History Film / VerticalLimit

->''"Up there, you're not dying, Mr. Garret,...'''you're dead'''"''

* DwindlingParty: Out of 6 rescuers and 3 trapped people, two rescuers and one trapped person survive the movie- five people lost to save one person.

* DwindlingParty: Out of 6 rescuers and 3 trapped people, two rescuers and one trapped person survive the movie- four people lost to save one person.

A 2000 adventure drama film directed by Martin Campbell, about a group of climbers who become stranded in an avalanche on K2, and the rescue mission launched to find them. With a cast including Creator/ChrisODonnell, Creator/BillPaxton, Creator/RobinTunney, and Creator/ScottGlenn, and loads and loads of SceneryPorn, it won several awards for drama and visual effects.

%%* ItsAllAboutMe: [[spoiler:Vaughn.]]

%%* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters

%%* TheMentor: Montgomery Wick.

%%* SnowMeansDeath: Kind of the point of the movie.

%%* SurvivorGuilt: Peter has this.

%%* TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler:Wick, to Vaughn]].

%%* WildHair: Montgomery Wick.

A 2000 adventure drama film directed by Martin Campbell, about a group of climbers who become stranded in an avalanche on K2, and the rescue mission launched to find them. With a cast including Chris O'Donnell, Creator/BillPaxton, Creator/RobinTunney, and Creator/ScottGlenn, and loads and loads of SceneryPorn, it won several awards for drama and visual effects.

%%* ThoseTwoGuys: The Bench brothers.

* MoneyDearBoy: In-universe, this is the biggest reason Monique goes with the rescue team.

A 2000 adventure drama film directed by Martin Campbell, about a group of climbers who become stranded in an avalanche on K2, and the rescue mission launched to find them. With a cast including Chris O'Donnell, Creator/BillPaxton, Robin Tunney, and Creator/ScottGlenn, and loads and loads of SceneryPorn, it won several awards for drama and visual effects.

* ItsAllAboutMe: [[spoiler:Vaughn.]]
* JerkassHasAPoint: One of the characters initially argues against sending up a rescue team, claiming that it is foolish to risk six lives to save three. [[spoiler: Ultimately, the rescue team lose four members and only succeed in rescuing one of the trapped climbers, making his point very valid.]]

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters

* TheMentor: Montgomery Wick.

* SnowMeansDeath: Kind of the point of the movie.

* SurvivorGuilt: Peter has this.
* TakeAMomentToCatchYourDeath: [[spoiler:Two of the climbers get the message that the nitroglycerin they're carrying should be kept out of the sun...after its been in the sun a ''long'' time. They run, get in it the shade, and bury it in the snow. They sigh in relief, and even chuckle when they panic over almost dropping a water bottle. Unbeknownst to them, the nitro container is leaking and slowly reaches the sun. BOOOOOM!]]
* TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler:Wick, to Vaughn]].

* ThoseTwoGuys: The Bench brothers.

* TokenRomance

* WildHair: Montgomery Wick.

* TakeAMomentToCatchYourDeath: [[spoiler:Two of the climbers get the message that the nitroglycerin they're carrying should be kept out of the sun, but it's been in the sun so long already! Oh, no! It's leaking! Hurry, get it in the shade! Bury it in the snow! Whew. That was close. Let's have a good laugh about that. Then the nitro leaks out into the sunlight. BOOOOOM!]]

A 2000 adventure drama film directed by Martin Campbell, about a group of climbers who become stranded in an avalanche on K2, and the rescue mission launched to find them. Noted for its AllStarCast and loads and loads of SceneryPorn, it won several awards for drama and visual effects.

[[quoteright:183:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vertical_limit_7600.jpg]]

A 2000 film about a group of climbers who become stranded in an avalanche on K2, and the rescue mission launched to find them. Noted for its AllStarCast and loads and loads of SceneryPorn, it won several awards for drama and visual effects.

* FakeUltimateHero: Vaughn, whose last trip up K2 was much-publicized due to the death of several members of the climbing party. It’s revealed that he didn’t survive through any skill of his own, but because [[spoiler:he stole the dex from Wick’s wife, which ultimately resulted in her death.]] Wick suspects this, and later gets confirmation.

* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Vaughn]].

* AMillionIsAStatistic: Subverted. There are several climbers on the trip and at first Peter and many others at base camp are overjoyed that Annie, Vaughn and Tom survived the avalanche they quickly realise that everyone else is dead. Highlighted by showing Karim devastated that his cousin isn't among the survivors.

* TheOneThingIDontHateAboutYou: The Pakistani military officer admits that despite the Indians being their mortal enemies, they make really good tea.

* TakeAMomentToCatchYourDeath

* DwindlingParty: The rescue team.

