Climbing Site

Tom Long Film Review: ‘North Face’ — GRADE: B

The loony-to-the-rest-of-us sport of mountain climbing is a natural for film. It involves majestic natural beauty, primal fears, inherent danger and so many camera angle possibilities that directors must squeal with glee.

Director Phillipp Stolzl goes a step further with the alarming “North Face,” placing his mountain epic in the distinct historical context of pre-World War II Germany and juxtaposing the terrifying tale of four climbers with the posh, spoiled lives of those following them through telescopes as they attempt the seemingly impossible.

Based on a true story, “North Face” follows two German Alpine climbers in 1936 who decide to take on the unconquered north face of Eiger mountain. It’s just before the Olympics come to Germany and the Nazi regime is hoping some homeland heroes will climb the Eiger, giving Germany a big boost just as the competition begins.

The candidates seem to be a couple of mountain boys serving in the Nazi Army, the stoic Toni Kurz (Benno Furmann) and playful Andreas Hinterstoisser (Florian Lukas), climbing buddies since they were kids.

The idea is first suggested to them by Luise Fellner (Johanna Wokalek from “The Bader Meinhoff Complex”), another childhood friend turned fledgling photographer for a newspaper in Berlin. After much trepidation on Toni’s part, the two resign from the military and set out to conquer the mountain.

Toni and Andreas begin their climb in the middle of the night, and soon discover that an Austrian team, Edi Rainier (Georg Freidrich) and Willy Angerer (Simon Schwarz), is following directly behind them. This soon proves to be a very, very bad idea, and eventually the four have to team up just to survive.

Their brutal, costly battle with the elements and the rock is enough to give anyone shivers, but Stolzl wisely shows the oblivious party atmosphere going on among the observers sleeping safe in their warm rooms down below. Only Luise fully senses the horror show going on above.

“North Face” is something of an old-fashioned epic shot with modern wisdom and technique, a man vs. nature flick that also weighs the importance of the individual vs. the social while exposing the mean cost of vicarious thrills. What it doesn’t do is make you want to go out and climb a mountain. And that’s probably just as well.

ST. CATHERINE, Egypt – In the Bible, Moses climbs Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments.

But he was the chosen one, and I am a mere mortal. Divine intervention seemed unlikely as I stood at the base of the mountain, chilled to the bone at 2 a.m., with only the faint light from a spattering of stars and sliver of moon on the dark rocky terrain.

I’d decided to head to the fabled mountain peak while frolicking in the sun in the azure waters of the Red Sea, where the temperatures were warm and balmy. I would retrace Moses’ footsteps on a hike to witness the sunrise from the summit. If Moses could do it, why couldn’t I?

But once I arrived for this overnight trek, sleepless and in temperatures that felt like North American winter, I wasn’t so sure.

Then out popped our guide, a sprightly young Egyptian man with a yellow-toothed grin. He was dressed in little more than a galabeya, the traditional long men’s shirt, while I felt cold wearing almost all the clothing I brought with me on my trip, including a borrowed jacket and my woolliest socks from Canada, where I live. His garment billowed in the wind as he led me and a group of travelers from around the world up to the summit.

As we began our ascent up the 7,500-foot mountain (2,285 meters), I searched the black sky for a glimpse of our endpoint. But the only thing visible to me was my vaporous breath and what appeared to be the shadows of camels lumbering up the mountain. I wondered for a moment if I was hallucinating.

We followed in step with our guide as he led us through the darkness, up the winding trail, over granite crags and slippery rocks. I’m not religious, but the irony of the moment hit me: I’d literally put all my faith in this man I’d just met.

For others on the hike, the expedition had deep religious significance. The Bible says this is where God gave Moses two stone tablets inscribed with the commandments. Moses received these laws after leading the Jews out of slavery in Egypt, a story that is retold during the Jewish holiday of Passover, which begins this year at sundown March 29. But Sinai is an important site for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, and every night, hundreds of pilgrims make the climb.

There are two routes for the 4.3-mile (7 km) round trip: The camel path, which was our route, or a steeper, more direct route of some 3,750 stairs to the top, sometimes referred to as “God’s Stairmaster.”

For me, the camel route was challenging enough. I could feel my heart pounding through layers of clothes, and the sweat trickling on my forehead felt like a fever chill. The Bible says Moses made two sojourns here to receive the tablets, spending 40 days on the mountain each time, but we would be up and down in 4 1/2 hours.

The sanctity of the hike was disrupted by scores of other hikers vying to reach the top quickly to mark their spot to watch the sunrise, and the constant calls of, “Camel ride, camel ride” from Egyptian entrepreneurs. But I preferred following the guide on foot rather than trusting a camel on the messy, pebbly trail.

The hours rolled into each other. At about 5 a.m., the sky began its slow transformation, turning from black to shades of gray, our cue to get to the top, where the sun could be seen slowly rising. Our guide stopped short of the final ascent; we were to lead ourselves up the last 750 rocky steps to the summit.

As we climbed the last bit, stone silhouettes began to form in the distance. The summit appeared to be blanketed with mummified people tucked in sleeping bags and camel blankets. The wind was treacherous; my fingers were too frozen to unzip my sleeping bag. I took my spot on a jagged piece of rock face, too cold to do much except pray for the warmth of the sun. My prayers were answered slowly as a dusty orange light filtered through the sky.

