Hampi Local
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Last autumn, Lee James Thompson and the Bloc Features crew spent
two months in Hampi, India, producing a documentary film about Vikas (Jerry) – a local climber with huge potential.
“We arrived in Hampi, India, October 2014. We were there to climb, film and have a damn fine holiday,” says Thompson. Then we met Vikas (‘Jerry’), and
Hampi Local was born.”
Since Chris Sharma’s Pilgrimage—a 2003 film by Big UP Productions—Hampi
and its surrounding climbing areas have fallen off the radar. But now that climbing gyms are sprouting in India’s major cities, climbing in India is
on the upswing.
“While in India, we became acutely aware of how lucky we were to be able to travel and climb overseas,” says Thompson. “At the same time, we realized that
Jerry, for all his talent, simply does not have these same opportunities – a great injustice when you consider how much time he spends making sure
people like us have the bouldering experience of a lifetime!”
Thompson is already getting ready for his next project “We’ll get Jerry over to the UK to climb on our Yorkshire grit,” he says.
As for now, Hampi’s prime bouldering season is about to kick off at the end October.