Marc-Andre Leclerc is the focus of a documentary on Netflix called The Alpinist. As a teenager and into his twenties he was an adventurous, nature-loving outdoorsman who became an alpinist. It was his skill and focus that drew attention to him, but also his boyish charm and why documentarians wanted to capture his story. As they followed him to document his ascents, there was a particularly daring one that he hadn’t told the filmmakers about and when they asked him after the fact, why with such an amazing feat, he didn’t let them know he was doing it, he gregariously responds that it wouldn’t be pure unless he was doing it alone: no cameras, no accompaniment. At this juncture in history, everything is documented, often to the detriment of the experience.

That’s in marked contrast to my recent read of Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air that documents his climb to the top of Mount Everest with several groups which led to tragedy on the mountain. Krakauer not only made it to the top but he survived. The origins of the trip were to document the ever-growing commercialization of climbing Mount Everest for a writing gig, but then became so much more with the tragedy and why Krakauer ended up writing a book about the experience. The commercialization is a fascinating element. If you made it to the summit, wouldn’t you want some evidence of the feat? Would you be content to look around or would you be grasping for a camera? In the book, one thing struck me and that was that there was never a chance to be alone for these climbers. From every camp they made it to as they trudged up the mountain, there were sherpas, guides, and partnerships to keep everyone safe and secure though Krakauer mentioned one man whose goal was to make it to the top alone after biking to Nepal. There are those that solo and those that don’t. Is one more dangerous than the other?

The documentary and book are riveting. Krakauer’s book had been on my list to read and after watching The Alpinist, it was time. Both were curious looks into a world I don’t have any direct experience with but showcase daring and adventure- though I have occasionally dappled in adventure, nothing to this extent for sure. It’s a phenomenal pairing, this documentary and the book, both of which I recommend especially for those of us in the Northeast in the depths of winter.