- Title: USA: New film sheds light on historic Mount Everest climber George Mallory
- Date: 6th August 2010
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) CONRAD ANKER, MOUNTAIN CLIMBER AND SUBJECT OF "THE WILDEST DREAM," SAYING: "Contrasting current climbing gear and period clothing from 1924, it doesn't diminish the effort needed to climb the mountain in modern times, but it certainly increases the appreciation we have for these pioneering cl
- Embargoed: 21st August 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: History
- Reuters ID: LVAOEWV7UF2RX26RL9EQ47BEJXX
- Story Text: A new documentary film about the life of historic mountain climber George Mallory and his world famous excursion of Mount Everest in 1924 is set for release by the National Geographic Society, in a visually majestic effort to shed more light on the person who set out to conquer the last great mystery known to man at the time.
Mallory, who, along with partner Andrew "Sandy" Irvin, died while climbing Everest, was considered a global celebrity in the 1920s, but was largely forgotten by the general public until climber Conrad Anker found him in 1999. "The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest" is a historical account of Mallory's life, as well as Anker's famous expedition, and a look at the immense challenge Mallory faced when he set out to be the first man to climb the world's tallest mountain, a task that wouldn't be completed successfully until Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953.
For Anker, the moment that he found Mallory after no one had seen the climber for 75 years was one that he cherishes greatly.
"It was a very humbling moment, and one that I treat with deep reverence, because every generation builds their ability upon the previous generation, and Mallory set the stage for Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary, who eventually made the summit in 1953, who then set the stage for the ascents in the seventies and eighties, and so by the time I came to climb Everest in 1999, these climbers had all built their experience upon that of George Mallory and Sandy Irvin," says Anker.
In "The Wildest Dream," Anker and filmmaker Anthony Geffen set out to recreate Mallory's 1924 climb, using equipment similar to what they used to get a sense for how difficult a task it was. Without the use of GPS systems, satellite phones, and high-tech outerwear that climbers today take for granted, Anker realized that he was taking a major risk with the climb, and had to convince his wife and himself that it was worth it. It was a dilemma he did not take lightly, as he did not want to leave his family with the same fate that Mallory's wife Ruth and the couple's three children suffered.
"Contrasting current climbing gear and period clothing from 1924, it doesn't diminish the effort needed to climb the mountain in modern times, but it certainly increases the appreciation we have for these pioneering climbers. There was no map, there was no GPS, there was no radio, no SAT phone, no iPod, they didn't tweet about going up, there was none of that, they walked off the edge of the map, they looked at the mountain and they said 'that's where we're going to go," says Anker.
After studying the life of Mallory, whose famous words in response to a reporter asking why he wanted to climb Everest - "Because it's there" - Anker came to deeply respect the fallen climber, and took away several lessons from his life. Chief among them is the notion that taking risks is a good thing. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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