountain. They make camp while dramatic drone footage emphasizes the remote location they’ve reached after only an hour of travel.
Before dawn, making the final climb to the top of the tower. Photo: Screenshot
This is still a climbing expedition, and they’re up before dawn, ready to make their way to the summit. Voiceover is minimal as Will and Fabi, appearing as tiny dots on a sheer face, inch up the tower as Holland tracks their progress.
Around noon, they reach the summit. Fabi and Will seem struck by the surreality of their approach. “Twenty-four hours to climb basically a 6,000m mountain…starting at 2,500m in a hotel, without a helicopter,” Will says.
“It’s pretty crazy,” laughs Fabi.
Barely visible in the upper center of the photo, Fabi and Will make their way up Gulmit Tower. Photo: Screenshot
A new era?
From the summit, they return down to the tent, don their wings, and prepare to take off. The danger, however, is being unable to get off the mountain. While Jake and Will make it to the hotel, the wind changes and leaves Fabi stuck in the Gulmit basin and alone on the glacier.
After hours and many attempts to take off, Fabi manages to get airborne and successfully lands, but his perilous situation reminds us that their novel technique has its downside.
The film ends on a triumphant note, as the trio enjoy the amenities of their hotel only hours after being the first to summit Gulmit Tower. Whether their “new way up” has the potential to change exploratory high-altitude alpinism is up to the viewer.
