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[traditional Nepali instrumental]
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♪
[Alex] My name is Alex Harz. I've just arrived
in one of the most surreal cities
in the world, Kathmandu.
It is here that I will begin to explore
the captivating country of Nepal
and start a quest to fulfill my childhood promise
of climbing the highest mountain on earth,
Mt. Everest.
This is my quest.
♪
My buddy, Kumar, is a local expert
on the ancient and mysterious city of Kathmandu.
Kumar!
He's going to take me around and show me
some of Nepal's most important sights.
Thank you so much for meeting me. So, what's the plan?
What do you got for us?
I-- I am so excited.
♪
Two of the world's five major religions,
Hinduism and Buddhism,
are deeply embedded into the culture
of the South Asian country.
♪
For over 2,000 years, worshippers,
travelers and traders have come
to Kathmandu for spiritual guidance and to prepare
for their treacherous journey
into the great Himalayan mountains
that lie just beyond.
So, Kumar, tell us a little bit about Pashupatinath.
[Kumar]
[Alex] Destruction and creation?
[Kumar]
[Alex] Wow.
A deer?
Okay.
[Alex] As legend has it, Lord Shiva
was so impressed by the beauty of this location
that he turned in incarnation of himself into a deer
to roam the forests and banks of the river here.
It's a bit hard to imagine the beauty the deer
may have seen thousands of years ago,
given how polluted this sacred river is today.
After flowing through this site dedicated
to an incarnation of Lord Shiva,
the Bagmati River continues downstream
'til it eventually merges with the holiest
Hindu river of them all, the mighty Ganges of India.
[Alex] Faithful Hindus can have their bodies burned
on the Arya Ghat cremation platforms
and their ashes swept into the Bagmati.
This whole process takes about three to four hours.
The general belief is that if good karma
has outweighed the bad over the course
of one or more lifetimes, the final rituals
at Pashupatinath may grant the soul "moksha"
or liberation from the ongoing Hindu reincarnation
cycle of birth, death and rebirth,
and thus allowing one soul to unify with the Supreme Being.
[indistinct chatter]
[soft instrumental]
Kumar suggested I check out the temple grounds
and seek out these men known as sadhus
who live here to possibly
get some spiritual advice for my quest.
Sadhus are holy Hindu wise men who have decided
to give up all their worldly possessions and desires
in order to focus on achieving moksha.
And though they cut their ties to their families
and get rid of their family name to live a righteous
hermit lifestyle, they are well-respected and revered
throughout Hindu society.
It's even widely believed that their mere presence
can help cleanse a community of bad karma.
♪
Alex.
[Alex] Hanuman Baba.
[Alex] Fantastic. I love it. And how did you get that name?
[Alex] Okay.
-[Alex] Awesome. -[Hanuman Baba] Yeah, yeah.
-That's great. -Yeah.
How does one find their atman,
their personal essence in life?
Do you have any final words of wisdom,
uh, that you can tell me for my quest?
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much.
Can you give me a final blessing, gentlemen?
[Alex] Thank you.
Successful life, yes.
-Thank you so much. -And this.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much, monkey god.
Thank you.
[Hanuman Baba chuckles]
The cremation ghats and sadhus
at Pashupatinath are humbling reminders
that death is undeniable and that our passing life
might actually matter.
This place has me really reflecting
on what my quest may ultimately have
in store for me.
♪
In order to clear the air of Pashupatinath,
it was time to do some exploring.
[uptempo Nepali music]
Often the best way to get to know
the true essence and culture of a city
is by walking its streets and talking to its people.
♪
I struck up a conversation with a man
outside of a typical Kathmandu shop
and he offered to show me around.
[Alex] Thank you so much.
[Alex] That's where I'm going.
No American Army. No. Just, uh, I came over to see Nepal
and to climb Mt. Everest.
[Alex] Okay.
Okay. Yes, yes. Yes, yes. Absolutely.
We leave tomorrow.
Yeah, yeah. Really early in the morning.
Like, five-- 5:30.
Yeah. Fly to Lukla, yes.
[Alex, laughing] A bumping road.
Is that how it is?
