Front seat: Peril at the peak
Frozen, still clad in colourful gear, and many serving as ghoulish landmarks for other trekkers (“Mate, take a turn at Green Boots”), there are over 200 bodies on Mount Everest of mountain climbers whose journeys on the peak met a chilling end.
Although it is not statistically as dangerous a climb as K2 or Kangchenjunga, with its frequent avalanches, blizzards and thinning oxygen, Mount Everest is still insurmountable for many. Numerous people have lost their lives in mere rescue attempts. Perhaps this is why, at the highest altitudes, some have taken the cold decision to leave dying climbers, such as British mountaineer David Sharp in 2006, to freeze to death rather than decrease the chances of their own survival by trying to save another in such an unforgiving environment.
Personally, I have never attempted a mountain climb, but I have experienced the deathly cold, and Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur is remarkable at portraying the feeling in his dramatic thriller. As the adventurers battle to keep their fingers warm, as they desperately suck on oxygen, as they ignore the crusts of snow on their faces, you will be taken to a time when your experienced your harshest winter.
Mount Everest is the last resting place for many unfortunate mountaineers
Based on the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, Everest features gorgeous cinematography from Salvatore Totino, capturing the giddy heights of the world’s largest mountain to a terrifying degree. Though I am not fond of 3D effects in general, here, they actually enhance the visuals, creating a true sense of peril.
In Everest, the mountaineers travel from landmark to landmark, through the base camps, walk over ladders placed on deadly pits, eventually reaching well over 20,000 feet. As far as authenticity is concerned, the filmmaking has certainly been given a stamp of approval by Everest experts such as famous climber Sean Swarner.