Hi Reddit, I'm David Breashears - Co-Producer of the upcoming action epic Everest. I have climbed Everest 5 times and was on the mountain in 1996 of the film took place

Why climb 5 times?

Everest has been a big part of my life since 1981. A big part of my professional & mountaineering life let's say. I have made a living there on its slopes as a film maker / mountaineer and each time I've stood o the top I've stood there with a film or video camera doing my work. I made the first live broadcast from the Summit in 1983 - my team took an Imax camera to the Summit in 1996 and in 2004 we filmed on the Summit for the current film Everest which is why the imagery in the film looks authentic

Hi, I respect your commitment in being a mountaineer, personally I have never climb any mountains before, I hope to climb Mount Kinabalu in my native country of Malaysia. Any important tips that you can give to an amateur. What is the closest encounter to death you have ever experience in your years of mountaineering?

My advice would be that its very important to know your own limits - physically & mentally. And to put yourself into the worst conditions you might encounter on your objective during your training and preparation period. That way you will be prepared to cope with any surprises or extreme conditions you may face along the way. I have encountered several very dangerous situations in the mountains over the years. One of them was caused by the mountain itself when a huge slab avalanche fell near our group but it luckily didn't drag any of us down with it. The other situation was caused by me. As I hadn't take the time or spent the energy to understand the challenges and potential risks I would encounter by climbing a big peak. So in that case it wasn't the mountain that was dangerous it was my own lack of preparation.

What has been your favorite climb - Everest or otherwise - in your career? And are there any climbs you haven't done that you still want to?

I've many favourite climbs but nothing will ever match the first time I stood on top of Everest in 1983. It was a tremendously gratifying moment full of rewards and very poignant too as 16 years earlier at the age of 11 I had seen a picture of Tenzing Norgay standing on the Summit and had wanted to climb Everest since that day

Hello David,

How exciting did you find making the film in comparison to climbing Everest?

Making the film was much more exciting, challenging and rewarding than any single ascent of Everest. The film took 13 years to create from the early stages of development to when we will all finally see it on the silver screen on September 18th. At times I thought I would never be sat here in a Reddit chat talking about the film nor was there such a thing as Reddit when we began the development. Our film team faced many challenges along the way - too many to mention here. Right now we are all feeling pleased & proud that it's finished and that the film is receiving such a positive response

What was the hardest part of turning your journey from 1996 into a movie for Hollywood?

It was two things. It was getting the right production team together and getting the story to a place where it honored the truth and essence of the events on Everest in 1996.