[Alex] Is that-- Is that why, uh, Lukla
is the most dangerous airport in the world?
[Alex] Like this size?
[Alex] Just drop bomb. Okay.
[motor humming]
[Alex] Ah, very nice.
[Alex] Very nice. How many monks? Just one?
[Alex] Hello.
[Alex] Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Okay. That's old, okay, yes.
[Alex] What's this? What's with the flags here?
That looks like a old Soviet--
Communist Party?
So, are those flags up all over the place?
Because of the Chinese or because...
[Alex laughs]
Wow. So-- So, the civil war--
-Yeah, civil war-- -That ended in 2006, right?
[military marching music]
[Alex] In February 1996, a brutal civil war
began raging through Nepal.
The newly formed Communist Party of Nepal,
or CPN, started an insurgency
against the ruling Shah monarchy,
a dynasty that was started over 200 years ago
by the first king and father of Nepal,
Prithvi Narayan Shah.
[somber instrumental]
The CPN's objectives were threefold:
overthrow Nepal's royal Hindu government,
abolish the long-standing Shah monarchy
and convert the country into a Chinese-style
people's republic.
[inaudible]
♪
Much of the guerrilla war was fought
in the countryside, rural hills and jungles,
killing around 18,000 people and displacing
hundreds of thousands of Nepalese
by the time the ten-year conflict was over.
By May 2008, the Communists
had taken control of Nepal and the kingdom,
along with its Shah monarchy were officially abolished.
This has led to an interesting dichotomy
because Nepal is culturally dominated
by its Hindu roots out of neighboring India
to the south, but its government is ruled
by communist doctrine coming
from its Chinese neighbor to the north.
[man speaking Nepali]
[Alex] Needless to say, India and China
are far from being friends, and thus Nepal
is stuck in the middle of a geopolitical chess match
between the world's two most populated countries.
♪
You got shot right here. Let's see it.
-[guide] Yeah, yeah, yeah-- -You got shot right there.
[Alex] Oh, right there? Came out there?
[Alex] M-16. How did you get shot?
-[guide] Huh? -Where were you?
[Alex] And-- But did you shoot-- Did you shoot back?
[Alex] Really?
[Alex] You had a knife.
[Alex] Wow. And they both had guns?
[Alex] And you also got shot here, right?
-Wow. -Yeah.
Wow. Were you scared?
[Alex] Five-- Five times.
And are you okay now?
[Alex] Oh, you can't move the fingers.
Oh, yeah.
[Alex] And you survived.
-Huh? -You survived.
[Alex] You can hear. You can think.
[Alex] Yeah. And you're happy?
[Alex] All right. That's good.
[motor revs]
Back with my buddy, Kumar,
for a visit to the Golden Stupa of Boudhanath.
[traditional Nepali instrumental]
Boudhanath has the largest stupa,
or Buddhist shrine in Nepal
and sits on a famous pilgrimage site
that dates back over 1,400 years.
It is said that the original shrine was built
by a Tibetan king after he converted
to Buddhism around 600 A.D.
Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha himself,
was actually born in Nepal. Following his life,
Buddhism spread outward from Nepal
to the rest of the world.
Many faithful followers believe
that a piece of the Buddha skeleton is buried here,
making Boudhanath even more significant for those
worshippers of his religion.
In ancient times, during the days
of the historic Silk Road, which connected
the Western world with the East for 1,500 years,
Boudhanath became a crucial transit point
between the Kathmandu Valley
and the Tibetan Plateau to the north.
[Kumar]
-[Alex] Nirvana? -[Kumar] Yeah.
So, you have to go up the 13 steps?
[Kumar]
Right. Right.
So, you would recommend I should do
one circumnavigation around--
♪
[Alex] More recently, Boudhanath has become
a place of refuge for Buddhists
who have fled religious persecution in China
and has become an unofficial, symbolic home
of the Dalai Lama,
the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.
[horns playing]
[Alex] When he left Tibet?
♪
[Alex] As I leave Boudhanath, I feel more hopeful
for my quest and have a greater sense of understanding
for this amazing city and fascinating country.
