Founded during the salad days of hippy hiking by train hopper, falconer and occasional rock climber Yvon Chouinard, there’s no knocking Patagonia’s outdoor credentials. But if you were — DON’T, just watch this film and you’ll see how legit this bunch are. Filmed in 1968, Mountain of Storms follows a pre-Patagonia Yvon Chouinard and some of his mates (including North Face founder Doug Tompkins) as they drive a campervan from California to Chile to conquer Mount Fitz Roy.
Shot on hazy 16mm film to a soundtrack of folk-rock noodlings, Mountain of Storms almost makes climbing up one of the most dangerous mountains around look like a bloody good laugh — although the bit where they are forced to spend about three weeks in an ice cave doesn’t look too fun. Highlights include the less-than-enthusiastic voice-overs of the climbers, a few cracking jackets and the wistful, rose-tinted dream sequence. It’s an hour long, but what else have you got planned? Exactly — so take off those boots, get the whistling kettle on the stove and roll out that roll-mat, ‘cause the whole thing is available for your viewing pleasure below…