Living and Dying on Everest

Got $25,000 burning a hole in your pocket? That's the average cost for a person interested in climbing the 29,000 ft. Chomolungma, popularly known as Mount Everest. Although thousands have attempted the ascent, and some 900-plus have reached the summit, the mountain has also claimed the lives of at least 65 people. Living and Dying on Everest offers a first-person account of reporter David Bolling's coverage of a summit-and-cleanup attempt on the peak (most climbers need bottled oxygen to make it through the ultra-thin air at the top; consequently, the mountain is littered with empty cylinders from past expeditions), while also providing a glimpse of the region's Sherpa people (who can make more money guiding a single summit attempt than other Nepalese residents make in an entire year), and insights into the Buddhist religion. Some viewers will be surprised at the extreme struggle of reaching and living at the base camp, where Bolling was stationed--it can take 11 days (marked by varying degrees of debilitating altitude sickness) to climb the 50 miles from the airstrip to the 17,000 ft.-mark base of the mountain. Although the program ultimately leaves a central question unanswered--namely, why is “bagging the mountain” worth the risk of life and limb for so many people?--this is sure to be popular with nature, sports, and Eastern religion enthusiasts, as well as fans of Jon Krakauer's bestselling account Into Thin Air. Recommended. Aud: P. (C. Block)