The new Reel Rock 16 has dropped, with four feature films and five bonus parts. The whole thing can be streamed online now!
The much-loved annual collection of short climbing films switched to an online-first screening over one weekend instead of the traditional local screenings first. In-person screenings are also now touring around the US, Canada, and the world.
This one features The Wide Boyz Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall, Charles Albert the barefoot boulderer, bouldering World Cup champion Alex Johnson, plus Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell. Watch the full trailer below.
Reel Rock 16 Trailer
How To Watch Reel Rock 16
There was a weekend release screening that allowed you to buy tickets for that weekend only – however, this has passed. Now you will either have to see it in person at a Reel Rock 16 tour event or with a yearly subscription to the new Reel Rock Unlimited app
The whole set of films from Reel Rock 16 are available to stream on the Reel Rock Unlimited app for iOS and Android as well as the app on Roku-enabled TVs or boxes, or Amazon Fire TV or sticks.
You’ll need to register for the app and pay for a $99 annual subscription to see everything and can watch whenever you want, as much as you want. The main four films all have English, Spanish, German, and French subtitles – not the bonus features. Every other Reel Rock feature and bonus seems to be completely available too.
Reel Rock 16 Tickets
You were able to buy a Weekend ticket for the full event but that’s now over. You’ll now need a Reel Rock Unlimited subscription or see the event in person.
The Reel Rock 15 tour has a tonne of events in the US and Canada. There are also dates in Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and a smattering of other countries. Take a look at the whole list of dates available here.
Can You Download Reel Rock 16?
It doesn’t seem like you can’t download Reel Rock 16 this year and access will only be via streaming on the Unlimited app or in person.
You may be able to watch Reel Rock 16 films at a later date like with previous releases that have been made available on Red Bull TV. For us though, it’s worth supporting events like this to keep up the high standard of work that’s put in.
Reel Rock 16 Films
There are four main films in Reel Rock 16, with five bonus shorter films as well as a panel and Q&A sessions.
Bridge Boys – Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall
The Wide Boyz are infamous for their “crack den” set up under Tom Randall’s house and their insatiable lust for all things crack. Last year they went on a hunt to find man-made cracks, normally found underneath bridges in the UK that run over water.
They found a couple of corkers including this 100ft roof crack in Sheffield and this amazing one in Warwick with a bunch of different widths along it. This film features an insane 2,500-foot-long continuous roof crack the boys found under a massive road bridge. That’s 80 pitches worth of climbing until the end of your rope.
If you’ve wondered what jamming upside down for half a mile, sleeping and living on a portaledge hanging off of a bridge where cars continuously drive over the top might look like – wonder no more.
Barefoot Charles – Charles Albert
Charles Albert is a boulderer who is famous for climbing barefoot – having climbed up to 8C in Fontainebleau sans slippers. He lives a pretty unconventional life even for a boulderer, often climbing without a crash pad and using just a towel for his starting position.
A few years back he graded a new climb “No Kpote only” in Font at 9A/V17 – meaning it would have been the second of the grade at the time. After a couple of others worked the route and use very different beta it’s been downgraded on consensus, but still without shoes and the way Charles climbed it could still be one of the world’s hardest boulders.
He spends most of his time in Fontainebleau climbing outside, camping in nature. He rarely does interviews or video features, barely even posting on his Instagram which is almost unheard of for someone climbing at this level. This film might finally give us a little insight into the world of Barefoot Charles.
Big Things To Come – Alex Johnson
Alex Johnson is a well-known US boulderer who’s won World Cups and taken down stacks of famous boulder problems around the country. This film follows her journey over the past few years of trying an infamous V14 “The Swarm”, as well as coming out to the community.
Alex has gone through quite a few changes from focusing on indoor comps to outdoor, then switching back to indoor to try and make the 2020 Olympics. This short attempts to chart some of the highs and lows along the way.
Cuddle – Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell
Back in July of 2020, fan favorites Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell set off for another grueling, insanely hard romp in Rocky Mountain National Park. This time it was a massive link-up of 17 summits they called the Continental Divide Ultimate Linkup or the CDUL, aka “the cuddle”.
The pair missed a drop-off of much-needed gear before their first overnight section. They ended up climbing in the dark without headlamps – instead using a phone in a headband, in shorts in the wind, without food. To quote Honnold “Soloing by iPhone is not that sweet“.
The route took a day and a half non-stop, and combined ultra-running, scrambling, easier technical climbing which they solo’d, and some more technical climbs around 5.11a where they roped up and simul-climbed without stopping for a proper belay.
They were supported by Adam Stack and Maury Birdwell who brought them in key supplies and food so they could go at it light and fast. As someone who’s watched this pair in pretty horrific situations over the years, they both looked more exhausted than we’ve ever seen in shots from this film.
Bonus Films
- This Is Beth – With Beth Williams who has a wealth of experience of big walls, hard trad, as well as surviving a kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan. Beth has been vocal about body image, weight, and self-talk over the past few years following her experience as a pro climbing youth. There will be a Q&A session with Beth hosted by Nina Williams
- The Fortress – Featuring Matty Hong and Margo Hayes at the Fortress of Solitude, a world-class difficulty crag in Colorado that features some of America’s hardest routes – with the potential for more.
- Cenote – Featuring Adolfo Trujillo in the Cenotes (sinkhole caverns with clear inland water) and climbing possibilities of coastal Mexico.
- Keep The Lights On – A short feature on Memphis Rox, a community-driven and crowd-funded café/climbing center/community resource in Memphis that was featured in Black Ice for Reel Rock 15.
- Foiled – Hazel Findlay takes on an E9 6c route “Muy Caliente” in Pembroke, featuring a 9-meter runout.
Hosts – Nina Williams & Alex Honnold
Both Alex and Nina were featured in Reel Rock 14. For 16 they’ll be hosting intros and talks with some of the creators and stars of the films. If you’re into climbing docs, try our list of the best mountaineering movies and documentaries.
This year Reel Rock 16 downloads are restricted to people who subscribe to their full service. You may still be able to see the film locally, but it’s not as likely to be on Red Bull TV as before.
