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Thom Pollard

Thom Pollard...one of the top cinematographer-climbers in the world today

See below for information on Thom Pollard's other than Mount Everest adventures.

A contemporary of David Breashears, Thom Pollard has participated in and filmed many expeditions to mountains over 20,000 feet. In addition to Everest, these include: Gasherbrum 2 in Pakistan (26,260'); Denali, Alaska (20,320'); Aconcagua, Argentina (22,860'); Tharpu Chule, Nepal and many ascents of the French Alps.

Thom Pollard

His documentaries include: The Power of the Mountain (1993); The Storm Over Denali (1994); G2: A Climbing Journal (1996) and Alive on Everest (1996), a Nova special. Previously, he produced a 10-part television series on the French Alps for NBC. His photographs have appeared in publications such as National Geographic, Vanity Fair and Climbing Magazine, among others. The pictures he took during the Mallory expedition, in which he and other climber found the perfectly preserved (for 75 years) body of George Mallory, were reproduced in four books published in 1999 and his film footage was used by the BBC and PBS (Nova) for two specials which originally aired in late 1999 and early 2000, respectively.

After Mount Everest, Thom Pollard’s Other Adventures Include:
(Video available on the first three)

RIGHT WHALE RESCUE ATTEMPT (2000):
Over the course of the summer of 2000 as a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) cameraman and producer, Thom covered a series of attempts to save the life of an entangled Northern Right Whale. The rescue team attempted to sedate the whale in order to free it of the rope caught in its mouth...a first-ever attempt of its kind. The efforts were unsuccessful, but brought the attention of the plight of the endangered Right Whale to a world stage. There are only about 300 or so Right Whales known to exist.

ORCA MAN (2001):
National Geographic Channel and PBS documentary about an international effort to save the life of an orphaned orca whale found in the Puget Sound in early 2001. The young whale called Springer was captured, rehabilitated and transported up to the northern part of Vancouver Island and reintroduced with her family. This is the first successful reintroduction of an orca to ever take place. As a freelance cameraman/producer for NOAA, Thom was given exclusive and unrestricted access to each phase of the entire process.

WASHBURN DOCUMENTARIES (2001 and 2002):
Thom has spent time with Bradford and Barbara Washburn in the production of various documentaries on their adventures and lives. They spent two weeks in Alaska in 2001 filming and completing aerial filming over Denali and the Alaska Range. This resulted in two documentaries,
ALASKAN REMINISCENSCES: 60 YEARS OF ADVENTURE WITH BRADFORD AND BARBARA WASHBURN, and MOUNT McKINLEY: THE FIRST ASCENT OF ITS WEST BUTTRESS. The latter was introduced by Walter Cronkite. Brad and Thom continue to work
together in this, his 95th year. Brad is internationally known for his aerial photography, cartography of Everest, the Grand Canyon, McKinley and other regions, as well as being the founder of the modern day Boston Museum of Science.
For more info: http://www.k2news.com/washburn.htm

MOOSE’S TOOTH AVALANCHE (2002):
Thom took some additional time after the Washburn documentary to attempt a climb of the Moose’s Tooth, a knife-edge of a mountain near McKinley in Alaska. Read the account of his short and nearly disastrous expedition at: http://www.eyesopenproductions.com/content/samples.html

Thom Pollard with Snakefish
VIRACOCHA REED SHIP EXPEDITION, SONS OF THOR (2003):

Thom filmed and participated in this unique expedition to see if it was possible for an ancient-style reed ship to travel between continents, from South America to Australia. From cutting 2.5 million totora reeds on Lake Titicaca in Bolivia and Peru to the construction of the ship on the beach in Vina del Mar, Chile the entire expedition was filmed and documented. Because of a near disastrous launch into the water, the expedition was ultimately cut short on Easter Island, a distance of about 3,000 miles. Thom left the expedition early due to family sickness...which was the true miracle, as the team was in the loneliest ocean on the planet. A pick-up was arranged by the Chilean Armada and after 56 days he was transported to Easter Island, while the boat was less than 500 miles from that destination. It took another 21 days for the ship to reach Easter Island, where the expedition was ultimately cancelled. They carried Explorers Flag number 157 on the expedition. Thom filmed this for National Geographic but the program was cancelled before it was edited. Thom and the crew are looking to find a distribution for the documentary, which needs some money and time to be fully completed.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THOM? (2006-2008):
1-He plans to return to Everest in 2006 and attempt a new route variation on the north side.
2-He will head an expedition to Suriname (2007?) to paddle up an unexplored river and try a first ascent of an unnamed mountain there.
3-He plans to row a covered rowboat with three others from the tip of South America to Antarctica, probably in 2008.


Topic:
The Power Of Mt. Everest -The Quest To Find George Leigh Mallory

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