Storm Over Everest

Originally broadcast as a highly-rated episode of the PBS series Frontline, this feature-length documentary by mountain climber/filmmaker David Breashears (the IMAX Everest) offers a riveting account of the tragedy (chronicled in Jon Krakauer's bestselling Into Thin Air) that took place on Mount Everest on May 10-11, 1996, when eight climbers died in the wake of a ferocious rogue storm. Breashears focuses almost exclusively on new interviews with the survivors of the three climbing teams who were trapped in the storm near the south summit of Everest (most had already reached the summit and begun their descent when the deadly storm struck). Storm Over Everest combines their riveting first-person accounts with some of the most spectacular Himalayan mountain footage ever seen—breathtaking visuals that make it easier to understand why climbers are drawn to Everest despite the constant threat of danger. In the miraculous case of survivors Beck Weathers and Taiwanese climber Makalu Gau, the aftermath of near-death and frostbite is clearly evident in the mangled stumps of lost hands, fingers, and reconstructed noses. Their testimonies, and those of their fellow survivors are enhanced with exacting dramatic recreations (which some survivors have praised for their blood-curdling authenticity) of the Everest storm, filmed at the Snowbird ski resort in Utah. What emerges from this astonishing human drama is the realization that disasters like the Everest storm reduce people to a primal state of survival, bringing out the best and worst of their true characters. Wisely, Breashears never uses this fact to judge anyone, and perhaps thanks to the passage of time, the survivors are surprisingly candid about this haunting experience that changed their lives forever. DVD extras include a behind-the-scenes slideshow. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: C, P. (J. Shannon)