Experience Everest VR
Experience life at the top of the world as scientists spearhead an effort to map climate change in the upper Himalayas. Throughout the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Expedition to Mount Everest in 2019, Martin Edström and his team from IVAR Studios captured the scientific mission of the landmark venture in two 360-videos for National Geographic’s VR channels.
The Everest VR videos feature breathtaking shots from the Khumbu valley, from the research base at Everest Basecamp as well as from up on Mount Everest itself. The Perpetual Planet expediton has already won three Guinness World Records, and the Everest VR videos tell the story about some of them: including the team’s effort to install the world’s highest altitude weather station.
Expedition Everest VR – The Mission
Immerse yourself with a team of scientists, climbers, and Sherpa guides as they embark on an expedition that will help define our understanding of high-mountain environments. Experience the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition, which was not simply a climb of the mountain, but a perilous adventure to learn how climate change is impacting the highest place on Earth.

Expedition Everest VR – The Science
Embark on this virtual reality experience with an international coalition of biologists, geologists, glaciologists, meteorologists, and geographers as they study the effects of climate change in one of the most extreme environments on Earth. The National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition begins at 17,300 feet at Base Camp and ends above 27,000 feet, near the summit of Mt. Everest. Join the team as they collect ice cores, place the world’s highest weather station, and gather hundreds of samples along the way.

Behind the scenes
Martin Edström and IVAR Studios joined the large team put together by the National Geographic Society to lead VR storytelling in Nepal and on the mountain.
Thanks to a great collaboration with parts of the summit team, including filmmakers Mark Fisher and Dirk Collins from Fisher Creative, the team was able to bring back a few glimpses of how the National Geographic Science team installed a weather station on the Balcony section of Mount Everest itself.
Post-production

Visualisations of mapping data in 360-video
The Everest VR team
Field team
Martin Edström
Emil Wesolowski
Fredrik Edström
Katja Adolphson
Post-production team
Martin Edström
Fredrik Edström, IVAR Studios
Oliver Akermo, IVAR Studios
Julian Schenini, IVAR Studios