PORT TOWNSEND–Leif Whittaker’s friends and family will be checking the Internet today for the latest video posted from his expedition to Mount Everest, retracing the trip taken by his father in 1963.
The latest video will be posted sometime today at http://blog.firstascent.com, according to Kristin Elliott, director of project marketing for Eddie Bauer Holdings Inc., which is co-sponsoring the trip.
Along with the video, the link connects Whittaker’s ascent with the rest of the world, allowing viewers to take a vicarious trip up the world’s tallest mountain.
The videos posted so far have high production values, featuring multiple angles and detailed, lucid narration by Whittaker.
This is because of the presence of Michael Brown, a professional filmmaker who has produced several recreational documentaries.
Five cameras
Brown is carrying five cameras and edits the footage on a Macbook computer equipped with Final Cut Pro, which is a high-end video software program.
The completed videos are sent to Eddie Bauer headquarters in Bellevue, where minor adjustments such as adding music and equalizing the sound are made prior to posting.
“With these videos, people get to experience the trip up Mount Everest through Leif’s eyes,” Elliott said.
There is no specific information about the video prior to its screening, aside from the suggestion that it features footage of a minor injury sustained by Whittaker.
“Leif has already warned us about this video,” said his mother, Dianne Roberts of Port Townsend.
“He wanted us to know that it wasn’t as bad as it looked.”
‘A little bit scared’
The videos are short — around three minutes — and offer enough detail to put the viewer in the middle of the action.
“I’m excited, I’m anxious, I’m a little bit scared,” Whittaker said on camera in an earlier video.
“It’s something I’ve been imagining for the last seven years.”
The video then switches to a frightening shot, a view of Whittaker’s legs as he walks on a ladder set over a crevasse.
“It’s a dangerous place,” he said. “I have some fear, but I won’t let that anxiety take over me.
“I need to keep a balance and maintain respect for this tremendous power and know that it can take your life at any second, without you knowing it.
“But you need to keep it in the back of your mind, instead of up front.”
In good spirits
Roberts said she and her husband, Jim Whittaker who was the first American to scale the 29,029-foot peak, have talked to Leif several times, and that he was in good spirits.
“We talk to him on the phone right from base camp on Everest,” she said. “It is really amazing what you can do today.”
Sophisticated communications features were not available when Jim Whittaker climbed Everest or when he and Roberts subsequently climbed the second-highest peak, K2.
Roberts said the expedition will make several trial runs to different camps and then return to base camp prior to attempting the summit.
The goal of making it to the top in mid-May is still in place, according to Whittaker’s blogs.
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Port Townsend/Jefferson County reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
