Mountaineering & Climbing

Touching the Void

Joe Simpson and Simon Yates set out to climb the west face of the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. It was 1985 and the men were young, fit, skilled climbers. The west face, remote and treacherous, had not been climbed before. Following a successful three-and-a-half-day ascent, disaster struck. Simpson fell a short distance and broke several bones in his leg. With no hope of rescue, the men decided to attempt descent together with Yates lowering Simpson 300 feet at a time in a slow, painful process that could have potentially been deadly for both. One further misstep led to Yates unknowingly lowering his injured partner over the lip of a crevasse. With the gradient having gone from steep to vertical, he was no longer able to hold on. Certain they were about to be pulled jointly to their deaths, the only choice was to cut the rope. How Simpson survived the fall, and made it back to base camp is a story that will astound and inspire. In Touching the Void, Yates and! Simpson return to t

To describe Touching the Void as a mountaineering documentary would be to do this breathtaking drama an injustice. By intercutting narration from the climbers themselves with a nail-biting reconstruction of their remarkable adventure in the Peruvian Andes, the film has the best of both genres: the authentic stamp of factual storytelling and the edge-of-the-seat tension of a dramatic movie.

In 1985, two British mountaineers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, embarked on a daring--arguably reckless in the extreme--attempt to climb the previously unconquered mountain Siula Grande. A mixture of overconfidence in their own abilities and underestimation of the climb's difficulties brought them to grief after the successful slog to the summit. What follows is an often harrowing account of their perilous descent.

Based on Joe Simpson's gripping book, the film boasts glorious widescreen photography of Siula Grande and its notorious glacier. Actors take the place of the two climbers for close-ups, though Simpson did return to Peru in order to reenact parts of his dreadful crawl back down the ice. The story of Simpson's almost-superhuman fortitude has become legendary in climbing circles, and even for viewers uninterested in mountaineering, Touching the Void is an astonishing slice of real-life drama, magnificently retold. --Mark Walker

King Lines

Follow Chris Sharma on his search for the planet's greatest climbs. From South American fantasy boulders to the sweeping limestone walls of Europe. Sharma finds and climbs the hardest, most spectacular routes. Off the coast of Mallorca he discovers his most outrageous project yet, a 70 foot arch rising from the Mediterranean Sea.

Storm Over Everest

As darkness fell on May 10, 1996, a fast moving storm of unimaginable ferocity trapped three climbing teams high on the slopes of Mount Everest. The climbers, exhausted from their summit climb, were soon lost in darkness, in a fierce blizzard, far from the safety of High Camp at 26,000 feet. World-renowned climber and filmmaker David Breashears, who aided the rescue efforts back in 1996, now returns to Everest to tell the fuller story of what really happened on that legendary climb. Through remarkably intimate interviews with the climbers and Sherpas many who have never spoken before on American television Breashears sheds new light on the worst climbing tragedy in Mount Everest s history.

NOVA - Everest: The Death Zone

"Because it is there" is the reason so many men and women have risked death to climb Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on earth. NOVA follows a scientific investigation of high-altitude physiology in Everest: The Death Zone, which examines the biological and psychological changes experienced by a group of climbers during their ascent. Jodie Foster's narration accompanies the team as the NOVA photographers capture the stark, alien beauty of the mountain; the drama reaches a crescendo on the descent as it becomes unclear whether or not an ill climber will make it. Well worth watching by anyone interested in mountain climbing or the limits of human endurance, Everest: The Death Zone is at once cautionary and inspiring. --Rob Lightner

Get ready for a (literally) breathtaking trek up Mt. Everest, from Base Camp at 17,600 feet; through the chilling, corpse-strewn Death Zone; to the very pinnacle of the the Earth, five and a half miles above sea level. For those brave souls who survive the harrowing climb to the top of the world, it is a transformative experience. But can the excruciating ascent—through frigid cold, blasting wind, blinding sun, and severe lack of oxygen—cause permanent, damaging changes to the human brain and body?

