The power and scope of McKinley, known as its American Indian name of Denali, should never be underestimated. In May of 1994 when I ventured here to climb this sought after peak, never could I imagine that Denali would thrash me that all it could muster. I was thankful to leave the mountain with my life.
Storm Over Denali is a first-person journal, filmed on a state-of-the-art at the time, Hi-8 video camera. Pollard was an assistant guide on this expedition, hoping to gain some experience for bigger peaks in the Himalayas. Basically, assistant guide could be read as the guy who cooks for all the clients and keeps a positive attitude when s*** hits the fan.
DEAR VIEWER: please excuse the goofy music, circa 1992, when there was zero choice for a person doing a film on zero budget. Nowadays, original music is a dime a dozen.....Cheers and thanks for watching!
Explorers Web review of Storm Over Denali by Andrew McLemore:
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"We were filming adventure and mountaineering documentaries before the popular, cutting-edge guys were even born, using Hi8 video cameras, no less!"
You might enjoy my Aconcagua film Power of the Mountain:
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NOTE: The music in this film is not mine and is used with the understanding that this film is purely for educational purposes, never to be sold or licensed.
This is dedicated to long-time friend of mine and mountaineers and human beings near and far, Daryl Miller, one of the good ones! [ Ссылка ]
SUMMARY:
An ill-fated attempt to summit "Mt. McKinley", now known solely by the name of Denali, via the technical West Rib route, led by Marc Chauvin, was thwarted by a terrifying storm with winds at 150 miles an hour. The team's tent shredded in the high winds. They dig a snow hole to wait out the storm.
This film premiered at Mountainfilm, has never been broadcast.
Here is an excerpt from a review in the American Alpine Club Journal, written by Ed Darack:
"In Storm Over Denali, Thom Pollard, (the cameraman), writer, and producer, has created a very relaxed, almost intimate presentation of his 1994 attempt of the peak. Pollard narrates, and is even a member of the band that plays the background music...
Although Pollard’s team did not summit, Storm Over Denali shows us that this fact in no way detracts from the overall “mountaineering experience,” and in the process of failing the team shot some excellent coverage of the powerful storm that prevented their success. I commend Pollard not only for surviving a major storm that nearly wiped out another expedition on the West Rib, but for capturing the whole experience on film. This video made me wonder if I would rather summit a big peak in perfect conditions, or have the wisdom gained by trying my damnedest and still getting my ass kicked on a major endeavor."
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Connect with Thom Pollard:
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