The Man Who Skied Down Everest

This was a serious mountain expedition movie. I really appreciate what was done here. Climbing Everest in 1970 (the actual date this was done) is one horrifically challenging thing, but attempting to ski straight down 40-45 degrees of hardened snow and ice rocks is unreal. Kudos to Miura for showing the world what it is like.

This is a documentary about Japanese skier Yuichiro Miura who launched an expedition to ski down Everest's South Col face (26,000 feet). His expedition consisted of 800 men and 2 tons of equipment. The poetic narration (done by Douglas Rain - the voice of HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey) is taken from his diary and writings.

The first thing to note is that Miura is an amazing individual. He was the world speed record holder in skiing in 1964 and became the oldest person to climb Everest in 2003 at the age of 70.

Just getting to the top of the South Col of Everest is an achievement. The tragic deaths that occurred during the expedition only underscore the risk involved. Performing the physically and mentally demanding activity of vertically skiing down the face with a parachute is amazing. He is lucky to be alive.

This is not a high-energy, rock music-filled extreme sports movie. Most people would probably die doing something like this. This is about a disciplined, world-class athlete near the peak of his skills doing something extraordinary.

If you like Everest expedition movies, definitely watch this.

The movie is well made with great photography and narration. However, the subject of the film takes himself way too seriously. His actual feat of skiing "down Everest" is massively exaggerated. From what I could tell, he appears to be skiing down about half of the Lhotse face. The narrator claims that he is skiing from a level where the 1952 Swiss expedition reached. Not true. They reached 28,500 feet, just short of the Hillary step. Miuri starts from somewhere below the South Col (26,000 feet) with the aid of a parachute too slow him down. He tries to hold a wedge shape (an amateur move to control speed) then sits down on a traverse at about 24,000 feet and subsequently slides/bounces on his butt another 500 to 1,000 feet. I figure he skied from about 25,500 to 23,000 feet.

This is presented as a successful and amazing run. Miuri states "I cant believe I'm alive" and "why have I been allowed to survive?", blah blah blah...etc. I'd like to know how the 800 porters, sherpas, other climbers, and families of the 6 dead men feel about this. I'm surprised the Japanese expedition didn't try to put some climbers on the summit while they were there. Apparently, it was all about Miuri and his lame ski run.

I first saw this beautifully filmed documentary many years ago and never forgot it. The most interesting parts for me were the trek to base camp and traversing the ice fall. Many of the shots in the movie offered unique perspectives that really showcased the scale and grandeur of the region. I felt that sometimes the thoughts of Miura were overly philosophical and romantic, but what I was hearing was a translation from Japanese to English, so final conclusions are not possible without understanding Japanese. The actual skiing down Everest sequence was short but dramatic. I think that skiers could empathize more with the difficulties of trying to stay in control on such hard and bumpy ice! Crazy stuff! One reviewer had noted that Miura had died shortly afterward but this is not the case. Apparently he became the oldest person to summit Everest when he did it at age 75 in 2008. Quite a man! All these years later, The Man Who Skied Down Everest is as much about climbing Everest in 1970 as about actually skiing down Everest.

This follows Japanese adventurer Yuichiro Miura as he attempts to ski down Mount Everest. That's it. That's all there is and it's great. This has an Englishman narrating his diary entries. It's a neverending train of thought. He is part of a large group of Japanese scientists, fellow travelers, and local porters.

Real life Everest adventures are usually compelling although Miura's destination isn't all the way to the iconic top. That part is rather unusual. The visuals are amazing and I love the 70's aesthetics. He does need a 1st POV camera shoot going downhill. The cameras of that time may be too heavy for him to carry.

This one has the reality of the people. Miura makes himself very personable. There are real deaths and real bodies. This gets real real fast. I feel like I went on a journey with him and that is one of the highest praise for a documentary.

If you watch this movie because you expect a skiing movie, you will be disappointed. This is a movie about assaulting mount Everest and all that was involved in doing so in 1975. It is combined with a healthy dose of Japanese philosophy and a haunting narrative by Doulas Rain, the voice of Hal the computer in 2001. The narrator reads from the diary the skier kept during the assent. That combined with the music and the films overall look and pace makes it unlike anything I have every scene before. It is a dark journey up the mountain.

I found it very moving and throughly enjoyed it. If you are a sports guy, skip it... Otherwise, give it a try.