In the wake of the 1996 disaster that took eight climbers in a single day, scientists follow a team of hikers to measure, for the first time ever, the toll high-altitude climbing takes on the heart, lungs, blood, and brain. Why do seemingly rational people make poor, sometimes fatal decisions as they approach the peak? And the danger doesn't end there—as NOVA discovers during the descent, when one climber's respiratory illness takes a terrifying turn on the isolated mountainside. ''Even with the best technology, the best training,'' says team member, producer and director David Breashears, ''you can still end up frozen to death at 27,500 feet. That's what makes Everest Everest.''

Special DVD features include: scene selections; access to the Everest: The Death Zone Web site; and English subtitles.

On one DVD5 disc. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: 4 x 3 full frame.

The Alps [Blu-ray]

In the air above Switzerland, on the sheer rock-and-ice wall known as the Eiger, an American climber is about to embark on the most perilous and meaningful ascent he has ever undertaken: an attempt to scale the legendary mountain that took his renowned father's life. Against a backdrop of overwhelming natural beauty,The Alps is a true-life story of extraordinary courage. It's the intensely personal journey of a man who has every reason not to climb the deadly Eiger North Face (the most difficult climb in Europe), yet climb it he must. Featuring some of the most spectacular giantscreen imagery yet seen, the film celebrates the unsurpassed beauty of the Alps and the indomitable spirit of the people who live there.

The Alps (IMAX)

In the air above Switzerland on the sheer rock-and-ice wall known as the Eiger an American climber is about to embark on the most perilous and meaningful ascent he has ever undertaken: an attempt to scale the legendary mountain that took his renowned father's life. Against a backdrop of overwhelming natural beauty The Alps is a true-life story of extrodinary courage. It's the intensely personal journey of a man who has every reason not to climb the deadly Eiger North Face yet climb it he must.Featuring some of the most spectacular giantscreen imagery yet seen the film celebrates the unsurpassed beauty of the Alps and the indomitable spirit of the people who live there.System Requirements:Running Time: 45 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/IMAX Rating: NR UPC: 014381433821 Manufacturer No: ID4338MVDVD

30 Years of National Geographic Specials

Mystery, danger, splendor, adventure. Since 1964, National Geographic has been broadcasting television specials that created and, many would argue, still maintain the standard for all nature programming since. Vigilantly focusing on what came before human beings, this special is a grand slam of 30 years (1964-1994) of painstaking exploration and documentation. Its narrative sounds almost biblical: "In the beginning..." there was molten lava. The footage is, as you would expect, dazzling but it is the agile editing and well-crafted storytelling here that makes this video into a poignant success.

Moving from the creation of earth to its inhabitants, the narrative segues to the single law of survival. In the Living Sands of Namib (1978), a spider escapes a predator by cartwheeling down a dune. There are clips of Costa Rican lizards sprinting on water, a woodpecker outsmarting a corn snake, and an Indian tiger begrudgingly retrieving his deer-carcass supper from a thieving crocodile. Procreation is, undoubtedly, the more lighthearted side of survival. Three black beetles are in pursuit of a female running in the sand with a musical score so perfectly selected, it is as if the they are engaged in a well-choreographed dance. The synchronized swimming of mating squids in Jewels of the Caribbean (1994) is more graceful than Twyla Thwarp.

After an introduction to the habitat and behavior of so many creatures, the video turns the spotlight on the tool user, fire tamer, language maker: humankind. Americans on Everest (1964), Dr. Leakey and the Dawn of Man (1966), The World of Jacques Yves Cousteau (1966), In the Shadow of Vesuvius (1987), Australia's Twilight of the Dreamtime (1988), and Jane Goodall: My Life with the Chimpanzees (1990) are classic examples of National Geographic at its best. There are also fascinating clips from early Geographic projects, including the 1917 Katmai expedition.

