Solo (1972)

There is some really impressive camerawork from climbers Mike Hoover and Tom Cochrane here as the former is seen to meticulously, and somewhat perilously, ascend some sheer rock faces using only his ropes, pitons and his own strength. It’s a slow process much of the time with the sedimentary rocks as likely to flake away leaving him dangling and bruised as they are to sustain his body weight, and some of this precariously-shot photography does make his determination and patience quite compelling to watch. To lighten the mood, there is also a little more frivolity as he gambols, hare-like, across the snow and by the end it goes some way to illustrating just how skilful these men were across some fairly unforgiving terrain in all weathers.