Cheyne Lempe

A short film documenting the climbing wedding of Sara Aranda and Patrick Hodge. July 2016. Filmed and edited by Cheyne Lempe. Officated by Drew Smith.

Climbing has always been more than just a sport. It’s provided a way of life and a makeshift family to misfits who share a calling. As the sport grapples with its growing popularity, the people who anchor its core and community have more responsibility than ever. This film tells the stories of five of these anchors, the Stone Locals who keep the soul of climbing and nurture it as the sport evolves, and does it by following climbers from 5 different communities: Kathy Karlo, Daniel Pohl, Dario Ventura, The Keithley family, and Katsutaka “Jumbo” Yokoyama.

From award-winning documentary filmmaker E. Chai Vasarhelyi and world-renowned photographer and mountaineer Jimmy Chin, the directors of 'Meru' comes this stunning, intimate and unflinching portrait of free soloist climber Alex Honnold, as he prepares to achieve his lifelong dream: climbing the face of the world’s most famous rock ... the 3,200-foot El Capitan in Yosemite National Park … without a rope. Celebrated as one of the greatest athletic feats of any kind, Honnold’s climb set the ultimate standard: perfection or death. Succeeding in this challenge places his story in the annals of human achievement.

Like any true adventure, things don’t go as planned. Cheyne Lempe provides a gripping story of risk, success, and failure, featuring incredible visuals that capture the raw beauty and power of this rarely-seen Baffin Island alpine wilderness. 'I’m honestly nervous to share such an intimate look at the scariest moment of my life… but I hope it inspires everyone to go as big as they can and take a deeper look at why we do the things we love.' – Cheyne Lempe

A first ascent is the ultimative achievement for an alpinist. For Cheyne Lempe and Scott Bennett this Patagonia Climb has not just been the sickest climb of their life, it has been an amazing and stunning first ascent – from The North West Ridge of Abuja Mermoz into The North Pillar of Cerro Fitz Roy. A vertical net gain of 2000 meters.

Cheyne Lempe sheds light on his experiences in Yosemite and Patagonia. Lempe set the new solo speed record on Salathe Wall while also working the season on the search and rescue team. The ups and downs of climbing in two iconic, beautiful places. Lempe says: I tried my absolute hardest to capture my experiences while operating at my physical, mental, and emotional limit during the climbs and rescues. Though, during these difficult times, it felt pointless, inappropriate, and greatly inconvenient to pull out my camera. After the fact, I can't express how thankful I am to have captured such unique moments. I'm unbelievably lucky to be continually surrounded by incredible people in such inspiring places.

Produced for Mountain Hardwear, this film tells the story of how living in Yosemite shaped and changed climber Cheyne Lempe's vision of the Valley's walls.  It documents his attempt to establish a first ascent on one of Yosemite's more remote big walls with fellow athlete Ethan Pringle.

In February, 2014, Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell became the first climbers to complete the coveted Fitz Traverse, a massive route that follows the iconic skyline of the Fitz Roy massif in southern Patagonia  This film tells the epic tale of their groundbreaking ascent and is the feature film of the 2015 REEL ROCK Film Tour.  I was hired by BigUp Productions to climb and shoot with Honnold and Caldwell in the rugged mountains of the Chalten massif in Patagonia to provide footage to help tell this story.

Since he was a young climber, Patagonia ambassador and photographer Mikey Schaefer has been simultaneously drawn and repelled by the ferocity of the world’s greatest mountains, and in the last decade he’s made an annual pilgrimage to El Chaltén, Argentina, to ferret out new routes. The photos he has taken during his time there have propelled him into a career in photography. Now, his images and film footage capture the imagination of today’s young climbers who aspire to climb in the windswept wilderness of Patagonia.

In this first installment of The Exposure Series, we'll follow professional climbers Dave Graham, Nalle Hukkataival, Matt Wilder, Cheyne Lempe, Mason Earle, Angie Payne, and Cody Roth as they seek out and attempt to climb some of the worlds most challenging boulders, mountains, and traditional routes. Experience the emotional hardships, physical pain, and mental battles as these athletes attempt to redefine their boundaries in the world of rock climbing. Their dedication and commitment to the sport will take them from the windy peaks of Patagonia to the harsh desert of Utah.