THE FUTURE OF CLIMBING
by Cédric Lachat and Guillaume Broust
“Everything is permitted as long as doing what we enjoy doesn’t destroy what allows us to do it.”
The real significance of “The Future of Climbing” is captured in the film’s final lines.
It’s not just another behind-the-scenes look at a route or a vlog showing a typical day in the life of Cedric Lachat, the protagonist and narrator.
Instead, it’s a documentary that truly delivers on the promise of its ambitious title, exploring — via a journey through the sport’s history, protagonists, and iconic sites — the dynamics that have so profoundly transformed climbing. It’s an invitation to greater awareness, addressed to those who are immersed in the world of crags and bouldering, but relevant to any outdoor enthusiast.
The narrative demonstrates a remarkable ability to introduce important topics with a sharp sense of irony, leaving the viewer to answer the questions the film poses. It’s certain to make an impression, presenting different points of view in a virtual roundtable discussion between athletes, professionals, and representatives of local organizations.
After winning 10 awards for best production at mountain film festivals, “The Future of Climbing,” directed by Guillaume Broust and distributed by L’endroit films, is now available for digital streaming.
“NOTHING HAS CHANGED, EXCEPT FOR EVERYTHING”
The theme of change appears right from the irreverent intro, in which Lachat, from inside his van, observes how outdoor climbing spaces have changed since he first started. While trad climbers often lay most of the blame on the indoor climbing boom, the threats to some of the world’s most iconic crags — from Fontainebleau and Meschia to Oliana and Yosemite National Park — extend the analysis to a bitter reflection on some of the community’s bad habits, such as a lack of respect for the surrounding area and a communication style that often emphasizes technical moves rather than the context of the climb."
"WHAT WILL THE FUTURE OF CLIMBING BE?"
And then there’s indoor climbing, which offers infinite technical possibilities and a deprofessionalization of climbing, where people climb for pleasure. Climbing gyms, which have exploded since the 1990s, represent a true lifestyle, a different manifestation of the same passion that brings millions of people to vertical walls for the simple joy of climbing.
In the journey the film presents, there are no dichotomies, just two sides of the same coin.
Not an exclamation point, but a question mark: what will the future of climbing be?
More than ever, the answer perhaps lies somewhere in the middle ..."
