Reading the synopsis above does a pretty good job of explaining how crazy/ambitious of a stunt this was, but doesn't really do justice to the price that was paid by so many who were hired to help get Mr. Miura up Mount Everest so he could put on a pair of skis and do one of the craziest things a person has ever attempted. This film really is a dichotomy between the grandeur of the stunt vs. the price paid for this entirely self-indulgent, off the wall crazy foray into one's ego. The actual stunt itself is probably the most thrilling thing ever put on film and is incredibly exciting especially for a generation brought up with extreme sports, but only showing this scene betrays the intent of the film, which is to portray the unnecessary suffering of the poor Sherpa's who lost their lives because they had no other option but to accept the job. This film is incredibly sad and exciting at the same time and is a perfect metaphor for the first world (Miura's Japan) taking advantage of the third world (the ethnic Sherpa people of Nepal) for purely selfish means. For the classroom it checks several boxes because of the fact it is immensely exciting, borderline crazy, yet manages to illustrate how the inequality in economic power between nations can lead to pure exploitation, damaging the indigenous cultures so you can for instance, ski down Mount Everest!
