Author to discuss Everest expedition

Broughton Coburn, a Wyoming-based author and film producer who spent about two decades in the Himalayas, will give a talk titled "Everest: To the Top of the World," at 1 and 7 p.m. today in Elgin Community College's Advanced Technology Center Auditorium, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. Both presentations are free and open to the public.

Coburn will discuss the trek of the 1996 Mount Everest IMAX expedition. His presentation includes the crew's efforts to capture footage at Mount Everest and explore the natural and human events that led to the loss of 12 climbers in one storm.

Coburn will note the crew's challenges in lugging a 28-pound, large-format camera up the world's tallest mountain, and the dangers the crew and other climbers faced -- such as hypoxia, altitude sickness, intestinal illness, weight loss, homesickness, brutal weather conditions, and the chance of being crushed by apartment house-sized blocks of ice. He will also speak on the Sherpa culture, and environmental and ethical issues.

Upon graduating from Harvard College in 1973, Coburn spent the next 20 years in the Himalayas in and around Nepal. His work included developing documentary films, overseeing environmental conservation, and developing efforts for the World Bank, UNESCO, World Wildlife Fund, and other agencies. Coburn is regarded as a premier authority on the Himalaya region.

Coburn's other experiences in the Himalayas led to writing magazine articles as well as several books. One of the books he co-wrote, "Touching My Father's Soul: A Sherpa's Journey to the Top of Everest," reached 24th on the New York Times bestsellers list.

Another book, "Aama in America: A Pilgrimage of the Heart" tells the story of Aama, an 84-year-old woman Coburn befriended in Nepal. The book traces Aama's spiritual journey to America in 1992, where she kisses a killer whale, visits major cities, goes to Disneyland and searches for the soul of America while being accompanied by Coburn.

Coburn's appearance is sponsored by ECC's chapter of Amnesty International, the Humanities and History Department, the Student Life Co-curricular Fund and the Multicultural and Global Initiatives Committee. For information about Coburn's appearance, call the Student Life Office at (847) 214-7370.