David Breashears, American Climber and Filmmaker, Dies at 68

David Breashears, an iconic filmmaker and mountaineer who became the first American to climb Mount Everest more than once when he summited in 1985, has died at 68 years old. Breashears was found unresponsive at his home in Massachusetts and died of natural causes but “the exact cause of death remains unknown at this time,” AP News reported.

In 1983, he became the first climber to transmit live pictures from the summit of Everest, and over the next few decades would become one of the world’s leading mountain documentarians. His 1998 film Everest became the highest-grossing IMAX film ever. Other Everest related productions that Breashears was involved in were the 1977 book Everest: Mountain Without Mercy, the 1998 Nova TV program Everest: The Death Zone (watch below), and the 2008 PBS program Storm Over Everest. And in the wider world of movies, he worked on the Hollywood films Cliffhanger in 1993, and Seven Years in Tibet in 1997.

In an interview with PBS, he was asked, “Can you talk about how Everest still casts a spell — and what that spell is — for most people, and for you, personally?” And Breashears response was, “Mount Everest holds a special place in our imagination, and much of that uniqueness is what we give to the mountain. Climbing Everest says that you have done something extraordinary, that you have stepped outside the routines of ordinary life, endured hardship and accepted a great challenge. Standing on earth’s highest peak, the romance of adventure and the glory of achievement is a way to feel separate and distinct from those around you. There is only one highest place on earth.”

In 1975, Breashears made the first ascent of a rock climb in Eldo Canyon with Steve Mammen called Perilous Journey,  which they graded 5.11b. Due to its run-out nature, it was one of the boldest ground-up first ascents in the US during the 1970s, and even by today’s standards is considered a test-piece. Breashears was one of the most influential climbers of his generation, and his visionary films and bold climbs will go on to inspire people for years to come.

Everest: The Death Zone