The Everest Peace Project is an organization that consists of individuals who have come together to promote peace, teamwork, and cultural understanding.
The Everest Peace Project is not a religious organization nor does it have any political agenda. Our mission is to inspire and to show that people from diverse backgrounds can unite together in a peaceful manner and accomplish amazing things.
The Film:
Narrated by Orlando Bloom and hailed as a "tremendous achievement" by the Dalai Lama. Everest: A Climb for Peace is not just a typical Everest film, but a socially relevant documentary about peace, war, and the human spirit - an inspirational film, which also has some of the most incredible Everest footage ever shot, including a dramatic rescue from near the summit of Everest.
Filmed on location in Nepal, Tibet, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, U.A.E, and the United States, the film chronicles the spectacular journey of 9 'peace climbers' from different faiths and cultures as they climb to the summit of the tallest mountain in the world. The focus is on Palestinian Ali Bushnaq and Israeli's Dudu Yifrah and Micha Yaniv. They come together and set aside their differences to forge a path of teamwork and cooperation to attempt to summit the world’s highest peak. This however, is easier said than done. Their nations have been embroiled in a brutal war for years; each believes they are on the right side of that war and each knows that on Everest the cooperation of your teammate is a matter of life and death.
The film is now being shown nationwide in the United States on PBS stations.
To learn more, please go to www.EverestPeaceProject.org
The Climb:
The Everest Peace Project made world history by assembling one of the most diverse Everest teams ever – and had a summit push that consisted of Palestinian and Israeli men. Israeli David “Dudu” Yifrah – made a heroic and bold statement of peace when on the summit of Everest he unfolded a joint (sewn together) Israeli and Palestinian flag. On the summit Dudu radioed me and Palestninian Ali Bushnaq (we were both by the radio at advanced base camp) to tell us that he was going to unfold this special flag, dedicating it to his good friend Ali in the name of peace. It was a very moving moment and something that will live in our hearts for the rest of our lives. But that was what the project was about - people coming together and doing incredible things.
Here is an overiview of the EPP's history-making climb! (Taken from their Expedition website on May 24th 2006).
Hi Everyone,
I can’t tell you how proud I am and how I have appreciated all the encouraging and positive emails and messages that we have received over the last several weeks. Thank you!
The Everest Peace Project was just a thought in one person’s mind almost four years ago and now it has become a global project that has affected, inspired, and touched people across the world. Millions of people have now heard about our mission of peace and cultural understanding. The EPP website has been viewed by people from two hundred different countries; there have been hundreds of news stories across the world – including feature stories in Israel and in UAE, which reached over five million people.
In my mind, success was just in getting everyone together at base camp – having just one person reach the summit would have been icing on the cake. However, The Everest Peace Project summitted ten people and we all have made it back to Kathmandu safely. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought we would summit so many. In a season that has seen a lot of tragedy we are very fortunate and blessed.
We made world history by assembling the most diverse Everest team ever – and had a summit push that consisted of Palestinian and Israeli men. Israeli David “Dudu” Yifrah – made a heroic and bold statement of peace when on the summit of Everest he unfolded a joint (sewn together) Israeli and Palestinian flag (see the picture on the site).
I would like to thank our heroic climbers and Sherpas who all risked their lives to prove an important point: that people from various faiths and cultures can work together cooperatively and accomplish amazing things and that in an atmosphere of peace and through friendship and teamwork anything can be done – and that even the tallest mountain in the world can be climbed.
Sincerely,
Lance Trumbull
Founder and executive director
Everest: A Climb for Peace
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