UPDATED: National Geographic Channel's Encore of 'Surviving Everest' Will Air on 50th Anniversary of Historic Climb

5/6/2003

From: Russell A. Howard of National Geographic Channel, 202-912-6652, rhoward@natgeochannel.com; Nord Wennerstrom of The Fratelli Group, 202-822-9491, nwennerstrom@fratelli.com; Cathy L. Saypol, 212-288-8496 (national television contact) Saypolpr@aol.com

WASHINGTON, May 6 -- The following was released today by National Geographic Channel:

-- "An extraordinary piece of work." -- Los Angeles Times

-- "Just too good to miss." -- New York Newsday

-- "A program that will touch your heart as surely as the first explorers touched Everest's peak." -- USA Today

-- "A film of extraordinary depth and subtle nuance." -- Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Mount Everest -- the tallest mountain on Earth -- has captivated the attention of adventurers the world over. Fifty years after the first successful ascent and 40 years after the first Americans stood on top of the world, National Geographic Channel takes viewers on a remarkable journey back to the summit. The sons of three celebrated Everest climbers lead the way, revealing the dangers and drama of the mountain as well as the untold stories of those who live in its shadow.

"Surviving Everest," a two-hour global television event will re-air Thursday, May 29, 2003, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, on the National Geographic Channel (NGC), to coincide with the historic 50th anniversary of the first successful summit of Everest. The documentary event, covers the extraordinary National Geographic 50th Anniversary Everest Expedition that united Peter Hillary, Jamling Tenzing Norgay, and Brent Bishop - the sons of Sir Edmund Hillary, Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, and Dr. Barry Bishop, respectively. The expedition was led by mountaineering legend Pete Athans, who has summited Everest more than any other Westerner. The Anniversary Expedition was sponsored by the National Geographic Expeditions Council and made possible in part by the generous support of American International Group Inc.

Propelled by the extreme climbing challenges of these second-generation climbers and driven by their unique experiences and life history, "Surviving Everest" takes an in-depth look at 50 years of tragedy and triumph, including early Everest expeditions and the bitter rivalries to summit the mountain. Shifting between the past and present, Hillary, Norgay, and Bishop take viewers back in time, sharing accounts of their fathers' first ascents, the legendary role of the Sherpa people, and the dramatic events that have swept the region since the first ascent.

"National Geographic has shared a long, rich history with Everest, including over 20 magazine articles, over a dozen documentaries, as well as several Society-funded expeditions and research missions," said Andrew C. Wilk, NGC ' s Executive Vice President of Programming, Production and News. "Surviving Everest" expands on this history and offers fresh insight into the early expeditions as well as white-knuckle footage from the National Geographic 50th Anniversary Everest Expedition."

The film returns to the 1950s for a historic look at the early expeditions, including the competition between the Swiss and the British to be the first to summit Everest. The film also covers the Swiss attempt of 1952 that came within an excruciating 800 feet of the summit. In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa built on the near success of the Swiss team and became the first men to stand on top of the world. Ten years later, National Geographic staff member, Dr. Barry Bishop, and five other climbers, reached the summit in the first successful American expedition to reach the world's highest peak.

Following the same routes pioneered by their fathers decades ago, the National Geographic 50th Anniversary Everest Expedition attempts a perilous double-route ascent to meet at the top. Battling the unpredictable hazards of collapsing ice blocks, storms, and hidden crevasses, Peter Hillary and a team of Sherpas set out up the South Col route, while Brent Bishop and Pete Athans attempt an ascent along the treacherous West Ridge route. Jamling Tenzing Norgay supports the team from Base Camp as the communications expert, since he vowed never to climb Everest again after his brush with death during the fateful 1996 climbing season when nine people died in a single day.

Deteriorating conditions force Hillary's team to abandon their South Col summit attempt. With resources running dangerously low, the team descends to Base Camp only to face near disaster while navigating the Khumbu Icefall, considered one of the most hazardous parts of the climb. In a terrifying moment, a massive 20 ton ice block on which they were standing collapsed setting off a chain reaction that nearly killed two of the cameramen and left another climber dangling by a rope over a newly formed crevasse.

Meanwhile, Bishop and Athans' West Ridge route attempt provides viewers with an up-close look at the raw realities and technical difficulties of climbing and filming Everest. With the prospect of reaching the top just days away, Bishop and Athans forfeit their attempt and unite with the remaining members of the Hillary team back at Base Camp to combine resources and ensure a successful summit attempt for the entire expedition. Illness and exhaustion take their toll; the film crew is unable make the final ascent to the summit. Pete Athans and Kami Sherpa, a member of the climbing team, take over filming the climb to the summit.

"My father's sudden death in 1994 stole the opportunity for us to reflect on Everest together," said Brent Bishop. "I have given the 'following in his footsteps' a great deal more thought and reflection since then, and this expedition allowed me to delve into this with other people who share the same connection."

"My father always told people that he climbed Everest so his children wouldn't have to," said Jamling Tenzing Norgay. "Fifty years later, the Sherpas still climb the mountain, risking their lives for a small wage that is still higher than what they can make in their village."

With nearly 50 climbing related deaths on the mountain, the Sherpa people have paid a high price on Everest.

The increased influx of 27,000 tourists to the Khumbu region each year, combined with rising environmental pressures, has placed the Sherpa people in a precarious position as they seek to find a balance between their traditional way of life and economic growth.

Norgay guides viewers through the world of the Sherpa people and the Khumbu region of the Himalaya. He introduces the old Tigers of the Snows, the original Sherpas who paved the way for early Everest climbers. Carrying the heavy loads and pioneering the routes into the unknown, the original Sherpas recount stories of triumph and tragedy on the mountain, and candidly discuss the fortune and sacrifice that tourism has brought to their people.

Throughout the special, Peter Hillary shares with viewers the intimate connection that he and his family have had with the Khumbu region and its people for 50 years, including the construction of 42 schools, hospitals and clinics, as well as the loss of his mother and youngest sister to a plane crash in the mountains. In a rare interview, Hillary also describes the controversial days that immediately followed his father's 1953 expedition.

"When my father first summited Everest, he was innocent, unaware that his whole life would be altered forever," said Hillary. "Much has changed since then, and my father has devoted his life to helping the Sherpas cope with the changes in the Khumbu region."

"Surviving Everest" is directed, produced and written by Liesl Clark, executive produced by John Bredar for National Geographic Television & Film (NGT&F) with Michael Rosenfeld serving as senior executive producer. For the National Geographic Channel, the executive producers are Andrew C. Wilk and John Bowman.

"Surviving Everest" viewers will be periodically directed to http://www.nationalgeographic.com/everest, a companion site to http://www.nationalgeographic.com, featuring archival content, photographs, maps, and other National Geographic resources. Visitors to the site will become immersed in the climbing experience, through NGC's "Surviving Everest" multimedia special, optimized for high-speed modems.

Based at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channel is a joint venture between National Geographic Television and Film and Fox Cable Networks Group. National Geographic Channel debuted to an initial 10 million homes in January 2001, and is one of only four new networks to ever surpass 20 million subscribing homes within its first year. The Channel already has carriage with all but one of the nation's most significant cable and satellite television providers, making it currently available to more than 36 million homes. For more information, please visit http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel.