Who does it better? Connor Herson & Jacopo Larcher on Bon Voyage (5.14D/9A)
Connor Herson’s latest film following his attempts on Bon Voyage (5.14D/9A) with Jacopo Larcher is such a good reminder of what makes climbing films compelling in the first place. It’s not just the send, it’s the process behind it.
Watching both Connor and Jacopo work through the brutal mono crux, experimenting with body positions and trying to figure out how to place gear without compromising the sequence. The uncertainty, the trial and error, the moments where you can almost see them recalculating mid attempt, that’s the part that pulls you in. You get to see the tiny adjustments that slowly shift something from feeling impossible to eventually feeling within reach.
What I really like about these Black Diamond films, is that they don’t present elite climbers as superhuman. Even at this level, they’re still problem solving, second guessing, falling off and refining tiny details move by move. They’re dealing with the same frustrations every climber knows. The move that feels impossible one session suddenly works the next, or the sequence that felt dialled falls apart under pressure.
There’s also something refreshing about seeing the quieter moments left in the edit. The discussions on the rope, the pauses between burns, the moments of doubt and analysis. Rather than cutting straight to the highlight reel, these films allow the viewer to sit inside the process and understand just how much effort goes into a route at this level.
By the time the send finally happens, you feel invested because you’ve been through the journey with them. You’ve watched the frustrations, the breakthroughs and the gradual unraveling of the puzzle, so when it finally comes together, you’re genuinely rooting for them. In the end, that connection to the process is what makes these climbing films so satisfying to watch.
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