In the Shadow of the Chief

Now in stock on DVD and VHS:

In the Shadow of the Chief tells the story of a rain-soaked morning in May 1961 when, amidst the snow-capped mountains and verdant forests of Squamish, British Columbia, two young climbers—Jim Baldwin and Ed Cooper—started up the ‘unclimbable’ Stawamus Chief...

Within two weeks news of their attempt had spread and soon 12,000 cars crowded the base of the Chief with onlookers convinced they were about to witness a deadly fall. Braving relentless heat, mosquitoes and a barrage of reporters, it seemed at times doubtful that Ed and Jim would finish the climb.

Using never-before-seen archival footage, the film takes a unique look at a part of Canadian sport history and the spirit of the community that rallied behind them.

In the Shadow of the Chief, by first-time filmmakers Ivan Hughes and Angela Heck, premiered at the Whistler Film Festival in December 2003 where it received the People’s Choice for Best Film at the festival and sold out two screenings.

The Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival awarded it the Best Film Overall-Festival Grand Prize and the Best Canadian Mountain Film prizes. In delivering the award, festival juror Simon Yates (Touching the Void) called it “a clear winner and one of the best historical climbing films I have ever seen.”