Maratona Bianca: Cold, Steep, and Surprisingly Raw

Is this for you?

If you have any interest in mountains or the kind of people who think climbing to 4,200 meters is a fun weekend, Maratona Bianca is worth a look. It is definitely not for anyone who needs high-octane editing or a narrator telling them exactly how to feel.

It’s a bit of an endurance test itself, honestly. But in a good way.

Getting ready in the thin air

The first part of the film is just the nervous energy of guys getting their gear together. Everything feels heavy—the wool, the leather boots, the ropes that look like they belong on a ship. There’s no music playing over it, just the sound of wind and people shuffling around in the snow.

It makes you realize how much easier we have it now with all our neon-colored synthetic gear. These guys are basically heading into a freezer in what looks like oversized sweaters.

The view from above

When the film shifts to the aerial shots, it gets pretty wild. The planes were definitely flying closer to the peaks than they probably should have been. You see these tiny lines of people—the teams tied together—moving across the white expanse like ants on a piece of sugar.

There’s one moment where a group crosses a ridge that looks so narrow I almost winced. No safety nets, no fancy cameras, just a plane buzzing overhead and a bunch of skiers hoping they don't slide off into the void.

Some weird, quiet thoughts

It’s strange thinking about how this race just… stopped. It vanished for years because of the war, and it makes the footage feel like a time capsule from a world that had no idea what was coming next. It reminds me a bit of the quiet, slightly disjointed feel of So ein Theater! where you’re just observing a specific rhythm of life that doesn't really exist anymore.

The cinematography isn't trying to be "artful." It’s just trying to be accurate. Sometimes the focus is a little soft. Sometimes the framing is off-center. I actually liked that.

• The ropes look incredibly stiff. How did they even tie knots in those?
• The silence is way louder than any soundtrack would be.
• Watching them move in rhythm is oddly hypnotizing.

It’s not a movie you watch to get pumped up. You watch it to feel the cold. And maybe to wonder why on earth anyone would want to ski up that high in 1933. ❄️