Savage Mountain coming to Sky Documentaries
April 28, 2026
By Nik Roseveare
Sky Documentaries has announced a new documentary, Savage Mountain, which will explore the true story behind Kristin Harila’s record-breaking climb of the world’s 14 highest mountains and the controversy that followed. It will air later in 2026.
Savage Mountain documents the highs and lows of Harila’s journey from a relative newcomer to the multiple world-record holder as she takes on one of the most ambitious challenges in mountaineering history. While each of the 14 peaks expeditions typically takes two months to complete, Harila unbelievably summited all mountains in just 92 days, halving the record held previously by Nims Purja. Uniquely, she was the only mountaineer to share such a record with her climbing partner, the Nepalese Tenjen Lama Sherpa.
But it didn’t end there, just as the story of the achievement made headlines across the globe, footage from K2 surfaced, showing a column of climbers stepping over an injured Pakistani porter, Mohammad Hassan. Suddenly, Harila became the focus of worldwide controversy when she was accused of stepping over a dying man, in her rush to break the record. The news triggered a global backlash and fierce debate about ambition, ethics, and who was controlling the narrative.
Harila said: “This climb changed my life in unforeseen ways, with consequences I’m still processing today — but it also led me to Lama, whose trust and friendship I will never forget. While much has been said in the media, Savage Mountain gives space to the parts of the story that haven’t been heard. I hope audiences will come away with a deeper understanding of the full picture.”
Hayley Reynolds, Head of Documentary Commissioning at Sky, added: “Savage Mountain goes beyond the headlines, combining intimate access with unseen footage to explore the story at the centre of an extraordinary and complex climb, and the events that followed. We’re proud to work with Field Productions and Full Story Films to bring the story of Kristin and Lama’s record-breaking climb to Sky Documentaries.”
Savage Mountain is directed by Even Sigstad and produced by Filip Christensen of Field Productions, with support from the Norwegian Film Institute. It is a co-production between Field Productions and Full Story Films, Sky News’ long-form documentary unit. The series was commissioned by Reynolds. Executive producers are Vesna Cudic, Siobhan Sinnerton, P.G. Morgan, and Marina Zenovich.
Other posts by :