Original subtitles

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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]

[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]

[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]

♪

♪

♪