Matterhorn is the most photographed mountain in the world and one of Europe’s most challenging mountains. Looming over 14,000 feet and hovering over the surrounding Swiss Alps where it lies, the awe of the mountain beckons climbers, hikers and photographers.
Many people have climbed the mountain; many have died trying.
In the Summer of 2019, photographer Luke climbed the mountain with guide Markus Beck, who had trained him and other U.S. Soldiers in the Army’s 19th Special Forces Group in mountain warfare tactics.
“I didn’t even know what the Matterhorn was when he suggested it,” Luke said. “It took about a month or two before I started researching it. It’s a very technical climb; people die doing it. It was then I realized I was about to get my ass handed to me.”
A photographer, Luke, used the climb as the backdrop for his first documentary video. “I had done very little climbing at all, and now here I was going up on this technical, deadly mountain and having to get content for this video,” Luke said. “I had my hands full.”
Watch the film here, or click on the image below.
Not training for the climb, Luke ran out of water early in the ascent and suffered altitude sickness. But, in the end, Luke and Beck created a five-and-a-half-minute video that chronicles the experience of climbing the Matterhorn and explores the life lessons learned from mountain climbing.
SOG was one of the sponsors and hosts for Luke’s video. The video is “about the climbing experience, not our gear, although Sogs Kiku XR Folding Knife appears briefly in the film,” said the company.
The film is timeless. It’s is about pushing your limits and finding balance in love, life and the lessons it brings.
Photos and film courtesy SOG, Luke, Sam Giffin, Clandestine Media, YouTube.
