In the High Country (ultra trail running doc!) torrent

In the High Country premiered on July 19 in Colorado. Just before 7:00 pm, the athletic crowd funneled into the dimly lit performance space and took their seats in front of a large screen.
The lights dimmed a bit more to signal the audience to lower their voices. Buzz Burrell, Ultimate Direction guru and the evening’s ringmaster, gave an introduction to the film and its maker, Joel Wolpert. The crowd was ready to see the 30-minute show.

The film opened with a bang. The credits were actually enjoyable to watch. Beautiful scenes of Colorado mountainscapes filled the screen. The music was dramatic and loud, building hype for what was to follow.
The film was broken down into five parts. The first chapter, titled “Roots,” takes place where TK’s passion for running began, in the small, farming town of Niobrara, Nebraska. For several minutes, the camera follows a bronze, shirtless Tony running around Nebraska’s dirt roads while he narrates. Through visuals and narration, the audience gets an idea of where and how his love for the outdoors started. He narrates that, “Home is what defines us.” With that, the scenery changes to the mountains of Colorado. The camera follows Tony traversing the First Flatiron, then slowly zooms in close to his face as he scrambles up the rock. Squinting, he looks for his next move. The camera pans out and reveals a vast landscape before it transitions to the next chapter.
“The Search,” the second chapter of the movie, is all about Longs Peak. In this short chapter, the audience sees even more images of Tony running around the mountains. The obvious intent here to show the crowd how he is searching and cultivating a new home for himself in the wild Rockies.
The title of part three, “Vulnerability,” has the audience on the edge of their seat. Perhaps this is the part where things get dangerous. The camera follows Tony as he heads up Longs again, but this time he takes Alexander’s Chimney (which has technical sections rated 5.5 in the summertime) to the summit. Joel, with camera in tow, heads up first. Tony arrives at the crux and, searching for holds, he is visibly sketched out by the moves needed to continue on. Eventually he lands the move and proclaims that he, “hasn’t been that scared in a while, or ever maybe.”
Chapter four, “The Practice,” is intended to give a behind-the-scenes look into Tony’s life. The hardships of making the mountains your home. Black toenails. Scars! Going to physical therapy! Exercise-induced heartburn. Most ultrarunners can relate, but to those who haven’t seen these practices before were most certainly mortified.
The final chapter, “Chasing Muses,” follows Krupicka around on the First Flatiron and Longs Peak again. The music and black-and-white tones set a dramatic aura for the chapter. And, while the audience watches Tony bounce around on mountains, the narration continues to expand on the idea of “home is what defines us” by stating that when you begin to know the land and its moods, you eventually become part of the landscape. The line between self and place becomes “seamless” and the mountains become your home. With this line about coming full circle, the movie fades to credits.