Well, ‘Life is a daring adventure’ and, as the saying implies, it’s all about taking risks as they will shape an individual’s dreams. Based on a true story, the 2022 film “Broad Peak” on Netflix will enlighten the viewers about Maciej Berbeka’s life of mountaineering. The film explores Maciej’s journey and struggles as a popular mountaineer. Before ascending the “Broad Peak” mountain, Maciej set new records with his intellectual skills, and over these years, he has become a successful mountain guide as well. Maciej was respected for his presence in the ‘Ice Warriors’ as he had won several titles with his team. The movie provides a glimpse of wrong decisions wherein things can quickly escalate negatively if the outcomes are not predicted. The movie begins with an introduction to our mountaineers looking forward to ascending the K2 mountain in the Karakoram range. But, the whole team is prohibited from continuing their hike as the weather worsens with each passing day. Meanwhile, a blizzard at the Baltoro Glacier Base Camp is blowing up their tents and all the other necessities. Amidst this, Maciej and one of their teammates figure out the whereabouts of the “Broad Peak” mountain.
Moreover, the team was allotted a permit, which was to end as well, yet, they wanted to ascend the K2 summit again. The team is currently under the guidance of Andrzej, and he is against their wish to reach “Broad Peak.” But Maciej manages to convince him. Meanwhile, Maciej had a rough relationship with his wife and children. His dedication to mountaineering has changed all the dynamics of his personal life. Apart from Andrzej, Krzysiek tries to convince Maciej as well, but nothing seems to move his mind. So, with his companion, Alek Lwow, Maciej leaves for the “Broad Peak” mountain. According to their estimated plan, it will take around four days to complete the whole summit. They manage to climb halfway, but the climate is taking a huge toll on their health. Even though the mornings havehad stable weather, every night passespassed on with an unbearable blizzard. Amidst this quest, Maciej reminisces all the conversations with his wife, and it is clear that she is extremely disappointed with Maciej’s craze for risky mountaineering expeditions.
The next morning, it becomes more difficult for them to ascend the summit since the blizzard has created multiple obstacles in between, and by this time, Alek informs the team that they should turn back. But Maciej has other plans. He decides to ascend the mountain since they are very close to the top. Andrzej advises Alek to stay with Maciej to maintain strong communication. Maciej decides to ascend the summit by himself, and within four to five hours, Maciej reaches the top! The whole team is cheered up by this message and admonishes Maciej to be careful while descending “Broad Peak.” Meanwhile, Maciej made history as he became the first person to ascend “Broad Peak” in winter, while he broke the record of the 8,000-meter boundary in the Karakoram range. By this time, various news channels were appreciating his achievements, as Broad Peak is one of the most difficult mountains to overcome.
On the other hand, things are not working well for Maciej as the weather is hurting the basic functions of his body. If he fails to descend, it will become extremely difficult for him to survive. Gradually, Maciej loses control over himself as his legs lose function, and he is turning numb with each passing second, and surviving at 8000 meters would be difficult for another night. Alek gets a hold of him as Maciej manages to descend a little. But by this time, his toes are frostbitten. By the next day, Alek and Maciej descend upon the site and meet the other members. They safely manage to send him down with a helicopter, and Maciej quickly regains his health. Together with his family and friends, Maciej celebrates this glorious victory. But the story takes a different turn when Alek releases an article that reveals that Maciej didn’t reach the “Broad Peak” summit. Instead, it was the Rocky Fore summit. Well, guess what? The highest peak was just 17 meters away.
Maciej decides to quit mountaineering and spend the rest of his time with his family. Krzysiek tries to communicate with him, but he avoids all the conversations. Krzysiek wanted Maciej to conquer the mountain once more, but Maciej had no intention of continuing to the summit again. Gradually, Maciej loses himself in the process since a part of him longed for the success of conquering the “Broad Peak” summit. Finally, he decides to go on the expedition again, and this time his wife supports his decision. On March 5, 2013, Polish mountaineers became the first group to ascend “Broad Peak” in winter, and one by one, all the team members reached the peak. Maciej ascended the mountain after 25 years of his first attempt. Even though he reached the summit, Maciej and his teammate Tomasz Kowalski lost their lives while descending it.
For 25 years, people labeled Maciej as a liar, but in reality, he was the first person to reach the Rocky Summit. But all these years, he just wanted to create his name, and Maciej did it. Even though he lost his life in the process, Maciej conquered something unexpected as he stood by his words and proved himself. Well, his body was never found, but shortly after the descent, Maciej was declared dead. Maciej was a member of various international mountain guide associations, and his other spectacular achievements included his winter summit of the eighth highest mountain in the world, Manaslu. Followed by a successful ascent of Annapurna and Mount Everest. Maciej marked several moments in mountaineering history, and even today, he is one of the best mountaineers in the world.
