BIOGRAPHIES: THE TEAM PROFILED IN EVEREST 2: BEYOND THE LIMIT
The following are among those featured in EVEREST 2: BEYOND THE LIMIT:
RUSSELL BRICE
Expedition Leader, Himalayan Experience (New Zealand)
This is Russell’s 18th year on Everest, and as expedition leader for Himalayan Experience, no one knows the risks quite like he does. In his own words, “80 percent of my friends are dead.” Controversy surrounds the ‘King of the Mountain’ following the 2006 expedition – the second deadliest season on record, and Russell is known as a tough leader. Though climbers pay a $40,000 fee to join the Himalayan Experience team, Russell has final say as to whether or not climbers progress far enough to actually attempt a summit.
ROD BABER
Climber (England)
Rod Baber, 36, gained a Guinness World-Record for ascending the 47 European summits in the shortest time. In between summits, Rod now runs a climbing center in the west of England, where he and his colleagues teach anyone from corporate business teams to young offenders how to deal with heights and fear, instilling interpersonal skills in their charges along the way. He’s planning to make the first ever cell phone call from Everest’s summit.
BETSY HUELSKAMP
Climber (California, USA)
A Los Angeles-based journalist, 46-year-old Betsy interviewed Tim Medvetz last year following his 2006 attempt, and was inspired to give it a go herself. Her motto has always been, “if you are not living life on the edge, you are missing the view!” Betsy has been featured in motorcycle documentaries (on Discovery Channel, TLC, National Geographic Channel and Travel Channel) and writes for numerous biking magazines. She’s an ice climber, trekker, bungee jumper, diver, Kung Fu black belt, and has worked much of her adult life as a personal trainer.
MOGENS JENSEN
Climber (Denmark)
A former elite Iron Man, Mogens Jensen is a chronic asthma sufferer who is determined to summit Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen. A schoolteacher turned professional mountaineer from Denmark -- a country with no mountains -- Mogens attempted to summit in 2005 and 2006. Last year on entering the Death Zone, Mogens was hit by altitude sickness – and for almost two weeks after he returned home, he continued to suffer blurred vision and loss of balance. Is he dangerously obsessed? This year, Russell wants him to abandon his ambition to climb without oxygen
TIM MEDVETZ
Climber (California, USA)
A fun-loving risk-taker who designs Harley-Davidson motorcycles in Hollywood, California, Tim Medvetz stands 6’5” (a disadvantage for high-altitude mountaineering) and has a metal cage around his spine, metal plates in his head and his left leg is held together with pins and rods -- the result of a near-fatal bike crash. Tim surprised everyone last year by making it as far as camp 4, before falling victim to summit fever. Climbing too slowly and running low on oxygen, he engaged in a heated argument with Russell Brice, who ordered him to turn around. Tim credits Russell with saving his live, but how far will he push himself to succeed this year?
MONICA PIRIS
Expedition Doctor (England)
Born in Oxford to Spanish parents, she is truly bilingual. Monica Piris spends her summers rock-climbing in the Spanish Pyrenees, her winters skiing and ice-climbing, and in between earns the money to fund her hobbies by working as a locum doctor in English emergency rooms. In 2006, she completed a Diploma in Mountain Medicine – and her trip to Everest is the next step in her ambition to become a specialist high altitude doctor. She will follow Russell to North Col, from where she can best monitor the team’s health. Along the way, she’ll tend to numerous climbers on other expeditions who fall ill while trying to reach the summit.
DAVID TAIT
Climber (England)
David is planning a world-first “double-traverse” of Everest with Phurba Tashi. His goal is to summit from the north side, then descend down the south side, where he’ll reverse and climb up the south side and down the north. David first attempted a summit in 2004, but his body just couldn’t cope with the extreme altitude. In 2005 as part of Russell Brice’s team, he made it to the summit. That year, David’s climbing buddy, Brett Merrell, went through the same disappointment David had a year prior. David could relate and offered to pay for Brett to try again – and he did in first season of Everest: Beyond the Limit. David’s generosity stretches beyond other climbers. A millionaire fund manager, he is on the board of the NSPCC (National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children). Abused as a child himself, David plans to raise money for the charity close to his heart.
PHURBA TASHI
Sherpa
Phurba is Russell’s most experienced Sherpa – his lead guide, or “Sirdar.” He has summitted Everest an incredible ten times. He is Russell’s eyes, ears, arms and legs on the mountain. Incredibly strong, even at high altitude, he is entrusted absolutely with the climbers’ safety. Last year Phurba was on the spot to deal with two climbers’ near mutiny on summit day. This year Phurba will be attempting the double traverse with David Tait – if successful, an Everest first.
 DARIUS VAICIULIS
Climber (Lithuania)
(Photo left) A cell phone dealer from Kaunas, Lithuania, who works across Eastern Europe, Darius climbed Cho Oyu three years ago with Russell Brice.
Darius is married with children aged 11 and 3. His family is worried about his latest adventure, but supportive. “I tell them it is my dream – I have to go.”
KATSUSUKE YANAGISAWA
Climber (Japan)
At the age of 71, Katsusuke hopes to become the oldest person to ever summit Everest.
