Everest Will Give You the Chills
By Allison Barwacz | Digital Media Content Producer
I had a vague idea of what Everest was about when I walked into the theater: People climb the mountain, a storm comes and people live… or die.
I was right. However, the film exceeded my expectations.
Everest takes you on an 8-9-week journey of two groups of people preparing to climb 29,000 ft. up Mount Everest. The journey required a tremendous deal of training and preparation, with the climbers stopping at four rest camps. The stunning cinematography, coupled with the anguish portrayed by the actors as they climbed, was enough to give even the greatest thrill seeker chills.
The film illustrated the hardships experienced by the climbers, from crossing a ladder from one peak to another to side walking on a narrow ridge. One character in particular, Doug Hansen, a postal worker, wanted to prove that even for an ordinary man, anything was possible. This was his second journey climbing Everest, after failing to reach the top on his first attempt.
I won’t reveal the ending of the film, but I will say, it was difficult to watch. Not because of poor acting or cinematography, but because of the heart-wrenching journey I had to watch. Like the characters in the film, I found myself struggling for warmth throughout the climb.
Overall, walking into the movie with no previous knowledge of the journey—also known as the 1996 Mount Everest Disaster—proved rather dispiriting. The view was phenomenal, but after watching this movie, I wouldn’t climb Everest. Ever.
