Transcript from a story aired on FOX40
Originally posted October 25, 2018, at 11:42 a.m. PDT by Fox 40, Sacramento, CA.
“He was 68 years old and just decided he would climb Mt. Everest and fate would foil that plan. We’ll hear more about that but the story is no less fascinating. Say hello to Sacramento’s Jim Geiger, the subject of a new documentary film.”
“Hi, Jim”
“Good morning Paul”
“You were 68 so that’s past tense. How long ago was that?”
“4 and a half years ago.”
“Ok.”
“In 2014.”
“You’re my hero, man”
“Thank you”
“You are a robust 72ish guy. So, you would have been the oldest you…you’re still the oldest guy to have tried climbing Mt. Everest. The documentary, by the way, is going to be at the Napa Film Festival. We’ll talk about that in a little bit. How did this crazy idea come about?”
“Well, I would’ve been the oldest American at the summit had I made it. I met a guy in Antartica while I was climbing Antartica, that said: “Well, I’ll fund you to go to Everest. And that’s how this all came about. And he said, “oh, by the way, would you want to be filmed?” I said, “hmm, inside I said, no way but, of course, I said yes.”
“Of course, you did. You took up climbing in your 40’s, which is amazing. For people who have not followed what it takes to summit Everest, this is not an “I think I’ll do this next month trip.” This is more than a year before you do this, yes?”
“That’s correct and I spent about 18 months preparing. I had already been climbing 27 years and then I spent the 18 months ahead of time really ramping everything up. 4 days a week in the gym with a trainer, riding 40-50 mile bike rides, walking with a 60lb pack. Just doing everything I needed to do to get ready and then I was ready to go.”
“And then the attempt to climb the mountain, you don’t just fly there and climb to the top of Everest. That’s a multi-month thing. That’s an up and back down, up and back down thing, yes?”
“Correct. Yes, that’s correct. It was a 40-mile one-way trek just to get to base camp. On the way, we climbed a peak called Lobuche Peak East, 20, 075 ft. Then we got to base camp and then it was going to be up to Camp One back to base camp, up to Camp 2 and back to base camp.”
“Now, this is months that this is happening.”
“Well, once we get to base camp, it’s still another month before we get to the top.”
“Yeah, wow and ultimately mother nature interfered with your plans.”
“On April 18th, 2014, an avalanche killed 16 sherpa which was just devastating for us in base camp. We heard this avalanche and there’s always avalanches. But, then we heard the radios go off and we knew something was different about this avalanche. Then the helicopters started coming in and then they removed the bodies after they rescued 9 people that were on the outer edges of the avalanche. They were injured but they were saved, they didn’t die. The 16 guys were in the middle were all killed.”
“Yeah, it was a huge tragedy in much of the news and it’s not nearly as tragic. Well, that was your one shot. Your one shot at Everest.”
The eighth annual Napa Valley Film Festival is taking place Nov. 7-11. Every year the festival transforms Downtown Napa into a glamorous set showcasing the best new independent films, finest food and wine, lively culinary demonstrations, pop-up markets and VIP receptions.
This year, “Accidental Climber” – a film about Jim Geiger’s quest to become the oldest American to climb Mount Everest – will be showing and Jim will be there at all 3 venues and days that it is showing.