1
00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,200
Mount Everest...
2
00:01:03,700 --> 00:01:07,200
Twenty-nine thousand feet...
3
00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:12,800
The highest point on Earth...
4
00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,100
Captivating and deadly.
5
00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:19,700
In the 1920s,
to conquer this mountain
6
00:01:19,700 --> 00:01:24,100
was the greatest challenge remaining
in a golden age of adventure.
7
00:01:27,500 --> 00:01:30,700
Everest was the edge of heaven,
8
00:01:30,700 --> 00:01:34,600
where many believed
no human could survive.
9
00:01:36,700 --> 00:01:39,000
But not George Mallory.
10
00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:08,200
"Everest is the last
great conquest for man...
11
00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:10,900
The Wildest Dream."
12
00:02:25,500 --> 00:02:29,800
George Mallory dreamed of being
the first man to climb Everest.
13
00:02:29,900 --> 00:02:33,100
On June 8, 1924,
14
00:02:33,100 --> 00:02:36,600
dressed in gabardine
and hobnailed boots,
15
00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:39,500
he and his fellow climber,
Sandy Irvine,
16
00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:42,900
were last seen
800 feet below the summit.
17
00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:50,300
Then the clouds rolled in...
18
00:02:50,500 --> 00:02:52,900
They were never seen alive again.
19
00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:02,000
Many believed that almost 30 years
before Everest was officially conquered,
20
00:03:02,100 --> 00:03:06,800
George Mallory was the first man
to set foot on the top of the world.
21
00:03:32,100 --> 00:03:36,000
Seventy-five years after
Mallory and Irvine vanished,
22
00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,800
mountaineer Conrad Anker
took part in an expedition
23
00:03:39,900 --> 00:03:42,800
looking for their bodies
high on Everest.
24
00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:47,300
Conrad, come in please.
25
00:03:48,900 --> 00:03:52,100
I'm down at 26,7 - over.
26
00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:55,200
Anker struck off on his own.
27
00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:58,700
Conrad, you're way below
the search zone.
28
00:03:58,700 --> 00:04:00,000
You need to be higher - over.
29
00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:03,200
I was curious.
30
00:04:03,300 --> 00:04:06,600
I stopped, turned around...
31
00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:09,800
and there was a patch of white.
32
00:04:09,900 --> 00:04:13,100
It wasn't snow; it was matte -
33
00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:18,400
a light-absorbing color, like marble.
34
00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:36,100
As I got closer,
I realized this was the body
35
00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:38,800
of one of the pioneering
English climbers,
36
00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:41,100
frozen onto the mountainside.
37
00:04:46,700 --> 00:04:49,100
For a moment I thought...
38
00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:53,900
maybe I can just keep walking
and keep it to myself.
39
00:04:58,700 --> 00:05:02,300
But then,
that's what we were there for.
40
00:05:07,300 --> 00:05:10,000
Group Meeting.
41
00:05:10,100 --> 00:05:13,000
Mandatory group meeting - over.
42
00:05:37,300 --> 00:05:40,100
Here, wait!
This is George Mallory!
43
00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:43,900
Oh, my God!
Oh, my God!
44
00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,200
You see that?
George Mallory.
45
00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:49,100
Oh, my God!
46
00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:08,500
George Mallory and I -
47
00:06:08,700 --> 00:06:14,400
our two paths have intersected
75 years apart.
48
00:06:20,300 --> 00:06:27,300
My aunt called me and said
in a rather small voice on the phone:
49
00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:32,800
"Suzie, they've found
my father's body on Mount Everest."
50
00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:34,900
I was amazed,
51
00:06:34,900 --> 00:06:36,500
I was absolutely shocked.
52
00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:41,000
It was very powerful to know
53
00:06:41,100 --> 00:06:46,000
where my grandfather was
and how he died.
54
00:06:49,100 --> 00:06:53,500
He had a compound fracture
of his right leg, above the ankle -
55
00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:56,400
fatal on Everest.