♪
The following day, I head to the airport
with my good friend and Mt. Everest
expedition leader, Ryan Waters.
[airport din]
With my international teammates,
Gilberto Thoen from Brazil,
Gulnur Tumbat of Turkey
and Erland Ness from Norway,
we anxiously await for a flight to the mighty Himalayas
and to embark on our mutual quest to try to climb
the highest mountain in the world.
Ready to go to the Himalayas?
Yes. Yes, to make the summit with you
because you are a strong and big man.
[laughter]
[Alex] While sitting on a couch as a teenager
in the flat farmlands of the American Midwest,
I saw something on TV about Mt. Everest.
At that moment, I promised myself
that one day I will climb that mountain.
[electronic music]
Out of sight and out of mind for many years,
until one day while sitting on my couch
in Denver, Colorado, watching random
daytime television, and for no apparent reason,
a recollection came over me that I made an oath
to myself years ago to climb Everest.
The next day, my quest to fulfill
a childhood promise began because if you can't,
keep your word to yourself, how can you guarantee
your commitments to anyone else?
♪
The high risk of an Everest expedition
starts with the flight to Lukla
because Tenzing-Hillary Airport is considered
one of the most dangerous runways in the world.
[plane rumbling]
After safely landing, we find ourselves
9,400 feet above sea level.
And though there are no roads that lead to Lukla,
it is the gateway to the Khumbu Valley
and the starting point for most Everest expeditions
in Nepal.
It is here we begin our nine-day trek
to Mt. Everest base camp.
Today we're gonna hike from Lukla to [indistinct].
And we're not quite in the wild yet because we can
still walk past teahouses.
You're able to buy water,
coke, snickers bars, whatever you need.
Uh, so just keep that self-care going and if nothing else,
we'll get going on the trail.
[melodic flute instrumental]
Along the trek starting today, we're gonna come across
a lot of the rocks that have prayers
carved into them and-- and-- and so the tradition here
is to walk to the left side around these things.
It's just a Buddhist belief.
[bells clanging]
[Alex] Sounds of clanging bells,
shuffling hooves
and the shouted commands of mule,
yak and [indistinct] herds
carrying cargo up and down the valley
are melodic reminders of daily life on the trail.
Since there are no roads in the Khumbu,
everything transported up to Everest Base camp
has to be carried by a human or an animal
or by a helicopter.
[helicopter whirring]
♪
[water rushing]
[Alex] The Sherpa, or people of the East,
migrated to the Khumbu Valley
from the Kham region of eastern Tibet
over 600 years ago in search
of a sacred hidden valley protected by deities.
[melodic Eastern instrumental]
They brought with them Tibetan Buddhism,
which is a hybrid mix of traditional Buddhist beliefs
and bond mysticism.
♪
Being the dominant ethnic group in the Khumbu,
the Sherpa culture, their daily lifestyle
and deep spirituality is ever present throughout the region.
♪
[Alex] And I'm sure it'd make your father proud, too.
♪
[Alex] The importance of Tashi as our expedition serdar
cannot be overstated.
The serdar, or head Sherpa mountain guide,
manages all the climbing Sherpas and porters
on an Everest expedition and is responsible
for much of the climbing and trekking decisions.
♪
Tashi, alongside Ryan,
will be integral to our success as a team.
♪
A few days into our quest,
we arrive in idyllic Namche Bazaar,
the de facto capital of the Sherpa people.
Nestled into the side of a mountain at 11,300 feet,
this crescent-shaped village was once
an important trading hub between Tibet to the north
and Kathmandu below.
[dranyan instrumental]
Today, Namche has a charming mix
of modernization and traditional Sherpa culture.
♪
-[Alex] Hey! Pasang! -Hello.
-How are you? -[Alex] How you doing?
-Good, good. -It's great to see you.
Good to see you again.
What's this guitar you're playing here?
Dranyen. What does that mean?
So, listen to the string.
Well, before I have one of your fantastic coffees,
can you play one more little song for me?
Okay.
