Everest Survival Guide

DISCUSSION & ACTIVITY GUIDE
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Summary
Incalculable risks. Enormous hardships. Years
of training for impossible-to-foresee challenges.
Unthinkable, inhospitable conditions. And yet, for
almost a century, adventurers across the globe have
sought to bring deeper meaning to their everyday lives
by attempting to summit the highest point - and most
dangerous place - on Earth: Mount Everest.
Whether the mountaineers’ motivation is spiritual
transformation or an adrenaline-fueled mission, one
can’t deny that humanity is laid bare when ambition,
human frailty and a ferocious storm collide at the top
of the world.
The epic adventure stars Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John
Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington,
Keira Knightley, Emily Watson and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Background
Inspired by the incredible events surrounding an attempt in 1996 to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Everest documents
the awe-inspiring journey of two different expeditions challenged beyond their limits by one of the fiercest blizzards ever encountered by
mankind.
Everest is directed by Baltasar Kormákur (2 Guns, Contraband) and produced by Working Title Films’ Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, Cross
Creek Pictures’ Brian Oliver and Tyler Thompson, as well as Nicky Kentish Barnes and Kormákur. Universal Pictures and Walden Media’s
presentation of Everest – in association with Cross Creek Pictures – is adapted for the screen by William Nicholson (Gladiator) and Oscar
winner Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire).
The film was shot on location in Nepal in the foothills of Everest, the Italian Alps and at Cinecittà Studios in Rome and Pinewood Studios
in the U.K. Universal will distribute Everest worldwide.
Introduction
Damaris Media is delighted to provide free community resources which will enable groups to make the most of Everest (in UK cinemas
from 18th
September 2015).
This tense and awe-inspiring film depicts the experiences of two groups who have to learn how to survive in difficult conditions: those
who head up the mountain and those who remain back at base camp. Through these two parallel stories the film provides a wonderful
opportunity for groups of people who watch it together to then talk about it afterwards. To aid this experience we provide these free
resources for you in this guide:
‘Can you Remember?’ Quiz
Scene Setter questions
Up the Mountain – activities and discussion questions for young people
Between a Rock and a Hard Place – activities and discussion questions for adults
There are also special video features which are available at everest.damaris.org
Please feel free to use whichever parts of this guide you feel are most appropriate for your group - each section is designed to stand
alone.

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Can You Remember? Quiz
How many of these did you notice, and can you remember?
1. In what year did Hillary become the first man to scale Everest?
2. In what year did the Adventure Consultants team attempt the climb depicted in the film?
3. How many teams were climbing Everest during the period depicted in the film?
4. What was Scott Fischer’s (Jake Gyllenhaal) team called?
5. What would Rob (Jason Clarke) like to call his unborn child?
6. What are Doug’s (John Hawkes) day jobs?
7. How many of the Seven Summits has Yasuko Namba (Naoko Mori) scaled at the beginning of the film?
Scene Setter
After your group has enjoyed the quiz, explain that you will now think together about issues raised by the film. Depending on the number
of people, you may prefer to all discuss the film together or to divide into smaller groups.
Discussion Questions
1. Did Everest remind you of any other films that you have seen, and in what ways? To what extent was it a typical survival
story, and what was unique or surprising about it?
2. What did the shots of the scenery contribute to the film overall? How would you describe the environment in which the
climbers find themselves?
3. How did the film make use of sound effects, and were there any moments which stood out to you in this respect? What
impact did the sound design have on you?
4. What did you think of the casting of the film? Which performances in particular stood out to you and why?
5. The producers have said that one of their aims was ‘to make the film feel as real as possible’. How did the filmmakers
go about achieving this aim? What helps to make a film feel ‘real’? Why might it be important for films like Everest to feel
realistic?
6. How did the use of 3D affect your experience of the film? What other recent developments in film technology were used
by the filmmakers?
7. What emotional impact did the film have on you, and why? How did you feel as the credits began to roll?
Play the trailer which is available at everest.damaris.org
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The following activities and discussion questions are best suited for young people.
Activity: Battling the Elements
Purpose:
• This wide game illustrates the difficulty of mountaineering in extreme weather conditions.
• It also illustrates Rob’s desire to shepherd everyone to the summit.
Set-up:
• Select the area you will use – ideally, it should be a hilly and/or rocky environment with some scope for hiding places.
• Decide upon a time limit suitable for the terrain and your group.
• Mark out the ‘top of the mountain’ and ‘base camp’ – you could use a flag on the highest point for the top of the
mountain and a length of bunting some distance away for base camp.
• You will need a generous quantity of water and flour balloons (or water pistols), facilities for cleaning up, a whistle and a
stopwatch. Place the balloons in a few piles at various points between base camp and the top of the mountain.
Action:
• Divide the group into two teams: the Climbers and the Elements. Point out base camp, where everyone will begin, and
the top of the mountain. Set out the time limit.
• The Climbers’ objective is to get as many team members to the top of the mountain as possible.
• The Elements’ objective is to ‘freeze’ opposing team members by hitting them with water and flour bombs that represent
ice and snow (if you require a less messy alternative, you could use water pistols or a shoulder tap instead).
• ‘Frozen’ Climbers can move again as long as a non-frozen teammate travels arm-in-arm with them. They are then immune
to being frozen again, although the non-frozen teammate isn’t – and will need another non-frozen Climber to link arms
with them if they get hit!
• Climbers at the top of the mountain are safe from being frozen as long as they stay there - but they may wish to leave to
help other team members.
• At the first whistle, the Elements can leave base camp. At the second whistle, the Climbers can leave base camp. The
third whistle indicates the end of the game. Count how many Climbers have made it to the top of the mountain.
• Then swap the teams over, so that both get the chance to experience battling the elements. The winning team is the one
that manages to get the most Climbers to the top of the mountain by the time the third whistle is blown.
Up the Mountain