56
00:06:56,400 --> 00:07:00,000
His arms were outstretched
as if he had tried
57
00:07:00,100 --> 00:07:02,900
to dig his fingers
into the side of the mountain.
58
00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:08,300
He was last seen up on the ridge,
59
00:07:08,300 --> 00:07:11,000
heading west for the summit.
60
00:07:11,100 --> 00:07:14,000
But I found him far to the east.
61
00:07:14,100 --> 00:07:16,400
So Mallory was on his way back,
62
00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:19,600
maybe returning
from the summit itself.
63
00:07:30,100 --> 00:07:33,900
His sun goggles,
vital against the glare from the snow,
64
00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:35,600
were in his pocket.
65
00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:38,100
So it must have been getting dark.
66
00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:48,500
He and Irvine were tied together
by a thin cotton rope.
67
00:07:57,300 --> 00:08:02,600
They were tired, absolutely beat,
no energy left,
68
00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:04,900
minds not functioning clearly.
69
00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:49,100
Mallory crossed his left leg
over the broken one
70
00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:51,300
to ease the pain.
71
00:08:53,300 --> 00:08:56,000
It was a matter of minutes,
72
00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:59,000
a half hour at the very most,
73
00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:01,100
before he died.
74
00:09:13,500 --> 00:09:15,700
Did Mallory reach the summit
75
00:09:15,900 --> 00:09:20,100
almost three decades
before the first official climb?
76
00:09:24,900 --> 00:09:29,400
We discovered
many things on his body...
77
00:09:29,500 --> 00:09:35,200
Documents and letters
perfectly preserved 75 years later.
78
00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:40,400
His wristwatch,
rusted in at 10 after 5.
79
00:09:40,500 --> 00:09:44,700
The goggles that were
inside of his vest.
80
00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:49,500
An altimeter - the face broken
and the hands missing.
81
00:09:51,300 --> 00:09:54,500
But one very significant item
was missing:
82
00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:57,200
The photo of his wife Ruth,
83
00:09:57,200 --> 00:09:59,500
which he'd promised
to leave on the summit.
84
00:10:02,300 --> 00:10:03,700
Was the photo missing
85
00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:07,200
because Mallory had
reached the summit and placed it there -
86
00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:10,200
the ultimate tribute to his love of Ruth?
87
00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:20,000
He was last seen
about 800 feet below the summit,
88
00:10:20,100 --> 00:10:23,400
near the notoriously difficult
Second Step.
89
00:10:28,100 --> 00:10:31,600
If Mallory was able
to make it to the summit in 1924,
90
00:10:31,700 --> 00:10:35,800
he and Irvine would have had
to have climbed this overhanging cliff
91
00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:37,700
at about 28,000 feet.
92
00:10:40,300 --> 00:10:44,600
There's never been a confirmed
free climb of the Second Step.
93
00:10:44,700 --> 00:10:46,400
Everyone who climbs it today
94
00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:49,100
uses a metal ladder
bolted to the rock
95
00:10:49,100 --> 00:10:52,100
by Chinese climbers in 1975.
96
00:10:54,300 --> 00:10:56,500
I want to go back to Everest
97
00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:59,800
to try and climb
the Second Step,
98
00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,400
under the very same conditions
Mallory faced.
99
00:11:05,700 --> 00:11:10,700
It was a pure cliff
when Mallory and Irvine approached it.
100
00:11:10,700 --> 00:11:12,800
No one had ever been there.
101
00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:16,700
It would have been
an incredible feat of climbing
102
00:11:16,700 --> 00:11:18,800
if they had pulled that off.
103
00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:28,800
Adventure, risk...
104
00:11:29,100 --> 00:11:31,400
There are some people
that thrive on it,
105
00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:32,800
that seek it out,
106
00:11:33,100 --> 00:11:35,500
they want to
push their own limits.
107
00:11:39,100 --> 00:11:41,300
Mallory is one of those people.
