Screening Mount Everest

Despite the balmy spring weather, Bostonians have been flocking to the far end of the Charles to face the elements at the Museum of Science's epic IMAX extravaganza, "Everest." With 10 times the surface area of regular film, "Everest" brings the Himalayas to Cambridge. Audience members experience the treachery of crevasses and the power of an avalanche without having to don a stitch of Gore-Tex. Set against a backdrop of incredible nature shots and panoramic views, the film tracks the adventures of a team of climbers headed by Boston's own David Breashears. The film focuses on the experiences of three climbers. Araceli Segarra is a Spanish rock climber destined to be the first Spanish woman to reach the top of Everest. Jamling Tenzing Norgay is the son of "Tiger" Tenzing Norgay, who, along with Sir Edmund Hillary, first topped the mountain. The third, Ed Viesters, is a seasoned Everest climber who shuns oxygen tanks, facing the oxygen-poor environment on his own terms.

Everest takes advantage of the diverse backgrounds of its protagonists to catch some great shots of each climber in their native region. The audience zips along on mountain bikes with Viesters and his fiancée on the plains of Utah and scales treacherous rock outcroppings on the Iberian peninsula with Segarra. Norgay appears praying at Tengboche, a Buddhist monastery nestled at the base of Everest, creating a less exilarating but beautiful and moving scene.

In addition to providing fodder for some mind-boggling shots, the varied backgrounds and aspirations of the climbers give Everest a personal element rarely found on the IMAX screen. As the movie unfolds the audience finds itself rooting for the climbers--pushing Norgay to follow in his father's footsteps and Segarra to make history. While this aspect of the film was planned, the most emotional portion of the movie was the product of a tragic accident.

The IMAX team had been on the mountain for several weeks, acclimatizing and waiting for spring storms to let up, when eight climbers from two commercially-run ventures died on top of Everest (the episode chronicled in Jon Krakauer's recent best-selling "Into Thin Air"). The leader of one of the ill-fated groups was Rob Hall, an Everest veteran and a close personal friend of Viesters. As his body froze, Hall managed to contact the IMAX team via radio. In a moment saved from kitschyness by being non-fiction, the IMAX team managed to patch him through to his pregnant wife in New Zealand and listened as he named his first-born before dying. The emotional impact of the tragedy sent the IMAX team back down to base camp for some mental recovery time. Several had thoughts of leaving Nepal without reaching the top of Everest but decided to make one last shoot for the top.

Since the storms on the summit of Everest span over more than 11 months of the year, there is only a brief window of time when the peak can be reached. Thus, the second time the team heads up the mountain, time is as much an enemy as the mountainous terrain itself. The climbers cross the avalanche-ridden Khumbu Icefall for a second time en route to the top. When they reach their previous camp, the climbers split up with Vesturs taking the lead sans oxygen. Finally, the climbers reach the top but, as is often true of hard-earned achievements, they can only celebrate briefly before retreating to their warmer, more oxygen-rich base.

Beyond the personal interest stories and the beautiful vistas, Everest offers up a light amount of science knowledge (after all, this is the science museum). For all you budding pre-meds, the risks of high altitudes and the process of acclimatization are outlined as the climbers ascend the mountain. In addition, the audience gets a brief geology lesson and learns about satellite geography. But those who are science-phobic, fear not: this is science for the masses made fun, interesting and simply understandable.

Whether you're looking for a slightly off-beat venue for a date or just want to get out of Cambridge, head for the Science Museum. Make sure to call first, though: Bostonians have been packing the house since the film opened about a month ago.