Yosemite’s rebel climbers lived in caves, dodged park rangers, and sold weed from a crashed plane to fund their death-defying climbs.
I found this one in Philip Sledge’s list of “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible And 10 Other Great Adventure Documentaries To Watch Streaming”.
Trailer for “Valley Uprising”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- In 1980, a plane full of marijuana crashed near Yosemite. Climbers found the plane, took the weed, and sold it. Some made enough money to buy cars, food, and climbing gear.
- In the 1970s, climbers lived illegally in Yosemite National Park. They didn’t want jobs. They just wanted to climb all day.
- Early Yosemite climbers stole rope from the phone company. They used it to climb cliffs hundreds of feet high, even though the rope wasn’t made for climbing.
Watch “Valley Uprising”
Watch “Valley Uprising” on Amazon Prime or Fubo.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 91/100
- IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 90/100 (Users); not yet rated (Critics)
Director’s Note: This 103-minute documentary was directed by Peter Mortimer, Nick Rosen, and Josh Lowell. It was produced by Sender Films and Big UP Productions, with support from The North Face and Clif Bar. Actor Peter Sarsgaard narrates the story.
Release Date: 2014. It made its Discovery Channel television premiere on April 25, 2015, as part of the network’s Elevation Weekend.
Other Unique Stuff
- In 1958, Warren Harding and his team became the first to climb El Capitan’s 3,000-foot Nose route. It took them 47 days of climbing spread over 18 months!
- In 1993, Lynn Hill became the first person to free-climb El Capitan’s Nose, using ropes only for safety. It took her four days. A year later, she did it in less than 24 hours.
- In 2012, Alex Honnold climbed three huge Yosemite rock faces—Mount Watkins, El Capitan, and Half Dome—in a single day. He climbed much of the way without ropes, where one wrong move could mean death.
Wrap Up:
“Valley Uprising” might be my favorite climbing documentary because the stories off the rock are nearly as crazy as the climbs themselves. If you liked “Free Solo” but want more wild characters, rivalries, and outlaw history, this is a must-watch.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc