1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,120 Mount Everest. 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:05,920 Remote... 3 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:08,120 treacherous, 4 00:00:08,120 --> 00:00:11,500 and with barely enough oxygen to survive. 5 00:00:11,500 --> 00:00:14,520 A century ago, no-one had reached the summit. 6 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:18,640 NEWSREEL: 'This is what they came to see. 7 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:21,960 'This is what they came to find.' 8 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:27,120 The highest mountain in the world. It was there to be explored and hopefully there for the taking. 9 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:30,720 In this programme, Mount Everest summiteers 10 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:33,520 reveal how the mountain was conquered. 11 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:36,720 In 100 years, we discovered where it was, how high it was, 12 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:40,400 what the climate was for clothing, 13 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:42,320 the oxygen, everything. 14 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:44,560 From staying alive in the death zone... 15 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:46,280 Dan should definitely be dead! 16 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:49,160 ..to beating some of the world's worst weather... 17 00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:59,480 ..brave pathfinders risked everything. 18 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:03,440 George Mallory's body was lying spread-eagled in the screed. 19 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,920 Now, hundreds of people stand on the summit every year. 20 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:11,600 OK. I'm gonna have to be quick 21 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:13,120 cos it's actually quite chilly! 22 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:15,880 I'm standing on Everest, by the way! 23 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:19,120 From tragedy to triumph. 24 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:22,120 And from base camp to the top of the world! 25 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:27,960 This is Mount Everest, then and now. 26 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:38,920 The Himalayas stretch 1,500 miles through northern Asia. 27 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:41,760 This cold, white world 28 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:44,120 is home to the planet's tallest peaks. 29 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,160 Here, one mountain is king - 30 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:50,560 Mount Everest. 31 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:52,040 When you get out there, 32 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:54,440 you don't realise just how enormous the thing is. 33 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:58,080 Everest is a monster! 34 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:01,480 At 8,848 metres, 35 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:05,200 it stands 5.5 miles above the sea. 36 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:08,080 It's a hulking mass, it really is. 37 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:10,520 Head and shoulders above every mountain around it. 38 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:15,360 And now, thousands of people have managed to achieve their dream 39 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:17,320 of climbing to the summit. 40 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:29,720 But in the early 20th century, 41 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:32,400 Mount Everest was an alien world, 42 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:35,080 completely unexplored. 43 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,720 Until British mountaineers stepped bravely into the unknown. 44 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:45,600 When I was 12, I met my cousin we called Uncle Hunch 45 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:48,520 and he told me about this huge mountain. 46 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,240 This was Howard Somervell, a remarkable man. 47 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,520 He was a double first at Cambridge. 48 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:57,720 He was a surgeon, a musician, a painter. 49 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,840 Uncle Hunch was also a climber. 50 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:05,040 In 1924, aged 34, 51 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:09,120 he joined one of the first British expeditions to Mount Everest. 52 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:12,280 So they really didn't know where the mountain was. 53 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:14,840 It was somewhere on the border between Nepal and Tibet. 54 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:20,920 In fact, the summit of Mount Everest sits exactly on the border 55 00:03:20,920 --> 00:03:22,480 between the two countries. 56 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:26,120 The mountain has two main routes to the summit. 57 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:30,120 Along the south-east ridge from Nepal... 58 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:34,000 ..and the north ridge from Tibet. 59 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:45,440 In 1924, Uncle Hunch and the British expedition 60 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:47,960 trekked 200 miles through Tibet 61 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:50,280 and approached Mount Everest 62 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:52,000 from the north. 63 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:54,960 They had hoped for an easy snow slope. 64 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:58,400 Instead, they saw a giant three-sided pyramid, 65 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:00,880 a rock and ice monster. 66 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:04,720 Uncle Hunch and the rest of the climbers 67 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:06,680 were used to European mountains 68 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:08,400 half the height of Everest. 69 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:14,280 For those first climbers, Everest was a new world. 70 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:17,640 They were in a very exotic and unhealthy country. 71 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,320 Half of them were suffering from dysentery. 72 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:23,000 They got frostbite. 73 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,000 It was a very, very tough mountain to crack 74 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:28,280 for those pioneers. 75 00:04:29,840 --> 00:04:32,440 After weeks of climbing, 76 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:36,360 Uncle Hunch entered Mount Everest's "death zone". 77 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:40,320 It's an area of the mountain higher than 8,000 metres. 78 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:45,240 They call it the death zone because people die 79 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:47,160 simply because they are too high. 80 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:51,800 Because there's not enough oxygen to sustain life. 81 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:54,840 When you get to Everest base camp, there's only about half the oxygen available 82 00:04:54,840 --> 00:04:56,280 that there is at sea level. 83 00:04:56,280 --> 00:04:58,600 At the summit, there's only a third of the oxygen levels 84 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:00,000 that there are at sea level. 85 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:01,400 And those levels, we know, 86 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:05,200 are absolutely at the limits of what human beings can tolerate. 87 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:09,040 One of the reasons that we went to Everest 88 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:11,520 was to explore what that level was. 89 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:14,920 In 2007, 90 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:17,760 Professor Mike Grocott wanted to know the effect 91 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:19,600 of the lack of oxygen on the body. 92 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:23,080 So Mount Everest became his laboratory. 93 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:27,800 Mike's team measured oxygen levels at various heights. 94 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:33,640 Here, at 6,400 metres, three-quarters of the way up. 95 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:39,040 So we've just analysed Dan's arterial gas sample 96 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:41,720 and it's just astonishingly low. 97 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:43,880 You should be worried! 98 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:45,560 LAUGHTER 99 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:47,200 Still alive! 100 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:52,080 But the ultimate aim was for the team to take blood samples 101 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:53,480 in the death zone. 102 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:58,440 At an altitude of 8,382 metres 103 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:01,280 and with their oxygen masks removed, 104 00:06:01,280 --> 00:06:05,480 the climbers were breathing some of the thinnest air in the world. 105 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:08,560 And there in a small shelter, four of us, 106 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:10,600 took arterial blood gas samples. 107 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:13,920 The colour is blue. It's very dark. 108 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:18,800 Arterial blood, coming from the heart, is usually bright red. 109 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:22,720 The uncharacteristic colour could only mean one thing - 110 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:25,680 severe oxygen depletion. 111 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:27,000 Whoa! 112 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:30,800 CO2, 3.50. 113 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:32,480 Dan should definitely be dead! 114 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:38,240 The measurements we made of oxygen in arterial blood 115 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:39,960 were really extraordinary. 116 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:43,040 There's no accounts of people with that sort of level 117 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:47,880 of oxygen in the blood who aren't unconscious or immediately after cardiac arrest. 118 00:06:48,840 --> 00:06:52,400 The death zone's atmosphere is so dangerously thin, 119 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:57,320 now most climbers carry extra oxygen to help them survive. 120 00:06:57,320 --> 00:07:00,040 We are there as visitors for a very short period of time. 121 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:04,280 Most of us can't really go there without some form of supplementary oxygen. 122 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:09,040 But back in the 1920s, 123 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:13,280 many mountaineers dismissed the need to carry extra oxygen. 124 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:17,360 It was almost seen as "not cricket". 125 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:20,080 You know, it's slightly cheating, 126 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:22,040 almost a drug-assisted ascent. 127 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:25,480 In 1924, 128 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:29,680 Howard Somervell had climbed to 8,570 metres. 129 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:34,240 He dreamed of being the first man to summit Everest. 130 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:38,080 But he had to make it up the treacherous North Ridge 131 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:39,800 in the freezing wind. 132 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:44,720 The technical area on the north side 133 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:47,840 is when you've got the first step, second step and the third step. 134 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:51,960 You're in a high-altitude environment 135 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:54,360 on tricky, technical terrain. 136 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:56,480 So it's not to be underestimated. 137 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:00,240 300 metres from the summit, 138 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:02,600 Somervell was forced to turn back. 139 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:07,120 When coming down, his larynx became frostbitten. 140 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:11,080 And the mucous membrane sloughed off, 141 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:13,240 blocked his airway and he sat down to die. 142 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:15,760 And he told me how he sat down 143 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:17,320 and did a Heimlich manoeuvre. 144 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:22,520 Squeezed his chest, and coughed up this frozen mucous membrane. 145 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:25,760 Uncle Hunch was able to breathe the icy air 146 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:29,720 and staggered on down the mountain to the North Col. 147 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:32,080 There, he met his friend, George Mallory. 148 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:36,080 George Mallory was a passionate mountaineer 149 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:38,720 who had tried to summit Everest twice before. 150 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:43,600 Now, on this expedition, 151 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:45,200 he was determined to succeed. 152 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:50,280 His name will forever be connected with Everest. 153 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:53,240 A very strong temperament, 154 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:55,040 a very driven individual. 155 00:08:55,040 --> 00:09:00,280 Mallory came up with his rucksack full of oxygen cylinders, 156 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:04,720 ready to have an attempt with the "magic gas", oxygen. 157 00:09:05,560 --> 00:09:08,240 After Somervell's failed attempt to summit, 158 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:11,320 Mallory saw an opportunity to make history. 159 00:09:12,680 --> 00:09:16,520 Mallory said to him, "Somervell, I've forgotten my camera. 160 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:18,160 "Can I borrow yours?" 161 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:21,400 And Howard Somervell unwisely, he told me, 162 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:23,960 lent George Mallory his camera 163 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:26,480 and watched him as he headed up the mountain. 164 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:29,840 And that was the last he ever saw of him. 165 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:34,360 Mallory and his climbing partner, Sandy Irvine, 166 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:37,840 were last seen just 250 metres from the summit... 167 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:41,920 ..before the peak was shrouded in thick cloud. 168 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:47,960 So, George Mallory, Sandy Irvine, did they summit? 169 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:50,080 Ah, who knows? 170 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:54,200 Howard Somervell had given Graham 171 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:55,920 a tantalising opportunity. 172 00:09:56,960 --> 00:10:00,920 To solve the greatest mystery of the world's greatest mountain. 173 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:05,000 He said to me, aged 12, "If you could go and find that camera, 174 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:07,600 "you could prove whether my friends climbed it or not." 175 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:09,160 Was there a picture on that camera 176 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:11,320 of George Mallory standing on the summit, 177 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:13,600 waving his ice axe? 178 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:14,920 Who knows? 179 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:16,520 Next... 180 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:20,800 George Mallory's body was lying spread-eagled in the screed. 181 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:24,360 Was Mallory the first person to reach the summit? 182 00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:28,360 And climbing Everest from the south. Then... 183 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:31,560 'A nightmare of spikes and chasms, 184 00:10:31,560 --> 00:10:34,280 'a wrinkled and ravaged face.' 185 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:35,800 ..and now. 186 00:10:45,560 --> 00:10:47,760 50 million years ago, 187 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:49,640 Mount Everest was born. 188 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:55,120 The Indian sub-continent collided with Eurasia, 189 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:58,520 forcing land upwards and creating the Himalayas. 190 00:11:00,760 --> 00:11:05,040 For millennia, the summit of Mount Everest was uncharted territory. 191 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:12,800 But in March 1924, 192 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:15,160 George Mallory and Sandy Irvine 193 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:17,400 embarked on a historic mission, 194 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:20,160 to be the first people to summit the mountain. 195 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:26,240 Mallory was carrying a camera given to him by Graham Hoyland's cousin, 196 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:27,800 Howard Somervell. 197 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:30,880 I became really obsessed 198 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:32,480 by trying to find this camera, 199 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:34,320 get the picture developed 200 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:37,040 and prove that Mallory had actually climbed the mountain first. 201 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:41,520 Graham began by retracing Mallory's steps. 202 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:46,680 So, here's the border between Tibet and Nepal. 203 00:11:46,680 --> 00:11:50,080 Here's Mount Everest, the actual summit. 204 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:53,600 And Mallory would have come from their base camp up here, 205 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:56,040 from the north, through Tibet 206 00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:58,640 around up to here to the North Col. 207 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:03,040 Up the ridge. And certainly got to this point. 208 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:05,240 Just a few hundred yards, really, 209 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:06,600 from the summit. 210 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:12,600 To this day, the outcome of Mallory and Irvine's push 211 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:15,040 to the summit is still disputed. 212 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:18,680 I think quite strongly, if I had to put money on it, 213 00:12:18,680 --> 00:12:20,640 that Mallory made it to the summit. 214 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:24,000 I just can't imagine him turning round short of the summit, 215 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:25,880 even in the worst weather, 216 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:28,640 if there was any chance in his mind that he thought he could get there. 217 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:32,440 Like Mallory decades earlier, 218 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:37,040 in 1993, Graham climbed into Mount Everest's death zone. 219 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:39,760 I'm a very average climber 220 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:42,880 and as I chocked up those last few steps up to the summit, 221 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:45,800 I thought, you know, if I can do this, 222 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:49,960 surely George Mallory climbed Mount Everest. 223 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:54,680 Graham became the 15th Brit to reach Everest's peak. 224 00:12:54,680 --> 00:12:58,120 And at that point, I thought he must have done it 225 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:01,360 and I set out wanting to prove that he'd done it. 226 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:04,920 When Graham returned to Everest in 1999, 227 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:07,200 there was a startling discovery. 228 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:13,600 George Mallory's body was lying spread-eagled in the screed. 229 00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:18,240 It had been attacked, unfortunately, by birds. 230 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:21,040 But in his pockets were a bunch of strange things, 231 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:23,960 like nail scissors and a bill from his tailor! 232 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:25,960 But the one thing there wasn't 233 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:27,800 was a camera. 234 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:30,600 And so I started putting together what we knew. 235 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:35,960 And there was one crucial clue that came up later 236 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:37,520 which was the weather. 237 00:13:38,960 --> 00:13:41,800 Mallory and Irvine were last sighted 238 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:44,600 just 250 metres from the summit 239 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:47,240 before they disappeared into a cloud. 240 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:53,640 Howard Somervell had taken readings down at base camp 241 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:55,200 of the air pressure. 242 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:57,800 And these were eventually unearthed 243 00:13:57,800 --> 00:13:59,800 at the Royal Geographic Society. 244 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:05,080 Somervell's record of the weather was, "Fine still morning. 245 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:07,520 "Clouds began to advance up valley. 246 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:11,120 "Clouds behind and on Everest from 11 o'clock onwards." 247 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:15,840 We realised that George Mallory and Sandy Irvine 248 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:18,560 had been climbing up into a perfect storm. 249 00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:20,160 When I put the clues together, 250 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:23,440 the low pressure, the perfect storm, 251 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:26,320 the limited oxygen, the poor clothing 252 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:28,640 and the lateness of the day, 253 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:33,080 I realised that Mallory probably hadn't climbed to the summit. 254 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:37,400 But it doesn't take anything away from their immense achievement. 255 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:40,120 This is the way humanity learns things, 256 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:42,760 by pioneers risking their lives. 257 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:50,640 For decades, every attempt to reach the peak failed. 258 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:53,240 Mount Everest seemed taller than ever. 259 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:58,320 NEWSREEL: 'St Paul's is 365 feet high. 260 00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:00,560 One-fourteenth part of a mile. 261 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,040 'The highest mountain in the British Isles is Ben Nevis. 262 00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:08,080 'The highest mountain in Europe is Mont Blanc. 