Discovery Channel’s Everest: Beyond the Limit Air Dates Announced

Now in its third season, the Discovery Channel’s Everest: Beyond The Limit is taking a new approach to filming this year and will feature both International Mountain Guides and Himalayan Experience in a five-part series.

Several IMG climbers will be featured in the series – you can read more about former NASA Astronaut Scott Parazynski and Dawes Eddy, the oldestAmerican to climb Everest below.

The dates and times are below. Be sure to check your local listings for any last minute changes.

American Climber and founding member of International Mountain Guides (IMG), Phil Ershler, celebrated the 25th anniversary of his epic ascent of the North Side of Everest.

Phil Ershler on the North Col of Mt. Everest, 1984
photo courtesy of International Mountain Guides

Phil is one of the world’s most renowned climbers with a career that spans almost four decades.  His achievements are simply awe inspiring – including being the first American ascent of the North side of Everest (solo ascent), more than 400 summits of Mt. Rainier, 25 summits of Mt. McKinley, being one of a handful of climbers to summit the highest peaks on all seven continents and the first to do it twice!

IMG teams have successfully summited both Everest and Lhotse this Spring.  There was a lot of action on both mountains between May 19th & 20th – read below for notes from the top!

Notes from Everest from IMG Expedition Leader Eric Simonson -

IMG’s sherpa team, as always, has done another outstanding job this year. We are proud to recognize that IMG’s sherpas were the first people to summit both Everest and Lhotse this year while putting in the fixed ropes on the route and paving the way for everyone else. We can’t praise them enough!

View from the summit, climbers take the final few steps to the top of Mt. Everest, 29,035′.
(photo: Willie Benegas)

Everest summiters include three members of our awesome Singapore women’s team, Jane, Li Hui, and Esther. US Astronaut and medical scientist Scott Parazynski reached the top along with Dawes Eddy, a remarkable athlete from Spokane, Washington. We believe Dawes has just become the oldest American to ever reach the summit of Everest.

We are also happy to announce IMG summits on Lhotse as reported to the Nepal officials.

IMG Climbers to Camp 3

April 27, 2009 – from Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Today was another good one for the IMG team. The weather cooperated and the wind died down, allowing five sherpas to carry to the Col. Four more went to C3, where they set up more tents. Climbing to Camp 3 today were Kamen, Petya, Karel, and Dawes, who are now all spending the night there with their personal sherpas. Hamill and his crew, along with John and Chris, took an acclimatization climb to the base of the Lhotse Face today. Vernovage and his Lhotse team ascended to C2, along with the Singapore team. Shea moved up to C1. Scott, Ed, and Rejean descended to BC.

You can follow IMG’s journey on their website.  As always, AMK is proud to be working with IMG to keep their team safe on the expedition.  We are looking forward to watching them later this year on Discovery’s Everest: Beyond the Limit Show.  Here is an update from a couple of days ago —-

The trek from Namche to Tengboche.

March 31, 2009

IMG expedition leader Eric Simonson called in to say that yesterday the team hiked from Namche to Tengboche Monastery at 12,700′, and then went a little further to spend the night in Pangboche.

Discovery Channel To Feature IMG’s Everest Team

The Discovery Channel will be filming a new season of Everest: Beyond the Limit in the next few months, and this year AMK sponsored International Mountain Guides (IMG) will be featured as they attempt to bring 50 clients to the top of the world via the South Side of the mountain. IMG Himalayan Director Eric Simonson, and a film team will join the great group of climbers and trekkers already on board for IMG’s 2009 Everest expedition.