FRED ZIEL
Climber (California, USA)
Fred is a physician and family man from South Pasadena, California, where he runs the local Diabetes Care Program. His passion for climbing and mountaineering dates back over 30 years, and he’s completed successful ascents on both rock and ice throughout North America and Asia. This marks his third trip to Everest.
2007 EMOL.org TV Entertainment Magazine. All rights reserved.
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TV Entertainment Magazine
 EVEREST 2:
BEYOND THE LIMIT
Tuesday, October 30, at 10PM ET/PT, and airs every Tuesday at 10PM through Tuesday, December 18. 2007 on the Discovery Channel. Web Site: www.discovery.com/everes
"Everest" DVDs from the Discovery Channel
Relive a breathtaking journey to the top of the world with this exhilarating program that took Imax theater goers to the summit of Mount Everest! Filmed during the infamous 1996 storm that claimed eight lives, this film traces the filmmaker's harrowing rescue efforts to help surviving members of this ill-fated group. Join an international team of climbers as they scale the world's tallest peak and witness the perils of skin-blistering cold, violent blizzards with wind-chill of minus 100 degrees – air so thin it numbs the mind. Get a birds-eye view of creaking icefalls and gaping chasms, up dangerous, towering cliffs and into the danger zone of oxygen-thin altitude.Features:"Making of Everest"Extended Beck Weathers interviewDeleted scenesClimber video journals3D Everest map5.0 surround soundNarrated my Liam Neeson with music by George Harrison, Everest chronicles a rich, dramatic story and a daring adventure of triumph and tragedy.
Become part of the action in this gripping documentary that highlights the struggles, triumphs, highs and lows of climbers who attempt to trek the world's tallest peak. Then, enjoy behind-the-scenes bonus footage as you experience Everest like never before! Summit DreamsClimbers arrive at Everest Base Camp and quickly learn the dangers of the mountain. They painfully push their bodies to acclimate to the extreme altitude four miles above sea level.The GatekeeperHundreds of more climbers arrive at Everest Base Camp and discover the harsh realities of the mountain. With acceptable weather fast approaching, an expedition leader pushes both his Sherpas and climbers even harder to reach the summit in time.To the SummitRussell splits the expedition into two teams for a five-day summit assault. The first team sets off in good spirits. However, on the climb from Camp One to Camp Two, Brett begins to struggle – leaving many wondering if he'll fail on his second attempt.Into the Death ZoneTwo teams are trapped at high altitude by strong winds and extreme cold. When the weather relents, Mogens voyages higher without the aid of bottled oxygen as the rest of her team frantically races up the mountain before time and air expire. Mutiny on the Mountain: As several climbers reach the summit, the crowd atop the mountain forces many to join another line to descend. As Mark begins to climb higher, two struggling climbers disobey their leader's orders to turn back. The Final Cost: With the summit just feet away, frostbite and Summit Fever threaten several struggling climbers from reaching the top. At the culmination of this daring journey, climbers offer their final reflections on the expedition and the cost of climbing Everest.
Everest DVDs
from Amazon.com
Experience Everest as it's never been before in this harrowing trek to touch the roof of the world. With unusually severe weather and heartbreaking circumstances, this expedition up the world's tallest peak becomes fraught with unexpected perils, leading to an emotional journey full of fear, hardship, exhaustion, disappointment and unforgettable triumphs. Boasting a crew of climbers each with something to prove, this expedition includes the first-ever double amputee to aim for the summit, an asthmatic climber ascending without bottled oxygen and a motorcyclist embracing life once again after a near-fatal traffic accident. Stunningly captured with high-definition cameras, each episode of this special DVD edition includes additional footage not seen in the original broadcast, plus behind-the-scenes moments you won't want to miss!
Featuring:
Summit Dreams: At Everest Base Camp, newly arrived climbers struggle to acclimate to the Himalayas' extreme altitude. A cameraman collapses with intense stomach pains and is rushed down the mountain.
The Gatekeeper: After they learn of a Sherpa's death from altitude sickness, expedition members struggle to prepare themselves for a climb that will be the ultimate test of their mental and physical capabilities.
To the Summit: The expedition is divided into two teams for the five-day summit assault. The expedition leader warns the group that he will withdraw the Sherpas if any of the climbers disobey his rules.
Into the Death Zone: The expedition is trapped in a high-altitude camp by unexpectedly high winds and is further delayed by a human traffic jam when slower climbers are encountered.
Mutiny on the Mountain: Climbers must deal with one of the coldest days ever remembered on the mountain and get caught in another group's descent lines.
The Final Cost: With the summit just 350 feet above them, struggling climbers, dangerously weak from serious frostbite and insufficient oxygen, are fiercely determined to reach Everest's pinnacle.
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Studio: Discovery Channel
• DVD Release Date: October 16, 2007
• Run Time: 287 minutes
An international team of climbers ascends Mt. Everest in the spring of 1996. The film depicts their lengthy preparations for the climb, their trek to the summit, and their successful return to Base Camp. It also shows many of the challenges the group faced, including avalanches, lack of oxygen, treacherous ice walls, and a deadly blizzard.
• Actors: Liam Neeson, Lhakpa Dorji, Dorje Sherpa, Ed Viesturs, Muktu Lhakpa Sherpa
• Directors: David Breashears, Stephen Judson
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Special Edition, NTSC
• Language: English
• Studio: Miramax
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Discovery Channel (2006)
(1998)