108
00:11:49,100 --> 00:11:51,800
Mallory grew up in Cheshire,
Northern England.
109
00:11:53,500 --> 00:11:58,200
He made his first fateful climb
in Mobberley, his home village.
110
00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:05,300
Mallory's father was a vicar
here at this church.
111
00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:12,400
And it was here that
the young boy escaped
112
00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:18,300
and climbed to the top
of the church - age seven.
113
00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:20,900
You can imagine that...
114
00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:27,900
Finding climbing,
it's his true passion in life.
115
00:12:50,300 --> 00:12:52,800
I actually think that
some people who climb
116
00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:56,200
are wired a little differently
from the rest of us.
117
00:12:56,300 --> 00:12:59,800
My grandfather really didn't
feel fear of heights
118
00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:04,900
or precipices or anything like that.
119
00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:10,700
He had a way of climbing that was
not quite like everyone else's.
120
00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:13,800
His arms and legs would
just sort of eat up a mountain
121
00:13:13,900 --> 00:13:17,700
and he would start
flowing over it like a wave.
122
00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:26,500
Aged 19, Mallory entered
the University of Cambridge
123
00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:29,600
at a time of great cultural upheaval.
124
00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:35,400
When Mallory arrived
in Cambridge in 1905
125
00:13:35,500 --> 00:13:38,900
he pitched into this ferment
and bubble of ideas,
126
00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:43,800
excitement, intellectual,
sexual, social, secret societies.
127
00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:49,000
He obviously possessed
some remarkable charisma,
128
00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:52,300
sort of charmed presence
that drew the eye,
129
00:13:52,300 --> 00:13:54,200
compelled the gaze.
130
00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:02,400
"My mind is in a state
of constant rebellion.
131
00:14:02,500 --> 00:14:04,900
I believe that will always be so."
132
00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:09,800
He was a dreamer...
133
00:14:09,900 --> 00:14:15,300
And he was in Cambridge at a time
of great and powerful dreaming.
134
00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:19,300
And eventually that dream
took its form in the shape of Everest.
135
00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:26,900
This was the golden age of exploration.
136
00:14:26,900 --> 00:14:29,000
Mallory watched
with the rest of the world
137
00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:32,400
as explorers from America,
Norway, and Britain
138
00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:35,900
raced first to the North
and then the South Pole.
139
00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:44,400
In 1912, Captain Scott,
the legendary British adventurer,
140
00:14:44,500 --> 00:14:48,400
died in the attempt
to be the first to the South Pole.
141
00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:51,800
Mallory was among those
inspired by the tragedy.
142
00:14:53,300 --> 00:14:55,900
Britain is at the waning
of the empire at this time.
143
00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:58,800
It is looking for ways
to reinvigorate itself.
144
00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:04,000
So attention inevitably turns
to Everest as the final possibility -
145
00:15:04,300 --> 00:15:05,600
The Third Pole.
146
00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:13,600
Surveyors had calculated that Everest
was the highest mountain in the world.
147
00:15:13,700 --> 00:15:17,400
But no Westerner had
ever been within 40 miles.
148
00:15:19,300 --> 00:15:23,400
Mallory became obsessed
by a mountain he'd never even seen.
149
00:15:25,500 --> 00:15:28,700
"Everest is the highest mountain
in the world.
150
00:15:28,700 --> 00:15:32,300
No man has reached its summit.
151
00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:37,500
"Its existence is a challenge
to man's desire to conquer the universe."
152
00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:49,400
Mallory wasn't just
enthralled with Everest...
153
00:15:52,300 --> 00:15:56,800
He had also fallen in love
with 21-year-old Ruth Turner.
154
00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:02,800
Right from the start,
they wrote each other adoring letters.
155
00:16:04,900 --> 00:16:06,600
"My darling,"
156
00:16:06,700 --> 00:16:09,000
I'm longing for you.
157
00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,600
I would kiss your lips
and look into your eyes
158
00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:17,000
and you, you,
you all near me and with me,
159
00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:21,300
"strong and glorious
and loving and laughing."
