Top 10 Best Everest Documentaries of All Time | Explore

The tallest mountain peak in the world, Mount Everest, with a staggering elevation of 8848.86 meters (29,032 ft.), has captured several spectators. Situated in the Khumbu region of Nepal, a part of the great Himalayas, it lies within Sagarmatha National Park.

Over the decades, many adventurers, filmmakers, art, artists, and documentarians have been inspired by Everest. It has been a symbol of the ultimate challenge in the mountaineering field.

For several activities, numerous visitors visit the Everest region annually to test their limits and escape from a banal, busy life. As the mountain has captivated numerous visitors over decades, it has been a most sought-after place for documentaries.

People have documented several documentaries like Dying for Everest, The Summit, Mountain, Sherpa, etc., in the past.

These documentaries inspire and testify to their sheer will, struggles, triumphs, and tragedies. These documentaries provide invaluable insight into mountains and life in mountains.

Here is a list of 10 Best Everest Documentaries of All Time, in descending order, each offering a unique narration and different perspective of Everest. They have made the list based on their IMDB rating, Rotten Tomatoes rating, views, and historical and cultural significance.

Kaizen: 1 Year to Climb Everest (2024)

A YouTube documentary, “Kaizen: 1 Year to Climb Everest”, presents the struggle, progression, and consistent improvement towards claiming the Everest. This movie shows the year-long process of a French YouTuber who committed to climbing Everest from a YouTuber.

A French YouTuber named Ines Benazzouz, whose YouTube channel/character name is “Inoxtag”, spent a year preparing and finally claiming the summit of Mount Everest on May 21, 2024.

The word ‘Kaizen’ means ‘continuous improvement’. This documentary is a testament to human dedication and physical and mental overcoming. Like many others, this movie represents the dream of conquering the mighty Everest.

The video story also gained popularity due to his dedication to a popular anime character, Luffy. He carried a straw hat to the summit, which is a prominent feature of the anime’s, ‘One Piece’, the main character.

Mountain (2017)

Mountain, a documentary movie narrated by popular American actor William Dafoe, represents a visual representation of human fascination with mountains, especially Mount Everest. It is a movie exploring the relationship between humans and mountains.

Released in 2017, the documentary is a poetic representation of the spectacles of Everest and a reflection on the dangers, beauty, and life in the mountains. The stunning cinematography and excellent narration by Dafoe cover a range of peaks and philosophical and physical challenges.

The documentary was directed, co-written, and co-produced by Jennifer Peedom. You can find the movie widely available on Amazon Prime.

Into Thin Air: Death on Everest (1997)

Based on a bestselling book by Jon Krakauer, the movie shows how one single decision or miscalculation could lead to a disastrous accident.

The movie is a depiction of an inexperienced mountaineer’s decision that led to the death of 8 mountaineers in the 1996 Everest disaster.

They released Into Thin Air widely in 1997, a year after the disaster. It holds significant importance in the context of Everest’s history. The documentary represents the dangers and ethical dilemmas on Everest, which can determine life and death situations.

Into Thin Air is available on Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.

The Wildest Dream (2010)

Released in 2010, “The Wildest Dream” is a documentary film featuring the ill-fated 1924 Everest expedition of George Mallory.

The cinema has tried to show the misfortune of George Mallory. He mysteriously disappeared with his partner Andrew Irvine just below the summit in an attempt to climb Everest.

Conrad Anker discovered Mallory’s body in 1999 and has attempted to represent how Mallory and his partner’s historic Everest expedition. Anker tries to uncover the mysterious disappearance of Mallory and his partner in an attempt to climb Everest.

You can watch the movie on Amazon Prime Video and YouTube (video series).

Beyond the Edge (2013)

Directed by Leanne Pooley, Beyond the Edge is a modern-day recreation of the historic Everest ascension by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa.

Released in 2013, it includes a mix of archival footage, including the voice record of John Hunt, the expedition leader, and modern-day cinematography. The movie brings in the live-action of the first 1953 Everest expedition, its challenges and triumphant.

It’s a compelling story of perseverance and courage against the unforgiving Himalayas. The filmmakers tried to capture the most significant moments in mountaineering history.

