Everest Unmasked

Above 8,000 metres in the Himalaya there is only a fraction of the oxygen at sea-level. Climbers suffer sickness and headaches and risk life threatening oedemas. Just taking a step needs a tremendous effort. It’s know as the Death Zone.

Italian and Austrian mountaineers Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler face all these dangers and more when they become the first humans to climb Mount Everest without supplementary oxygen. Everest Unmasked follows them on their route through the Khumbu icefall into the Western Cwm then up to the South Col and Summit.

It also traces the history – both tragic and triumphant of previous attempts on the mountain including Mallory and Irvine’s disappearance in 1924 and Hillary and Tensing’s success in 1953.