Valley Uprising

I am so glad I saw Valley Uprising before seeing Free Solo as I think it adds to the appreciation of how each accomplishment builds one on top of another.

Fascinating to see how a bunch of hobos learned to climb with minimal equipment back in the 50's. Great to see how throughout the years climbing became a real focus. A must watch.

Maybe since I've known Royal and Liz Robbins for over 40 years, you may think I am biased. But this is unquestionably the best documentary of the Yosemite climbing experience I've ever seen. Great filming, commentary, and wonderful sense of humor through it all. The characterizations of these climbers was excellent. We learn who some of the significant climbers are, their motivations and aspirations to accomplish what no one has ever done before. Just when we think those glorious climbers of the Golden Age have done all that can be done, then along comes the Stonemasters of the 1970s and the StoneMonkeys since the late 1990's. These climbers demonstrate a unique ability to conduct a true Uprising while continuing to hold sacred the idea that we are in charge of our own destiny and that Yosemite is a diamond worth preserving. For a startup, Sender Films has set a new standard of its own. Congratulations!

Super extensive documentary on the evolution of the Yosemite climbing community. Great film. My only criticism was that they skipped from the end of the Stone Masters era to the emergence of the Stone Monkeys in the late 90's and 2000's. I started climbing in 1991 and there was quite a bit being done to elevate hard standards in the late 80's and early 90's by the likes of Croft, Osman, Suzuki, Skinner, Piana and more but they moved past this era in the film. It was maybe not a particularly "dramatic" era in climbing history but that was where the sport really became "mainstream", if you can call it that, which is definitely historically significant.

Wow what a great documentary and movie. Educational and inspiring.