Time, Inc. is making waves in the world virtual reality with the first-ever VR series chronicling a climb from the bottom of Mount Everest to the top, all of it streamed through the company?s LIFE VR mobile application.

The documentary series, titled ?Capturing Everest,? follows a two-month excursion to the highest peak in the world. The series is produced by Sports Illustrated and will be the magazine?s first content housed on the LIFE VR platform, along with content from other Time, Inc. brands.

?VR enables our content creators to tell stories that literally surround and immerse the viewer,? sad Matthew Forrest, VP, Production & Operations at Endemol Shine Beyond USA, which partnered with Time, Inc. to produce the series. For Endemol Shine Beyond USA, a company that specializes in creating unscripted experiences, this offers an incredible opportunity to bring these real moments to life in dynamic fashion.

Mountaintop
LIFE VR is Time, Inc.?s in-house virtual reality platform and an extension of its Life magazine brand.

?Capturing Everest? will premiere on the platform in early 2017 and takes viewers along a two-month trip from the bottom of Everest all the way to the summit. The series is available on any smartphone device through the LIFE VR app.

The team was led by Garrett Madison, who holds the distinction of the highest number of climbers lead to the summit by an American in the world. Mr. Madison brings along four climbers ? an experienced climber, an amputee, a cancer survivor and a man who recently lost his father.

All four are making the climb for more personal reasons and the series focuses on their stories as well as the harrowing trek up the mountain.

?Capturing Everest? begins on the ground as the climbers prepare for the journey and follows them all the way to the top. The climbers carried 360-degree cameras with them as they climbed, including ones on their persons to give viewers a first-hand feeling of being on the side of a mountain on their way to the highest peak on Earth.

Sports Illustrated, and by extension Time, Inc., is focusing on VR?s unique capabilities to transport viewers in a way that regular video content cannot do.

?As we are a digital studio at our core, we are developing VR experiences that are designed to be native to these digital immersive platforms and not just an ancillary component of a traditional production,? Mr. Forrest said.

The climb
While this is the first of Sports Illustrated?s virtual reality content that will be housed on LIFE VR, it is not the publication?s first foray into the world of VR. Earlier this year the magazine created a VR experience that took viewers inside the creation of Sports Illustrated?s annual swimsuit edition.

Time, Inc. is investing heavily in bring virtual reality content to its audience, confident that it will pay off in the long run. Other platforms, such as Liberty Mutual, are making similar bets with big 360-degree video investments (see story).

Time will tell if that investment pays off.

?The determination and resolve that it takes to summit the top of the Earth is unparalleled, so we hope 'Capturing Everest' will provide a window into the reality of making that climb,? Mr. Forrest said.