180º South is an inspiring documentary that follows rock climber/surfer Jeff Johnson through some of nature’s toughest challenges. He sets out to retrace Doug Tompkins and Yvon Chouinard’s 1968 journey to Patagonia (they did it in a van – Jeff hitches a ride on a boat).  The documentary is filmed beautifully and captures some great shots of the environment.  The film is composed of equal parts adventure and conservation. Throughout his adventures Jeff and his crew come to terms with the environmental degradation taking place on our earth. They realize that the adventure they’ve undertaken is at risk of being duplicated – with potential damage to the fragile ecosystem – by many others in the future.  In the end they cross paths with their inspiring predecessors, Yvon and Doug, who are now dedicated to saving Patagonia’s endangered, damaged terrain.

I definitely recommend this movie to anyone concerned with the preservation of our environment, or anyone who enjoys the outdoors. It’s a great adventure documentary with a calming soundtrack.