Cold: On February 2, 2011, Cory Richards summitted Pakistan’s 26,360-foot Gasherbrum II, becoming the first American to bag an 8,000-meter peak in the winter. The journey almost killed him. On the descent, a massive avalanche hit Richards, along with his teammates Simon Moro and Denis Urbuko. Miraculously, they survived—and Richards picked up his camera to capture the raw moments after the incident. Richard also chronicles the team’s triumph over frost-bite-inducing -50-degree temps, falling into a crevasse, and one climber vomiting atop the summit. High-altitude, winter mountaineering ain’t for sissies. Beautifully shot, Cold is an intimate look at the perils of alpinism and the strange breed of athletes who chase winter summit bids. Winner of the 2011 Charlie Fowler Award. –Kelley McMillan

COLD - TRAILER from Anson Fogel on Vimeo.