[playing gentle melody]
[Pasang singing]
[Alex] The Sherpa were traditionally nomadic herders,
high altitude farmers and Himalayan salt traders
until the most famous Sherpa of them all,
Tenzing Norgay, successfully summited
Mt. Everest alongside his climbing partner
and friend, Sir Edmund Hillary on May 29th, 1953.
[Pasang continues singing]
That famous day would forever put the Khumbu Valley
on the map and started the economic transition
from nomadic herding, trading and farming
to climbing, trekking and international tourism.
♪
Given their centuries of exposure
to the extreme altitudes of the Khumbu,
the Sherpa were genetically suited for this new,
prosperous economy and for becoming
the backbone of arduous and dangerous Everest expeditions.
[singing fades]
[wind rushing]
Five days into our trek, we make our way
into the village of Pangboche, home to the oldest
monastery in the Khumbu and surrounded
by hundreds of hand-carved mani stones
which feature the most recited Tibetan Buddhist prayer,
"Om mani padme hum",
a powerful homage to Lord Buddha.
We're waiting to meet the Lama for a blessing
to protect us while we climb the mountain.
So, it's tradition for Everest climbers
to come here and get a blessing.
[whispering indistinctly]
[gentle instrumental]
♪
[Alex] As we go higher in the Khumbu,
the landscape becomes harsher and more remote.
The use of helicopters up here becomes integral
during the Everest climbing season
for delivering supplies, as well as for saving lives.
[melodic flute instrumental]
♪
Now we're about to head into Dingboche
where we're gonna be staying for a night
and then we're actually gonna stay
another night for a rest day.
Yeah.
♪
[Alex] Throughout our expedition,
we take multiple hikes or climbs
to higher altitude before coming back down
to sleep at a lower elevation.
This process is called acclimatization
and it triggers the body to produce more red blood cells
so we can survive at extreme altitude.
Without proper acclimatization,
you're more susceptible to altitude-induced
ailments such as erratic breathing
and dangerous heart rates,
or even fluid in the lungs or swelling of the brain.
We've been trekking for, I think, what? Seven days now,
roughly? And, uh, we're looking good as a team.
So, today is a rest day even though we just took
a short acclimatization hike uphill.
Um, it helps us sleep a little bit better tonight
at this town, and then sets us up a little better
for going up to our next location at Lobuche.
♪
You see this snow that we can just see
below the clouds there?
That was a glacier. These glaciers used to meet
and go all the way down this valley,
and that's what created that valley.
And then those-- those, over millions of years,
have receded uphill and then grown again
and then receded and grown again.
And so cycles, year after year.
It's a nice walk tomorrow,
about the same as yesterday
coming in and-- and, uh, beautiful walking along
the valley above Pheriche and, uh--
and then we'll actually kind of pass
through the Everest memorial area.
[indistinct chatter]
[wind blowing]
About halfway between Dingboche and Lobuche
we come across a little pass here where there's
a memorial area for a lot of climbers, mostly Everest people
that have had accidents or passed away.
And, uh, just kind of walking around,
looking at the different memorial plates.
[sweeping instrumental]
[sniffles]
♪
[music fading, wind howling]
[low chattering]
[Alex] What's the plan?
We're gonna walk to Gorak Shep.
[Alex] Two more days 'til base camp.
♪
[Ryan] So, a lot of these mountains have names,
either Daughter Mountain, daughter of Everest,
they believe.
And then, also,
you'll hear the, "se," at the back,
something "se," "Lhot-se," "Kumbut-se."
Also means mountain, or can mean a direction, sometimes.
That's-- That's the border of Tibet and-- and Nepal,
right over the tops of these peaks.
♪
We keep walking soon and we'll see Everest.
♪
[helicopter whirring]
[Alex] We reached the last settlement
before Mt. Everest base camp, named Gorak Shep.
Sitting on a frozen sandy lake bed at just under 17,000 feet,
Gorak Shep is the highest village in the world
and mainly consists of teahouse lodges
serving trekkers and climbers heading to base camp.
[wind gusting]
With each breath here, we bring in roughly
half the amount of oxygen than we would at sea level.
While acclimatizing above Gorak Shep,
we can see Everest towering in the distance.
