Extreme climbing has never been safe. Add a camera, and climbers’ lives may be even more at risk. Last year, two expert climbers were killed on China’s treacherous Mt. Edgar while filming a TV show for National Geographic. In an article for Sierra, Emmiett Berg questions the camera’s role in their deaths. He writes:
With video cameras the size of bar soap and an ever-growing number of outlets for clips of high-risk feats, any climber eyeing a first ascent must also consider the adventure’s moviemaking potential. And when a climb turns fatal–whether through misfortune, misjudgment, or some combination thereof–those left behind inevitably wonder how much the camera was to blame.
Source: Sierra
Image by Darcy McCarty, licensed under Creative Commons.