263 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:17,200 'The highest mountain in the world is five and a half miles high.' 264 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:26,240 After the Second World War, 265 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:28,840 Nepal opened its borders to foreigners. 266 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:32,400 The 1950s offered an opportunity 267 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:35,640 to plot an entirely new route to the summit 268 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:37,240 from the south. 269 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:42,200 The scale of Everest is so huge, 270 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:44,680 it's easier to think of it in three sections. 271 00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:48,600 The first section starts at base camp, 272 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:50,840 rises up the Khumbu Glacier 273 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:52,520 and into the Western Cwm. 274 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:57,600 The second section rises sharply up the Lhotse face 275 00:15:57,600 --> 00:15:59,320 and ends on the South Col. 276 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:02,200 Then the third section. 277 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:05,000 From the South Col, up the Knife Ridge 278 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:06,560 and onto the summit. 279 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:11,400 In 1953, 280 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:14,480 the most famous expedition in mountaineering history 281 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:16,640 started its trek from the south 282 00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:18,120 through Nepal. 283 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:22,760 The team included a Kiwi called Edmund Hillary 284 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:24,600 and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa. 285 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:27,520 After weeks in the foothills, 286 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:29,800 the British-led expedition team 287 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:32,880 laid eyes on the mountain for the first time. 288 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:36,160 NEWSREEL: 'So this is it. 289 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:38,800 'This is what they came to see. 290 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,920 'This is what they came to climb.' 291 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:48,600 That spring, they established a base camp. 292 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:51,840 Now, every year in the same spot, 293 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:55,240 base camp is home to dozens of tents from across the globe. 294 00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:59,560 Here, climbers prepare for the ultimate adventure. 295 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:04,920 The first challenge 296 00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:07,640 is one of the most treacherous stretches of the mountain. 297 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:10,440 The Khumbu Icefall. 298 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:15,360 'This advance party must advance through a frozen but burning forest. 299 00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:20,400 'A forest as haunted by danger as any jungle in the world. 300 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:23,600 'A nightmare of spikes and chasms, 301 00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:26,080 'a wrinkled and ravaged face, 302 00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:28,840 'but a face that is always changing 303 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:32,600 'for the ice is always on the move. 304 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:36,560 'Cracking, rumbling, roaring.' 305 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:42,360 The Icefall is basically a 2,000-foot cliff 306 00:17:42,360 --> 00:17:45,160 with a glacier falling over it. 307 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:50,800 There's giant ice chunks the size of a tower block, constantly moving. 308 00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:53,080 It's a really frightening place. 309 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:56,520 You climb up through these moving blocks, 310 00:17:56,520 --> 00:18:00,080 up the ladders tied together across huge crevasses. 311 00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:03,160 'The ice has got to be made as safe as possible, 312 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:07,320 'though "safe" up here remains a comparative word.' 313 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:19,440 One year, an avalanche came down and nearly killed me and Brian Blessed. 314 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:23,400 The Khumbu Icefall is very technical 315 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:25,720 and it changes almost on a daily basis. 316 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:29,120 And you need to really have an awareness of your surroundings 317 00:18:29,120 --> 00:18:32,280 to be able to negotiate that safely. 318 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:33,760 So we're crossing a ladder 319 00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:35,680 and I'm panting in the background! 320 00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:37,800 Ooh. 321 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:40,120 It's not about moving quickly. 322 00:18:40,120 --> 00:18:42,480 Do you want me to pull the ropes for you? 323 00:18:43,960 --> 00:18:45,200 OK. 324 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:51,200 It's about moving safely through an ever-changing environment. 325 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:55,560 Do you think so? You think I'm gonna enjoy it, do you? 326 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:57,920 Going over the chasm of death! 327 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:02,440 As well as negotiating ladders over deep crevasses, 328 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:06,400 climbers have to gently ease their way over snow bridges. 329 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:10,720 It's difficult to know, with some of these snow bridges, 330 00:19:10,720 --> 00:19:13,440 which is the strong part... 331 00:19:15,120 --> 00:19:16,920 ..and where to stand. 332 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:18,720 And where to stop 333 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:20,720 and you might not just stop. 334 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:23,240 Now, that's a classic, 335 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:26,760 where you can see, you know, where you put your left foot, 336 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:29,520 eventually, that might get compromised. 337 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:33,960 So, uh... Yeah. 338 00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:36,160 Ooh. Lots of slack rope. 339 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:37,960 Whoops! 340 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:43,800 In 1953, 341 00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:47,320 the mountaineers hoping to be the first to summit Mount Everest 342 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:50,120 had successfully navigated the Icefall. 343 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:54,480 Next, they had to trek up the Western Cwm, 344 00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:58,440 a vast flat area of endless snow and deep crevasses... 345 00:19:59,920 --> 00:20:03,360 ..only to be confronted by a giant ice wall - 346 00:20:03,360 --> 00:20:05,120 the Lhotse Face. 347 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:09,760 It's a 1,200-metre wall of blue, glacial ice 348 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:13,600 that rises at severe angles of up to 45 degrees. 349 00:20:16,360 --> 00:20:20,360 The climbers spent nine exhausting days carving out a route 350 00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:21,720 up this icy face. 351 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:27,480 Hillary and Tenzing partnered up into one of the assault teams. 