[bells clanging]
We finally reach our expedition base camp
nine days after leaving the village of Lukla
and are graciously met by the rest
of our mountain professionals team.
[cheering and clapping]
Big hand to the boys.
[Alex] Absolutely.
This one mile-long tent city perched at 17,500 feet
known as Everest Base Camp or EBC,
is a fascinating place.
EBC sits and moves on the world's
highest flowing slab of ice, the Khumbu Glacier.
[footsteps marching]
It is painstakingly set up every year by teams
from around the world and then broken back down
once the two-month climbing season is over.
[rocks crunching]
[zipping]
While settling in at base camp,
I take the opportunity to get to know
my team better, as well as speak with other expedition
teams and a variety of experts in order to get
more insight about Mt. Everest.
I'm not a mountaineer. And you don't realize
how much behind the scenes is going on
to facilitate the people who are climbing their dreams.
So, there may only be five Everest climbers,
but the logistics behind enabling them is enormous.
[Alex] Many expedition staffs are made up of cooks,
porters, medical experts and climbing crews,
all of which are key to success on Everest.
[uptempo flute instrumental]
[Russell] Everest is still worth
quite a lot of money to Nepal.
Just the expeditions paid $3.8 million
just to the government for our names on pieces of paper.
But I don't think the media have given us as operators
a very fair run.
They criticize us, "Oh, you'll make profit.
And you don't look after the Sherpa and duh-duh-duh."
And you go, "But you didn't really do
any research into that."
This Khumbu is actually quite a rich part of Nepal.
Few weeks ago there are goat farmers.
You know? One of the sherpas here must have been
going to go home with, you know,
five to $7,000 in their pocket for two,
two and a half months work in a country
where the average income is $700 a year.
You can understand why the operator wants to promote
work for them. In our own little way, we could actually
help these people and the Sherpa people embrace that.
[background chatter]
What do you think the Khumbu Valley
would look like without Everest?
You're so inspirational,
to know that you're a woman climber from a region
where there's no women climber,
-not even guy climbers. -Yes.
There's got to be so many women and little girls
out there that would love to do what you're doing.
♪
How did you become a Sherpa
or a climbing Sherpa on Mt. Everest?
Are they-- Are they scared? Or do--
Are they more happy for you?
[Alex] Did you try on the harness I gave you?
[Ryan] Uh- huh. He's got it.
Lean forward. Lean forward. You're--
Yeah. You want to stay on top of your feet.
Well, we just arrived at base camp and, you know,
we need to take some days just to move in
and get acclimated. Inevitably, we will see some,
you know, some headaches. People maybe develop
common colds and stuff like that.
So we take it slow at the start.
We want to get acclimated.
And also do a couple
acclimatization hikes around here.
Just, we want to keep getting higher than base camp
and come back down and sleep here
and that allows our bodies to kind of sleep better
at this elevation. And that sets us up
for going to Camp 1 later.
♪
[Alex] For someone like me, who's on a quest himself
to climb this mountain for the first time,
what piece of advice would you give someone?
[eerie instrumental]
[Alex] No matter how well trained you are
or how mentally tough you may be,
the one major factor you can't change
for determining success on Everest is your genetics.
Got a little bit of altitude sickness up here,
about 17,500 feet. Thought I could pull through
but don't have the strength
so I'm getting a helicopter evacuation.
♪
[Alex] There they are makin' a custom helipad for you.
Wouldn't guess that, would you?
No.
[Alex] Amazing how the operation works up here.
You're either born with the ability to survive
at extreme altitude or you're not.
And if you're unable to acclimatize
during an Everest expedition,
helicopter evacuation to lower elevation
may be your only option.
Mt. Everest is very sacred to the Sherpa people.
They call it "Chomolungma" which means
"Goddess Mother of the World."
[Alex] Chomolungma is so revered by the Sherpa
that no one is allowed to climb the mountain
without first taking part in a puja ceremony.
[rapid chanting]
[singing]
[rapid chanting]
[wind howling]
Zip. Zz! It's time!
[laughter]
[low chattering]
What's this?
[man] Bag lunch.
