Customer Reviews

Everest: Beyond the Limit

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Please note that this review contains spoilers. Don't read if you don't want to know the ending.

First off, let me say that if you're looking for a series that covers an Everest expedition with careful attention to detail, this is the series for you. Over the course of six episodes, we get to know the individual climbers pretty well. We learn their motivations, their fears, their hopes and the risks they are taking by climbing this mountain. We watch them suffer from exhaustion, oxygen deprivation, frostbite and other serious ailments. By the end of the series, you've come to care about these climbers and you feel you have a vested interest in the success of their summit bids.

What's even more noteworthy is the exceptional job done by the photojournalists who shot the climb -- some of whom were sherpas. Using special cameras attached to their headgear (humorously nicknamed "sherpacams" by the production team), the climbers were able to continuously shoot their dangerous trek from the Death Zone to the summit. As someone who has seen a lot of documentaries of Everest, this is some of the most breathtaking footage ever shot of that mountain.

From the production angle, this documentary gets top marks. Kudos to the Discovery Channel for placing this in our hands.

So why is one star deducted?

It should be noted that this documentary was shot during the 2006 climbing season -- one of the deadliest seasons on record, rivaled only by the 1996 climbing season recounted in John Krakauer's book "Into Thin Air".

If memory serves, 11 people died in 2006. One of them is David Sharp, a solo climber who collapsed in the Death Zone. Members of the Discovery Channel's expedition encountered the dying Sharp while making their way down from their summit attempts (there is actually some dispute as to whether they also encountered him on the way up).

To their credit, some of the climbers (like Lebanese climber Max Chaya) attempted to help Sharp. But ultimately Russell Brice -- the expedition's guide who stayed below at Advanced Base Camp -- ordered them to leave Sharp to his death. All of this is covered in detail in the final episode, as it happens -- even to the extent of including Chaya's weeping transmissions as he has to leave the climber to die.

Brice's logic is simple: he doesn't want to risk the lives of his own clients (who are already frostbitten and on the verge of exhaustion) to save the (at the time) unknown climber.

In retrospect, he was probably right.

All the same, when it's all said and done, I can't decide if I like Brice or not. That incident causes you to see the trek to Everest in much different light. Is it really worth it? It would be one thing if you were climbing for the purposes of exploration and discovery...if the trek had never been done before and you were hoping to learn something new. (Like the first lunar landing or a manned mission to Mars.) But why are these guys going? To fly a flag and get their picture taken? Bravado? Vanity?

Leaving Sharp was a tough moral decision...one that's hard to reconcile. Until I can do that, I'm docking one star.

Oh...and one quick note to the producers: there's no such word as "disorientated". Other than that, it's an excellent documentary.

If you are an Everest fan, have read all the books and seen the Imax movie, you will love adding this to your collection. This is climbing from the North side, where you can follow the climbers from Advanced Base Camp along much of the route. They also have awesome footage from helmet cameras worn by the Sherpas. For the first time, you can see how narrow the climbing ledges are get a sense of what it is really like to make the climb. The radios are wired in for audio. This is terrific production.

Everest: BTL is an amazing DVD that captures the drama of a diverse group of climbers and their attempt to summit Everest. While not technically exhaustive, the DVD is presented in more of a "reality show" format that draws you into the human struggle of the ascent. The DVD focuses on both the strengths and the weaknesses of the men who are attempting to summit the greatest mountain on Earth. That being said, ANY CLIMBER who has ever stepped foot on a mountain knows that many treks (ESPECIALLY EVERST) have been corrupted into purely commercial "events". However, to focus on that aspect and miss the larger picture is the sign of an unrealistic, mountaineering mind. We can't go back in time and change what these types of climbs have become. Accept it and move forward. Some can, some can't...just like climbing the mountain. It needs to be said however, that each and every man and woman who place their feet on Everest have already proved everything they need to prove. As far as the dead climber (Sharp) controversy, it should be noted that there was nothing these men could do that would have saved that poor soul that wouldn't have also cost their own lives. Not worth it. Each person knows the score when attempting Everest. This is nothing compared to the tragedy of the 1996 expedition. I would suggest that those who are overly concerned about this aspect of the 2006 expedition have never faced true tragedy in their lives or been in unique, "team-centered" experiences (such as combat) where the survival of the group is paramount. While in safe, secure, civilized society we would all do everything in our power to save a human life, combat and an "assault" on Everest are different scenarios where (unfortunately) different rules apply. Overall, outstanding presentation. The avid climber will find enough here to keep them interested and have them trying on their boots and dusting off their gear in the off-season. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Pro's : It's about Everest. It had good views of the northern route.
Con's : It was a reality show that seem to point out the drama of the unsucessful climbers. The movie could have been shortened to save time.
Overall, ok for a reality show.

Everest lovers, this is the penultimate adventure video ever produced!Outstanding footage. Great drama and interesting characters. This is almost as good as Everest Beyond the Limit 2. I'd tell you why but that might give away ending! The best videos on the subject ever. If you get Season 1 you absolutely MUST get Season 2!!

I enjoyed this show very much. The DVD is excellent and the suspense of the show is unbelievable mostly because it is REAL. It is very informative and it pulls no punches. You don't have to know anything about mountain climbing (me included) to find this to be an unbelievably interesting, entertaining, thrilling and compelling show.

What a great drama! The suspense, the scenery, the human interest and interaction, the detail....it's almost like being there. This is a great series. I can't wait for the second season to come out on DVD.

I can not validate of course the truthfulness of this series, as other people have pointed out. But I don't think thats my job as I'm reviewing it as entertainment and as a series. As far as that goes, it was great, as many other people have pointed out. I feel thats already been covered, so I wanted to point out, this DVD is not enhanced for 16X9. Anamorphic Widescreen is not part of this, so one will have to stretch the image, losing some resolution. On my TV, it looked like poo. This of course is a technical aspect of the dvd, and not the movie, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Therefore, I give it four stars. Just be warned.

-X

I was so captivated by this show and excited, that I finally went to Everest last year myself, there is drama, humour and excitement in this show and its my all time favourite!

For the first of two, this is okay but they go over board with the Tim the biker! You see experience on the mountain and also the lack of climbing experience as well as knowledge of some of the climbers. I shows you what type of climbers money will put on the mountain. It could have been an excellent documentry but very amateur in final cut due to the story line and dialogue.