

13 minutes to understand why this man climbs mountains that kill people.
Denis Urubko is one of the strongest Himalayan climbers of all time: he has climbed all 8000 meter peaks without supplemental oxygen, establishing new alpine style routes on Broad Peak, Manaslu, Cho Oyu and Lhotse. He also made the first winter ascents of Makalu and Gasherbrum II. Add to his legend, the incredible rescue of Elisabeth Revol in distress on the Nanga Parbat in January 2018, and that of about eight other climbers. Urubko's story is simply unique, tells us about him and his journey to becoming the best in very high mountains. Denis Urubko is not just an exceptional climber, he is a true legend whose feats of arms will remain etched in the history of mountaineering.
Cinematography
Staggering summit footage, no drones—just raw human angles.
Production
Messner and Boukreev archival footage creates generational weight.
Director
Pietro Porro
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Urubko was born in Russia, naturalized Kazakh, then Polish—his citizenship changes mirror mountaineering's geopolitical fractures post-Soviet collapse.
The 'goat climber' nickname comes from his ability to move unroped on terrain where others crawl—Simone Moro coined it after watching him solo a crumbling ridge on Gasherbrum II winter.
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