[Ryan] Packed lunch... Let's rock and roll.
♪
Just follow me when you're ready.
[bright instrumental]
[Alex] Nowhere in the world will we climb
a huge maze of collapsing ice towers
the size of cars and buildings to reach a summit
except on Mt. Everest.
[heavy breathing]
♪
[Ryan] How we doin'?
Good, man.
Hey, nowhere else in the world
would we climb an ice fall like this.
[Alex] Right.
-Nowhere. -[Alex] Right.
-Um, you'd be nutter. -[Alex] Yeah.
This jumbled sheet of ice and crevasses
flows downhill at up to six feet a day
and is considered by many to be the most deadly
two and a half miles on earth.
If we want to make it to the top of the world,
we have to go up and down the icefall multiple times,
not only to acclimatize our bodies to increasing altitudes,
but also for carrying equipment
to the four camps that lie above.
♪
Climbing in the Khumbu Icefall is a delicate balance
between safety and moving as fast as possible.
It's a constant, evolving gamble to figure out
the best way to avoid randomly collapsing
blocks of ice and avalanches going off around us
while also trying to navigate shifting crevasses.
It's the climbing equivalent of playing Russian roulette.
And of the over 300 people that have died on Everest,
unfortunately, many have perished in this icefall.
You know, the icefall doesn't lend itself to many mistakes.
And so that philosophy of just kind of moving consistent
and not getting tired, where you're forced to take a break
under something that may be a little dangerous.
Um, yeah. We wa-- We want to move through there
nice and efficient, get past any obstacles that may
be a danger to us and then pop out up on Camp 1,
you know, feeling good and looking like we're a team
climbing in good style.
[wind howls]
[snow crunches]
[Alex] After weaving our way up through the icefall,
we enter Camp 1, situated around 19,700 feet
in the Western Cwm.
[crunching]
The Western Cwm is a crevasse filled valley
and the starting point of the Khumbu Glacier.
It is surrounded by the towering trio of Mt. Everest,
Mt. Lhotse and Mt. Nuptse.
[wind howling]
It is here that we get our first unobstructed view
of Everest and our route to the three remaining camps
to reach in the days and weeks to come.
Because it reminds you again, to take a step back,
remember that this whole thing is step by step.
We knew this was going to take a long time.
We knew it wasn't going to be easy.
In-- In my head, like, try to calm myself down. Okay.
Step by step. Don't look at the summit.
Don't look at the mountain.
Don't think about that part, at least.
We came from an era of new equipment
and not knowing anything, and we didn't have
anyone to teach us.
So probably 80% of my mates have died.
And of course I spent 28 years living in Chamonix.
And um, it's not unusual to be having a beer with somebody
one night and they're not there the next day.
10 expeditions up the hill.
That's-- That's enough for me. It's dangerous up there.
And I feel lucky to be alive
after 10 expeditions on Mt. Everest.
I personally was expecting things to happen.
Here we're hearing the avalanches happening
around us all day, all night. But when we're on icefall,
like, some of those are close-ish.
Like, "Okay, wait a minute."
Those two avalanches that we saw pretty close.
And also the, the collapse that we saw
on the way back down.
And we had to wait as we saw the seracs fall over
and all the jumbled ice there and the new crevasses
that opened up and we had to find our way through.
[Gulnur] I mean, you have to be scared.
It's healthy to be scared.
[Alex] I also heard you had some incidents
higher on the mountain, too.
Yeah, it will be interesting to see how it is
-now going back up. -[Erland] Yeah--
[Alex] With the new route through the collapsed area.
What are your thoughts on the collapse
that happened on the icefall the other day?
And these things will continue to happen.
You know, be scared and be intimidated and be humble.
♪
[Alex] The icefall doctors are actually the people
that set the route to the Khumbu Icefall, right?
How does the route look now,
now that the collapse has taken place
and they've added or changed the route?
How does it look now?
[vocalizing over relaxing synth instrumental]
[man] Gotta wash my base layers then.
Thanks, SD.
[low chatter]
Ah!
