Jimmy Roberts

Norman Dyhrenfurth leads an expedition with thirty climbers from thirteen different countries including Don Whillans, Dougal Haston, Naomi Uemura, Pierre Mazeaud, and others. This optimistic expedition hopes to simultaneously climb the SW Face and the West Ridge Direct, but is fraught with one-upmanship, personality conflicts, and organizational problems. Harsh Bahuguna is caught out in a storm at Camp 3 and died despite the efforts of the rescue party. The expedition falters after his death, but Whillans and Haston push the SW Face route up to 27,400 feet (8,350 meters) before lack of equipment forces an end to the expedition.

In 1963, Swiss climber Norman Dyhrenfurth began 'a little war against a big mountain.' Leading 19 Americans, 32 Sherpas, and 909 porters carrying 27 tons of gear, Dyhrenfurth spearheaded the highly successful 1963 American Mount Everest Expedition for his adopted country. Jim Whittaker, accompanied by Nawang Gombu Sherpa made the first ascent by the Hillary-Tensing route. On May 22, Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld made the first ascent by the unclimbed West Ridge. They descended by the South Col, making the first traverse of Everest. Orson Welles narrates the spectacular record, and the film includes the first ever filmed images from the summit.