High Altitude Sickness: Discovery Channel Beyond the Limit

Last night our children mooched Halloween candy throughout their friend's neighborhood.  We parents strolled along and chatted, and my buddy and I talked about outdoor stuff.  Mount Everest came up.  It always does.  And I mentioned that the new Discovery Channel show "Everest: Beyond the Limit" had started the night before.  Now we don't have TV.  So I did not see it.  But I mentioned to my friend that it is too bad iTunes does not keep up to date on new shows like this.  Well...

First, like 99.99% of you reading this, I'm just fascinated by mountaineering.  I don't really do participate, having only some far-off goals to climb a few peaks in the Sierras if I ever get time.  But I enjoy following some basic mountaineering news.

Second, iTunes is making Everest: Beyond the Limit season two available.  I've heard bad things about it, which I'll tell you about in a minute.  But I spent my $1.99 and got the first episode.  Here's my few-sentence review.  Skip to the link if you don't care what I say.

Don't waste your money.  From a production standpoint, you can only see the same video shots and listen to the exact same narration so many times in 45 minutes.  There are a few interesting scenes.  A few.  But the story sucks.  A bunch of totally inexperienced idiots climbing Everest?  Uh, no thanks.  And the hero expedition leader Russell Brice should probably be in jail instead of staring in Discovery Channel shows.

If you are a lookyloo like me, it's tempting to, well, watch.  Don't.  Read a good book on ethics.  Or take a hike near your home.  Just don't get the misguided impression that Discovery is giving you anything worth your time.

Oh and check out this link at ExplorersWeb explaining why you should avoid Everest: Beyond the Limit.