Miguel Ángel Tobías

The future Edward VIII enjoys receptions, playing polo and hunting tigers on his royal tour.

In October 1984, Pierre Béghin, an engineer from Grenoble, and Jean-Noël Roche, a high-mountain guide, completed the Himalayan ascent of Dhaulagiri (8,172 m). The expedition's context: seven people crossed Nepal to Muri, collected accounts from trekkers—including that of the author Robert Rieffel—and attended Sherpa prayers at base camp. Then, the two of them embarked on a rocky and snowy route without supplemental oxygen. At over 5,000 meters, on the mountain of winds, Jean-Noël Roche made a paragliding flight. The climbers brought back footage with their Super 8 camera from 6,500 meters, but only photographs have been able to confirm their presence on the summit ridge of the seventh highest peak in the world.

Kids and bikes; wherever you are in the world, they go together. The chaotic streets of Kathmandu may not seem like a typical breeding ground for world-class mountain bikers, but then again nothing is typical about Rajesh (RJ) Magar. Since learning to ride on a beat-up clunker, to becoming the four-time National Champion at age 21, RJ’s story is one of boundless childhood dreaming and unstoppable determination, forged from junkyard scraps and tested on the rugged trails of the mighty Himalaya.

Lignes chronicles the sublime interplay between alpine literature and an expedition seeking the true meaning of mountaineering. Four high-mountain guides—Matthieu Maynadier, Pierre Labbre, Matthieu Détrie, and Julien Dusserre—embark on a project: to summit Nangpai-Gosum, an unclimbed 7,000-meter peak in Nepal, using the "alpine style" adapted to the Himalayas—the toughest and purest approach of all. Through this expedition, Lignes attempts to answer the question: "Why do we climb mountains?" Why, despite the harsh conditions and exhaustion, do these four Alpine guides pursue a perilous dream in a realm that belongs to no one? Lignes finds some answers in the past, drawing on 150 years of alpine literature. Serving as both narrator and seasoned guide, Raymond Renaud takes us on a tour of his books and speaks of the "conquerors of the useless"—from the turn of the century to the present day.

In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay made history as the first people to reach the top of Everest. Now, 50 years later, three sons of Everest's most celebrated climbers return to the mountain to challenge it again. Join their journey as they brave the elements and face death to climb 29,000 feet of wind-blasted rock and ice. And, relive the dramatic history of Everest from great triumphs to deadly tragedies, enduring rivalries and the unsung role of the Sherpa people—as National Geographic exposes the untold stories that lurk in the mountain's epic shadow and takes you on the ultimate Everest experience.

Richly detailed record of the Prince of Wales' Indian tour.

Brilliant Moon chronicles the life of the writer, poet, and meditation master Khyentse Rinpoche, one of Tibet's most revered 20th-century Buddhist teachers. Spiritual guide to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Royal Family of Bhutan, his life and teachings were an inspiration to all who encountered him. Richard Gere and Lou Reed provide the narration for his dangerous journey out of China, the subsequent spread of his influence and the search for his reincarnation after his death.

American high school students from the privileged Silicon Valley travel to Manang, Nepal in this documentary about how travel and life experiences can change personal perceptions.  Together with a group of Manangi high schoolers, the students expand their cultural knowledge and experience a slice of life as a citizen of the globe.