David Breashears is an award-winning filmmaker, author, adventurer, and world-class mountaineer. Since 1978, he has combined his skills in climbing and filmmaking to complete more than 40 film projects. In 1983, Breashears transmitted the first live television pictures from the summit of Mount Everest, and in 1985 became the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest twice. In the spring of 1996, Breashears co-directed and co-produced the first IMAX film shot on Mount Everest. Breashears and his team were in the midst of making this historic film when a blizzard of historic proportions hit the mountainside, killing eight climbers. Breashears and his team stopped filming to provide assistance to the stricken climbers. After returning to Base Camp, Breashears and his team regrouped and reached the summit of the mountain, becoming the first to record IMAX film images at Earth's highest point. In 1997, Breashears performed the first live audio WebCast from the summit of Everest for the PBS science documentary series NOVA. Breashears is the recipient of four National Emmy Awards for achievement in filmmaking. His best-selling memoir High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places (Simon & Schuster) documents his life as a mountaineer and filmmaker. In the spring of 2004, Breashears reached the summit of Mount Everest for the fifth time while shooting his film Storm Over Everest. Breashears addressed the Academy of Achievement at its 1998 Summit in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on the anniversary of his two previous ascents of the world's tallest mountain. In this podcast, he discusses the rewards of pursuing life's most difficult challenges, and recalls the tragic events that befell his fellow climbers in 1996.