Where Was Everest The Movie Filmed? (2025)

Universal Pictures's Everest features many shooting locations in an effort to recreate the tragic events the movie is based on with as much accuracy and authenticity as possible. Based on the 1996 Mount Everest Disaster, Everest centers around the challenges a group of mountaineers attempting to brave Mount Everest face, while also demonstrating their sheer will and determination. While the story itself is incredible, the filming locations that Everest uses to help tell its gut-wrenching story are also noteworthy because they help put the audience into the characters' perspectives.

Additionally, Everest illuminates stark truths associated with mountain climbing that most people overlook given the sheer spectacle of accomplishing such a feat. Everest provides a hopeful and inspirational tone despite the harsh reality of its subject, which results in a movie that is just as terrifying as it is insightful. With strong performances from its leads and tense action and suspense that keep the anxiety high, Everest excels in many things. However, perhaps the most important aspect of the storytelling is the variety of filming locations used to tell Everest's story.

Kathmandu, Nepal

Kathmandu, Nepal doubled as the film studio for the production.

The Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal acted as Everest's film studio for many of the shots seen earlier in the movie. While the movie primarily takes place in the harsh mountainous ranges, the earlier portions offer audiences reprieve as the protagonists meet up and discuss their plans. In addition to serving as the exterior and interior shots of the airport, the scenes also feature some of Kathmandu, Nepal's notable streets and neighborhoods, such as the iconic Buddha Stupa - that is, the central place of meditation in Nepal.

Santa Monica Mountains

Jake Gyllenhaal and Josh Brolin trained in the Santa Monica Mountains to prepare for their roles.

The Santa Monica Mountains in California served as a perfect double for Everest's more intense scenes given the nature of the story. Additionally, they were host to stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Josh Brolin's training as they prepared for their roles in the movie. However, Gyllenhaal and Brolin got lost during their preparation and would have succumbed to exposure - something that happens to many of the characters in the movie, had it not been for a Boy Scout troupe helping them back to safety.

Everest Base Camp

The production received permission to shoot on location for a brief period of time.

The production crew received permission from Nepal to briefly shoot on the actual grounds, which adds even more authenticity to the ambitious project. As such, many of the Everest Base Camp scenes were shot on the Mount Everest grounds themselves for about a month altogether. Tragically, however, the 2014 Mount Everest avalanche claimed the lives of multiple sherpas and other climbers during the second unit's shoot. No one on the Everest shoot was injured, but the tragedy contributed to the production wrapping up shooting on the grounds early. In addition to the added authenticity, the scenes are great because they provide a moment to relate to the characters and understand the significance completing their mission has to them.

The Dolomites

The production was moved to the Dolomite mountains in Italy after completing shooting at Everest Base Camp.

After production wrapped at the Everest Base Camp, the crew then moved to the Dolomites in Italy to resume shooting the exterior shots. Although Everest is one of Jake Gyllenhaal's best movies, it sees him die during the events of the group's expedition, which highlights the severity of climbing Mount Everest. Gyllenhaal plays Scott Fischer, one of the expedition's leads, and his affable personality helps keep the morale high during the events of Everest. The Dolomites were chosen as a replacement for the actual Mount Everest because of its relative safety and proximity to Rome's sound stage.

Rome, Italy

The crew shot at the Cinecittà Studio in Rome, Italy.

Rome, Italy's Cinecittà Studios was chosen for one of the movie's locations because the natural lighting that graces the studio's back lot provided the exact look the filmmakers were searching for. While the scenes in the movie themselves are fairly brief, they do provide audiences with the necessary scope to adequately soak in the intensity of climbing Mount Everest. Furthermore, filming at Cinecittà Studios killed two birds with one stone as it also helped the filmmakers prepare for the remaining shooting required at Pinewood Studios and Iceland during breaks in production.

Iceland

Shooting in Iceland proved to be more practical for the production crew.

Director Baltasar Kormákur is from Iceland, so it was a natural decision to do some of the filming in his native homeland. As such, filming in Iceland only lasted for a month because of Kormákur's intimate knowledge of the country's geography. Additionally, many of the scenes that were shot in Iceland were some of the most poignant, as most of the characters, like Jason Clarke's Rob Hall, Gyllenhaal's Fischer, and many of the clients perish during the Iceland scenes. Irrespective of the daunting scenarios depicted onscreen, filming finally moved to Pinewood Studios in England for the climax.

Pinewood Studios

The Hillary Step scenes were shot at Pinewood Studios.

The scenes filmed at Pinewood Studios centered around the expedition's trek through Hillary Step - a location situated near the summit of Mount Everest, which necessitated filmmaking trickery to successfully emulate. As such, many of the scenes shot at Pinewood Studios were done with the assistance of green screens and CGI technology in order to convincingly give off the impression the expedition was really braving Mount Everest. While many of the scenes in Everest are hard to watch, seeing the expedition reach the summit speaks to the efforts of the real-life crew as well as the filmmakers involved.