David Breashears: Rivers of Ice

When David Breashears was a young boy, he saw a picture of Tenzing Sherpa on top of Mount Everest in a book, and that image sparked a passion that ended up steering his life. Today, Breashears’ career is so entwined with Everest that his name is nearly synonymous with the mountain. In 1983, he transmitted the first live television footage from the top of the mountain and two years later, became the first American to reach the summit more than once. He is well known for guiding Dick Bass to the top of Everest, thus completing Bass’ ascent of the Seven Summits, and was filming on the mountain during the infamous blizzard of May 10, 1996, that left eight climbers dead. The accomplished filmmaker has more than 40 projects under his belt, including the IMAX film Everest and Storm Over Everest. He has deep ties to Mountainfilm that go back to the festival’s early days, including a stint on the board. Breashears is also the founder and executive director of GlacierWorks, a nonprofit that uses art, science and adventure to raise public awareness about the consequences of climate change in the Greater Himalayan Region. Breashears’ presentation, “Rivers of Ice,” will examine climate change and its impact on glaciers of the greater Himalaya, illustrated with super high-resolution photography.