Meru

Rising above the headwaters of the sacred Ganges River in Northern India, the magnificent Shark's Fin of Mount Meru is a 21,000-foot peak stacked with so many obstacles that it's both a nightmare and an irresistible siren call for the world’s toughest climbers—many of whom have attempted and failed to summit the elusive mountain. Meru is the electrifying story of three elite American climbers—Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk—bent on achieving the impossible. On their first attempt in 2008, the trio battles 19 days of violent storms and sub-zero temperatures, teetering on a portaledge night after night, only to be beaten back 100 meters from the top. Returning home, a series of disasters, losses, and doubts seriously test their dream of one last try. Finally in 2011, they confront the breathtaking, treacherous Meru once again. But at what cost? Shot with dazzling beauty in death-defying conditions by Chin and Ozturk, this immersive chronicle of friendship and an obsessive relationship with a mountain explores the mysterious magnetism of the ultimate challenge—where physical and spiritual realms converge. —H.V