The Man Who Skied Down Everest (1975)

I first saw this beautifully filmed documentary many years ago and never forgot it. The most interesting parts for me were the trek to base camp and traversing the ice fall. Many of the shots in the movie offered unique perspectives that really showcased the scale and grandeur of the region. I felt that sometimes the thoughts of Miura were overly philosophical and romantic, but what I was hearing was a translation from Japanese to English, so final conclusions are not possible without understanding Japanese. The actual skiing down Everest sequence was short but dramatic. I think that skiers could empathize more with the difficulties of trying to stay in control on such hard and bumpy ice! Crazy stuff! One reviewer had noted that Miura had died shortly afterward but this is not the case. Apparently he became the oldest person to summit Everest when he did it at age 75 in 2008. Quite a man! All these years later, The Man Who Skied Down Everest is as much about climbing Everest in 1970 as about actually skiing down Everest.

This was a serious mountain expedition movie. I really appreciate what was done here. Climbing Everest in 1970 (the actual date this was done) is one horrifically challenging thing, but attempting to ski straight down 40-45 degrees of hardened snow and ice rocks is unreal. Kudos to Miura for showing the world what it is like.This is a documentary about Japanese skier Yuichiro Miura who launched an expedition to ski down Everest's South Col face (26,000 feet). His expedition consisted of 800 men and 2 tons of equipment. The poetic narration (done by Douglas Rain - the voice of HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey) is taken from his diary and writings.The first thing to note is that Miura is an amazing individual. He was the world speed record holder in skiing in 1964 and became the oldest person to climb Everest in 2003 at the age of 70.Just getting to the top of the South Col of Everest is an achievement. The tragic deaths that occurred during the expedition only underscore the risk involved. Performing the physically and mentally demanding activity of vertically skiing down the face with a parachute is amazing. He is lucky to be alive.This is not a high-energy, rock music-filled extreme sports movie. Most people would probably die doing something like this. This is about a disciplined, world-class athlete near the peak of his skills doing something extraordinary. If you like Everest expedition movies, definitely watch this.

This film is a documentary. It was filmed 30 years ago when things in the Everest region were quite a bit different than they are today. I have had this film for some time on VHS, and If it were to come out on DVD I would buy it if I could find it. This film is very well done, but you have to be someone who can appreciate it. Its perspective is that of a Japanese, and the film represents that culture and the Japanese outlook. It shows its age more than a bit, and Miura and company hike from Katmandu to Everest Basecamp, which is seldom done anymore. But that is a good point, as it has some beautiful shots of the walk in to Everest, and relationships with the people that inhabit the areas. Nowadays, people more often fly into an airstrip that is a few hours walk to Namche Bazzar, which is the last real town of any size before you reach Everest Basecamp.The actual skiing incident, or should I say "accident," that gives the picture its title is not nearly as important, or as impressive, as the rest of the film. They could have almost talked about it rather than show it. The beauty of the film is in its cinematography and its Oriental viewpoint. There is some death in the film as there is a major accident in the Kumbu Icefall that takes the life of several Sherpas.The film is different from any other climbing film I have, and I have a great many; and I take it out and watch it at least once a year. It presents you a picture of a time and place that is long past. Miura, himself, was killed not long after his Everest adventure, doing much the same thing. I am not absolutely sure, but I believe he was attempting to ski down Denali.If you enjoy Japanese or Oriental culture, you should enjoy the film. For me the film was never dull, except for the mentioned ski accident. I love the mountains and wilderness. Perhaps my love for wild places gives me too much of a fondness for a film like this. I can only say that it is one of my favorites.Chuk'r

I found this gem in a rack the local video rental store had of tapes which are exchanged among various rental outlets. 'The Man who Skied Down Everest'. Hmm... never heard about it. The box reads of some Japanese fellow who always wanted to ski down Everest and actually did it. Sounds interesting. I rented it. As expected it was documentary style. The first part can be summarized so: "I always wanted to ski down mount Everest". This is followed by some footage of preparation for the event. LOTS of preparation footage. OK, I suppose it takes a lot of preparation. Then we are treated to a protracted piece on the skier, Yuichiro Miura's philosophy on life etc. More filler follows and I begin to wonder where the skiing fits in to this show. More preparation is shown and they begin to make the trip to the mountain. More philosophy is shown. At last they arrive at the mountain and maybe perhaps he will get around to skiing down the friggin' thing. Lots of climbing footage later there is a description of the parachute device intended to slow Miuras' speed on the steep slope. Finally he straps on the skis and gets ready to go.He's off... He skis about twenty feet and his skis shoot out from under him, he deploys the parachute and tumbles in an inglorious bundle for some distance down the mountain and that's that. End of story. What the heck was that? OK I can buy that he always wanted to ski down Everest, made extensive preparations and actually tried it with camera crew in tow. It didn't work and he ended up tumbling down and almost killing himself, so what egregious hubris would inspire the man to release a film of it and call it skiing down Everest? Perhaps the title,"The Man Who's Feet Shot Out From Under Him and He Slid On His Ass Down Everest" was just too long for the tape box.