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Activity: Ambitious or Arrogant?
Purpose:
• The climbers’ desire to reach Everest’s summit shows a mixture of ambition and arrogance. Each time they venture out
of their tents and further up the mountain, they risk pushing their bodies beyond what they can endure.
• This activity gives teams the chance to guess their limits, feeling the elation of reaching their goal, but also the sting of
underestimating or overestimating their skills.
Set-up:
• Lay out the equipment for a series of one-minute challenges. They need only be simple activities, such as throwing balls
into a bucket, naming Premier League football teams, doing press-ups, etc. These could be mountaineering-themed,
such as knot-tying, carrying ‘oxygen canisters’ from one station to another (only a short distance), step-ups on a bench
or running up and down a small hill, naming mountains, naming items used in mountaineering, eating ‘rations’ (seeing
how many marshmallows someone can hold in their mouth at one time) or naming characters/actors from the film.
Action:
• For each challenge, the team must guess their score before they begin. If the team gets more than they expected, they
are only awarded as many points as their guess. But if they score less than their guess, their total score is wiped to zero
and they must begin again from scratch.
• As the points build up, the teams have more to lose if their ambition outstrips their ability.
• The winning team is the one with the highest overall score at the end of the series of challenges.
Further activity ideas:
• Use an obituary of Rob Hall (such as the one found at www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-rob-
hall-1348607.html) to encourage the group to reflect on their own life goals, how they might achieve these ambitions,
and how they would like to be remembered.
• Provide an opportunity for group members to have a ‘mountaintop experience’ through an outdoor experience (hiking or
orienteering, camping, a beach trip or even an extreme sport).

