“You are on the edge of life – and death.” So says a voice in the exhilarating first trailer for “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible,” a new documentary set to debut on Netflix later this month.
The film follows the journey of proud, ambitious Nepalese climber Nimsdai Purja, who embarked on a fearless quest to summit all 14 of the world’s highest peaks. Topped by Everest and K2, the list includes every mountain taller than 8,000 meters (26,247 ft), and the previous fastest climber had achieved the record of all 14 peaks in just under eight years. Purja was determined to clobber that record by ascending the mountains in under seven months.
Throughout the trailer you can hear Purja’s voice, free-spirited and opinionated, as when he says, “If this had been done by some Western climber, the news would be 10 times bigger than this.” And for sure, Purja’s quest is buoyed by the thousands of Sherpas who have played such an important role, often with less glory, in Himalayan climbing.
But the film’s visuals, rich with scenes from the snow-blinding “death zone” of these mountaintops, is what makes the trailer a stunning watch. Documentary fans won’t be surprised that “14 Peaks” was executive produced by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, experts at white-knuckling audiences with their Oscar winner “Free Solo,” as well as 2015’s “Meru” and this year’s emotional cave-diving doc “The Rescue.” (“14 Peaks” was directed by London-based filmmaker Torquil Jones, whose credits include a short documentary about the Berlin Marathon called “The Journey.”)
Check out the full trailer above. “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible” premieres on Netflix on Nov. 29.