In reply to Flashy:
Thanks Damo and Flashy for the information. I really should have known of the Duke of Abruzzi's ascent - I must have read of it at some point but didn't remember the details, mainly I know of his K2 adventures.
Everest from sea level is a really impressive trek. Goran Kropp of course cycled thousands of kilometers then climbed Everest. I haven't read his book, but wonder if he reached sea level on some point of that trip.
The Mount St Elias film itself was a very slight anti-climax for me. In that they skied from the top of the mountain to the sea by first skiing from base camp to the sea, Then they skied from the summit to the base camp. They said that they've now 'done it' concerning the ski descent, but unless someone has done it since, I can still see a major 'first' to be done on that mountain.
I didn't like the concentration on Aaron Martin's death on a previous attempt, and the (I hope) recreation of his fatal fall was not the kind of thing I wanted to see. Let alone over and over.
There was a very interesting segment where the climber/skiers were stuck in a vicious looking storm, and had to retreat into a snowcave. While they all survived seemingly uninjured, how close they came to full physical and mental exhaustion, and 'giving up', is well documented. I'm not sure if it's a bit voyeuristic to find that segment fascinating, even if they all came out of it fine. But then, that's what Touching the Void is about, though that movie is of course a recreation, not actual footage.
