Five excellent long-form Everest documentaries on YouTube

As I've mentioned before, recently I have become very interested in learning more about Mount Everest. I believe the modern term is 'deep dive', and I've been indulging myself with lots of buying and reading books, listening to podcasts and watching long documentary videos.

I've discovered that the amount of content on YouTube in particular can be quite overwhelming, and far too much of it is either shorts or clickbait videos that lack depth. A much better source of information are long-form documentaries, and luckily there are a wealth of excellent ones available to choose from. 

I'm going to share a few of my favourites, in what may well be part one of a series!

Everest 1998: IMAX (1998)

This film contains the first IMAX images from the summit. It makes it all look easy - if you want a behind the scenes description you can read No Shortcuts to the Top by Ed Viesturs which really goes into the practicalities of making the film! The film covers the preparations for the climb, the trek to the summit and the return to Base Camp. The footage is beautiful, even when watched on a small screen. The film crew was on the mountain during the 1996 disaster and so shares some of the stories from that day (see the next video to find out more about that event).

The 1996 Disaster - Storm over Everest (2008)

This is a documentary and dramatisation of the events of the 1996 climbing season, when a storm trapped climbers high up in the mountains, leading to eight deaths including two experienced expedition leaders. It features interviews with many of the climbers that were there that day, along with  reconstructions of events. It's not that deep in terms of insight, but it's a good introduction to what happened and introduces you to some of the key players and timelines that you can then go and research further.

Summit Fever (1996)

This is the second Everest film featuring Brian Blessed (the first is Galahad of Everest which is also available on YouTube) and his exuberant enthusiasm for reaching the summit of Everest. This is his third and final attempt, and even though (spoiler alert) he doesn't actually make it to the top himself the film is very entertaining to watch. This team was also on the mountain during the 1996 disaster, and so you can see some footage of that event. The making of this film is chronicled in the book The Other Side of Everest by Matt Dickenson, director.

A Deadly Ascent (2019)

In two parts, this is the story of the 2019 Everest season, when 11 people died. It focuses on the problems of overcrowding on the mountain, and the issues of inexperienced people attempting to climb. It features interviews with Sherpa guides, climbers, and those who lost loved ones. It's a critical look at how people can buy their way to a summit attempt, and the impossibility of trying to help when something goes wrong at high altitude.

The Wildest Dream - Mallory and Everest (2010)

In 1999, Conrad Anker discovered George Mallory's body on the slopes of Everest. It's unknown whether or not Mallory and his climbing partner Sandy Irvine reached the summit in 1924 before they died, and Anker attempts to prove that they could have made it. He returns with climber Leo Holding and they recreate parts of the climb, wearing clothing from Mallory's time and attempting the Second Step, the trickiest part of the climb, without using the ladder that has been in place for almost all other attempts via that route. There's a clever mirroring of the historical story of Mallory and Irvine with the modern ascent story, and a poignant dramatisation imagining what it could have looked like if they had made it to the top.

Do let me know if you've found any others that I should watch!