The Documentary

“Eight Summits: The Bill Burke Story” was produced by award-winning documentary filmmaker, Allan Smith, through his production company DreamQuest Productions.

Eight Summits features my climb of the highest mountain on every continent after reaching age 60. Dramatic photos and videos of these mountains are included. The centerpiece of the 47-minute movie is my attempt to complete an unprecedented double summit of Mt. Everest from both the South side in Nepal and the North side in Tibet. The viewer is taken on a video tour of both sides of this magnificent mountain. The Epilogue features my second summit of Mt. Everest from the North side in 2014.

The film is unique among Everest movies because it covers the wide range of people and organizations involved in a successful climb of the highest mountain on planet earth, including expedition companies, guides, Sherpas, porters, medical personnel, meteorologists, and suppliers of the oxygen systems used on the mountain. Famed climbers and the keeper of the Himalaya Database are interviewed. The film also features cultural and religious aspects of climbing in Asia, including the sacred “Puja” prayer ceremony conducted by Buddhist priests at Base Camp.

Eight Summits also chronicles my life journey with my disabled grandson, Ollie, who suffers from Angelman Syndrome, a severe neurological disorder. Ollie is my inspiration and my training partner.

Eight Summits took first place in the International Outdoor Film Festival in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 2019. The film was entered in the Mountain Climbing Exploration category and took the top award for “Extraordinary Lifelong Sports Performance.”

The film can be viewed on Amazon Prime. The documentary sizzle reel appears below.