Everest: The Unclimbed Ridge/A Ridge Too Far

Gary Speer is the guiding force behind these intriguing documentaries which take viewers into the heights of the Himalayas and the Karakorum. Using a "video journal" approach, armed only with a Ricoh 8mm camcorder, Speer has captured footage at the top of the world, in temperatures that exceed 100 degrees below zero (with the wind chill factor)--a feat that should make Timex and John Cameron Swayze drool with envy. In Everest: The Unclimbed Ridge, Speer and six fellow climbers tackled the unclimbed northeast ridge of Everest. They left base camp on August 16th, 1989, assailed the north ridge during the whole of September (achieving a height of 25,000 ft.), and finally, in the face of unusually inclement weather, abandoned the climb on October 12th. As one of climbers put it: "we came, we saw, it kicked our ass. "The program ends on an upbeat note, with the determination of the climbers to return to try again at a later date. A Ridge Too Far is the disturbing account of Speer's 1988 expedition, which was politically re-routed, so that the 4-man team eventually chose the summit of Gasherbrum 2 in Pakistan's Karakorum as their ultimate destination. When two members left, Speer and his partner Gary Silver were left to continue the climb. Silver, struck down with illness on the mountainside, perished in the attempt. Deftly handling the tragedy in such a way that the film doesn't seem in any way exploitative, Speer has done an admirable job of "amateur video" production that puts more than a handful of professionals to shame. In addition to the majestic imagery that Speer has captured, he and his brother--noted "new age" composer Paul Speer--have added a lovely soundtrack. Highly recommended. (Available from: Gary Speer, 9937 Rainier Ave. South, Seattle, WA 98118.)