Alberto Beltrami

Eighty-seven years after the first mountaineering ascent in Valle della Sarca, the film offers an overview of the climbing history of rock faces in the valley, which today attract enthusiasts from all over the world. The narration is entrusted to climbing scenes and interviews with key figures, set against the backdrop of stunning scenery. It is the story of a training ground combining two currents, mountaineering and sports climbing, seeking sometimes equilibrium and sometimes extreme experiences.

The film is about an experience lived by three Trentino mountain guides in the Pamir Alay Kirghizo chain (Ak-Su valley of Karavshin). The exploration expedition had its maximum expression in the ascent of the unspoilt west-southwest face of Pik-Slesova (4250m. a.s.l.) along the more than 1300m wall along a logical line with high difficulties in free and artificial climbing and with numerous bivouacs on the wall. The new route called 'Flame of the East' was dedicated to the Trentino mountaineers Alessandro Chemelli and Dario Bampi, who died in the Mont Blanc group the day after conquering the summit of Pik-Slesova.