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Eclipso will open Everest: The First Ascent at Eclipso NYC, 555 West 57th Street in Manhattan, on 30 September 2026. The free-roam VR experience retraces the first confirmed ascent of Mount Everest, by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953.
Jean Dallac and Benjamin Auriche created Everest: The First Ascent. It previewed at Venice Immersive, part of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, from 2 to 12 September. Eclipso’s New York page credits the title as a co-production of Eclipso and Small Creative, a French studio.
Eclipso’s 17 September release describes the route: Kathmandu and Sherpa culture, then high-altitude camps, glaciers and the final approach to the summit. Visitors travel with Hillary, Norgay and the Sherpa team.
The release says a scientific advisory board of Himalayan, mountaineering and cultural specialists guided the experience’s development.
Katia Buffetrille, a specialist in the sacred mountains of Tibetan Buddhism, contributed expertise, according to Eclipso’s New York page. So did Charlie Buffet, a journalist who writes on mountaineering history. The page also credits feedback from Lapka Sherpa Gelgen, a Sherpa guide who has reached the summit of Everest seven times.
Sessions last 40 minutes, according to the release. The minimum age is 8. Visitors walk freely, standing, with no cables or controllers.
“With this experience we want people to feel the humanity behind Hillary and Norgay’s phenomenal achievement, to see the glaciers, feel the scale of the mountain and understand the challenges they faced along the way,” said Antoine Lieutaud, founder and chief executive of Eclipso.
Everest will join three titles at Eclipso NYC: Titanic: Echoes of the Past, Colosseum: The Legendary Arena and Space Explorers: The ISS Experience. The VR Collective reported on Titanic’s Manhattan run in December 2025.
Eclipso describes the New York venue as its largest, at more than 900 square metres.
Eclipso’s New York page lists Everest tickets at $42 for adults, $31 for children aged 8 to 17 and $37 a head on the group bundle, minimum three people. Fever sells the tickets.
Eclipso will bring Everest: The First Ascent to the LEXRA Summit. The Summit’s agenda lists it among the demos at Gilley’s Dallas on Tuesday 6 October 2026.
Eclipso is a member of LEXRA, the trade association for location-based XR, which runs the Summit. Bob Cooney, who publishes The VR Collective, is LEXRA’s executive director.
For operators of cultural free-roam VR venues, Eclipso NYC runs four titles from 30 September in a venue of more than 900 square metres. For content studios, Everest will open to paying visitors in Manhattan on 30 September, 18 days after its Venice Immersive preview closed on 12 September.
When does Everest: The First Ascent open? On 30 September 2026, at Eclipso NYC, 555 West 57th Street in Manhattan. Fever sells the tickets.
What is Everest: The First Ascent? A historic VR expedition co-produced by Eclipso and Small Creative. It retraces the first confirmed ascent of Mount Everest, in 1953, with Edmund Hillary, Tenzing Norgay and the Sherpa team. The route runs from Kathmandu through high-altitude camps and glaciers to the summit.
How long is the Everest VR experience, and what does it cost? The release lists 40 minutes. Eclipso’s New York page lists tickets at $42 for adults and $31 for children aged 8 to 17. The minimum age is 8.
Can LEXRA Summit attendees try Everest: The First Ascent? Yes. Eclipso will bring it to the Summit’s demo day at Gilley’s Dallas on Tuesday 6 October 2026. Eclipso is a LEXRA member.
