Climbing movies have to appeal to van-dwelling dirtbags and armchair alpinists alike, and no one is better than threading that needle than the guys behind聽the , Pete Mortimer and Josh Lowell. The two filmmakers聽founded聽the annual climbing film series in 2006, and it's since聽has helped catapult athletes like Alex Honnold, Ueli Steck, and the late Dean Potter to global renown.听
When Reel Rock鈥檚 10th edition premieres in Boulder, Colorado, on September 17, Mortimer and Lowell will unveil one of their most anticipated lineups yet: a sneak preview of a feature-length documentary on Tommy Caldwell鈥檚 and Kevin Jorgeson鈥檚 free climb of the Dawn Wall set to premiere next year; a tribute to Potter, who died in a BASE jumping crash in May; and a moving chronicle of Caldwell鈥檚 and Honnold鈥檚 in Patagonia,聽A Line Across the Sky.听

Mortimer, 41, and Lowell, 42 were climbing buddies at Colorado College in the mid-鈥90s, and each has gone on to found the two studios on the cutting edge of rock climbing films: and , respectively. Reel Rock began as a means of exhibiting their work but has grown into a cultural phenomenon. The tour now counts nearly 500 shows worldwide and will premiere on its seventh continent later this month with a free show in Antarctica.听
We spoke to Lowell and Mortimer from their homes in Pound Ridge, New York, and Boulder to find out how Reel Rock grew up so fast, glean some insight on this year鈥檚 films, and get their take on climbing鈥檚 rise to mainstream prominence.
OUTSIDE: Why do you think the tour has succeeded?
MORTIMER: We kind of see ourselves as that bridge between the core climbing world and the mainstream media. We鈥檙e climbers, we hang out with these guys, we鈥檙e on the inside, but we also come from a writing and film background and we鈥檙e more interested in making documentaries. Our growth鈥攆rom 40 or 50 shows our first year to 500 this year鈥攈as mirrored a lot of the growth in climbing.
Is there a story you鈥檙e most proud of telling?聽
LOWELL: Valley Uprising [a feature-length documentary on the history of climbing in Yosemite] was a huge step for us last year. Pete and [filmmaker Nick Rosen] spent five years researching it and collecting assets, and I spent a year editing it. That took it to another level as far as the intricacy of the storytelling and putting out a product that would have really broad appeal beyond rock climbers.
MORTIMER: I think Valley Uprising gets to the heart of the alternative lifestyle and the counterculture and community, just living this experiential life as opposed to a materialistic life. If I were talking to someone and said, 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to watch one of our movies,鈥 that would be the one.
In A Line Across the Sky, the guys are joking during the whole climb. It struck me as incredibly lighthearted given the danger. How did that come together?
MORTIMER: We heard about what Alex and Tommy were thinking of doing, but we didn鈥檛 really think they鈥檇 be able to pull it off. They got a camera and we were like, 鈥淪hoot as much as you can,鈥 because nobody can go shoot that with them. It was a Hail Mary. When Tommy brought over the footage after they got home, he was so apologetic, like, 鈥淲e botched it, man. The climbing was so hardcore we couldn鈥檛 pull out the camera.鈥 But the footage they brought back, to me, is the best stuff to watch. These guys did the most hardcore thing ever鈥攁 50-year, sought-out prize on Alex鈥檚 first alpine climb鈥攁nd they were just laughing the whole time. You can鈥檛 take climbing seriously after that.

LOWELL: It was hilarious going through their footage after the fact. They barely knew how to work the camera, and sometimes they forgot it was rolling. There was this one scene: They鈥檇 done the climb, and they called us and said, 鈥淗ey guys, we did the climb! We barely shot anything, though.鈥 We were like, 鈥淥kay, that鈥檚 great you did it. We want to send down a producer and let鈥檚 find a cameraman and figure out how to do pickup shots and get interviews.鈥 And we just heard crickets鈥攖hey didn鈥檛 even answer. Then later, I鈥檓 watching the footage and there鈥檚 this whole scene where Tommy and Alex are talking, and Alex is like, 鈥淒ude, did you get those emails from Pete and Josh?鈥 And Tommy鈥檚 like, 鈥淥h, yeah, I just ignored 鈥檈m.鈥 [Alex:]聽鈥淵eah, they said they wanted to send down a producer! I鈥檓 like, you guys can鈥檛 send down a producer!鈥 [Tommy:]聽鈥淵eah, I鈥檓 just going to ignore them and hope they disappear.鈥
It seems like Honnold鈥檚 personality really shines in that film as well as Showdown at Horseshoe Hell (a segment about a 24-hour climbing marathon in Arkansas, which is also premiering at Reel Rock). Do you remember your first impression of him?
MORTIMER: We met Alex seven or eight years ago on a North Face trip in the Czech Republic. He was completely, maniacally focused on climbing; almost unpleasant to be around. He didn鈥檛 want to talk, and he couldn鈥檛 stand waiting for people to finish breakfast, because he wasn鈥檛 getting out climbing soon enough. He would go into his room at night, close his door, and read climbing magazines. We did an interview with him, and he was such an asshole鈥攋ust an angry, mean, misanthropic kid. We were like, 鈥淒ude, you gotta lighten up a little.鈥 But through climbing he鈥檚 met all these amazing people, and he鈥檚 become this really smart, articulate, funny guy. He鈥檚 a one-in-a-billion person, not just athlete.听

How鈥檚 the Dawn Wall documentary coming?
MORTIMER: We鈥檝e started putting together the film on paper. It鈥檒l be a 90-minute feature that will go a lot more into Tommy鈥檚 biography and the relationship between him and Kevin [Jorgeson], and all this amazing stuff that went into achieving that climb. Tommy鈥檚 writing a book about his life right now, so we鈥檙e in our creative process and he鈥檚 in his, and we鈥檙e kind of helping each other.
What do you make of climbing鈥檚 rise in mainstream media coverage over the past year and just general growth overall?
LOWELL: I really enjoy seeing climbing treated with awe and respect. I think climbers deserve to be viewed as heroes and have their accomplishments recognized. It can come off as fear mongering and exploitative when everyone鈥檚 all about death defying thrill seekers. But when reporters and outlets take the time to explain what鈥檚 special about a climbing story, I get a kick out of it.