Some rock faces loom so large, they dominate the surrounding landscape. Yosemite’s Dawn Wall and the Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru in the Himalayas are two such places.
A pair of documentaries that capture ascents of these natural wonders will fill the six-story screen at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX Theater during 7 p.m. screenings Jan. 24 and 25 (“Meru”) and Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 (“The Dawn Wall”).
“Meru” recounts a climbing team’s attempt to summit the Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru. Despite the abundance of dangerous pitfalls, Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk journeyed to India with just enough food to make it to the top. What was meant to be a seven-day trip to the summit turned into a 20-day odyssey in subzero temperatures.
Beaten back by a blizzard, the team’s first attempt failed. Undaunted, they returned three years later to attempt the gauntlet again.
A week after hosting “Meru,” the theater will feature “The Dawn Wall.”
For many climbers, Yosemite National Park holds a special significance as a place to push themselves harder and climb higher. That made the park an enticing venue for American rock climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson, who have sought new challenges since they first began scaling rock faces in their early teens.
The towering granite surface for which The Dawn Wall is named receives the first rays of sunlight in the park each day. It’s an almost glass-like surface that towers nearly 3,000 feet above the surrounding landscape.
“For Tommy Caldwell, The Dawn Wall was much more than just a climb, it was the culmination of a lifetime defined by overcoming obstacles,” reads a description on the film’s website.
Caldwell had been taken hostage by rebels in Kyrgystan and lost an index finger in an accident. Rather than being weighed down by these hardships, he focused his mind and body on a singular goal – conquering The Dawn Wall.
Both films are rated R for strong language. A cash bar with beer and wine will be available.
Tickets
Source: Tennessee Aquarium