As the sun came into view, a group of Romanian pilgrims broke into a hymn. Their booming voices provided an almost eerie soundtrack to the sunrise. The rest of us stared quietly across the Sinai desert as the light began to cast a warm glow, unveiling rocky peaks all around us. The mountains turned crimson, gold and orange, and I felt my spirits lifting with the heat of the sun.

I almost expected the Romanians to start singing “Hallelujah.” They didn’t, but I did, in my head.

___

If You Go…

MOUNT SINAI, EGYPT: Mount Sinai can be reached from the Red Sea resort towns of Dahab and Sharm El Sheik (about 1.5 to 2 hours by car to the mountain).

TOURS: You can easily join or organize tours from either of these resort towns or hire a taxi to drive you out and wait for you (about $75 or 400-500 Egyptian pounds). If you don’t go with a tour, you can hire a local guide when you arrive for a few U.S. dollars. Expeditions to Sinai can also be arranged from Israel.

TIPS: Most hikes take place in early afternoon to reach the peak for sunset, or more often, in early morning for sunrise, which means you’ll be jostling for place at the summit due to the sheer number of like-minded hikers. Bring a sleeping bag and/or blanket to keep warm at the summit and layer your clothing so you can easily add or remove items as you heat up and cool down. Wear trekking shoes if you can, as it’s easy to lose your footing in the dark and on the rocky trail.

NEARBY ATTRACTION: St. Catherine’s Monastery, at the base of the mountain, houses a pictorial story of Moses and a large bush that believers identify as the Burning Bush from the Bible.

TISHOMINGO, Okla.
– Oklahoma Gas and Electric officials said a pole climbing bobcat is to blame for a power outage in southern Oklahoma OG&E spokesman Brian Alford said repair crews found the smoldering body of the bobcat Tuesday at the top of a utility pole in Johnston County. The power outage left about 3,100 customers without power about 9:30 p.m. and power was restored about 10:45 p.m.

Alford said squirrels, snakes and small rodents have caused outages in the past — but this is the first time he’s heard of a bobcat causing an outage.

He said crews believe the bobcat climbed the utility pole and then touched two power lines at the same time.

In the Bible, Moses climbs Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments.

But he was the chosen one, and I am a mere mortal. Divine intervention seemed unlikely as I stood at the base of the mountain, chilled to the bone at 2 a.m., with only the faint light from a spattering of stars and sliver of moon on the dark rocky terrain.

I’d decided to head to the fabled mountain peak while frolicking in the sun in the azure waters of the Red Sea, where the temperatures were warm and balmy. I would retrace Moses’ footsteps on a hike to witness the sunrise from the summit. If Moses could do it, why couldn’t I?

But once I arrived for this overnight trek, sleepless and in temperatures that felt like North American winter, I wasn’t so sure.

Then out popped our guide, a sprightly young Egyptian man with a yellow-toothed grin. He was dressed in little more than a galabeya, the traditional long men’s shirt, while I felt cold wearing almost all the clothing I brought with me on my trip, including a borrowed jacket and my woolliest socks from Canada, where I live. His garment billowed in the wind as he led me and a group of travelers from around the world up to the summit.

As we began our ascent up the 7,500-foot mountain (2,285 meters), I searched the black sky for a glimpse of our endpoint. But the only thing visible to me was my vaporous breath and what appeared to be the shadows of camels lumbering up the mountain. I wondered for a moment if I was hallucinating.

We followed in step with our guide as he led us through the darkness, up the winding trail, over granite crags and slippery rocks. I’m not religious, but the irony of the moment hit me: I’d literally put all my faith in this man I’d just met.

For others on the hike, the expedition had deep religious significance. The Bible says this is where God gave Moses two stone tablets inscribed with the commandments. Moses received these laws after leading the Jews out of slavery in Egypt, a story that is retold during the Jewish holiday of Passover, which begins this year at sundown March 29. But Sinai is an important site for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, and every night, hundreds of pilgrims make the climb.

The man rescued near Berthoud Pass Wednesday spent the previous night moving around and climbing up and down a tree to stay warm, according to Grand County Search and Rescue officials.

Guang Ming Lang, a 26-year-old Chinese citizen who speaks limited English and is a graduate student at University of Michigan, “left the top of Berthoud Pass at 6:30 p.m. (Tuesday) with no snow travel equipment, no food, no water, no map or compass, no light source and wearing light-weight clothing and low-cut boots,” according to information provided by GCSAR.

The organization was paged at 10:51 p.m. Tuesday and located Lang after he managed to walk out to US Highway 40 on the west side of the Pass, where he was picked up by a passing motorist who dropped him off when he came upon a GCSAR vehicle parked at the Current Creek trailhead. That was at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Avalanche danger in the Berthoud area was “considerable,” according to the Colorado avalanche information center, which said human-triggered slides were probable.

Lang had just arrived in Colorado with two traveling companions and was bound for Winter Park on vacation. When they arrived at the top of Berthoud Pass he decided to try and climb Colorado Mines Peak.

Lang said that he spent most of the night traveling and was afraid to lay down because he thought that would lower his heart rate and he would not survive.

He was suffering from mild hypothermia and probably had some frostbite on his feet. He was transported to 7 Mile Clinic in Winter Park by ambulance.

Searchers had tracked him to the top of Colorado Mines Peak before losing his tracks on hard, windblown snow and rock. A search team was stationed at the top of the peak through the night in the hopes that Lang would return to the summit.

During the search, two members of Alpine Rescue Team were caught briefly in an avalanche in the Floral Park area. They were not injured, but it was a tense moment for the search crew.