Legendary Climber, Cinematographer, and Climate Advocate Dies

David Breashears

Illustrious mountaineer and cinematographer, David Breashears, died at the age of 68 on March 14. Breashears was known as a pioneer in Himalayan climbing, and high altitude film making. His film documentation exposed people throughout the world to extreme mountain climbing and the beauty and depth of the Himalayas.

Beyond his extraordinary climbing achievements, and award-winning cinematography, Breashears formed non-profit climate advocacy organization, GlacierWorks, in 2007. GlacierWorks focuses on the mighty, though troubled, Himalayan glaciers and the effects of climate change on the world's highest mountains.

Breashears the Climber

David Breashears was part of an innovating and accomplished group of climbers, including Ed Viesturs and Phil Ershler, that gained recognition in the 1980s by exploring and climbing Himalayan peaks - the highest mountains in the world. Breashears summited 29,029 ft. Mt. Everest in 1983. He returned to Everest in 1985, and became the first American to summit the world's highest peak twice. He eventually summited Mt. Everest 5 times.

In 1996, the same year eight climbers tragically died on Mt. Everest, Breashears led a climbing team with the first IMAX camera on Mt. Everest to create the first-ever footage from the top of the world. Mr. Breashears, and his team, assisted with the efforts to save the fallen climbers - the tragic story was chronicled in Jon Krakauer's 'Into Thin Air'.

Breashears the Filmmaker

Breashears combined his love of climbing with pioneering mountain cinematography, and worked on over 40 film projects during his career. His most famous work came in 1998 when he released 'Everest', the IMAX movie shot on his 1996 Mt. Everest expedition, which included footage from the mountain's summit. Jamling Tenzing Norgay, the son of Tenzing Norgay, the sherpa who climbed Mt. Everest in 1953 with Sir Edmund Hillary when they made history by becoming the first to climb the world's highest peak. Jamling was featured in the documentary, and the film generated more than $120 million in revenue - the most ever for an IMAX film. (The photo below is from the official IMAX website.)