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    David Breashears, mountaineer and filmmaker who co-produced Mount Everest documentary, dies at 68

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1766 Views
    This photo provided by Arcturus Motion Pictures, Inc., shows Mountaineer, filmmaker and author David Breashears while filming the IMAX documentary “Everest” that premiered in 1998. Breashears, 68, died on Thursday, March 14, 2024 at his home in Marblehead, Mass. (Arcturus Motion Pictures, Inc. via AP)
    MARBLEHEAD, Mass. (AP) --

    David Breashears, a mountaineer, author and filmmaker who co-directed and co-produced a 1998 IMAX documentary about climbing Mount Everest, has died, his business manager confirmed Saturday. He was 68.

    Breashears was found unresponsive at his home in Marblehead, Massachusetts, on Thursday, Ellen Golbranson said. She said he died of natural causes but "the exact cause of death remains unknown at this time."

    Breashears summited Mount Everest five times, including with the IMAX camera in 1996, his family said.

    "He combined his passion for climbing and photography to become one of the world's most admired adventure filmmakers," the family said in a written statement.

    In 2007, Breashears founded GlacierWorks, which describes itself on Facebook as a nonprofit organization that "highlights changes to Himalayan glaciers through art, science, and adventure."

    "With GlacierWorks, he used his climbing and photography experience to create unique records revealing the dramatic effects of climate change on the historic mountain range," his family said.

    In 1983, Breashears transmitted the first live television pictures from the summit of Everest, according to his website, which also says that in 1985 he became the first U.S. citizen to reach the summit twice.

    Breashears and his team were filming the Everest documentary when the May 10, 1996, blizzard struck the mountain, killing eight climbers. He and his team stopped filming to help the climbers.

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    Tags:David BreashearsGlacierWorksImaxMount Everest



    “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson backs long shot de-extinction plan, starring the lost moa

    Tuesday, July 8, 2025
    Filmmaker Peter Jackson, left, and Colossal CEO Ben Lamm hold up bones from Jackson's collection of extinct moa bones in Wellington, New Zealand, 2024. (Courtesy of Colossal Biosciences via AP)

    Filmmaker Peter Jackson owns one of the largest private collections of bones of an extinct New Zealand bird called the moa. His fascination with the flightless ostrich-like bird has led to an unusual partnership with a biotech company known for its grand and controversial plans to bring back lost species.

    On Tuesday, Colossal Biosciences announced an effort to genetically engineer living birds to resemble the extinct South Island giant moa – which once stood 12 feet (3.6 meters) tall – with $15 million in funding from Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh. The collaboration also includes the New Zealand-based Ngāi Tahu Research Centre.

    "The movies are my day job, and the moa are my fun thing I do," said Jackson. "Every New Zealand schoolchild has a fascination with the moa."

    Outside scientists say the idea of bringing back extinct species onto the modern landscape is likely impossible, although it may be feasible to tweak the genes of living animals to have similar physical traits. Scientists have mixed feelings on whether that will be helpful, and some worry that focusing on lost creatures could distract from protecting species that still exist.

    The moa had roamed New Zealand for 4,000 years until they became extinct around 600 years ago, mainly because of overhunting. A large skeleton brought to England in the 19th century, now on display at the Yorkshire Museum, prompted international interest in the long-necked bird.

    Unlike Colossal's work with dire wolves, the moa project is in very early stages. It started with a phone call about two years ago after Jackson heard about the company's efforts to "de-extinct" – or create genetically similar animals to – species like the woolly mammoth and the dire wolf.

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