352 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:33,200 They would now be climbing so dangerously high 353 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:35,560 they had to use supplementary oxygen. 354 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:41,600 The 1953 Expedition 355 00:20:41,600 --> 00:20:45,240 was based on months of painstaking research and preparation. 356 00:20:46,360 --> 00:20:50,440 Some climbers acted as human guinea pigs in decompression chambers 357 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:52,880 to replicate the severe lack of oxygen. 358 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:55,600 'The oxygen mask is off. 359 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:58,000 'The air is getting thinner and thinner. 360 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:01,840 'At such heights when you're lacking oxygen, 361 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:03,440 'you may think you're normal, 362 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:04,840 'but you're not. 363 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:06,800 'You're moving in a dream, 364 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:09,640 'a dream that deludes and debilitates. 365 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:14,680 'Feel that now we're at the very summit of Everest, 366 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:17,280 'he's approaching unconsciousness.' 367 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:22,640 The modern oxygen system is delivered through 368 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:25,040 a very low-volume mask. 369 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:28,120 In the old days, there was the Russian fighter pilots, 370 00:21:28,120 --> 00:21:30,880 the old Mig masks, that was a big Womble mask. 371 00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:33,440 And these days, this is the very closest mask 372 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:35,960 to the Tornado pilots', actually. 373 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:41,280 Unfortunately, you do lose a little bit of the ability to talk. 374 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:43,240 Even now, 375 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:46,400 supplementary oxygen is still a limited resource. 376 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:52,200 If it runs out, then very quickly your body will deteriorate 377 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:53,960 and an acute amount of sickness 378 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:57,800 will be quickly followed by life-threatening situations. 379 00:21:57,800 --> 00:21:59,840 In a very challenging environment, 380 00:21:59,840 --> 00:22:04,480 you don't want to be incapacitated above 8,000 metres. 381 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:09,720 At 8,000 metres lies the South Col. 382 00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:12,240 It's a pass between Mount Everest 383 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:15,760 and the fourth highest mountain in the world, Lhotse. 384 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:20,960 The South Col is the highest camp on the mountain. 385 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:24,320 It's a final opportunity to rest and recuperate 386 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:26,920 before the assault on the summit. 387 00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:29,520 'The South Col. Camp eight. 388 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:31,680 '26,000 feet. 389 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:33,840 'A very hard place to get to 390 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:36,360 'and a very hard place to live in.' 391 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:57,920 When you get higher, you have a feeling of extreme vulnerability. 392 00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:01,600 You are two or three days away from help and assistance 393 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:03,600 in a high-altitude remote environment. 394 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:06,640 Psychologically, that can really get to people. 395 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:10,600 'The South Col is no place for thoughts. 396 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:12,520 'Most of the time on the Col, 397 00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:14,960 'a man hardly thinks at all. 398 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:18,360 'When he does, he usually thinks what bliss it would be 399 00:23:18,360 --> 00:23:20,000 'to get down again.' 400 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:23,920 You need to make sure that you don't just lie down and go to sleep, 401 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:27,960 because you need fluid. You need to get a drink on the go 402 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:29,800 because if you get dehydrated, 403 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:31,600 you're much less likely to summit. 404 00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:35,000 So you need to busy yourself in the tent and get on some energy. 405 00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:37,880 The final approach to the summit 406 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:39,520 starts in the dead of night. 407 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:43,440 At 8,000 metres, climbers are at the mercy of the weather. 408 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:47,960 Making the decision to go for it is the difference between life and death. 409 00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:53,000 It can take up to 16 hours to reach the peak, 410 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:57,280 so climbers need to ensure they have enough time to return safely. 411 00:23:59,120 --> 00:24:01,560 'The South Col takes away everything. 412 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:06,520 'It also takes away his sleep unless he's using oxygen. 413 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:09,840 'Worst of all, it takes away his judgement. 414 00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:13,720 'Hillary and Tenzing will need all their judgement tomorrow 415 00:24:13,720 --> 00:24:15,760 'when they set out up that ridge, 416 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:18,160 'if the storm subsides.' 417 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:22,040 So why didn't we go to the summit last night? 418 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:24,360 We arrived in a storm, 419 00:24:24,360 --> 00:24:26,320 we sat the storm out, 420 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:27,840 the entire night. 421 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:32,400 Yeah, massive gusts and snow coming in the tent. Yep. 422 00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:35,280 Snow like and wind blowing in the porch 423 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:37,600 so we couldn't melt water. Did you get any sleep? 424 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:40,720 I think I got about five or ten minutes at one stage, yeah. 425 00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:42,720 Oh. That's very generous! 426 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:44,880 What time is it now? 427 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:47,080 11.50. 11.50. 428 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:50,720 You'll be hopefully off tonight. We'll go about 9.30 tonight. Yep. 429 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:55,040 We've got about nine hours to just chill, rehydrate, eat. 430 00:24:55,040 --> 00:24:58,680 And play cards! Play cards! Yes! 431 00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:00,480 Oh. We didn't bring the cards! Oh. 432 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:03,880 'We had a lot of fun. You know, you're living at 8,000 metres. 433 00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:06,600 Ooh, look at that. Beautiful. 434 00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:08,840 Oh! 435 00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:10,400 He's dropped it! 436 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:13,120 'I think that sense of camaraderie was probably quite important 437 00:25:13,120 --> 00:25:14,920 'in the '20s and the '50s.' 438 00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:19,120 Yes, you've got those people with quite big egos 439 00:25:19,120 --> 00:25:20,840 who want to be the first. 