Stunning New Footage Shared From Upcoming National Geographic Documentary Film Chronicling A Historical Achievement on the Slopes of Mount Everest

National Geographic has shared some stunning new footage that will be featured in a documentary film (with the working title "Everest North") that captured a historic achievement on the North Face of Mount Everest along a route that is considered the most dangerous on the planet.

What’s Happening: 

• Earlier this month, world-renowned mountaineer Jim Morrison entered the history books as he skied down the Hornbein Couloir, long considered the most elusive and challenging route in ski mountaineering. 
• This record-breaking achievement, which took place on October 15th, 2025, will be featured in an upcoming National Geographic Documentary feature film which is currently in production with Oscar- and BAFTA-winning directors Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.
• Under the working title, “Everest North,” the new film will chronicle the expedition, which took place on Everest’s north face in China, the opposite side of the mountain from typical ascents of Everest. 
• While a lot of attention has been given to the crowds on Everest’s south side and main guided route, Morrison’s team was the only team on the mountain during their ascent.  
• This route has long been considered notoriously dangerous and the most technically difficult ski line on the planet due to its steep and technical nature and the fact that you start the climb at 20,000 feet and climb 9,000 feet to the summit of Everest before you begin the ski descent.
• Elite ski mountaineers call this route “the last great problem.” Reinhold Messier, one of the greatest mountaineers in history, called it “the most beautiful route on Everest.” It is also one of the most difficult and dangerous. All previous attempts to ski or snowboard it have ended in failure or fatalities.
• Morrison skied the 9,000-foot line alone while the rest of his team descended the climb on ropes, with Morrison dedicating his accomplishment to his late partner, Hilaree Nelson.
• Academy Award-winning Free Solo directors Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi captured Morrison’s grueling physical and emotional journey for the upcoming documentary, a ground-breaking and historic achievement in high altitude filmmaking. 
• National Geographic shared some stunning footage of the massive accomplishment, giving a taste of what to expect to be included in the film.

• Morrison ascended to the summit with 11 other climbers: Jimmy Chin, Erich Roepke, Pemba Sharwa Sherpa, Esteban ‘Topo’ Mena, Carla Perez, Roberto ‘Tico’ Morales, Pur Bahadur ‘Yukta’ Gurung, Ngima Tenjing Sherpa, Pemba Gelje Sherpa, Tenging Gyaljen Sherpa, Pasang Sona Sherpa.
• The climb was an achievement in itself, on a route which only five other climbers have previously summited successfully. 
• Completely vertical at points, the notoriously dangerous route was last attempted back in 1991.

Mountaineering Morrison: 

• Based out of Tahoe City, California, Jim Morrison is a ski-mountaineer and high-altitude alpinist. He evolved from skiing in the Sierra Nevada into pursuing some of the world’s highest peaks and steepest ski descents. 
• In 2018, he and his partner Hilaree Nelson became the first people to ski from the summit of Lhotse (27,940 ft) down the Lhotse Couloir.
  On the same 2018 trip, he summited both Cho Oyu and Mount Everest, skiing large vertical drops in both cases.
• According to Smithsonian Magazine, Morrison also spread the ashes of Nelson, his late partner, on the summit of Everest before starting his descent in his historic achievement earlier this month. 
• Nelson passed in September of 2022 on Manaslu, a 26,871 foot peak in Nepal and the eighth-highest mountain on the planet.