This has bugged me for some time. Why is there no film footage taken from the very summit of Mt. Everest? I know its cold, but there’s been film from the surface of the moon and of the Titanic. The conditions on Everest’s peak are hardly that severe. I also realize the climber’s physical weaknesses at that altitude, but a camera could be made rugged enough without being too heavy. Being that it’s not likely I’ll ever be there, I’m curious to know exactly what does the summit look like. How big an area is it? What, exactly, constitutes the very highest point? I’ve seen still photos, but they don’t really give a good enough sense of it.
Most recently, the Nova about finding Mallory’s body did this. They had footage right up to the last push, then only film of the guys at base camp talking to them from the summit on the radio. Maybe it’s the Illuminati’s HQ…
I heard a Fresh Air interview with David Breshears, who filmed the IMAX film. Their initial plan was to film up to Camp IV, I believe, with the IMAX film, then switch to something much smaller because of the weight of the equipment and film. In the end they decided to go with the IMAX, because otherwise what was the point of an IMAX film of Everest?
Obviously conditions are that severe–if considerations of how many oxygen bottles to bring are vitally important, it’s clear that the life-saving/threatening characteristics of each and every piece of equipment must be considered.
The Imax Everest very definitely included scenes shot from the summit. (I found the voice-over, discussing the extreme difficulty that the couple of climbers encountered getting to the top, just a bit ironic in view of the fact that there were several Sherpas standing around with extremely heavy cameras filming the scene. There was a series of scenes taken by another climber using a smaller camera in Everest.)
In addition, the National Geographic has published photos from the summit dating back to the 1960s, at least. (Unless the OP was limited to motion pictures–but I thought I had seen movies taken from the summit from a long time ago.)
Yes, the IMAX film has it. I saw Bershears (?) talk, and he mentioned that the camera crew was every bit as incredible as the climbers. Weight is the important factor – real climbers will chop their toothbrush in half to save 1/2 ounce and such. Against that kind of backdrop, the fact that there was any successful filming done is truly incredible.
Good answer, Ducky. Your hyperlinks are always on the $$$. ( Aside to Dopers- Duck Duck sat behind me in 2nd Year Cartography Seminar. She copied off of my papers incessantly- which explains why she and I were the only two who spelled " Pangaea " correctly on the Final :0 ).
There’s also an episode of Nova where Breashers and Ed Veisturs are taking cognition tests on the summit (without suplimental oxygen) and screwing up royally. It’s very amusing, and was filmed the year after they filmed the IMAX movie.
The Titanic was at sea level. The moon landing required new methods for everything. Filming, let alone life at an elevation where planes fly is extremely difficult. Breashears did it for the IMAX film, but conditions at the top preclude extensive filming.
For a good reference of what one goes through trying to summit Everest, I recommend John Krakauer’s book Into Thin Air.
And also Cameron’s film from the late 1990s, which had some authentic and original footage of the actual Titanic wreck.
Back on subject, my brother, then a third-year film student, saw Everest with me and spent the whole movie saying things like “that can’t be real” and “there’s no way they shot that up there,” peppered with the occasional “wow!”
Oops… My bad. I immediately pictured that grainy black and white footage with the tugboat company’s name hastily scratched out. Age more than technical merit…
This is what I mean about the photos: http://www.johnamatt.com/pgi51.htm
It’s hard to get a real sense of the summit area. How big it is etc. I guess I’ll have to see the IMAX film.
Well, I found some video of the summit. On May 22, 2000 at 1:30 pm, Dave Hahn summited and recorded the following video. It shows the IMG/ML team near the summit, and then Dave, alone on top of the world. It’s quite interesting. I’ve seen other video, but no other working links. http://www.quokka.com/minisites/everest2000/0005/24/video.html
On another note, here’s a link to the page and resume of Jim Bruton, who brought the first live video broadcast from the summit: http://www.jimbruton.com
Actually, good chunks of the Everest IMAX movie were shot on Mt Hood in Oregon and Mt Washington in NH. I don’t think any of the major climbing shots were done off Everest, but most of the rescue footage was done later, since they didn’t film during the rescue.
If you’ve been on Mt Washington in winter, you could spot the shots from there. Mountains have very distinctive looks.
because the challenge is getting to the top, once your there - it isn’t a place you want to stay very long. They take pictures and video but it is overshadowed by the amount of film during the trip
I still wonder if there’s some unwritten rule about not filming too much at the summit. Sort of like, keeping the view amongst only those who’ve actually been there. Guess it means there won’t be a weather-proof, solar powered, net Summit-Cam left there anytime soon…
This may be a stupid question, but why can’t they just fly a helicopter up there and drop people right on the summit? Is the weather too harsh (high winds?), or the altitude too high?
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