160
00:16:22,900 --> 00:16:26,000
"I cannot find words
that would be sure
161
00:16:26,100 --> 00:16:28,600
to convey what I feel about you.
162
00:16:28,700 --> 00:16:31,100
What I really want
is to know you
163
00:16:31,100 --> 00:16:34,600
and to love you more and more.
164
00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:38,000
"Dearest and most beloved,
your loving Ruth."
165
00:16:39,500 --> 00:16:45,400
George and my grandmother Ruth
fell madly in love in 1914.
166
00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:46,900
They were both idealists,
167
00:16:46,900 --> 00:16:50,500
really seeing kindred spirits
in each other.
168
00:16:50,500 --> 00:16:55,900
They were married three days
before the start of World War I.
169
00:16:58,900 --> 00:17:01,800
Mallory enlisted
and came face to face
170
00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:03,600
with death once more,
171
00:17:03,700 --> 00:17:05,100
fighting in the Somme,
172
00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:07,600
the bloodiest battle
known to man.
173
00:17:11,800 --> 00:17:14,800
"There is no reckoning
with death here.
174
00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:18,500
Life presents itself
very much to me as a gift."
175
00:17:20,100 --> 00:17:24,200
Mallory had witnessed
the mass slaughter of the first World War.
176
00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:27,800
His fellow soldiers,
some of them six feet away,
177
00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:30,200
killed by German shelling.
178
00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:33,000
He knew how fragile life was.
179
00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:36,900
And knowing this,
he wanted to live it to the fullest.
180
00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:39,900
He wanted the ultimate challenge.
181
00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:43,600
And that, in the 20s,
was Mount Everest.
182
00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:48,200
Once the war was over,
183
00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:50,900
the Royal Geographical Society
in London
184
00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:54,600
planned the first-ever
expedition to Everest.
185
00:17:57,400 --> 00:18:01,100
They needed Mallory
for his supreme climbing skills;
186
00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:05,100
He needed their backing
to realize his obsession.
187
00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:16,000
When Mallory undertook
that first expedition in 1921,
188
00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:20,600
he had to approach Everest
through Tibet from the north.
189
00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:24,800
The Nepalese refused to allow
access to the easier south side
190
00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:29,200
used when Everest was first
officially climbed in 1953.
191
00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:33,600
After an eight-week journey,
192
00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:36,000
Mallory finally set eyes
on the mountain
193
00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:38,100
that had haunted him for so long.
194
00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:46,600
"Like the wildest creation of a dream -
Everest!"
195
00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:49,000
A rugged giant...
196
00:18:49,100 --> 00:18:52,100
A prodigious white fang...
197
00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:55,600
A colossal rock plastered with snow.
198
00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:57,900
From the mountaineer's point of view,
199
00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,200
"no more appalling sight
could be imagined."
200
00:19:02,900 --> 00:19:04,700
When he first saw Everest,
201
00:19:04,700 --> 00:19:07,900
he describes it
really almost as an adversary.
202
00:19:07,900 --> 00:19:11,600
It's very beautiful,
but also ugly or frightful,
203
00:19:11,700 --> 00:19:13,600
like an ogre.
204
00:19:18,700 --> 00:19:20,000
There were no maps.
205
00:19:20,100 --> 00:19:22,100
No one knew the terrain there.
206
00:19:22,100 --> 00:19:26,200
And this first trip, the trip of 1921,
207
00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:29,800
it was imperative
that the team find the route
208
00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:31,500
that would lead them
to the summit.
209
00:19:41,500 --> 00:19:44,000
For months, Mallory led the search,
210
00:19:44,100 --> 00:19:47,000
but the route
to the summit eluded him.
211
00:19:52,700 --> 00:19:56,900
Finally, late in August,
he found what he was looking for...
212
00:20:09,100 --> 00:20:12,700
An enormous glacial valley
that snaked for miles
213
00:20:12,700 --> 00:20:17,200
around the other giant peaks
towards the very foot of Everest.