You can watch the movie on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Google Play Movies.

Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest (2022)

Award-winning documentary Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest is a documentary that tells the story of Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, the first Nepali woman to climb Everest.

The movie features Pasang Lhamu Sherpa’s historic Everest summit and her tragic death. Pasang is a movie that breaks the gender stereotype, inspiring several women out there to go for their dreams.

The movie both pays tribute to Pasang and showcases the social issues faced by women in mountaineering in Nepal.

Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest, which premiered in 2022, won several awards, including “Best Documentary Film” in 2024 and “Best Mountaineering Film” in 2023.

The movie is available on Amazon Prime Video and Stripe (online).

Everest (IMAX, 1998)

A 40-45 minute long movie, “Everest”, was released in IMAX theater in March 1998. The movie was directed and produced by Greg MacGillivray and majorly funded by the National Science Foundation.

Everest is an American documentary movie about the struggles of first reaching the Everest Base Camp and attempting the summit. It was the all-time highest-grossing film in IMAX format (giant-screen format), making it on the “Variety’s Top 10 Box Office” list.

Liam Neeson narrates the movie and gives voice to the perilous grandeur of Everest. In the movie, you can see different challenges like avalanches, blizzards, lack of oxygen, and so on, shown in cinematic view.

When the movie was still in production, the unfortunate 1996 Everest Disaster took place, whose short footage can also be seen in the movie.

The publishers have made the movie widely available through the book, “Everest: Mountain without Mercy” and on CDs. Further, you can watch it on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and several online platforms.

The Summit (2012)

Although the documentary movie “The Summit” is a documentary related to the 2008 K2 disaster, it offers valuable insights into the dangers of high-altitude mountain climbing like Everest.

In 2012, Nick Ryan, an Irish director, producer, and writer, directed the movie The Summit. The movie relates to the harrowing 2008 K2 disaster where several climbers were wrapped in the hands of the world’s second-highest mountain, K2 (8611 meters).

The movie represents the psychological and physical demands that mountaineers take while climbing. This movie could be a good insight into understanding the fine line between ambition and survival.

The movie is available on AMC+, Amazon Video, Google Play Movie, etc.

Sherpa (2015)

The film Sherpa is a documentary focused on the Sherpa community and their role in the Everest expedition.

A 96-minute-long documentary movie, Sherpa, was released in 2015. The movie’s director, Jennifer Peedom, highlights the vital role of Sherpa in the high-altitude mountain expeditions.

The movie brings the labourers or Sherpas, often underpaid and at great personal risk, onto the digital screen. This documentary was shot in 2014, when the tragic 2014 Everest avalanche occurred when the Khumbu Icefall collapsed and took the lives of 16 Nepali support climbers, including Sherpa.

Sherpa is a movie about Sherpa Phurba Tashi, a man who climbed Everest 21 times. It tells the in-depth story of the Sherpas’ lives and the need for recognition for their sacrifice and hard work in making several mountaineers’ dreams of claiming Everest come true.

The movie is available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Prime, and other online platforms.

14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021)

A Netflix documentary movie is the story of a fearless Nepali mountaineer, Nirmal Purja, popularly known as “Nims Dai”.

Torquil Jones directed the movie, widely available on Netflix in 2021. This 101-minute-long documentary movie is a cinematic representation of a seemingly impossible dream of summiting all 14 of the world’s “eight-thousanders” peaks in just seven months.

In the movie, Nims Dai even captures one of the riskiest bottlenecks on Everest, Hillary Step. The movie retraces his ambition, struggle, and conquest of achieving all 14 of the peaks, which are over 8,000 meters high.

During the movie’s production, Nims Dai broke many world records, one of which was being the “fastest to climb Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu in just 2 days and 30 minutes.”

Purja’s story not only shows his struggle and endurance but also encourages everyone to push their boundaries to achieve their dreams. He ends the movie by saying that ‘Nothing is Impossible’ and that there are bigger plans for the future.

The movie is available on Netflix.

This list is based only on our evaluation. You can have your own list depending on your personal preferences.

What do you think of the 10 Best Everest Documentaries of All Time prepared by Himalayan Masters? If you know of any documentary movies, please leave a comment below.