New TV show follows rescue pilots on Mt Everest

A new TV programme, Everest Rescue, follows the work of rescue pilots that assist those stuck on Mount Everest, Nepal. The show, which will debut on 8 January on the Discovery Channel, highlights ‘the work of a rare breed of pilot who put their lives on the line to save those facing certain death’.

The series follows pilots and teams as they save stranded climbers in high altitude. Two of the pilots featured on the show include New Zealander Jason Laing, US pilot Ryan Skorecki and Swiss Lorenz Nufer.

The altitude presents different problems for the pilots. Skorecki explains: “Just because you fly at that altitude does not mean you can land at that altitude… You are sent there to try and help someone out and if you have a problem, not only do you not help that person, you have created an even bigger problem.”

The job is an ‘emotional rollercoaster’, and in the programme Nepalese pilot Siddartha Gurung says of the pressure ‘It’s part of life for us, part of our work’.

The six-part series will also be accompanied by a virtual reality extras video on the Discovery Channel website that will allow the viewer to become fully submersed in the pilots’ work.