Top 20 Bouldering Problems of North America is a special film. I have seen a lot of films that focus on individual problems, but none so succinctly.  500 top boulderers were surveyed.  The task?  Name your top 3 boulders in North America, the only rule being that all 3 have to be from different places.  The votes were tallied, and this film shoots an ascent of each, counting down from 20 to 1.  Throughout, there is talk about each of the boulders, but also about more philosophical concepts – What is a highball?  Why do we boulder? What makes something a classic?

If you are expecting to see cutting edge hardest stuff, this film isn’t for you.  Nothing on the list makes it into the double digits, and problems as low as V3 are highlighted. I have had the fortune of sending at least one of these myself, and a few are definitely on my lifetime to-do list. What makes this film is the people, including someone I have had the good fortune to know and chat with a few moments at a time over the year.  Charlotte Bosley makes an excellent appearance, and has the unfortunate opportunity to talk about the trials of coming back from an injury.

There is something else that makes this film very different, but in a very refreshing way.  Every problem is shown being sent by a different woman. That said, the most refreshing part of that nuance is that the film really doesn’t focus on that fact, the same way a film entirely featuring men wouldn’t feel the need to point it out.  Because of this, its not a chick-flick in any sense – the climbing in phenomenal, the conversations are insightful and thoughtful, and the problems are literally the best the continent has to offer.

Verdict: Buy It.

20. Just kidding.  I’m not going to spoil the list.  Chances are you could guess a few, but you probably wouldn’t guess all 20.  This film is so much worth the watch, I am going to leave you hanging.  So see it.