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To the Limit
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Thirty-one pitches and 2,900 vertical feet climbed in just 2:45:45—watch as the über-strong Huber brothers (Alexander and Thomas) push themselves To the Limit ($29.95, firstrunfeatures.com) to set what in 2007 was then the speed record for the Nose of El Capitan. With breathtaking shots of Yosemite Valley and insightful interviews, the film highlights the brothers’ struggles on and off the rock, while also giving a unique take on their individual psyches. Although we often hear about the brothers as a single unit, To the Limit lets us know them as separate people, each with his own goals and fears.
The filmmakers don’t shy away from the ugly stuff either, portraying the Hubers not as superheroes, but as human as any climber: they meet failure just as often as success. But their battles also speak to the brothers’ undying vision and determination to succeed. As Dean Potter says in the film, “They aren’t trying to just beat someone, because that’s not really what we set out to do in this world. They are trying to find their peak, to discover their limits and what they’re made of.”
—Mike Adamson
