National Geographic’s documentary “Everest: The Other Side” follows mountaineers led by filmmakers Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi as they revisit extreme climbing and ski descent on Everest. Reviewers describe the film as centering on a grieving ski mountaineer who attempts to scale the mountain’s North Face and then ski back down, framing the journey through personal loss and risk.
Both outlets highlight the film’s focus on the physical and psychological demands of high-altitude mountaineering. The Hollywood Reporter emphasizes the film’s mixture of triumph and tragedy, and calls it both frustrating and compelling in its portrayal of people who “risk it all” to reach Everest’s summit and descend. IndieWire similarly presents the documentary as unflinching, focusing on a “face of death” experience tied to earlier tragedies, while praising its ability to maintain intensity rather than avoid dangerous realities.
Taken together, the reviews agree that the documentary is grounded in the acclaimed style of Chin and Vasarhelyi’s “Free Solo” team and presents Everest through a ski-mountaineering lens, stressing both the allure and consequences of attempting the North Face.