* FakeUltimateHero - Vaughn, whose last trip up K2 was much-publicized due to the death of several members of the climbing party. It’s revealed that he didn’t survive through any skill of his own, but because [[spoiler:he stole the dex from Wick’s wife, which ultimately resulted in her death.]] Wick suspects this, and later gets confirmation.

* HeroicSacrifice - Several. The film opens with Annie and Peter’s father insisting they CutTheSafetyRope so his weight doesn’t pull them all down. [[spoiler:Wick]] does this too, conveniently getting revenge on [[spoiler:Vaughn]] in a TakingYouWithMe moment. Vaughn also tries to convince an injured Tom to pull one in order to save the dex for himself, though both Tom and Annie call him out for being a selfish bastard.
* ImColdSoCold - [[spoiler:Tom]]. Unsurprising, since he’s, you know, freezing to death.

* KarmicDeath - [[spoiler:Vaughn]].

* WhatIsOneMansLifeInComparison: Vaughn tries to pull this on Tom, telling him he’s got no chance so they shouldn’t bother wasting the dex on him. While he might have a point -- Tom ''is'' severely injured -- he’s a pretty cold-hearted bastard about it. Plus, Vaughn only says it because he wants all the dex for himself.

* FinallyFoundTheBody - The group finds Wick’s wife’s body on their way up the mountain, along with evidence that [[spoiler:Vaughn]] caused her death.

* TheLostLenore - Wick’s wife, who died during Vaughn’s first expedition up the mountain. It’s later revealed that [[spoiler:Vaughn stole the dex from her, essentially murdering her so he could survive]].
* TheMentor - Wick.
* MoneyDearBoy - In-universe, this is the biggest reason Monique goes with the rescue team.
* MortalWoundReveal - [[spoiler:Tom]] gets one of these. We know he’s been injured in the avalanche, but not how badly until Annie lifts his shirt up and shows his ribcage has basically been caved in.
* NitroExpress - The rescue party hauls some nitroglycerine up the mountain, to help locate the climbers stranded by the avalanche.
* RagtagBunchOfMisfits - The crew assembled to go rescue the stranded climbers looks like this from the outside. A half-crazy mountain man, two slacker brothers, a woman in it for the money… Subverted in that they’re all actually experienced climbers who know what they’re doing.
* SanitySlippage - Wick looks like a case of this from the outside. In reality he’s simply never stopped grieving for his dead wife.
* SceneryPorn - It’s set on K2, and was filmed on several mountains, so this is kind of inevitable.
* ShamingTheMob - Peter does this when trying to put together a team to go rescue the stranded climbers. The Bench brothers are much more blunt about it, basically calling most of the camp a bunch of cowards too busy writing their autobiographies to do any actual climbing.
* ShootTheDog - Vaughn, not wanting to share the dex with Tom (who’s been injured in the avalanche), [[spoiler:injects him with air, killing him with a pulmonary embolism.]]
* SnowMeansDeath - Kind of the point of the movie.
* SuicideMission - Peter’s rescue attempt is seen as this, which is why he has such a hard time assembling a large enough team to try it.
* SurvivorGuilt - Peter has this.

* TakingYouWithMe - [[spoiler:Wick, to Vaughn]].
* TheOneThingIDontHateAboutYou - The Pakistani military officer admits that despite the Indians being their mortal enemies, they make really good tea.
* TheyKnewTheRisks - The excuse given by almost everyone who refuses to go on the rescue mission. TruthInTelevision to an extent, since anyone willing to go on such a serious climb has to realize they stand a very real chance of dying.
* ThoseTwoGuys - The Bench brothers.

* WhatIsOneMansLifeInComparison - Vaughn tries to pull this on Tom, telling him he’s got no chance so they shouldn’t bother wasting the dex on him. While he might have a point -- Tom ''is'' severely injured -- he’s a pretty cold-hearted bastard about it. Plus, Vaughn only says it because he wants all the dex for himself.

* BigBrotherInstinct - The reason Peter’s so insistent on rescuing Annie, even though multiple other characters insist it’s suicide.

* CutTheSafetyRope - Happens to the main characters’ father in the prologue, causing the friction between him and his sister. All the more heartbreaking as it was the son who cut the rope at his father’s insistence just moments before the sister was able to attach additional securing that might have saved them. Repeated with an IronicEcho at the end of the film when TheMentor [[spoiler:sacrifices both himself and the SmugSnake (unwillingly) to save the others.]]
* DwindlingParty - The rescue team.

* WhatIsOneMansLifeInComparison - Vaughn tries to pull this on Tom, telling him he’s got no chance so they shouldn’t bother wasting the dex on him. While he might have a point -- Tom ''is'' severely injured -- he’s a pretty cold-hearted bastard about it. Plus, Vaughn only says it because he wants all the dex for himself.