440 00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:24,240 But at the same time, you're all working for the greater good. 441 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:28,240 By 11.00am on May 29th 1953, 442 00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:31,400 Hillary and Tenzing had begun their final push 443 00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:33,440 to be the first to reach the summit 444 00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:35,720 and were already out of sight. 445 00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:38,160 'Everyone's thoughts are on what is happening 446 00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:41,040 'on that knife-like ridge running up to the summit. 447 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:45,240 'But the climb today is beyond the reach of human eye, 448 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:47,960 'almost beyond imagination.' 449 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:52,000 100 metres from the summit, 450 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:56,240 Hillary and Tenzing were confronted by Mount Everest's final obstacle. 451 00:25:56,240 --> 00:25:57,800 The Knife Ridge. 452 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:04,800 It's a dangerous section of steep, sharp, exposed rock 453 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:08,600 with perilous drops of more than 2,000 metres on either side. 454 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:12,560 'Well, I cut own the back of one ridge 455 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:14,240 'and round the back of another ridge. 456 00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:16,720 'And the summit never seemed to be coming any closer! 457 00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:19,680 'But finally, I cut down the back of another one 458 00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:23,560 and saw that the ridge ahead dropped steeply away. 459 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:25,040 'So I looked up 460 00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:28,080 'and there was the little rounded turn above us, 461 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:29,800 'and I knew it was the summit.' 462 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:34,240 All that was needed was a few more blows of the ice axe 463 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:37,120 and Hillary and Tenzing would be the first people 464 00:26:37,120 --> 00:26:40,080 to stand on the summit of Mount Everest. 465 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:58,160 TIM: OK. I'm gonna have to be quick, 466 00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:00,000 cos it's actually quite chilly. 467 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:02,560 I'm standing on Everest, by the way! 468 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:06,360 This is the peak of Mount Everest. 469 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:10,360 At 8,848 metres, 470 00:27:10,360 --> 00:27:12,640 it's the highest place on the planet. 471 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:17,720 As Hillary and Tenzing celebrated in Nepal, 472 00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:19,200 the news reached London 473 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:21,560 on a very historic day. 474 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:24,680 'June 2nd, 1953. 475 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:29,560 'People in London were excited, and with good reason. 476 00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:31,720 'A queen had been crowned. 477 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:37,400 'And to add to the cheers, 478 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:40,000 'the newspapers gave an extra of extras. 479 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:42,720 'Men had climbed Mount Everest.' 480 00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:46,520 Britain, as a whole, was absolutely delighted. 481 00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:49,680 As a nation, we have always had an adventurous spirit. 482 00:27:49,680 --> 00:27:52,960 You know, we've explored the world all over. 483 00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:56,520 I think that lure of the highest mountain in the world, 484 00:27:56,520 --> 00:27:58,440 it was there to be explored 485 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:00,400 and there for the taking. 486 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:02,080 Next... 487 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:04,520 After the triumph then, 488 00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:07,080 the tragedy now. 489 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:10,880 The deadliest day in Mount Everest's history. 490 00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:15,380 It was just utter, utter destruction. 491 00:28:16,060 --> 00:28:20,140 The foothills of Mount Everest are home to the Sherpa people. 492 00:28:20,140 --> 00:28:25,100 For generations, Sherpas had little contact with the outside world. 493 00:28:25,100 --> 00:28:27,300 As Buddhists, 494 00:28:27,300 --> 00:28:29,940 they believed a goddess lived in the mountain. 495 00:28:29,940 --> 00:28:31,980 Not wanting to disturb her, 496 00:28:31,980 --> 00:28:35,420 many did not set foot on Mount Everest. 497 00:28:35,420 --> 00:28:38,820 Then, there was no Sherpa word for summit. 498 00:28:42,380 --> 00:28:46,100 But now, climbers call their Sherpa porters and guides 499 00:28:46,100 --> 00:28:48,180 "kings of the mountain". 500 00:28:48,180 --> 00:28:51,980 They have been an absolutely integral part of climbing on Everest 501 00:28:51,980 --> 00:28:53,460 from the very beginning. 502 00:28:53,460 --> 00:28:56,500 You can see that they're faster and stronger at altitude 503 00:28:56,500 --> 00:28:59,500 than certainly I am and most Westerners. 504 00:28:59,500 --> 00:29:04,180 But little is known about their apparent superhuman physiology. 505 00:29:04,180 --> 00:29:06,460 We're starting to see evidence 506 00:29:06,460 --> 00:29:09,540 that their genetics have altered through evolution, 507 00:29:09,540 --> 00:29:11,740 that they are naturally adapted 508 00:29:11,740 --> 00:29:14,500 to perform well at high altitude where there's not much oxygen. 509 00:29:16,460 --> 00:29:18,740 In 2013, 510 00:29:18,740 --> 00:29:22,060 Professor Mike Grocott's Extreme Everest team 511 00:29:22,060 --> 00:29:23,620 returned to the mountain. 512 00:29:25,180 --> 00:29:28,380 On their first expedition in 2007, 513 00:29:28,380 --> 00:29:32,220 they had already witnessed the superhuman Sherpas in action. 514 00:29:32,220 --> 00:29:35,780 We couldn't have done the expedition without the Sherpas. 515 00:29:35,780 --> 00:29:37,420 They were climbing alongside us, 516 00:29:37,420 --> 00:29:39,940 but carrying substantially larger loads, 517 00:29:39,940 --> 00:29:41,900 and apparently effortlessly. 518 00:29:41,900 --> 00:29:45,460 So it was great to be able to come back in 2013 519 00:29:45,460 --> 00:29:49,100 and really try and answer from the scientific perspective why that was. 520 00:29:51,180 --> 00:29:54,020 At a height of 5,300 metres, 521 00:29:54,020 --> 00:29:56,780 Mike's team built the world's highest laboratory 522 00:29:56,780 --> 00:29:59,340 to compare Sherpas to lowlanders. 523 00:29:59,900 --> 00:30:01,420 Bite on the mouthpiece. 524 00:30:03,140 --> 00:30:04,700 How's your breathing? 525 00:30:04,700 --> 00:30:07,140 There were some striking differences that start to explain 526 00:30:07,140 --> 00:30:09,940 why they perform so much better at high altitude. 527 00:30:09,940 --> 00:30:11,420 Go, go, go, go, go. 528 00:30:11,420 --> 00:30:12,860 Keep it in. 529 00:30:14,060 --> 00:30:18,700 The Sherpas' physiology is suited to producing the energy to power their bodies 530 00:30:18,700 --> 00:30:20,580 even when oxygen is scarce. 531 00:30:20,580 --> 00:30:22,980 In a Sherpa's muscles, 532 00:30:22,980 --> 00:30:25,620 the parts of their cells that generate energy 533 00:30:25,620 --> 00:30:27,980 are more efficient at using oxygen. 534 00:30:29,300 --> 00:30:31,020 And at high altitude, 535 00:30:31,020 --> 00:30:33,780 whilst lowlanders' blood flow slowed down, 536 00:30:33,780 --> 00:30:36,660 the Sherpas' circulation was less affected. 537 00:30:37,740 --> 00:30:42,780 Extreme Everest was almost entirely comprised of doctors and scientists, 538 00:30:42,780 --> 00:30:47,820 many of whom had a background in critical care, intensive care, 539 00:30:47,820 --> 00:30:50,300 so looking after the sickest patients in hospital. 