Everest: Beyond the Limit

Whatever moron wrote the "contrived hokum" post should remove it. He has no appreciation for this show, and only made it through 1 1/2 episodes. How can you write an honest review of a show when you don't even watch it. Everest is not a show about heroes, so I don't why this guy thought it was. It's a show on how any ordinary person can try to climb the greatest mountain in the world, even though most fail. The show does a great job of giving an absolute ton of credit to the Sherpas and all of their hard work. And no, this is nothing like jumping in the back of a truck or whatever that idiot had to say. These climbers still must physically climb the mountain. They hike in freezing temperatures with hardly any oxygen for countless hours. Hardly a walk in the park. This show is about 1/2 mountain climbing and 1/2 learning the personalities of the climbers. I don't miss a show.

Having seen the first four televised episodes I am very impressed with this documentary and look forward to it each week.

To me it represents a human struggle against severe elements both physiologically and psychologically, intertwined with human emotion and interaction in a competitive environment.

It's also quite a thrill to be able to see such a high quality production....and I applaud Discover Channel for televising it. This is a real reality show; people do and will continue to die up there each year.

It's all about calculated risks. So far we have seen two client climbers abort their attempts because they were listening to their own bodies. That, in my mind, the first line of defense. They are the smart ones in that by saving themselves they avoid putting others at risk higher up on the slopes. Self rescue is the #1 rule of survival in many extreme sports for the same reason. Plan your climb and climb your plan. If you are off plan for reasons within yourself or reasons beyond your control, GO DOWN.

We are getting a unique view of one particular team and I would say what we are seeing (and about to see) is repeated by many other teams up there during climbing season each year.

wmarzan1

I am fascinated by Mount Everest and mountaineering in general. Climbers are usually admirable, courageous people who adapt and persevere using experience and thorough preparation and training. They often have fascinating life stories. This show is not about them. The main characters in Everest: Beyond the Limit are newbies who pay tens of thousands of dollars to have their hands held up the mountain.

There are plenty of interesting characters around, but the guides, sherpas and veteran climbers are just supporting actors who we learn little about. We actually don't learn much about anything, since this show is all about drama not education. The third-grade-level narration relies on about fifteen Everest facts and cliches that are repeated every episode. My wife and I eventually started laughing when our favorites came back. We still have one season to watch, and are considering a Bingo game for recurring statements like:

Even if they make it to the summit there's no guarantee they'll make it back down. As they got higher, so did the risks. If they can't find him, he's as good as dead. And at this altitude that's a death sentence. Eighty per cent of the fatalities happen on the way down. In the death zone the body starts eating itself. The effort has left them exhausted. He knows he's lucky to be alive. But this day isn't over yet. He needs to get down fast And X treads the line between life and death. X is at a higher altitude than he's ever been. X is in unknown territory. After x his dream may be shattered.

For all the work and risk that went into producing this show, it seems like an opportunity wasted. Despite the problems, we are still watching, mostly for the scenery. The mountain, and the heroism of the sherpas and guides are dramatic enough to fill a show, and I wish they had.

As an armchair adventurer, I loved this series and the great camera and sound work that made it very real. The personalities are interesting and the dynamics between the expedition leader, the climbers and Sherpas provide plenty of drama for those of us who like to thrill-seek from the comfort of our living room. The only thing that might have made this series better was more of the in-depth interviews of the climbers and crew. I would have loved seeing the climbers returning home to their loved ones after their saga was over. Another thing I would have liked to have seen included is more of the behind- the-scenes footage of all the preparations that the leader, his crew, director and TV cameramen had to go through to get this documentary filmed .

I once enjoyed watching movie named "Vertical Limit" - a true hint of mountaineer's consciousness and spirit. Only this time the highest Mountain will put mens' guts to the test you can find nowhere else.

The cameramen-sherpas have done outstanding job so the viewer is literally on the mountain with the expedition members witnessing their pain and struggle, defeat and victory. Plus the panorama views are almost to die for. This is the rarest scenery I have seen in my life so far! Both seasons are strongly recommended!

However, may be, people who have never been to the mountains themselves will not be able to appreciate in full this excitement, almost awe of the mens' spirit. :(

Overall, for me it's like the final breakthrough of Tim Robbins in "Shawshank Redemtion" only this time there are real people not just movie characters.