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For most of us, eyeing the Stairmaster at the gym is challenging enough. Erik Weihenmayer, an avid hiker since boyhood, decided to climb Mount Everest. Erik has also been blind since boyhood. His friends, experienced "summitters" (climber-speak for those who have reached the Himalayan peak), offered to be his eyes. Filmed on high-definition video (a first for Everest), the expedition makes for a taut, absorbing documentary. At first, hearing fortysomething men call one another "dude" is annoying (it’s as if they were those mutant cartoon turtles), but then you realize that these guys really are superheroes. Months of grueling training can’t prepare Erik for the ordeal: his first attempt to cross a deep ice crevasse is excruciating to watch. He’s worried that his slowness will endanger the team, but soon he picks up speed. Despite the added challenge of coaching him (talking uses precious oxygen), his friends are eager to help him fulfill his dream. Several climbers on other teams die on the mountain during filming, and that prompts the question, why do people do this? Why would a blind man do this? Don’t ask — just be glad someone thought to document it so well. (70 minutes)
BY PEG ALOI
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