Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

Conference Schedule >

Making Films on Mountains

Professional Bio

David Breashears
Producer, Director, and Cinematographer

David Breashears is a filmmaker, adventurer, author, and mountaineer. Since 1978 he has combined his skills in climbing and filmmaking to complete a wide variety of adventure film projects. Over the past twenty-six years, Breashears has worked on 40 film projects, ranging from full-length feature films to music videos. A sampling of his film credits include: producer, director and director of photography for Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa (2001); co-producer, co-director and director of photography for Everest: The Death Zone (1997); director of photography for Seven Years In Tibet (1996); director of photography and field-producer for Mystery of the Inca Mummy(1995), a National Geographic Explorer film shot in Peru; director of photography and producer of the Telluride Mountain Film Festival Grand Prize-winning Red Flag Over Tibet (1994), a Frontline, WGBH-TV program shot in Tibet, India and Nepal; and Cliffhanger (1993), a feature film starring Sylvester Stallone, for which he was a cameraman, climbing consultant and advisor.

In 1983, Breashears transmitted the first live television pictures from the summit of Mount Everest, and in 1985 became the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest twice. The recipient of four National Emmy Awards for achievement in cinematography, he is one of the world's most experienced adventure filmmakers. His work has taken him to remote locations in Tibet, China, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Central Asia and East Africa.

In the spring of 1996 Breashears co-directed and photographed the first ever IMAX film on Mount Everest. When the now infamous blizzard of May 10, 1996 hit Mount Everest, killing several climbers, Breashears and his team were in the midst of making this historic film. In the tragedy that soon followed, Breashears and his team stopped filming to assist several of the stranded climbers to safety. He and his expedition members were later recognized for their courageous efforts. Breashears and his team then regrouped and reached the summit of the mountain on May 23, 1996 achieving their goal of becoming the first to attain IMAX film images from the top of the world. Breashears has said that if there is a lesson to be learned from the May '96 tragedy, it is that for him, success was not being the first IMAX team to summit, it was that everyone on his team returned safely. The film, titled Everest, premiered in March 1998 and has been shown in more than 300 IMAX theaters throughout North America, Europe and Asia. The allure of Mount Everest made this project the most eagerly anticipated IMAX film of all time.

In 1997 he co-produced and photographed Everest: The Death Zone for the PBS series NOVA, once again reaching the summit of Everest with camera in hand. This was his fourth ascent. He is the author or co-author of three best-selling books; Everest: Mountain Without Mercy (National Geographic Books), Last Climb (National Geographic Books), and his published memoir High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places (Simon & Schuster). His most recent project, an IMAX film about Africa's highest mountain, Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa was released worldwide in spring 2002. This film is also subject of the National Geographic book published in 2002, Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa