As Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley reached the International Space Station following the first commercial flight into space involving humans, the world sat in awe. Space is an incredibly inhospitable environment for human life, its lack of oxygen and an atmospheric pressure means that humans wouldn’t stand a chance without the aid of technological advancements.
One environment that’s not too dissimilar to that of space is climbing 8,000-metre peaks without supplemental oxygen, where a lack of oxygen to your brain and vital organs is slowly killing you. While 562 humans have completed a sub-orbital space flight, less humans have climbed the 8,611-metre K2 – the world’s second highest mountain – without any supplemental oxygen.
“Less humans have climbed the 8,611-metre K2”
New signed up members to this “No O’s” club are mountain guides Adrian Ballinger and Carla Perez. This new film ‘Breathtaking’ documents Adrian and Carla’s battle during their attempt at the peak.
Complete with narration from Ed Viesturs – the only American to have climbed all the 14 of the world’s eight-thousanders – the breathtaking films shows you first hand what it’s like for these climbers as they spend prolonged periods of time in the death zone without any additional oxygen, and more importantly, why these athletes put their bodies on the line for these achievements.