Well beyond serving as a self-congratulatory slap on the back for work well done, this special has an important message: the animals and natural phenoms we fear the most are those we know the least about. Contrary to popular belief, humans are the largest single threat to all life on earth. By bringing fragile ecosystems into our living rooms, National Geographic hopes to instill conservation ethics in each viewer. --Cristina Del Sesto

Relive the most spellbinding scenes from our television documentaries of exploration and delivery. Year: 1994

NOVA: Everest

This set includes three NOVA episodes about the deadly history of Mount Everest.Everest: The Death ZoneGet ready for a (literally) breathtaking trek up Mount Everest: from Base Camp at 17600 feet through the chilling corpse-strewn Death Zone to the very pinnacle of the Earth five and a half miles above sea level. Can such an excruciating ascent cause permanent damaging changes to the human body?Everest: The Mystery of Mallory and IrvineDid George Mallory reach the top of Mount Everest in 1924 nearly 30 years before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay? More than just a spellbinding Everest saga the story of Mallory and Irvine evokes memories of an era of exploration and heroic idealism when one could still walk off the map. Lost On EverestJoin the historic search for the body of mountain-climbing legend George Mallory atop Mount Everest. Climb the daunting slopes that challenged Mallory s mind body and archaic equipment. And take part in mountaineering history as NOVA brings you an up-close look at this headline-making quest.System Requirements:Running Time: 162 minFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. UPC: 783421293199 Manufacturer No: WG29319

Everest: Beyond the Limit

Experience Everest as it's never been before in this harrowing trek to touch the roof of the world. With unusually severe weather and heartbreaking circumstances, this expedition up the world's tallest peak becomes fraught with unexpected perils, leading to an emotional journey full of fear, hardship, exhaustion, disappointment and unforgettable triumphs. Boasting a crew of climbers each with something to prove, this expedition includes the first-ever double amputee to aim for the summit, an asthmatic climber ascending without bottled oxygen and a motorcyclist embracing life once again after a near-fatal traffic accident. Stunningly captured with high-definition cameras, each episode of this special DVD edition includes additional footage not seen in the original broadcast, plus behind-the-scenes moments you won't want to miss!

Featuring:

Summit Dreams: At Everest Base Camp, newly arrived climbers struggle to acclimate to the Himalayas' extreme altitude. A cameraman collapses with intense stomach pains and is rushed down the mountain.

The Gatekeeper: After they learn of a Sherpa's death from altitude sickness, expedition members struggle to prepare themselves for a climb that will be the ultimate test of their mental and physical capabilities.

To the Summit: The expedition is divided into two teams for the five-day summit assault. The expedition leader warns the group that he will withdraw the Sherpas if any of the climbers disobey his rules.

Into the Death Zone: The expedition is trapped in a high-altitude camp by unexpectedly high winds and is further delayed by a human traffic jam when slower climbers are encountered.

Mutiny on the Mountain: Climbers must deal with one of the coldest days ever remembered on the mountain and get caught in another group's descent lines.

The Final Cost: With the summit just 350 feet above them, struggling climbers, dangerously weak from serious frostbite and insufficient oxygen, are fiercely determined to reach Everest's pinnacle.

The Funny Ladies of British Comedy

Think of Keeping Up Appearances' social climber extraordinaire Hyacinth Bucket (Patricia Routledge) and how about that chocolate-guzzling vicar Geraldine Grainger (Dawn French) of The Vicar of Dibley. And who can forget Sybil Fawlty (Prunella Scales) whose cry of "Basil!" still inspires fear and laughter after nearly thirty years? Join them and their talented funny colleagues for this celebration of their careers and contributions. Combining new interviews with clips of their funniest moments The Funny Ladies of British Comedy takes you behind the scenes of your favorite Britcoms and answers the question "Who makes these funny ladies laugh?"Running Time: 124 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. UPC: 794051191625