Have you ever imagined standing on the roof of the world? Mount Everest is of course the highest point that you can climb to, and standing at 8849 metres, climbing it is seen as the literal pinnacle of human endeavour. But how about flying a drone from the top and creating a truly epic video of this extraordinary environment? Surely you would need very special equipment to do so? Well, apparently not, as this incredible film made by DJI and 8KRaw Films shows. This amazing short film is shot using a DJI Mavic 3, a consumer-grade drone!
The video starts with sweeping vistas of the Himalayas from the air, coupled with footage of climbers struggling up ropes (presumably with the extra weight of a drone in their backpacks!). Panoramas of Everest base camps open up towards beautiful vistas of the peaks in early morning rosy sunlight. And then we are finally treated to views from the top.
We see the drone pilot, standing on top of Mount Everest, getting the drone out and letting it fly. It reaches over 9000 metres. At 9000m the air pressure (and density) is around 1/4 of that at sea level. As one commenter mentions, just the fact that the drone can take off in these conditions is a feat in itself. And not to mention that the filmmakers and drone operators had to do the climb, then pilot the drone from the top with all mental and physical faculties intact, and then make it back down again safely. It is utterly mind-blowing. Climbing Everest is no ‘walk in the park’, and climbers often have to navigate around bodies of unlucky climbers who don’t make it. Not only were there all these factors to consider, but additionally, the drone had to operate in temperatures that were well below the standard of -10º C. One other keen observer mentioned that they were surprised to not see a queue on the Hilary Step. Everest has become famous in recent years for its foot traffic congestion and mounds of litter. But one thing is certain: for a consumer-grade drone that has a starting price of around $2000, this is all very impressive. I don’t think I’ll be attempting to climb Everest any time soon, but with footage like this, who needs to?
