Last October Time Inc.’s Sports Illustrated and Endemol Shine Beyond USA announced a collaborative effort to record the ascent of Mount Everest in 360-degrees. Today the four-part series Capturing Everest has launched on LIFE VR and several other platforms.
The four episodes – The Journey, The Blessing, The Icefall and The Summit – follows the journey of three climbers as they attempt to make the summit. They were Jeff Glasbrenner, a Paralympian and 25-time Ironman who became the first American amputee to summit Mount Everest on this expedition; Lisa Thompson, a breast cancer survivor who quit her job to take on the mountain; and Madison Mountaineering guide Brent Bishop, son of the legendary climber Barry Bishop, a member of the first American team to summit Everest, in 1963.
Capturing Everest was shot over a two-month period last spring, the first time the mountain has been deemed safe enough for climbers after two years of cancellations due to bad weather and safety concerns. Using a variety of 360-degree capture methods, the team built specialised cameras rigged to zip lines and body harnesses on the climbers offer first-person views of Mount Everest.
The documentary is available through LIFE VR as well as a microsite on SI.com. On the project editors of SI wrote in a statement: “It was no ordinary expedition, and it was captured in an extraordinary way…. You’ve seen photos and video from the peak. But you’ve never felt Everest like this… Capturing Everest is yet another example of how SI is delivering the access and storytelling for which we’ve always been known in cutting-edge ways—and it’s the jumping-off point for a new idea of what a magazine can be.”
“We are thrilled that Capturing Everest is getting this amazing launch platform thanks to our partners at Sports Illustrated and LIFE VR,” says Bonnie Pan, President, Endemol Shine Beyond USA. “This is such a special series, featuring an amazingly brave team of climbers who captured a view of Everest that has never been seen before.”
LIFE VR is a free app for iOS and Android, and can be watched through a Cardboard head-mounted display (HMD) as well as Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive.
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