Sports Illustrated & Endemol Shine Beyond Team for Everest VR Project

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK: Sports Illustrated and Endemol Shine Beyond USA have partnered on a virtual-reality doc series that follows the journey of four climbers during their 2016 summit of Mt. Everest.

The multipart, multiplatform production, Capturing Everest, marks the first complete ascent of Everest in VR. The program will premiere in early 2017 on Time Inc.’s new LIFE VR platform and SI.com in 360-degree video.

Shot on location over a two-month span, the Capturing Everest team employed a variety of 360-degree video capture methods. Specialized cameras rigged to zip lines and body harnesses on the climbers offer first-person views of Mt. Everest.

“Attacking the world’s highest summit seemed like the perfect place to go with our new VR initiative, and by partnering with Endemol Shine and adding in the world-class storytellers from Sports Illustrated, I think we have something truly special and unique to offer our audience,” said Mia Tramz, the managing editor of LIFE VR. “We can’t wait to bring viewers along for this once-in-a-lifetime journey. This is exactly the type of experience LIFE VR was created for.”

“This groundbreaking production is going to allow anyone with a smart phone to virtually climb Mt. Everest,” added Bonnie Pan, the president of Endemol Shine Beyond USA. “VR is allowing us to tell stories in new and unique ways, and with this series, our brave team of climbers captured a view of Everest that’s going to blow people’s minds. And who better to partner with for such a breathtaking series than the teams at Sports Illustrated and LIFE VR at Time Inc., who are really pushing the scale of these experiences.”

“Summiting Everest has captivated the imagination like few other athletic feats,” said Chris Stone, editorial director of Time Inc.’s Sports Illustrated Group. “Capturing an ascent in VR makes the unattainable seem attainable while at the same time reinforcing the mythology of Everest. This production is both extraordinarily real and unreal all at once. We are thrilled to bring the viewer along for the odyssey.”