'The Last First: Winter K2’ Review: A Perfect, Surprisingly Complicated Documentary for Anyone on EverestTok

The blessing and curse of TikTok is that it’s pretty great at figuring out what you like and serving you more of it. Everything you engage with affects your algorithm, meaning if you find yourself watching a lot of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives videos, you may end up on MomTok (guilty), or if you’re fascinated by the fact that people have managed to sneak phones into prison, you might find yourself scrolling on JailTok (also guilty).

One of the most captivating yet horrifying places TikTok has ever taken me, however, is EverestTok, which blew up last October. For me, it all started with Bianca Adler — a 17-year-old from Australia who attempted to climb the mountain with her father, ultimately getting caught in the “death zone” (a place near the top that’s very difficult on the human body) before ultimately being forced to turn around. Her videos quickly went viral, racking up millions of views and comments. Some were supportive; many were critical, sparking a larger conversation about the ethics of these expeditions, especially considering the treatment and safety of the local Sherpas who are hired to guide these tourists, many of whom are woefully unprepared for the perilous journey. The Last First: Winter K2 explores similar themes against a slightly different backdrop: K2, the second-highest mountain in the world, located on the Pakistan-China border.

What Is ‘The Last First: Winter K2’ About?

The Last First: Winter K2 first introduces us to John Snorri, an extreme mountaineer from Iceland. Though happily married with six kids, he spends long stretches away from them, addicted to the adrenaline of climbing. His wife, Lína, understands, though his risk-taking makes her understandably nervous. In 2021, John hires Pakistani father-son team, Ali and Sajid Sadpara, to join him in his attempt to be the first people to summit K2 mountain in winter, which is widely accepted as being the last major achievement in mountaineering. Despite many attempts, particularly by Polish and Russian climbers, nobody has ever managed to complete it.

Despite the well below freezing temperatures and some pesky avalanches, everything goes well at first, though that all changes with the arrival of Nirmal Purja (aka “Nims”). Known as the “Himalayan Rockstar,” Nims has his own goal of climbing all 14 mountains that are 8,000 meters or higher in under seven months, smashing the previous record of seven years. Soon, several more people, including American endurance athlete Colin O'Brady, Italian mountaineer Tamara Lunger, and Chilean climber Juan Pablo “JP” Mohr Prieto, began their own expeditions as well, making the mountain crowded and competition fierce.

In addition, a company called Seven Summits Treks sees a demand to lead commercial expeditions, particularly right after the lockdown. Dozens of people, from experienced mountaineers to novices, sign up to join, which some claim ultimately leads to the deadly chaos that happens during a pivotal moment of the trek.

‘The Last First: Winter K2’ Is a Thorough but Accessible Entry Into an Extreme World

If you don’t know much — or anything — about mountaineering as a sport, don’t worry; the film does a great job of laying out the basics in a way that feels natural and entertaining. Director Amir Bar-Lev is no stranger to introducing audiences to worlds they may be unfamiliar with, also helming My Kid Could Paint That, about a child art prodigy, and The Tillman Story, chronicling the life of veteran and professional football player Pat Tillman. In The Last First: Winter K2, he has subjects give a rundown on everything from how base camps work to some of the niche vocabulary in a way that’s undaunting and easy to follow.

This same clear-eyed, confident direction is used to distill down the complex politics involved, the inclusion of which gives the film both bite and purpose. While on the surface, it might seem cruel for Nims and the Nepalese to secretly attempt to summit the mountain alone after making a promise to include John, it’s not that simple with added historical context. Sherpas are the backbone of the mountaineering industry, often put in the most dangerous situations and expected to carry the most weight. Isn’t it wrong, then, that they’re reduced to the background and taken advantage of while white people dominate the records and get all the credit? Should Nims’ advantages when it comes to his influence and resources make you think differently about the level of struggle and triumph of him and his group? Who truly deserves to be in the spotlight, and will the economics of the sport ever make that possible? Should these commercial expeditions exist at all, given the inherent risks? Who is responsible when tragedy strikes? Bar-Lev remains objective, presenting us with the facts and forcing us to grapple with these questions and intricacies.

Bar-Lev also raises compelling questions about how social media has impacted the sport, though that’s the one area I wish he dug a bit deeper. It’s shocking when John admits that he felt nothing on his first climb — that is, until he posted proof on Facebook and the comments started rolling in. That nearly every serious climber has a professional camera operator with them documenting the experience showcases the pressure to make everything into content, even if it could potentially put more lives at risk and encourage people who don’t have the skills to survive these climbs to try and do it anyway. The fact that people rush to film bodies of deceased climbers and post tributes online feels icky at best, too, but the movie brushes over it rather quickly.

‘The Last First: Winter K2’ Captures the Beauty and Danger of Mountaineering

The Last First: Winter K2 has an engaging story, and the visuals accompanying it are just as impressive. The cinematography is absolutely stunning, immersing you in the overwhelming whiteness of the snow. You can practically feel the crisp wind blowing through the screen, somehow both refreshing you and chilling you to the bone as you watch these people push themselves to the limits thousands of meters above the ground. The vastness of the setting is breathtaking, but the intimate time you spend with the subjects in their colorful tents is just as key to transporting you there and putting you in their shoes (or rather spiky climbing boots).

You come to truly care about the people featured in the documentary, making the victories even sweeter and the heartbreaks when disaster strikes even more devastating. Even if you never want to set foot on a mountain, the passion and reverence with which they speak about the sport make it easier to understand why on earth anyone would choose to put their body and mind through such an intense ordeal. The Last First: Winter K2 is a riveting sports documentary whose politics and cinematography alike will hold your attention until the very end. It would make for a perfect double-feature with your viewing of the upcoming Winter Olympics.

The Last First: Winter K2 premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.