Everest: The Other Side 2026 Movie Review Trailer

 "Because it’s there"—this is the famous, possibly apocryphal, response attributed to British mountaineer George Mallory when asked why he wanted to climb Everest. Unlike contemporary mountaineer Jim Morrison, Mallory had no intention of skiing down it. But isn’t that same evasive answer still valid? What drives certain people to undertake such reckless, dangerous, and near-impossible feats? If they simply *can* do it, *should* they? These are the questions that will likely occupy the minds of many viewers as they watch *Everest: The Other Side*—a visually stunning, and ostensibly poignant, documentary about Morrison, his late partner Hilaree Nelson, and their shared dream of ski-mountaineering on Everest—an adventure that ultimately cost Nelson her life.

However, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin—the (formerly married) duo who won an Oscar for the dizzying spectacle of *Free Solo*, their 2018 film about the equally ambitious and daring climber Alex Honnold—address these questions only weakly and sporadically. *Everest: The Other Side* seeks to evoke the same sense of awe and exhilaration as that earlier film: Everest is portrayed with an imposing, reverential grandeur—an inevitability, given its very nature—and Morrison’s arduous ascent is presented as a triumph, as is his vertiginous descent, gliding down the snow. Yet, it is difficult to feel truly thrilled by any of this when one’s thoughts are fixed on the woman who died attempting the very same feat, and on the children she left behind. 

For both Morrison and the filmmakers, this tragic backstory lends a cathartic quality to the achievement; nonetheless, many viewers will inevitably question the point of it all. In fact, Nelson displayed greater introspection than the film itself—a project that began as a very different story, focusing on the couple’s shared quest for thrills and approaching it with the same admiring enthusiasm that characterized the portrait of Alex Honnold in *Free Solo*. "People ask, 'How do you find the balance?' and it makes me want to punch them," Nelson says in archival interview footage, referring to the conflict she felt between her maternal responsibilities toward her children, Grayden and Quinn—who were 11 and 13 when filming began—and her desire to pursue her passion as a ski mountaineer, despite the inherent dangers. Later, she returns to the subject: "What I *can* do is love my children today, when I see them. What else can I do?"

These words resonate powerfully when, about half an hour into the film, directors Vasarhelyi and Chin reveal her fate: on September 26, 2022, while skiing with Morrison in Nepal, Nelson was caught in a small avalanche and fell nearly 6,000 feet to her death. The film presents this turn of events somewhat clumsily—almost as a dramatic plot twist—having offered no prior hint to the unsuspecting viewer that Nelson, who appeared to be the vibrant protagonist and the driving force of the story, had already passed away. Yet, even if one knows what is coming, the impact is devastating; it is one of those moments that suggests the film might have ventured into more introspective territory. The filmmakers were close friends of the couple; it is fair to assume they harbor complex feelings about their role in documenting the visceral adrenaline rush of these sports, set against the self-centered risks they entail—much as Morrison, in the aftermath of the tragedy, might well wonder what it was all for.

Yet, while such concerns exist, they are barely acknowledged; the rest of the documentary celebrates determination in the face of doubt, finding a spiritual victory in the pursuit itself, and a physical one in its completion. The show must go on—even if that "show" involves skiing down the north face of Everest, an unprecedented feat that, given the circumstances, most people would hardly consider a sufficient reason to attempt it. Morrison—who, as we learn, has endured more tragic, accidental losses than any person should ever have to bear—is obsessed with the idea that achieving this world first would serve as both a personal vindication and a tribute to the memory of those he has lost.

In his state of grief, it is understandable that this narrative would make sense to him. The film, however, embraces it with a surprisingly reckless spirit: Chin—a father of two—joins the mission with hardly a second thought regarding the potential hubris inherent in such a decision. Vasarhelyi, whose involvement in the project appears less direct, expresses greater reservations; at one point, she openly asks her husband how many people who once sat at their dinner table have since passed away. (Although it is not mentioned in the film, the couple divorced last year.) 

Nevertheless, for the most part, *Everest: The Other Side* follows the journey of Morrison and Chin—accompanied by a large camera crew and a team of Sherpas (who are far more cautious, though their voices remain largely relegated to the background)—as if chronicling an expedition of epic nobility. If one allows oneself to be carried away solely by the stunning mountain landscapes—those vast slopes, the unbroken blanket of glistening snow covering them, the flashes of neon yellow from the men’s tents and gear—and by the sweeping, orchestral momentum of Caroline Ho’s score, it is easy to be captivated by the romantic, almost fantastical madness of the endeavor. 

This is characteristic of a film that, much like many of Vasarhelyi and Chin’s previous works, is presented under the National Geographic documentary banner. Yet, doing so requires one to largely compartmentalize the information that *Everest: The Other Side* has already presented: the death of Nelson, the heart-wrenching accounts from his now nearly adult children, and the near-fatal injury sustained during the expedition by the Nepali guide, Pur Bahadur “Yukta” Gurung. (As an additional emotional blow, the end credits include a posthumous tribute to Gurung, who perished in an avalanche just a month before the documentary’s premiere in Venice.) It is difficult to feel truly inspired by the ultimate conquest of a feat that has proven fatal for so many others; one is left only to wonder where Morrison’s insatiable desire will lead him next—and whether this might be, for better or worse, his final summit.

Watch Everest: The Other Side 2026 Movie Trailer