David Breashears
Encyclopedia
David Breashears is an American mountaineer
and filmmaker. In 1985, he became the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest
twice. He is perhaps most famous for guiding Richard Bass
to the summit of Everest, thus completing Bass's ascent of the Seven Summits
.
He has worked on feature films including Seven Years in Tibet
and Cliffhanger
, as well as on the award-winning documentary Red Flag over Tibet. In 1983 he transmitted the first live pictures from the summit of Mount Everest and in 1985 became the first American to twice reach its summit. He is the recipient of four Emmy awards for achievement in cinematography.
Breashears has made eight expeditions to Everest, five successful. He has climbed to the summit of 24,494' Ama Dablam
in the Himalayas
, and is known in climbing circles for free climbing some of the most technically challenging rock walls in Colorado
as a young man.
In 1996 he co-directed, photographed, and co-produced the acclaimed IMAX film Everest
and contributed still photos to the best selling book Everest: Mountain Without Mercy. In 1998 he was a director and producer for a Nova
television program, Everest: The Death Zone, in which he and fellow mountaineer Ed Viesturs
climbed Everest while undergoing physical and mental tests to record the effects of altitude on humans.
He is the author of several books, including an autobiography, High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places.
Breashears's 2008 documentary film Storm Over Everest was shown on the PBS program Frontline on May 13, 2008. It features photography on the mountain and interviews with survivors of the three climbing teams that were caught in the 1996 storm
. During the filming of the documentary in 2006, Breashears summitted Everest once again, his fifth summit of Everest. He continues to actively pursue Himalayan climbing, lecturing around the world and working on new film projects.
Breashears is a director of Destination Himalaya, a travel firm specializing in adventure travel to Himalayan countries.
He was married to fellow adventurer Veronique Choa in the late 1980s. They have since divorced, and Breashears lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts
when not climbing.
In 2007, Breashears founded GlacierWorks, a non-profit company that uses science, art, and adventure to raise awareness about climate change in the Greater Himalaya.
Mountaineer
-Sports:*Mountaineering, the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, trekking and climbing up mountains, also known as alpinism-University athletic teams and mascots:*Appalachian State Mountaineers, the athletic teams of Appalachian State University...
and filmmaker. In 1985, he became the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
twice. He is perhaps most famous for guiding Richard Bass
Richard Bass
Richard "Dick" Bass is the owner of Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah and the first man to climb the "Seven Summits," the tallest mountain on each continent. There is no relation with the Bass Family of Fort Worth, Texas.-Early life:...
to the summit of Everest, thus completing Bass's ascent of the Seven Summits
Seven Summits
The Seven Summits are the highest mountains of each of the seven continents. Summiting all of them is regarded as a mountaineering challenge, first postulated as such and achieved on April 30, 1985 by Richard Bass .-Definition:...
.
He has worked on feature films including Seven Years in Tibet
Seven Years in Tibet
Seven Years in Tibet is an autobiographical travel book written by Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer based on his real life experiences in Tibet between 1944 and 1951 during the Second World War and the interim period before the Communist Chinese People's Liberation Army invaded Tibet in...
and Cliffhanger
Cliffhanger (film)
Cliffhanger is a 1993 American action film directed by Renny Harlin and starring Sylvester Stallone and John Lithgow. Stallone plays a mountain climber, who becomes embroiled in a failed heist set in a U.S. Treasury plane flying through the Rocky Mountains...
, as well as on the award-winning documentary Red Flag over Tibet. In 1983 he transmitted the first live pictures from the summit of Mount Everest and in 1985 became the first American to twice reach its summit. He is the recipient of four Emmy awards for achievement in cinematography.
Breashears has made eight expeditions to Everest, five successful. He has climbed to the summit of 24,494' Ama Dablam
Ama Dablam
Ama Dablam is a mountain in the Himalaya range of eastern Nepal. The main peak is , the lower western peak is . Ama Dablam means "Mother's necklace"; the long ridges on each side like the arms of a mother protecting her child, and the hanging glacier thought of as the dablam, the traditional...
in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, and is known in climbing circles for free climbing some of the most technically challenging rock walls in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
as a young man.
In 1996 he co-directed, photographed, and co-produced the acclaimed IMAX film Everest
Everest (film)
Everest is a 70mm American documentary film from MacGillivray Freeman Films about the struggles involved in climbing Mount Everest, the highest mountain peak on Earth located in Himalayan region of Nepal. It was released to IMAX theaters in 1998....
and contributed still photos to the best selling book Everest: Mountain Without Mercy. In 1998 he was a director and producer for a Nova
NOVA (TV series)
Nova is a popular science television series from the U.S. produced by WGBH Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries...
television program, Everest: The Death Zone, in which he and fellow mountaineer Ed Viesturs
Ed Viesturs
Edmund Viesturs, known as Ed Viesturs is one of the world's premier high-altitude mountaineers. He is one of only 26 people and the only one from the United States to have climbed all eight-thousander peaks...
climbed Everest while undergoing physical and mental tests to record the effects of altitude on humans.
He is the author of several books, including an autobiography, High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places.
Breashears's 2008 documentary film Storm Over Everest was shown on the PBS program Frontline on May 13, 2008. It features photography on the mountain and interviews with survivors of the three climbing teams that were caught in the 1996 storm
1996 Everest Disaster
The 1996 Mount Everest disaster refers to the events of 10-11 May 1996, when eight people died on Mount Everest during summit attempts. In the entire season, fifteen people died trying to reach the summit, making it the deadliest single year in Mount Everest's history...
. During the filming of the documentary in 2006, Breashears summitted Everest once again, his fifth summit of Everest. He continues to actively pursue Himalayan climbing, lecturing around the world and working on new film projects.
Breashears is a director of Destination Himalaya, a travel firm specializing in adventure travel to Himalayan countries.
He was married to fellow adventurer Veronique Choa in the late 1980s. They have since divorced, and Breashears lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts
Marblehead, Massachusetts
Marblehead is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,808 at the 2010 census. It is home to the Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and Devereux Beach...
when not climbing.
In 2007, Breashears founded GlacierWorks, a non-profit company that uses science, art, and adventure to raise awareness about climate change in the Greater Himalaya.
External links
- Breashears as Director to Destination Himalaya
- http://www.literati.net/Breashears/
- Epilogue to the 1996 Everest disaster by David Breashears
- Motivational Speaker: David F. Breashears
- GlacierWorks