"Pura vida": A documentary on life and death

Annapurna (Himalaya) is a climber's dream, a dream of overcoming. It is the tenth highest mountain on the planet and one of the most difficult to climb. He who succeeds is a hero, and he who fails is a hero too.. And he describes himself as a "hero", although for Iñaki Ochoa de Olza the term was always unnecessary, as he did not consider himself one.

Pure lifea documentary by Migueltxo Molina and Pablo Iraburu, tells the story of the second, the hero who did not make it down the 8,091-metre high mountain massif alive. The Spaniard Iñaki Ochoa de Olza, climbed Annapurna in 2008.Hours later, they learned that the climber was not well and had to undertake a rescue plan.

The attempt to rescue the late Ochoa de Olza involved climbers and mountaineers from all over the world, For some, this has been one of the largest mobilisations within the union.. In the same documentary it is said that everyone was aware that finding the climber alive was practically impossible.

Fellowship was one of the examples that this event gave to the world, giving an insight into what this discipline really means and what true sportsmanship is all about.

The most watched documentary in 2012

Pura vida premiered at the San Sebastian Festival in 2012. From there it was touring various film festivals and cinemas, and touring theatrese, becoming the most watched documentary in Spain that year.

The production was in charge of Arena Comunicación, who on their website state: "When we decided to produce Pura Vida we didn't imagine that it would end up being the most watched Spanish documentary film that year. Nor did we imagine that it would have the international coverage that it did. Even less that it would be shown in theatres in Japan or broadcast on Russian television, among many others".

In 2018 the film was re-released to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Navarrese's death. The screenings were held simultaneously in Pamplona, Bilbao, Barcelona and Madrid.

Its premiere in 2012 and its re-release in 2018 were accompanied by a programme with colloquiums and other meetings that allowed the audience to give their opinion on the story. Debating between the two realities that the documentary puts on the table: life and death.

Arena Communications, as part of the synopsis of the Pure lifeHe adds: "Even beyond his peaks, Iñaki is an exceptional man. As exceptional as the rescue attempt itself and the men who risked their lives to save him. Exceptional because his only rule is to live.

Part of the proceeds of this documentary were donated to the SOS Himalaya-Iñaki Ochoa de Olza Foundation, which has been operating in Nepal for 11 years, in charge of development projects, building schools and providing technical and financial support for educational projects in different villages.

"Life without death is meaningless. That's how I see it".

The documentary not only takes images and statements of the rescue operation. It also tells the story of the life of Ochoa de Olza (1967-2008) who, before the moment when his rope partner triggered the alarm, had become a top mountaineer with more than 200 expeditions to the Himalayas.

For him, as for many, the sport allowed him to live life to the fullest. "Life without death has no meaning. That's how I see it," he said.

The body of Ochoa de Olza, who suffered celebral oedema, was left in the mountain thousands of metres above sea level. Decision taken by his family.

In his last five days of life was accompanied by Romanian Horia Colibasanu, who was relieved by Swiss Ueli Steck.. Both always had in mind that it was not in their plans to leave Navarro alone, not even for a second.

These and others involved in the rescue plan, including Ochoa de Olza, were recognised. in 2008 by the Government of Navarre with the gold medal for sporting merit.. Steck and Alexei Bolotov, another involved in the rescue, died years later on the same mountain.

In 1993, the 22-year-old from Navarre made his first ascent of the Himalayas, specifically Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world, at 8,201 metres. The last one, before Annapurna, was Dhaulagiri (8,167 metres) in 2007.

Ochoa de Olza in letters and as an example

It is not only the documentary that seeks to highlight the mountaineer's life. In 2010 the book Under the skies of Asia: Memoirs of the Navarrese Himalayan who died on Annapurnawhich brings together the life of the mountaineer in the form of an "epic".

In the pages of this book, published by Saga Editorial, there is a record of how the Navarrese saw the challenge of climbing the highest mountains on earth. It was written before the expedition on which he died. The book is reviewed as: "a work that reflects his extraordinary personality and provides the keys to understand why some of the best mountaineers in the world made epic efforts for five days to try to rescue him".

This book and the film Pure lifeThese are documents that will be passed down from generation to generation as an example of what this sport means and what death means. In addition, of course, to the example it sets for sportsmen and women of different disciplines.

Of the latter, it should be mentioned that in 2010 Josep Guardiola, then manager of Barcelona F.C., showed his players a video broadcast in the programme Robinson Report on Canal +. The intention was to motivate and educate the players before the match against Málaga.

This material also tells how Ochoa de Olza made the Himalayas his home, participating numerous times in rescue expeditions. In addition to his work in demystifying the discipline, for him climbing mountains was not an act of heroism.