Free Solo team brings Everest ski story to London Film Festival
The Oscar-winning directors of Free Solo have turned their cameras on two skiers attempting a first on the north face of Everest.
Everest: The Other Side is directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, The Hollywood Reporter reported in an interview published on 14 October. The film follows Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson in their attempt to become the first to climb up and ski down the north face of the mountain. Morrison and Nelson are professional ski mountaineers, climbers who ascend peaks and then descend on skis, TIFF notes in its festival listing.
The documentary made its UK debut at the 70th BFI London Film Festival, according to Disney. Vasarhelyi appeared at the festival with producer Shannon Dill to discuss the film with THR.
For general audiences, the names behind the camera may be familiar. Vasarhelyi and Chin previously directed Free Solo, about rock climber Alex Honnold, and Dill collaborated with them on that film. The pair also directed Meru, Disney said in its festival announcement.
Everest: The Other Side is a National Geographic Documentary Films production with a running time of 115 minutes, La Biennale lists. THR describes it as a Walt Disney Studios movie.
In London, the film joined the 2026 programme as one of the additional titles announced for the 70th edition on 7 September, the BFI said. Festival listings put screenings on Saturday 10 October at 12:45 at Vue Epic 1 and on Tuesday 13 October at 18:20 at NFT3. The BFI hosts a dedicated festival page for the title.
What makes this stand out for festival-goers is the reunion. The same core team that filmed a solo climb without ropes has now followed a two-person ski descent on the world's highest peak.
