Russell Reginald Brice is a renowned New Zealand mountaineer born on July 3, 1952. He is the owner and manager of Himex (Himalayan Experience Ltd.),a renowned climbing expedition company. Throughout his illustrious career, Brice has summited several notable peaks, including Cho Oyu seven times, Himal Chuli and Mount Everest twice, as well as Manaslu in October 2010, marking his 14th ascent of an 8000 m peak.
Brice's mountaineering journey began in 1974 when he joined Edmund Hillary's Himalayan Trust expedition to Everest. His first attempt to conquer the mountain was in 1981. In 1988, Brice and Harry Taylor made history by becoming the first climbers to successfully ascend The Three Pinnacles on Everest's Northeast Ridge. Brice reached the summit of Everest on May 29, 1997, and again on May 25, 1998.
Brice is perhaps best known for leading the 2006, 2007, and 2009 expeditions on Everest, which were documented by the Discovery Channel for three seasons of the series Everest: Beyond the Limit. The show highlights Brice's extensive experience, weather acumen, and professionalism compared to other groups on the mountain. However, the series also sparked controversy following the death of climber David Sharp, who was found in a weakened state high on the mountain by Brice's climbers; footage of Sharp was captured, but he was deemed impossible to save and left to die.
In the series, Brice estimates that 80% of his "mates" have perished during his climbing career. In 2012, Brice's clients paid his company €43,000 each to climb Mount Everest. Due to his concerns about hazardous conditions, Brice pulled all of his guides, clients, and Sherpas off Mount Everest, which damaged his company's reputation due to perceptions that he was overreacting.
During the 2013 season, Brice played a crucial role in brokering an agreement between Sherpas and Western climbers after disputes erupted on the mountain. Brice also owned Chamonix Experience, based in Chamonix in the French Alps, and Mountain Experience, based in Nepal.
Throughout his career, Brice has contributed his expertise to numerous filming projects in the Himalaya, including serving as location manager for the film The Wildest Dream (2010),which tells the story of George Mallory and the expedition to locate his body, which was discovered by Conrad Anker.
Brice is a central figure in the documentary Sherpa (2015),which recounts the events surrounding the 2014 Mount Everest ice avalanche.