540 00:30:50,300 --> 00:30:52,940 Lack of oxygen in the bloodstream 541 00:30:52,940 --> 00:30:56,460 is a major contributor to deaths in intensive care patients. 542 00:30:57,660 --> 00:30:59,740 As a critical care expert, 543 00:30:59,740 --> 00:31:02,540 Mike is hoping the Sherpas' superhuman ability 544 00:31:02,540 --> 00:31:04,020 to adapt to altitude 545 00:31:04,020 --> 00:31:07,500 could have benefits far beyond the slopes of Everest. 546 00:31:07,500 --> 00:31:11,460 The real joy and challenge of the next few years 547 00:31:11,460 --> 00:31:14,980 is looking at the huge set of data that we've accumulated 548 00:31:14,980 --> 00:31:18,020 and trying to work out from those 549 00:31:18,020 --> 00:31:21,700 what it is that identifies where people have adapted well 550 00:31:21,700 --> 00:31:24,100 and if we could get our patients to do that, 551 00:31:24,100 --> 00:31:26,980 then maybe, if you like, we can turn them into Sherpas! 552 00:31:28,140 --> 00:31:30,420 Now, the superhuman Sherpas 553 00:31:30,420 --> 00:31:34,580 are the backbone of every successful expedition up Mount Everest. 554 00:31:35,500 --> 00:31:38,580 In the old days, I think people were probably a bit more purist 555 00:31:38,580 --> 00:31:41,140 and they would probably be carrying their own gear 556 00:31:41,140 --> 00:31:43,940 and nowadays, tents are set up for us by the Sherpas. 557 00:31:43,940 --> 00:31:47,620 Some people have all their gear taken up to Camp Two 558 00:31:47,620 --> 00:31:49,620 and you see people, actually, 559 00:31:49,620 --> 00:31:52,860 without even carrying a rucksack on the mountain! 560 00:31:52,860 --> 00:31:55,460 A Sherpa in front of them with their every need! 561 00:31:56,700 --> 00:31:59,020 Sherpas prepare the mountain 562 00:31:59,020 --> 00:32:01,700 by setting ropes, anchors and ladder bridges. 563 00:32:03,900 --> 00:32:07,540 And they use their expert knowledge of its twists and turns 564 00:32:07,540 --> 00:32:09,740 to help guide climbers to the top. 565 00:32:09,740 --> 00:32:12,860 I couldn't possibly have climbed Everest without them. 566 00:32:12,860 --> 00:32:15,780 You know, quite seriously, without Ang Passang and Kami Tchering, 567 00:32:15,780 --> 00:32:17,300 not in a million years. 568 00:32:17,300 --> 00:32:22,620 In 1993, Rebecca Stephens became the first British woman 569 00:32:22,620 --> 00:32:24,580 to climb the world's highest mountain. 570 00:32:26,660 --> 00:32:30,020 There was this tremendous feeling of togetherness 571 00:32:30,020 --> 00:32:33,940 and I'll remember it until I breathe my last breath. 572 00:32:35,180 --> 00:32:38,780 That year, the Nepalese and Chinese authorities 573 00:32:38,780 --> 00:32:41,220 had begun to increase the number of climbing permits. 574 00:32:42,700 --> 00:32:46,220 I think through the '90s, into the 21st century, 575 00:32:46,220 --> 00:32:48,980 we are now in the commercial era on Everest. 576 00:32:50,500 --> 00:32:52,100 In the 1970s, 577 00:32:52,100 --> 00:32:55,500 just 562 people climbed Mount Everest. 578 00:32:55,500 --> 00:32:57,220 Over the last decade, 579 00:32:57,220 --> 00:33:00,340 nearly 4,000 people have reached the summit. 580 00:33:02,060 --> 00:33:04,500 Nepal is a poor country 581 00:33:04,500 --> 00:33:06,500 and it desperately needs foreign exchange. 582 00:33:06,500 --> 00:33:11,100 So it has to try and make money out of the Himalayas 583 00:33:11,100 --> 00:33:14,460 and in particular, Mount Everest, which is a real cash cow. 584 00:33:14,460 --> 00:33:16,780 So, to climb Mount Everest, your tickets would cost 585 00:33:16,780 --> 00:33:19,980 anything from 35,000 US dollars 586 00:33:19,980 --> 00:33:24,460 all the way through to 120,000 US dollars or more. 587 00:33:27,020 --> 00:33:28,820 Throughout the 21st century, 588 00:33:28,820 --> 00:33:32,020 climbing Mount Everest allowed the Sherpa people to flourish. 589 00:33:33,020 --> 00:33:37,220 Now, the climbing industry is worth over £1.5 billion 590 00:33:37,220 --> 00:33:38,860 to Nepal every year. 591 00:33:39,500 --> 00:33:44,300 But Sherpa livelihoods and lives are at the mercy of the mountain. 592 00:33:50,100 --> 00:33:53,780 On April 18th, 2014 593 00:33:53,780 --> 00:33:56,700 warm weather triggered a series of avalanches 594 00:33:56,700 --> 00:33:58,580 near Mount Everest's Icefall. 595 00:34:00,140 --> 00:34:03,660 The Icefall is a very dangerous part of Mount Everest. 596 00:34:03,660 --> 00:34:09,020 And whereas we Westerners might only go through it two or three times, 597 00:34:09,020 --> 00:34:12,780 the Sherpas have to carry the tents and equipment 598 00:34:12,780 --> 00:34:15,620 and food and everything through dozens of times. 599 00:34:18,020 --> 00:34:20,580 16 Sherpas lost their lives. 600 00:34:25,140 --> 00:34:29,060 When 16 died in one event, 601 00:34:29,060 --> 00:34:33,140 for the sake of looking after Westerners on the hill, 602 00:34:33,140 --> 00:34:38,220 I think it struck a very uncomfortable chord 603 00:34:38,220 --> 00:34:43,540 about the dangers that they were being exposed to. 604 00:34:45,860 --> 00:34:48,060 During the 20th century, 605 00:34:48,060 --> 00:34:51,820 brave Sherpas were at the heart of Mount Everest's success story. 606 00:34:54,340 --> 00:34:57,140 Now, there was a grim realisation 607 00:34:57,140 --> 00:34:59,340 that being a mountaineering Sherpa 608 00:34:59,340 --> 00:35:02,300 was one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. 609 00:35:05,740 --> 00:35:09,540 On April 25th, 2015, 610 00:35:09,540 --> 00:35:11,900 a huge earthquake hit Nepal. 611 00:35:15,460 --> 00:35:19,460 It's one of the worst natural disasters in the country's history. 612 00:35:21,220 --> 00:35:24,500 Tim Mosedale was one of hundreds of climbers on Mount Everest 613 00:35:24,500 --> 00:35:27,580 when the earthquake struck. 614 00:35:27,580 --> 00:35:30,260 We arrived at Camp One and we radioed down to base camp 615 00:35:30,260 --> 00:35:34,820 and we heard that the middle of base camp had been obliterated. 616 00:35:37,780 --> 00:35:39,060 Go! Go! 617 00:35:39,060 --> 00:35:43,220 The earthquake had also triggered avalanches on Mount Everest. 618 00:35:43,580 --> 00:35:45,780 One of them swept down the mountain 619 00:35:45,780 --> 00:35:48,140 and thundered towards base camp. 620 00:36:01,620 --> 00:36:05,780 359 people were waiting to climb the mountain. 621 00:36:07,060 --> 00:36:08,620 When you're at the base camp, 622 00:36:08,620 --> 00:36:10,380 you think of Everest as being safe. 623 00:36:10,380 --> 00:36:14,420 But the forward draught from the avalanche swept through the camp 624 00:36:14,420 --> 00:36:16,300 and rocks flying everywhere. 625 00:36:16,300 --> 00:36:20,140 And if you were in its path, you know, that was it. 626 00:36:20,140 --> 00:36:22,660 It was just utter, utter destruction. 627 00:36:24,700 --> 00:36:28,500 Nearly 9,000 people died across Nepal. 628 00:36:29,460 --> 00:36:33,100 At base camp, 19 climbers lost their lives. 629 00:36:33,100 --> 00:36:36,700 Three of them were Sherpas on Tim's expedition. 630 00:36:37,900 --> 00:36:40,180 They left behind nine kids. 631 00:36:40,180 --> 00:36:43,300 And they were working on the mountain 632 00:36:43,300 --> 00:36:45,260 to provide for their families. 633 00:36:45,260 --> 00:36:49,940 The 25th of April, 2015, 634 00:36:49,940 --> 00:36:53,260 is the deadliest day in Mount Everest's history. 635 00:36:54,460 --> 00:36:57,900 People were questioning, really, what was going on 636 00:36:57,900 --> 00:37:00,820 and was Everest really worth it? 637 00:37:00,820 --> 00:37:02,260 Next... 638 00:37:02,260 --> 00:37:06,380 Mount Everest becomes a deadly tourist trap. 639 00:37:06,380 --> 00:37:10,180 I think the overcrowding has made Mount Everest actually more dangerous 640 00:37:10,180 --> 00:37:11,700 than it was before. 641 00:37:11,700 --> 00:37:13,900 People are just lambs to the slaughter. 642 00:37:15,300 --> 00:37:18,500 Why are climbers dying in queues to the summit? 643 00:37:24,880 --> 00:37:30,440 A century ago, the summit of Mount Everest was an unknown wilderness, 644 00:37:30,440 --> 00:37:32,240 untouched by human hand. 645 00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:35,920 Now, the highest point on the planet 646 00:37:35,920 --> 00:37:37,720 has been transformed... 647 00:37:41,320 --> 00:37:43,160 ..into a tourist trap. 648 00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:49,760 On May 22nd, 2019, 649 00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:53,640 this photograph revealed the reality of climbing the mountain. 650 00:37:55,080 --> 00:37:58,560 Waiting for hours in a queue. 651 00:37:58,560 --> 00:38:04,800 Too many people, stood for too long, in a very challenging environment. 652 00:38:04,800 --> 00:38:06,320 That picture was taken on one day 653 00:38:06,320 --> 00:38:09,160 and it would be like that on one day in 365. 