This was a serious mountain expedition movie. I really appreciate what was done here. Climbing Everest in 1970 (the actual date this was done) is one horrifically challenging thing, but attempting to ski straight down 40-45 degrees of hardened snow and ice rocks is unreal. Kudos to Miura for showing the world what it is like.This is a documentary about Japanese skier Yuichiro Miura who launched an expedition to ski down Everest's South Col face (26,000 feet). His expedition consisted of 800 men and 2 tons of equipment. The poetic narration (done by Douglas Rain - the voice of HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey) is taken from his diary and writings.The first thing to note is that Miura is an amazing individual. He was the world speed record holder in skiing in 1964 and became the oldest person to climb Everest in 2003 at the age of 70.Just getting to the top of the South Col of Everest is an achievement. The tragic deaths that occurred during the expedition only underscore the risk involved. Performing the physically and mentally demanding activity of vertically skiing down the face with a parachute is amazing. He is lucky to be alive.This is not a high-energy, rock music-filled extreme sports movie. Most people would probably die doing something like this. This is about a disciplined, world-class athlete near the peak of his skills doing something extraordinary. If you like Everest expedition movies, definitely watch this.

This film has a two hour build-up involving the thoughts and preparations of a Japanese skier who wants to ski Everest, which culminates in an anti-climatic ski scene that lasts about 30 seconds. This is not a spoiler because this movie spoils itself. There was about 15 seconds of skiing and 15 seconds of sliding down the mountain.There was a lot of gratuitous philosophy by this Japanese guy and it was especially galling when six Sherpas who were hauling his equipment died in a snowfall and the skier opined that it was worth it because you have to take risks in life to achieve great things or something like that.There is some good photography of Everest and the way to Everest through Tibet. This film won an Academy Award for documentary in 1975.

If you are looking for a movie with beautiful shots of Mount Everest, then you may enjoy this movie. Just skip ahead to the views of the mountain.(Spoiler Alert) However, if you, like me, believe that lives are precious and not to be wasted then this movie will leave a bad taste in your mouth. 6 people died, 5 Sherpas and a member of the Japanese party just so that one man could attempt to ski down Mount Everest.The question is raised in the movie about whether the continuation of the expedition to meet his personal goal was still worth the cost in lives, and he answers an emphatic "Yes".The part about skiing is in the last 15 minutes. He skis for a short time, then falls the rest of the way until he comes to a stop in the snow.

I saw this film when it came out. Let me see now--this guy who had earlier skied down Mount Fuji manages to accumulate the funding and hire personnel to document what sounds on the surface like a bold and daring act---to ski down the world's highest peak. Well--AND HERE COMES THE SPOILER--what happens, see, after a large crew of people manage to help him get near the top--and a life is lost in the bargain--he gets on his skis, manages to make it down a very very short way, at which point his PARACHUTE OPENS...and that's that. And instead of burning the footage to hide this amazingly anticlimactic ending to an embarrassing debacle, the guy goes ahead and releases it. SPOILER ENDS I do admire the amazing courage and effort it must have taken the film crew to get some of the stunning shots they got. ANOTHER SPOILER--Oh yes, one of the Sherpas is killed by falling into a crevasse. The narrator, who is quoting the "daredevil skier, casually remarks that, according to the Sherpa religion, since this man's body cannot be recovered his soul will roam the world forever and never know rest. Is it worth it, the narrator muses. YES he answers--because it served the purpose of letting this clown "ski down Everest." I can't remember ever seeing a more meretricious piece of celluloid. This is one to miss at all costs.