Summit Dreams

Not as good as season 1 or 2
Season 3 of Everest: Beyond the Limit isn't near as good as Season 1 or 2. I watched Seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix and was hungry for more. Seasons 1 and 2 follow Russell Brice's Himex Everest guide company as they get amateur climbers to the summit of Everest. For season 3, things change. Season 3, episodes 1-3 follow a different competing company, only episodes 4-5 are footage of Brice's team.

The main difference is that seasons 1 and 2 built the suspense as the season went along. The first episode introduced you to the team, the second to "warm up" then up to the summit (or failed attempts) and the aftermath of getting back down.

Season 3 is more like 5 disjointed mini-documentaries. Other than all taking place in one climbing season and finding stories from two climbing teams, the episodes have no other connection and no real flow from one to the next. There also are no stand out characters, like "Biker Tim" or Mogens from the first and second seasons...

finally we get to see the SouthEast ridge
Season 1 and 2 covered the North East ridge.
With season 3 we finally get to see the South East ridge: this is a first big plus for season 3 versus season 2.
Season 3 also has a different format: season 1 and 2 cover one group of climbers (from acclimatization and base camps all the way to summit bids and descent); on season 3 we get to see different groups at batches (from early season to -dangerously close- season end). I liked this format and in a way it complemented the other 2 seasons, however the previous approach was probably more effective (we get to know a bit more about the climbers and their struggle).
I liked the coverage of some of the acclimatization on a mountain near base camp (this is something season 1 and 2 lacked a bit in my opinion).
As per the other seasons, it was not easy to tell if one climber would have been able to make the summit or not.
Here a few misses.
On season 3 you get a better feeling about how steep the route is in...

Thoughts on Everest: Beyond The Limit Season 3
Discovery Channel's third season of Everest: Beyond The Limit began airing this past Sunday, and subsequently finished up last night. The show did offer some amazing views of the mountain, and showed aspects of high altitude mountaineering, but personally I felt that it was mere shadow of its former self, and mostly ended up being a disappointment for me.

In the previous two seasons of the show, Discovery followed teams that were led by Russell Brice's Himex guide service on the North Side of the Mountain, located in Tibet. With the third season, the focus shifted to the South Side of Everest, found in Nepal. Brice's team returned, but the show also added climbers from Eric Simonson's IMG squad to the mix too.

All of this was well known before the show began airing, and it all seemed rather promising, but that was because I kept thinking of the possibilities in reference to the previous two seasons. I thought it would be great to see an in depth, multi-episode...

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