[laughter]
♪
[wind howls]
[Alex] Just when you think you got a break
from the difficulties of climbing in the Khumbu Icefall,
you are now faced with climbing a 60 foot vertical wall
of snow in the thin air of the Cwm above 20,000 feet.
As well as tiptoeing on swaying aluminum ladders
held together by a thin rope,
in order to pass gaping crevasses.
[crunching]
[wind howls]
Before going further above 21,000 feet
during our two acclimatization cycles in the Western Cwm,
we will rest at Camp 2
and discuss the strategy
for scaling the upcoming Lhotse Face
and our moves higher up the mountain.
[Ryan] But the main thing you ought to know is
once we start on those ropes, there's--
There's really no such thing as a break anymore.
It's too dangerous for people to be out there
with water bottles and stuff when there's people below you.
If you drop one, it's like a rock coming down that hill.
So we'll go all the way till we get to camp, to the flat.
[panting]
[Alex] The Lhotse Face is a daunting 5,000 foot wall
of steep ice that stands between Camp 2 and Camp 4.
The goal is to reach around 23,500 feet in elevation
on the face in order to complete our acclimatization.
Since your body can no longer acclimatize
above these altitudes, we don't go any higher
until we make our final push for the summit.
[Alex] So it's all the way back down to base camp we go
in order to give our bodies time to recover
while also waiting on the weather to give us a chance
to head back up for the summit.
And though it may feel demoralizing
to lose altitude after working so hard to gain it,
this up and down acclimatization process
is a necessary component of Everest expeditions
and a major reason why it takes one and a half
to two months to climb the goddess mother of the world.
Back at base camp, we monitor global weather patterns
to decide when to take our chance for the summit.
If the monsoons coming from India are able to push
the jet stream winds off the top of Everest,
sporadic weather windows may open up
to allow for summit attempts.
[Ryan] If the 18th turns out to be a good weather day
on our forecast, then that means we'd be leaving
base camp on the 14th to start up.
[Alex] Every team makes their own decisions
based on weather predictions they have received
for when it's best to try to go for the summit.
Based on our best guess projections,
tomorrow we take the gamble and head back up the mountain.
♪
With the heart pounding because of altitude
and the great unknown for what lies ahead on our summit push,
up the mountain we go one more time.
[powerful Eastern instrumental]
After a rest day at Camp two,
we start up the steep Lhotse Face again
but this time wearing -40 below zero summit suits.
[Alex] We spend the night at Camp 3,
dug into the ice at 23,600 feet
before continuing our relentless ascent
up the steep face.
And in order to get to the top of this 5,000 foot wall of ice,
we push on hour after hour.
♪
I feel a slight sense of satisfaction
reaching the top of the Lhotse face
but little sense of relief because we still need
to scale the challenging Geneva Spur ahead
if we want to make it to Camp 4.
Cresting the Geneva Spur brings us into direct sight
of Everest's majestic triangular face
but it also lands us directly into the death zone.
Near 26,000 feet or 8,000 meters and above,
we will die if we stay here too long, for each breath here
takes in only about one third the amount of oxygen
than what we would get down at sea level.
[wind whistling]
After a tough day of climbing from Camp 3,
we make our way into Camp 4,
also known as South Col.
This harsh, desolate and wind battered landscape
is the final staging point
for our summit attempt later on tonight.
[hymnal chanting plays]
With no sleep and little rest, it's now or never.
We leave South Col at midnight
for our one chance at the summit.
♪
Ryan and I lead the way out of Camp 4.
And after climbing all night
into the cold, dark unknown of the triangular face,
dawn finally approaches.
♪
Now that daylight has arrived,
we take a short break at 27,660 feet
on the balcony of Everest.
[wind howls]
Tashi and I start up the southeast ridge alone
while Ryan gathers the rest of the team.
[wind howls]
We see the whole southeast ridge in front of us.
We are now climbing on the international border
between China and Nepal.
To my left is Nepal,
while down my right side is China.
And the massive Kangshung face of Everest
dropping off into the Tibetan plateau.
[wind whistling]
Up here in the thin air where commercial jetliners fly,
it is hard to move, breathe, and think clearly.
