California Doubling: The scenes on the mountain were filmed in Iceland and the Italian alps. Many scenery shots however, were actually Everest. The unit getting these shots were actually on the mountain when an avalanche hit, which was the first incident to actually kill more people than this disaster.
Cast the Expert: To play the pilot who successfully airlifts Beck to safety, they cast Vijay Lama - who is one of the most experienced pilots in Nepal.
Dueling Works: With The Martian, another ensemble film about a big rescue mission. The two films came out within weeks of each other, and the trailers were even played back to back in most theatres.
Playing Against Type: Downplayed, but Keira Knightley usually plays a Spirited Young Lady in period dramas. Here she's in a small role as Rob's concerned pregnant wife.
What Could Have Been: The film was originally envisioned as a vehicle for Christian Bale, with Rob Hall as the definite protagonist. After Bale dropped out to do Exodus: Gods and Kings instead, they reworked it to become an ensemble version of the main story. Rob Hall however remains the closest thing to a protagonist.
General Trivia:
Three other people died on the same night as this incident from an Indian Border Police expedition. One of them, likely to be Tsewang Paljor, is well known among mountaineering circles as all climbers from the Chinese side for the next 17 years would have to pass his body and its distinct bright green boots. In 2014, reports came back from climbers that Paljor's body was no longer in its spot. As the body was by this time long frozen to the ground, someone had to have removed it.
hit, which was the first incident to actually kill more people than this disaster.