Filming Everest with a drone: not a first for the summit, but the first time that the normal route on the Tibetan side, the North Ridge, has been filmed in a single shot from the North Col, at 7,000 meters, all the way to the summit!
Chinese photographer Ma Chunlin has achieved a world first: filming the ascent of Everest from the north face in a single, uninterrupted shot.
The technical challenge was enormous: everything had to go exactly as planned, or risk waiting another year. To achieve this exceptional sequence, Ma climbed to the advanced base camp at an altitude of 6,500 meters. He waited for the rare combination of clear skies, calm winds and perfect alignment with the climbers’ progress. Filming had to start at sunrise – timed to the minute – and follow the route precisely, without the slightest error in camera movement.
The result is stunning: we climb the ridge and the successive camps. Then, in the bluish light of dawn, we see climbers reaching the summit of Everest, while another, alone, is already on top. Lhotse can be seen in the background.