So it's one slow step after another
as we painstakingly force our way up the ridge.
♪
At the 28,700 foot south summit of Everest,
we get our first glimpse of the true summit straight ahead.
While climbing this knife-edge ridge
known as the Cornice Traverse,
mixed feelings of exhilaration and anxiety flow through me
as I'm faced with sheer drop offs
of thousands of feet to either side.
[wind whistles]
Scaling the legendary Hillary Step
at over 28,000 feet all alone is a unique experience.
It is at this moment I wondered
what Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
felt in 1953, when they were here alone
on their quest to try to reach the top of the world.
[bright synth instrumental]
Reaching the summit slope, my anticipation rises
as I see the top of the world in front of us.
♪
With no one in sight, Tashi and I make our final push.
There it is.
There's the summit of Mt. Everest.
Fulfilling a childhood promise and a lifelong dream
are now just steps away.
♪
A feeling and view like no other,
Tashi and I graciously stand
beside colorful prayer flags and tributes
on the highest point on earth.
As I gaze hundreds of miles into China,
Nepal, and India from 29,032 feet above sea level,
I feel humbled and honored
that the goddess mother of the world
has allowed us safe passage to her summit.
♪
[bell tinkling]
Thank you, thank you.
[eerie piano instrumental]
And though we savor every moment here,
I know it's on borrowed time
because the whole team has to get down safely
before running out of oxygen, energy, or good weather
if we all want to survive.
More people die on Everest during the descent
than on the way up because of physical over exhaustion
or decreased mental focus.
So you can never lose your concentration when repelling
or when crossing deep crevasses
over nerve-racking ladders.
It's one more game of Russian roulette
in the unstable Khumbu Icefall before we can reach
the relative safety of base camp.
[riveting synth instrumental]
Safely back at Everest base camp
and 52 days after starting our quest
to climb Chomolungma, it's finally time
to say goodbye to the highest mountain on earth.
[Eastern festive instrumental]
[excited speaking]
I've never been to this country before.
I've never been to the Khumbu Valley,
never been to Mt. Everest.
It's not about this mountain.
It's about you guys.
All the people that I've met in the last 45 days
are some of the best people on this planet.
That's what this is about.
I love you guys and I'm so excited
and so proud to have got to know you
and to be a part of my family in my heart.
-Cheers. -[man] Cheers.
-[man 2] Cheers. -[man 3] Cheers, Alex.
[Alex] Mt. Everest is truly a one of a kind
and remarkable place.
It is awe-inspiring, it is humbling
and it is an epic reminder
of the human spirit of adventure
that lives inside us all.
[up-tempo pop strings instrumental]
♪
-The Rum Doodle Restaurant. -[Ryan] The Rum Doodle.
[Alex] 40,000 and a half feet.
Kathmandu, full circle. We're back. Cheers.
-Cheers, buddy. -[Ryan] Congratulations.
Thank you so much.
Having an Everest beer
after climbing Mt. Everest is not the worst thing
I can think of.
Yeah, I mean, it was successful.
Everyone was safe and a lot of summits and good time, yeah.
[Alex] Well, I have to say, um,
it was a heck of an experience for me, for sure.
Everything that had to do with the mountain
and the experience was that and more
than whatever I pictured in my mind prior.
[Ryan] So now we have to find a way
for you to sign the wall, get your, uh, Everest card.
Hopefully you... Hopefully you can eat here
the rest of your life for free.
[Alex] That's pretty cool.
[heartfelt piano instrumental]
[coughing]
[Ryan] "Everest is hard."
[chuckles]
Ain't that the truth.
♪
[Kumar speaks indistinctly]
-Yeah, I'm happy. -[Alex] All right.
-This is the life. -[Alex] That's good.
[bell dings]
♪
[speaking indistinctly]
[clapping]
♪
[Alex] Thank you. [indistinct]
♪
I came to Nepal on a quest
to explore this captivating country
and to honor a childhood promise.
But I leave with so much more...
♪
A deeper respect for its people,
a greater understanding of myself,
and new lifetime bonds that will never be broken.
♪
[heartfelt piano & synth instrumental]
♪