It takes a special person to climb mountains. It takes a special athlete to climb the world’s most dangerous mountains.
The Netflix documentary Race to the Summit tells the story of rival Swiss speed climbers Ueli Steck and Dani Arnold. They conquered some of the highest peaks in world record time. Like the magicians in the Christopher Nolan movie The Prestige, their exploits led to bickering, accusations, risky compulsions, and a tragic ending. Those who follow the extreme sport know how this all plays out. But for most of us, Race to the Summit is an educational and gripping examination of hypercompetitiveness.
For the layperson, speed climbing is self-explanatory. Alpinists, by themselves, scale a mountain as fast as they can. Steck and Arnold were dominant, often ascending without ropes and with minimal or no equipment. It’s perilous for obvious reasons. One slip, one mistake—even for the most experienced, can result in death. It’s just the climber racing against nature and the clock.
For so long, Steck was the king of the climbing community. Nicknamed “the Swiss Machine,” he set several speed records, most notably in the Alps. Race to the Summit paints a picture of a driven man who often seemed pensive and not entirely comfortable with his fame. But for many, he was the LeBron James of his sport, the most accomplished climber of his generation.
And like King James, Steck soon realized that there’s always someone younger coming after your throne.
Everything changed for Steck in 2011 when Arnold stunned the climbing world by reaching the summit of the Eiger North Face in 2 hours 22 minutes. That smashed Steck’s previous record of 2:47:33 set in 2008. Instead of being gracious, Steck knocked the accomplishment by pointing out that Arnold used rope during one part of his ascent. This feat started a rivalry as the climbers constantly tried to outdo each other.
This journey includes accusations of cheating by Steck which are never substantiated. This part of the documentary is particularly interesting because climbing isn’t a typical competition where there are live TV cameras everywhere recording every step of a journey to the summit. This information makes us wonder, but ultimately there are no conclusions.
Swiss journalist Mona Vetsch says in the documentary: “I believed him. But as a team, we were very divided. In the end, we concluded that only he knows whether he reached the summit or not.”
The accusations took a mental toll on Steck but didn’t slow him down. Rivalries are a necessary component of sports. They are easier to find in team sports. College football would not be as interesting without Ohio State vs. Michigan. College basketball needs Duke vs. North Carolina. The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics grudge match built the NBA that exists today.
Rivalries in individual sports are a little harder to come by. Steck vs. Arnold captivated the climbing community because you had these two distinct personalities (Arnold appeared to be a little more outgoing than Steck) competing in extreme environments.
Speed climbing is all about record-breaking. Race to the Summit raises the question: is the danger worth the risk? There is always going to be someone faster, stronger, and younger. How many will die trying to be the best in the world? How many will leave loved ones behind? Exactly numbers on fatalities are difficult to find, but on Mount Everest alone this year, there had already been ten climbing deaths as of May.
As one of the interviewees said, “It’s just a matter of statistics. If you don’t ever reach a stopping point, then it’s only inevitable that one day, it’s going to kill you.”
