Mountain of Storms, an Iconic Climbing Film, Turns 55
It was one of the first feature-length adventure films ever made and it documented a first ascent on Fitz Roy
In 1968, Yvon Chouinard, Doug Tompkins, Dick Dorworth, Chris Jones and Lito Tejada-Flores left Northern California en route to climb Cerro Fitz Roy in Patagonia. It was a trip full of surfing, skiing and climbing.
The crew filmed their exploits on a 16 mm Bolex camera and put their footage into a film called Mountain of Storms that was released the following year. From Ventura to a first ascent on Cerro Fitz Roy, with a stop for sand skiing and other adventures, the film was one of the first adventure documentaries ever made.
Mountain of Storms served as the mythological origin story behind the Patagonia name and philosophy, and informed a founding principle that would come to dominate the climbers’ lives for the next five decades: what’s important isn’t what you accomplished, it’s how you got there.
Chouinard famously said, “Real adventure is defined best as a journey from which you may not come back alive, and certainly not as the same person.” The full film was released by Patagonia a few years ago, watch below.
Mountain of Storms
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