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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]

♪

♪

♪