654 00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:15,080 For the rest of the year, one of the elements can make a summit impossible. 655 00:38:15,080 --> 00:38:16,760 Wind. 656 00:38:18,960 --> 00:38:21,560 At 8,848 metres 657 00:38:21,560 --> 00:38:25,080 the summit of Mount Everest is exposed to the extremes 658 00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:26,600 of Earth's weather. 659 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:31,080 At the top of the world, the wind is wild. 660 00:38:32,640 --> 00:38:34,600 So it being nearly 9,000 metres, 661 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:37,000 Everest pokes up into the Jet Stream 662 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:40,480 which is a force unto itself. 663 00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:44,040 Freezing winds batter Mount Everest 664 00:38:44,040 --> 00:38:47,480 at speeds up to 175 miles per hour. 665 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:52,920 On the South Col, the last stop on the route to the summit, 666 00:38:52,920 --> 00:38:56,000 the wind can be so cold and so strong, 667 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:58,280 climbers are trapped in their tents. 668 00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:03,600 But every year in late May, 669 00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:08,040 the approaching monsoon brings a rare window of opportunity. 670 00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:11,720 The monsoon is such a massive weather system, 671 00:39:11,720 --> 00:39:15,360 effectively, it nudges the Jet Stream slightly. 672 00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:17,520 And that might displace it upwards 673 00:39:17,520 --> 00:39:19,480 or put a fold in it, 674 00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:22,280 or it might just alter the Jet Stream across Everest. 675 00:39:22,280 --> 00:39:25,040 And that means that we're then not subjected to 676 00:39:25,040 --> 00:39:28,360 the huge winds that we would otherwise experience. 677 00:39:29,520 --> 00:39:32,400 When the wind drops, there are weather windows. 678 00:39:33,800 --> 00:39:37,480 It might be anything from a 12-hour window 679 00:39:37,480 --> 00:39:40,800 to a four, five, six, even 11 or 12-day window, 680 00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:44,080 where you're looking for benign conditions 681 00:39:44,080 --> 00:39:46,480 where we can then operate safely on the mountain. 682 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:51,680 For decades, climbers had little idea 683 00:39:51,680 --> 00:39:53,240 when a weather window would open. 684 00:39:55,280 --> 00:39:58,680 Now, most climbers only summit during weather windows. 685 00:40:00,680 --> 00:40:02,680 One of the great things that we've got nowadays 686 00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:05,040 is the weather forecasting that comes in. 687 00:40:05,040 --> 00:40:09,000 And it's getting more and more accurate. 688 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:11,400 When a weather window does open, 689 00:40:11,400 --> 00:40:14,120 hundreds of climbers converge on the summit. 690 00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:17,400 People are opting for that optimum day, 691 00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:19,560 so you do get this problem of overcrowding. 692 00:40:20,720 --> 00:40:24,080 You're moving fairly slowly anyway. 693 00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:26,240 And if you're in a queue 694 00:40:26,240 --> 00:40:28,280 and so you are moving even slower, 695 00:40:28,280 --> 00:40:30,480 and the oxygen is still flowing, 696 00:40:30,480 --> 00:40:35,480 your life is basically being jeopardised. 697 00:40:35,480 --> 00:40:38,600 And you could find yourself very high on the mountain, 698 00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:42,400 becoming extremely exhausted and hypoxic, 699 00:40:42,400 --> 00:40:44,960 which is lack of oxygen to the brain, 700 00:40:44,960 --> 00:40:47,080 and you could die as a result. 701 00:40:49,720 --> 00:40:54,600 2019 was one of the deadliest years in Mount Everest's history. 702 00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:58,440 11 people lost their lives. 703 00:40:58,440 --> 00:41:00,680 Many of the deaths on Everest 704 00:41:00,680 --> 00:41:03,560 occur high, particularly high on the south-east ridge. 705 00:41:04,720 --> 00:41:07,000 When climbers have to wait in queues, 706 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:09,960 they risk running short of oxygen 707 00:41:09,960 --> 00:41:12,560 and may not have enough left for the journey down. 708 00:41:12,560 --> 00:41:15,960 We do have that problem of being somewhere 709 00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:19,280 where, as human beings, we're not naturally supposed to be. 710 00:41:19,280 --> 00:41:23,200 Without artificial support of oxygen, people die. 711 00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:26,080 I think the overcrowding has made Mount Everest 712 00:41:26,080 --> 00:41:29,280 actually more dangerous than it was before. 713 00:41:29,280 --> 00:41:32,320 How that might be resolved, could there be a code of conduct 714 00:41:32,320 --> 00:41:35,240 or even if there should be a rescue service on Everest, 715 00:41:35,240 --> 00:41:39,480 which is anathema to a traditional mountaineering way of thinking, 716 00:41:39,480 --> 00:41:41,160 that you're self-supporting 717 00:41:41,160 --> 00:41:44,160 and the last thing you'd want to do is get on a mobile and ask for help! 718 00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:46,200 I think something has to be done 719 00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:49,720 to try and regulate this, 720 00:41:49,720 --> 00:41:52,160 otherwise, people are just lambs to the slaughter. 721 00:41:54,320 --> 00:41:56,880 Mount Everest's epic tale 722 00:41:56,880 --> 00:41:58,400 from tragedy to triumph 723 00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:00,120 has come full circle. 724 00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:06,880 In this programme, we've discovered how brave pioneers died 725 00:42:06,880 --> 00:42:11,040 because they lacked the scientific knowledge to climb the mountain. 726 00:42:12,120 --> 00:42:13,960 But by the 1950s, 727 00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:16,000 mountaineering had evolved. 728 00:42:16,000 --> 00:42:19,840 Climbers had learned how to breathe, how to stay warm 729 00:42:19,840 --> 00:42:22,720 and how to find a safe way to the top. 730 00:42:24,160 --> 00:42:27,560 I think Mount Everest is an incredible symbol of human progress. 731 00:42:27,560 --> 00:42:32,720 In 100 years, we discovered where it was, how high it was, 732 00:42:32,720 --> 00:42:36,320 what to climb it with, your clothing, the oxygen. 733 00:42:36,320 --> 00:42:37,640 Everything. 734 00:42:37,640 --> 00:42:39,840 By the end of the 1980s, 735 00:42:39,840 --> 00:42:43,840 just 284 people had stood on the summit. 736 00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:46,760 Now, over the last decade, 737 00:42:46,760 --> 00:42:50,560 nearly 4,000 climbers have made it to the top. 738 00:42:50,560 --> 00:42:53,360 It's become now so simple 739 00:42:53,360 --> 00:42:57,000 that a 13-year-old boy can climb Mount Everest. 740 00:42:57,000 --> 00:42:59,360 It's more accessible. That's not a bad thing. 741 00:42:59,360 --> 00:43:02,320 More people will have the opportunity to climb it. 742 00:43:02,320 --> 00:43:06,040 That's not a bad thing. But it is a very, very different experience. 743 00:43:07,280 --> 00:43:09,640 We can never turn back the wheel. 744 00:43:09,640 --> 00:43:13,880 Now, from natural disasters to overcrowding, 745 00:43:13,880 --> 00:43:16,960 Mount Everest is still one of the most inhospitable, 746 00:43:16,960 --> 00:43:19,880 daunting and dangerous places on the planet. 747 00:43:20,960 --> 00:43:23,880 But the mountain will always stand proud, 748 00:43:23,880 --> 00:43:27,720 a breathtaking symbol of our spirit of adventure, 749 00:43:27,720 --> 00:43:30,200 our need to explore... 750 00:43:31,600 --> 00:43:33,760 ..and our desire to conquer. 751 00:43:36,480 --> 00:43:38,720 Mount Everest hasn't changed itself. 752 00:43:38,720 --> 00:43:40,560 It's still the highest mountain in the world, 753 00:43:40,560 --> 00:43:43,600 it's still a beautiful wilderness. 754 00:43:43,600 --> 00:43:46,760 Now, people just pour up it in hundreds. 755 00:43:46,760 --> 00:43:51,440 But essentially itself, it's indifferent to humanity. 756 00:43:51,440 --> 00:43:53,400 It's still the same mountain. 757 00:44:19,000 --> 00:44:21,160 Subtitles by Red Bee Media