Everest: Mountain Without Mercy

The May 1996 climbing season on Mount Everest will go down in infamy. Its story has been recounted in David Breashears's gripping IMAX film, Jon Krakauer's bestseller Into Thin Air, and this NG film companion book, now updated with brilliant new panoramic photography. Written in suspenseful detail, the book documents how a courageous photographic team, facing hazards of their own, became an essential part of a rescue effort that brought some--but not all--of their companions down from the mountain alive. Added to the classic main text are fascinating updates: brief portraits of those who lived through the tragedy; a time line of subsequent climbing events on Everest, up to 2014; and never-before-published detailed panoramics of Everest and the Himalaya. The new feature film, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Keira Knightley, and Robin Wright, presents the opportunity to refresh, update, and reintroduce one of National Geographic's most successful titles.