Gear Factor: Macs Climb Mount Everest

By Nicole Martinelli (6:22 am, Apr 16 2009)

Most of us only need computers that work on desks, cafÃƒÂ¨ tables or on trains but a production crew filming a Mount Everest climbing expedition has a few other considerations.

In this mountaintop dispatch, the producer talks about how they’re putting together video segments from on high. Although they have a number of computers, the “main workhorses” are Mac Book Pros, with solid state drives that allow them to be used at extreme altitudes.

Eddie Bauer is footing the bill for the perilous hike to promote an extreme-outdoor clothing brand called First Ascent, which you can follow online.

Thanks to CoM reader Michael Brandt

7 comments »

About the author

Nicole Martinelli is a San Francisco native who has lived in Milan and Florence, Italy. She's written for Wired.com, The New York Times and Newsweek. You can find her on Twitter , Facebook and Google+.

If you're doing something new/cool that's Apple related, email her about it.

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Posted in Cult of Mac |

http://cultofmac.com Lonnie Lazar
Awesome. I wanna do that when I grow up. Or in my next life, whichever comes first.
http://www.theusesofliteracy.com Duncan
So I guess he’s wearing some ‘First Ascent’ clothing. Looks like he’s stepped out of an episode of Star Trek during an outward bound mission to track down a Klingon with a deadly virus. Not good.
In addition, when will people stop climbing Everest. It’s the adventure sports equivalent of wearing a Burberry baseball cap at a rave. Go to the oceans, go for depth rather than height for a change adventure junkies…
Aaron
SSD drives when working with video? That’s kinda contradictory- don’t they only get up to 120 GB?
ZOMG
It’s “MacBook Pro”, not “Mac Book Pro”.
http://Appbeacon.com Justin Noel
Hopefully, they will take all their trash with them. http://encarta.msn.com/media_461547107/trash_on_mount_everest.html
At least, presumably, they MacBook Pros won’t be left behind.
LOL! I just realized, I posted with a link to Encarta ! Now that Encarta is discontinued, will the website last much longer?
Eye
Yeah, but can they get wi-fi?
http://www.bradleyontour.blogspot.com Bradley Williamson
In April 2008 I trekked to Mount Everest Base Camp, complete with Intel MacBook, iPod 3G and iPod Touch 1G. All of the devices worked perfectly at the altitude I was at (5800m above sea level). This is way over the recommended maximum altitude.
Well done Apple!