6 Best Avalanche and Mountain Rescue Movies

By Vlad Zakh · March 28, 2026

Snow-covered peaks are beautiful right up until they’re lethal. Everest follows climbers caught in a catastrophic storm, Touching the Void is the documentary about two men surviving a fall in the Andes, and Vertical Limit sends a climber after his sister on K2. Force Majeure is the oddest of the six, a family ski trip undone by one man’s reaction to an avalanche, with Cliffhanger and The Eiger Sanction rounding things out.

Force Majeure (2014)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A family's ski holiday is upended after the father's instinctive reaction to an avalanche exposes cracks in their marriage.

Directed by Ruben Östlund · 1h 59m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Everest (2015)

TMDB ★ 7.1

Climbing expeditions on Mount Everest are caught in a catastrophic storm with devastating consequences.

Directed by Baltasar Kormákur · 2h 01m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: History Vault · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Touching the Void (2003)

TMDB ★ 8.1

A documentary recounts two climbers' harrowing survival after a catastrophic fall in the Andes.

Directed by Kevin Macdonald · 1h 46m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Vertical Limit (2000)

TMDB ★ 5.8

A climber must rescue his sister and her team trapped on K2 after a deadly avalanche.

Directed by Martin Campbell · 2h 04m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Philo, Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Cliffhanger (1993)

TMDB ★ 6.4

A mountain rescuer is forced to help criminals recover money lost in the Rockies after a heist goes wrong.

Directed by Renny Harlin · 1h 53m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Eiger Sanction (1975)

TMDB ★ 6.3

A retired assassin is lured back for one last mission during a dangerous mountain climb.

Directed by Clint Eastwood · 2h 09m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Avalanche and Mountain Rescue Movies

Force Majeure (2014)

Everest (2015)

Touching the Void (2003)

Vertical Limit (2000)

Cliffhanger (1993)

The Eiger Sanction (1975)

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