Who is this elusive Marc-André Leclerc?
When filmmakers Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen (of Reel Rock) first heard of the 23-year-old Canadian climber known for making some of the boldest solo alpine ascents, their curiosity got the best of them and ignited a desire to seek out and meet Marc-André. Who wouldn’t want to meet someone who climbs dangerous terrain with no rope or margin for error?
“There was no big plan from the beginning,” Rosen mentions. “Early on, sitting with Mark, talking to him, Pete and I were determined to follow him and do a big project with him.”
Thank goodness for filmmaker curiosity, as the meeting brought forth the duo’s latest documentary The Alpinist, an intimate documentary of a visionary climber who follows the path of his own passion. What makes the subject interesting beyond just Leclerc’s solo climbing abilities is his normalization of living a nomadic, publicity-shy existence — he doesn’t even own a phone.
All of this provided plenty of frustration for the filmmakers trying to capture the young legend, even forcing them to become part of their own documentary.
Mortimer explains how a year into filming they struggled to capture Leclerc and were frustrated when they heard about ascents after the fact.
“By putting ourselves into the film, we added that aspect of Marc and his personality,” Mortimer explains. “If he’s not there, you can’t get it. That was where we figured the meta-story was helping understand the character.”
Along with putting themselves into the narrative of the film, Mortimer and Rosen had to shoot footage that would make it into the cut.
Throughout The Alpinist, the filmmakers shot several friends and family members speaking about Leclerc’s life and his personality. Combined with the somewhat shy Leclerc, the viewer can see the personality form and, as frustrating as it may have been for the filmmakers, why he would suddenly up-and-go on an ascent.
In fact, they were surprised to learn of an incredible solo ascent up Mount Robson, which stretches 13,000 feet. Its strenuous pitches of exposed ice and rapidly shifting conditions are known to catch climbers off-guard. After confessing to the filmmakers that he made the arduous climb, he was willing to go a second time, now with a camera crew in tow.
It’s this innocence of sharing his passion and wanting to embrace the satisfaction of a true solo climb that makes Leclerc so wonderous to follow.
For his next big climb up Patagonia’s Torre Egger, Leclerc allowed Mortimer and Rosen’s crew to get a little closer, allowing friends to manage the equipment.
“From the cameramen to the riggers, nearly everyone we brought in was one of his climbing partners. So it felt like he was just out having fun with his buddies,” says Mortimer. “It’s one of the foundations of the way we make films: It’s about the climber, not about you.”
One of the other challenges in creating a documentary about this subject was not knowing when or how it would end.
“It was more difficult that we didn’t know when the story ends,” Mortimer admits. “We weren’t prepared to make an epic story about failure on The Dawn Wall (Rosen and Mortimer’s 2017 documentary about two climbers ascending a 3,000-foot rock face). When does the story stop with this one?”
Rosen adds, “Every film is different, every story is different. For Valley Uprising (Rosen and Mortimer’s 2014 documentary about counter-culture in Yosemite National Park), we look at the scope of a 50-year history and we can map that out using archival footage and interviews — that’s a different process.”
With The Alpinist, the filmmakers went into it more open-ended than they usually do. They recognized they had a great subject matter who was primed to do some incredible climbs. They thought Leclerc was a loveable character and wondered if people would get him. As they cut scenes together and showed it around, they found an engaged audience and knew they had a character the audience was going to love.
“It left us unconfident — not knowing where it’s going — but confident we had something amazing,” Rosen says.
For someone who was accomplishing incredible solo feats, it was startling how few climbers knew about him.
“Climbers do not know about Marc,” Mortimer says. “If you went to a climbing gym two months ago, 90 percent of the people wouldn’t know his name, so I think that feeling of not knowing about this guy, as a filmmaker that feels special. We were in the know. We got to share him with you and spend time with Marc.”
For those interested in pursuing documentary filmmaking, they recommend following someone like that: a compelling character willing to give their time and their story. The fact that Leclerc wasn’t media trained only added to the charm and engagement because he was constantly off-script.
“If you have a good character and you think you have a good story, there’s nothing standing in your way,” Mortimer says. “iPhones have really good cameras. Whatever tools you have, start making it.”
Even though Leclerc was willing to give his time for the documentary, he came with his own difficulties, especially his lack of communication. Mortimer and Rosen stress patience in the process. They even had to ask their subject his thoughts on how filming was going and why he wasn’t giving them more access.
“We were open to communicating our goals and that we wanted more access and we wanted to be there. He was trusting his gut on when he wanted us there, when he didn’t, and what felt right to him. We just had to roll with the punches,” says Mortimer.
Despite everything, Leclerc did want to share his story and the mountains he was passionate about, as well as the climbing discipline he mastered and The Alpinist takes a look into this dangerous world that so many are unfamiliar with.
The Alpinist opens in theaters on September 10, 2021, following a September 7 nationwide Fathom Events premiere.