EVEREST OBSERVATIONS AND REFLECTIONS
Background information for the film, “Everest: The Other Side.”

Continued from page 1.

1. Everest is nothing but a savage, man-eating mountain.

This is one of the most popular misconceptions used to describe Everest to the masses. Now, it is true that many people have died while climbing the mountain. However, we feel that the common death statistics of, say, one out of every ten or eight climbers to attempt the mountain gets far too much attention. When you focus on the death and destruction you ignore all of the positives of any subject. It’s like saying that New York City is only known for the September 11th terror attacks.

Actually go to Everest and you find an amazing place. Our Expedition climbed the mountain’s Northern side, in Tibet. This side of the mountain has a Base Camp (BC) you can actually drive to, yet due to the political situation in Tibet, BC is still very primitive. When you spend time on the North Side, you cannot help but come in contact with the indigenous people that call the high plateau of Tibet home. There can be 100-200 Tibetans living on the fringe of BC at any given time during the climbing season. These people have very little other than their Buddhism and a few meager possessions. However, they’ve managed to scrape out (through our Western eyes) a happy existence in a barren land with an extreme altitude that would be fatal for much of the World’s population. These people have been living at the foot of Everest for so long they are as much “Everest” as the peak that bears the same name.

Within just a few days you come to the understanding that Everest is much more that a gigantic span of rock jutting skyward. To the locals, she is a deity known as Chomolungma, Mother Goddess of the Earth. Although she can be very unforgiving and deadly at times, it becomes clear that she respects those who respect her. We tried our best to show the mountain the proper respect through everything from religious ceremonies to sleeping with our feet pointing away from the mountain. Even without the cultural aspect of Everest, it is quite simply a beautiful place.

Not many people get to walk at elevations above 25,000 feet. Those who are lucky to have done so know that on the right day, Everest can provide some of the most heart-achingly beautiful views from her high flanks. The Himalayan Range, the Earth’s tallest mountains, spread out before you…and you have the privilege of looking down onto the backs of these giants. At times like these, the dangers of climbing can seem far away and you feel that Everest isn’t taking your life, but rather giving you life.

2. All Everest climbers are extreme athletes.

Everest climbers are not all extreme athletes. Yes, some of them are pushing the envelope of the human experience, but most are just regular people. These people are generally in good physical condition, but if there’s any factor that separates them from the rest of us, it should be the fact that they have between $15k and $60k to spend on climbing a mountain!

Everest Base Camp has all types of people who are climbing the mountain. To date, these climbers have ranged in age from 15 to 74 years old and from dozens of countries. Skinny, thick, short and tall, male and female; Base Camp has them all.

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