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Discussion questions
1. Was the film successful in drawing you in? Which moments did you find particularly tense or exciting? Why do you think
that this was the case?
2. Which of the climbers did you relate to the most, and why? Do you think that the film encourages viewers to relate to
some climbers more than to others, and in what ways?
3. ‘This is suffering.’ – Beck (Josh Brolin)
How do the characters experience physical, mental and emotional suffering during their journey? What techniques do
they use in order to build their endurance? What good – if any – comes through their suffering?
4. In our society, do you think that people who attempt feats such as the scaling of Everest are seen as heroic, or as reckless
and irresponsible? What are the reasons for these perceptions? Which viewpoint do you think the film encourages us to
take?
5. What reasons do the various characters give for wanting to climb the mountain? More generally, what do you think
motivates some people to take extreme risks in their lives?
6. The characters build up a great camaraderie and Rob (Jason Clarke) in particular holds to the idea of ‘never leaving a
man behind’. Do you think that this is always the right moral decision, and can you give any reasons for your answer? In
our own lives, how might we balance the need for self-protection with the desire to selflessly help others?
7. Many of the characters have an extreme drive to survive. Where do you think that this human instinct comes from and
what makes it so powerful? What do you think motivates the characters in their hardest moments?
8. The phrase ‘mountaintop experience’ refers to amazing and exhilarating moments in people’s lives. How or where might
people experience such moments? Are they something that we can look for, or do they simply happen to us? What
makes them so appealing and addictive?
9. Do you have an ‘Everest’ - a seemingly impossible dream that you have set your sights on? What makes this dream
exciting to you, and how do you plan to get there?

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The following activities and discussion questions are best suited for adult groups.
Activity: Slideshow
Purpose:
• Shots of the climbers’ homes make it clear that photographs carry great significance for them and their families.
• This simple activity makes room for people to discuss the goals and loved ones that motivate them in life.
Set-up:
• In addition to people finding photos on their phones or in their purses/wallets, you could have a laptop available for
people who would like to use a social networking site but do not have access to it on their phones. Alternatively, you could
give people advance notice, so that they can bring a physical photo or printout with them, or send one to you so you can
make a slideshow for the group ahead of time.
Action:
• Invite people to share two photos that are meaningful to them and explain a little of their significance:
o First, a photo of an adventure they have embarked upon. Give people time to find the photo and to reflect on how they
might answer reporter Jon Krakauer (Michael Kelly) if he asked them why they did it.
o Second, a photo of a loved one. Again, give people time to find the photo and to reflect on how that person has
motivated them to live a full life.
Activity: Listen Up
Purpose:
• This activity highlights the importance of good communication, as well as teamwork.
• You could involve everyone in this activity (if you have the tents and the space!) or you could ask for volunteers (minimum
of 8 people) and let the rest of the group sit back and watch.
Set-up:
• You will need blindfolds for half of the people participating and one tent per team (teams should include at least four
people).
• An outdoor area will make this more feasible in terms of space (and may make it more entertaining if the weather is less
than co-operative!)
Action:
• Split the group into teams. Half of the people in each team need to wear blindfolds.
• The blindfolded team members are in charge of putting up the tent. The sighted team members cannot touch the tent;
it is their job to talk their teammates through the process.
• Present each team with a basic tent.
• The winning team is the first one to successfully put up their tent.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Discussion Questions
1. As well as telling the story of the climbers, the film also depicts the experiences of those who are back at home, or back
at base camp. Which of these characters did you relate to the most? Why do you think that this was the case?
2. In some ways the film does not have a traditional happy ending. How did the conclusion make you feel? Would you say
that this story is a ‘tragedy’ and why or why not?
3. Peach (Robin Wright) and Jan (Keira Knightley) have very different responses to their husbands’ escapades. How were
these responses depicted in the film? Why might different people have such varying reactions when faced with the same
situation?
4. How does the film present the way in which the story was portrayed in the media at the time? What message, if any,
might Everest have about the responsibility of journalists to report events accurately?
5. Does the knowledge that this film is based on a true story affect your response? Why, or why not? What moral
considerations might there be for filmmakers telling a true story based on the experiences of living people?
6. ‘I have kids. They see a regular guy can follow impossible dreams, maybe they’ll do the same.’ – Doug (John Hawkes)
How does the film explore the idea that our decisions and actions have an impact on our families? What, if anything,
does the film have to say about the example that we set for our children?
7. How do those on the base and at home manage to cope in extremely worrying moments? How might people in your own
community deal with similarly stressful or anxious situations?
8. Several of the characters in the film have to process grief. Are we given any idea as to how they go about this? Where
might people look for support and guidance in such situations?
9. ‘Somebody up there loves us.’ – Rob (Jason Clarke)
In what ways is the idea of religion or ‘the gods’ explored by the film? What might cause some people to believe in a
higher power, and how might moments of fear or awe affect our spiritual beliefs?

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