Everest The Death Zone (1998)

Get ready for a literally breathtaking trek up Mt Everest from Base Camp at 17600 feet through the chilling corpsestrewn Death Zone to the very pinnacle of the the Earth five and a half miles above sea level For those brave souls who survive the harrowing climb to the top of the world it is a transformative experience But can the excruciating ascentthrough frigid cold blasting wind blinding sun and severe lack of oxygencause permanent damaging changes to the human brain and body In the wake of the 1996 disaster that took eight climbers in a single day scientists follow a team of hikers to measure for the first time ever the toll highaltitude climbing takes on the heart lungs blood and brain Why do seemingly rational people make poor sometimes fatal decisions as they approach the peak And the danger doesnt end thereas NOVA discovers during the descent when one climbers respiratory illness takes a terrifying turn on the isolated mountainside