Above All Else - The Everest Dream

Rating:
Summary: Realistic and Moving
Review: I have seen 5 of the 7 Everest DVD's I own and this one was the most 'human' in terms of feeling real and emotionally moving. So many of the others are more like generic documentaries on Everest and its climbing legends. This DVD was just what I wanted. No fancy camera shots or special effects, just plain and simple the realites of a challenge and how it affected those on the expedition. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who just want to see it from a more simplistic and real angle. I would also like to see the unedited version.

Rating:
Summary: Good Stuff - Good Everest film
Review: Jamie Clarke and Alan Hobson are two canadians who organized an Everest Expedition in 1997 totally funded by Sponsor's( Lotus, Colliers, etc), that would attempt to summit the mountain by the south face just one year after the worst season in Everest history (1996 - 15 deaths).They attempted the summit two times before, both times by the north face, both times without any sucess on the summit.

The film has some great scenes about the "entire" climbing, from Base Camp to Camp 4 , being the most notorious the ones in ; the Khumbu Icefalls, the Lotse Face(Camp3), the South Col(camp 4), the Hillary Steps, the South Ridge and of course the summit.

Both guys actually make comments about the summit day and also of other difficult moments(Alan at the Icefalls). Jamie did pretty well on the summit day(proving to be a strong climber), but Alan had some serious trouble on the way back after almost giving up on the way up because of problems with oxygen and cold(very resilient).This is a good film about climbing everest with a great message in it.

Note: the climber that appears hanging dead on the Hillary Steps is a british climber named Bruce Herrod. Before commiting his body to the mountain, a camera was found and the film in it was still intact.The camera was delivered to his former girlfriend, and the film in it revealed later that he actually summited but unfortunately died on the way back at the Hillary Steps. The picture of Bruce Herrod on the summit can be found in the last chapter of David Breashears book (High Exposure).He was the last person to summit in the 1996 season.

Rating:
Summary: Slightly better than average in the Everest video market
Review: Of the dozen or so tapes available made about climbing Mt. Everest, this one ranks slightly above average. The footage, and explanations of the route especially high on the mountain, is high quality. The two main characters, especially Jamie Clarke, carry much of the film with some personality and reflections on their attempts on the peak. But the dramatic content here, fueled by this being the climbers third attempt, and an around the world contact with a school back in Canada via the Internet, are not enough of a driving narrative to compel the viewer to stare with anticipation at each moment of the story. And the shots of the Khumbu Icefall, story of the Monasteries and Sherpas (though well respected here) are told better in other videos. If you have not seen many Everest videos and this one sounds interesting to you, it's well worth a look. If you're like me and have seen several others, this would be one to skip.

Rating:
Summary: Try another one if you are not a fanatic
Review: This movie was poorly made. Too much fade in/fade out. Long interruptions. Few actions scenes, and generally too short. For instance, a scene in Hillary Step have a duration of just 4 seconds. It seems they made it just to pay some expenses of the journey. The only good thing is that they reached the top of Everest.

Rating:
Summary: The definition of courage and stamena
Review: This story is one of the most inspiring of almost any I've ever heard. We just recently attended a business seminar with over 40,000 people at the RCA Dome where Jamie Clarke spoke. Before this man completed his presentation, that crowd was so intently listening to him, you could hear a pin drop. What a testimony to courage and endurance. I give this my highest rating.

Rating:
Summary: The definition of courage and stamena
Review: This story is one of the most inspiring of almost any I've ever heard. We just recently attended a business seminar with over 40,000 people at the RCA Dome where Jamie Clarke spoke. Before this man completed his presentation, that crowd was so intently listening to him, you could hear a pin drop. What a testimony to courage and endurance. I give this my highest rating.

Rating:
Summary: A DREAM COME TRUE...
Review: This story recounts the dream shared by Canadian climbers and friends, Jamie Clarke and Alan Hobson. The dream was simply to summit Everest. It would be years before their dream was realized.

They first tried to summit Everest with the 1991 Everest/Canada Climb for Hope Expedition. They were unable to make their summit bid, as gale force winds put an end to their ascent. Five hundred metres from the top they were forced to descend, their high camp having been blown right off the mountain.

In 1994, they joined the Emergo Everest Expedition in an effort to once again reach the summit. Again, the fates intervened. When they were just two hundred metres from the summit, a fellow expeditioner fell prey to pulmonary edema. They made the decision to turn back and help evacuate a fallen comrade to safety, a choice they never regreted, given the alternative.

They made the bid to try again in 1997, their third attempt to try and reach the top of the world. This trip was to be the culmination of their dream. The weather was great. There are some nice views of the Khumbu Ice Fall, as well as some shots of an avalanche in the making, some decent climbing footage, and the usual spectacular views of Everest.

Both of them made the summit. They got to the top and down in one piece. Unfortunately, one of the Sherpas was not so lucky, as he fell into crevasse on the descent. Luckily, they were able to rescue him, and with a doctor as part of the expedition he received immediate medical attention. He was successfully evacuated, and his prognosis was for a full and complete recovery from his injuries. All in all, the expedition was a success, as there were no fatalities and the summit of Everest was reached, the realization of a long held dream.