The Last First: Winter K2 might as well be science fiction to me. Most documentaries of this sort are built to celebrate pushing the boundaries of human achievement. Where we boldly go where no man has gone before. The Last First stands tallest in that regard: because it perhaps sides with the sofa dweller watching this film, content with their lives that they don’t need to seek out this type of conquest.
In 2021, of the 14 eight thousander mountains only 1 had not been summitted in the winter: the dreaded K2. Known for treacherous ice climbs and hurricane winds, anyone attempting to be first had previously been met with disappointment, and if lucky, their lives back. The Last First looks at Icelander John Snorri, and Pakistan’s greatest climbers Ali and Sajid Sadpara, a father son celebrity duo as Snorri’s guide to the top. But as they’re slow prepping to be the first winter summiters, a couple non weather factors enter the picture. Nirmal Purja, Nims for short, is the Red Bull hot shot climber who goes hard and fast at these climbs, this last K2 being his world record attempt. And Seven Summit Treks (SST), sending a few dozen people, some prepped and ready and some post Covid rich people eager for a thrill of some kind.
Director Amir Bar-Lev does an excellent job setting the stakes. In 20 minutes, we know why no one has summitted K2 in winter, who the main players are, and why there is a rush to get to the top. Like films before it, that smart stakes setting gives the first half this propulsive but optimistic edge. Who’s gonna do it? On all sides, we have bitching and fighting: Hims wants to celebrate Nepal’s sherpas over propping up Westerners like John Snorri. There’s fears of “clipping” the ropes to make sure no one can follow the leader who can get all the glory. Then there’s the SST group, very online and looking for their latest Instagram Reel or TikTok to get their adrenaline fix, while the Sadparas, John, and Hims all worry some CEO is gonna take their life’s work.
Unlike other films like it, The Last First: Winter K2 resolves the first half conflict about 30ish minutes in. That’s because Bar-Lev’s REAL story is what follows. Once the “first” is gone, his doc turns this quest on its head. Why do certain people stay there? With the winter window fast closing, why do the unprepared SST travelers insist on continuing their ascent? What’s driving these people? And then it really starts to dawn on the audience: why are we only seeing some of the climbers talking heads? Why are “was” and “remembered” being used so often? The zest for living and optimism of the doc’s beginning slowly gets replaced like a cloud covering the sun. Everything looks a little darker and bleaker, and that propulsive early energy transforms into a more sinister darker force that consumes the film. Joy gets replaced by anger and sorrow, as those little tensions and concerns exponentially grow as the various climbers get closer to the mountain top. The final 10-20 minutes of talking heads reveal the consequences of boundary pushing as a lifestyle: at some point, life’s gonna push back, and push back too hard for your body to handle.
Many times I’ll see a friend finish a marathon, or a triathlon, or even an iron man on social media. I’ll congratulate them on their achievement, well deserved. But more than half under their breath say something like “don’t do it.” So if the couch potatoes like me want to feel a little better, watch The Last First: Winter K2 as a reminder why we are the way we are. And for the thrill seekers, this doc is a must watch: know your limits, and remember there’s always another mountain or new, safer goal to hit.