As well as the scientific aspect, the documentary explores the life of the couple during a climbing expedition. Is it possible to climb 8,000m summit in a fortnight? What type of acclimatization is necessary and how does it affect the body? These were the questions that athletes Kilian and Emelie asked themselves. In search of the answers, they set off to reach the summit of Cho Oyu (8,220 meters) in the Himalayas using a new acclimatization method that could revolutionize climbing.
Testing Ourselves is a 17-minute documentary that can be viewed below.
In May, Kilian and Emelie travelled to the Himalayas to attempt the ascent of Cho Oyu, which they had chosen as a test of their acclimatization.
As Kilian says: “Although we did reach the summit, for us that wasn’t the important thing. What interested us was to see how we felt after an acclimatization that was totally different from any we’d done before.”
In addition to the experience of Kilian and Emilie, the film also features Dr. Daniel Brotons, a specialist in mountaineering medicine, who looks at the expedition from a scientific perspective and what this sort of acclimatization might mean for other athletes.
Testing Ourselves is both a scientific and a human film. Kilian’s and Emilie’s relationship forms a key part of the narrative as, for the first time, the couple talk about what it means to make an expedition together, what the risks are and what it means to them as a couple.
The film is also available on Kilian’s website (http://stories.kilianjornet.cat/en/) and social networks. In addition to the video, Kilian explains to users the acclimatization method he adopted for his expedition to the Himalayas.
Meanwhile, the last film in the Summits of My Life project, which covers Kilian’s double ascent of Everest, is in production and should be completed by early 2018.
