Torn is about dealing with loss and the bonds of family. Please do make sure to check out this new and special documentary.
In our formative climbing years certain people stood out. This was often due to their skills and presence, but with others it was as much due to their obvious pure love for climbing. Sometimes it was both. These characters were often on the UK scene, although the influences we drew on also stretched much wider.
Alex Lowe was one of those climbers. Hailing from Bozeman (Montana), Alex certainly came across as brash and confident. He wore brightly coloured flamboyant clothing. Alex had flowing hair and chiselled good looks. He was a very talented climber with an intense training schedule.
But, above all else, Alex seemed to exemplify how much fun climbing was. You got the feeling he would enjoy any vertical adventures and was happy simply to be climbing. He actually seemed to lack any sense of elitism. Indeed, it was Alex that said ‘the best climber is the one having the most fun’.
So, when news came of Alex’s death on Shishapangma on 5th October 1999, the climbing world was stunned. Alex, along with Conrad Anker and cameraman David Bridges, were caught in an avalanche while attempting to make the first American ski descent of an 8000 metre peak. Alex and David were killed. Conrad was injured. Their bodies couldn’t be recovered.
Alex left behind his wife Jennifer and his three young boys Max, Isaac and Samuel. Conrad and Jennifer later married and Conrad became father to the boys. They have been together ever since.
Now, aged 33, Alex and Jennifer’s son Max has documented the families journey together and the sometimes complicated relationships that have formed in the years since Alex’s death. ‘Torn’ tells the story by weaving interviews and discovered footage in a raw and captivating exploration of human emotions.
It is also a journey with an unexpected twist. In 2016 the bodies of Alex and David emerged from the glacier and so the family finally get chance to lay Alex to rest. Reviews for Torn have been great and we can’t wait to see it. Oh, and you can too. We have two tickets to giveaway. Please check out our latest Friendly Friday Giveaway here. Good luck.
In the meantime, details about the film are available on the website here and please do check out the official trailer below.