Jimmy Chin Instagram – Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of David Breashears this week. He was a friend and mentor and had an outsized influence on many peoples’ lives, including mine. I looked up to him long before I met him. His endeavors as an incredibly bold climber and world class mountaineer were legendary. He was also a human rights advocate, spokesperson for climate issues and someone I considered to be the greatest mountain filmmaker of our time. Among many notable films, David’s Everest IMAX film would become the highest grossing IMAX film of all time. It was a cultural phenomena for an entire generation. In 2004, David invited me to climb Everest and film with him, @edviesturs, Veikka Gustaffson and Robert Schauer. I was a long shot candidate to fill the role he was proposing. I was young and had just started filming the year before. It was a pivotal moment in my career. David was intimidating and opinionated but deeply caring and had a razor sharp wit. He was brilliant and, some would say, complex. His exacting standards and high expectations pushed me to rise to a new and much higher level both as a mountaineer and as a cinematographer. We eventually climbed Everest together that year and became close friends. I learned a lot on that expedition. He taught me how to approach a major production on a big expedition and the attitude and ethos required to pull off a challenging project in good style. These were lessons I’ve carried with me throughout my career. I am forever grateful that he believed in me and for my time with him. Here are a few images from the 2004 expedition including one of my favorite post Everest summit bad hair day images. Rest In Peace my friend. You will be dearly missed.