Kathy Karlo

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 climbing to kayaking to cave diving, four adventurers are given the opportunity to take on once-in-a-lifetime challenges. They’ll push themselves physically, mentally and spiritually to conquer what once seemed impossible. The adventures are: Gareth Leah (UK) on his big wall climbing project on Pico Cão Grande in São Tomé and Príncipe; Adrian Mattern (GER) kayaking the wild rivers in the Pacific Northwest of the US; Liu Jia (CHN) exploring the second deepest pit cave Wang Zhang Keng; and Vadim Timonov (RUS) bouldering on the frozen Lake Baikal.