We come across videos similar to this quite a bit – extreme sports, the highest heights, living on the edge – but there’s something different about this one – Mammut 150 Years Peak Project: Trango Tower, Pakistan (6286m / 20,623ft) – RC Helicopter (Sample Footage). The insane views, that blue sky, the camaraderie between the climbers all make it more special than the rest. Oh yeah, and it was all filmed by a drone. After two previous attempts to conquer The Trango Group, a series of peaks in the Kakakoram Valley in Pakistan, and having to turn back because of avalanche danger and acclimatisation issues, David Lama and Peter Ortner are using drone technology to share their successful trek to the peak of Trango Tower.

While filmmakers have long relied on helicopters to capture aerial footage, cost and potential danger to athletes have had the industry looking for alternatives. Drones can weigh as little as a few pounds, and cost as little as $1,000, much lighter and cheaper than their helicopter counterparts. The camera crew, comprised of Corey Rich, Andrew Peacock and Remo Masina, who packed two drones for this particular expedition. With their feet planted firmly on solid ground, they flew the drones with a handheld console (similar to that of a video game) and wore goggles to see the camera’s view.

Made by Corey Rich
Edited by Jason Bosch
RC heli cam work was done by Remo Masina

This video is sample footage captured from an RC helicopter during the Mammut 150 Years: Peak Project: Trango Tower, Pakistan with David Lama and Peter Ortner, celebrating Mammut’s 150th anniversary. This project is still in post production, so stay tuned for both the television show and short film edit. For more on the Mammut 150 Years Peak Project.