214
00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:31,100
"My dearest Ruth,
215
00:20:31,100 --> 00:20:34,200
We have found our way
to the great mountain."
216
00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:46,400
At the end of the valley was a wall
of snow and ice 1,000 feet high.
217
00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:50,800
It led up to a crest
that Mallory named 'The North Col. '
218
00:20:57,200 --> 00:20:59,600
And then on to the top of the world.
219
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:07,900
"We have established
our way to the summit
220
00:21:07,900 --> 00:21:11,400
for anyone who cares to try
the highest adventure."
221
00:21:20,900 --> 00:21:24,400
But the heavy snow that comes
with the monsoon each summer
222
00:21:24,700 --> 00:21:27,400
quickly made climbing impossible.
223
00:21:27,700 --> 00:21:29,000
They had to head home.
224
00:21:35,100 --> 00:21:39,900
But within six months,
Mallory was back again...
225
00:21:39,900 --> 00:21:44,200
this time with film cameras,
to show Everest to the world.
226
00:21:49,700 --> 00:21:52,800
He climbed higher
than anyone else before him.
227
00:21:59,700 --> 00:22:01,100
But late in the season,
228
00:22:01,100 --> 00:22:05,000
as Mallory led porters up the mountain,
disaster struck.
229
00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:10,100
A great snowfall had come.
230
00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:14,800
They got to a delicate place
on this massive ice slope
231
00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:16,300
and triggered an avalanche.
232
00:22:35,100 --> 00:22:37,200
"My dearest Ruth,"
233
00:22:37,300 --> 00:22:40,200
Seven brave men killed...
234
00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:43,000
and I am to blame.
235
00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:45,300
It has happened forever
236
00:22:45,300 --> 00:22:48,400
"and I can do nothing
to make it good."
237
00:22:52,100 --> 00:22:55,500
After the avalanche,
when George returned to Europe,
238
00:22:55,700 --> 00:22:58,400
he really had no wish
to go back to Everest.
239
00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:00,400
He just wanted to get away
240
00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:02,200
from the deprivation
and the danger,
241
00:23:02,300 --> 00:23:04,100
and also the memories
of that avalanche.
242
00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:14,100
He had been away
for a very long period
243
00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:15,900
over two successive years.
244
00:23:15,900 --> 00:23:18,300
He wanted to get back
to his wife and his family.
245
00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:26,300
They had three children.
246
00:23:26,300 --> 00:23:30,400
My mother was the
second daughter of George Mallory.
247
00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:34,500
And at this point, I think,
he was really starting
248
00:23:34,500 --> 00:23:38,500
to think about wanting
to be home more,
249
00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:40,900
to be with Ruth more,
250
00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:45,000
and to address himself
to raising the kids.
251
00:23:50,500 --> 00:23:53,400
But a new expedition
was being planned...
252
00:23:56,300 --> 00:24:00,200
And Mallory desperately
wanted to be part of it -
253
00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:02,300
against Ruth's wishes.
254
00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:06,100
"I love you and you love me,"
255
00:24:06,100 --> 00:24:09,200
and that ought to be
happiness enough for a lifetime.
256
00:24:09,300 --> 00:24:11,300
But I do want you.
257
00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:14,100
We want to live together
all the time
258
00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:18,300
and share thoughts
and joys and sorrows.
259
00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:22,100
"And we can't apart
as we can together."
260
00:24:23,300 --> 00:24:27,300
"I am having a horrible time,
on a tightrope."
261
00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:29,500
It would be
an awful tug going away
262
00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:33,000
instead of settling down
here with Ruth.
263
00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:35,600
But it would look rather grim
to see others,
264
00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:38,500
"without me,
conquering the summit."
265
00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:46,900
Mallory clearly loved Ruth very dearly.
266
00:24:46,900 --> 00:24:51,000
She was his sweet, domestic,
beloved partner
267
00:24:51,100 --> 00:24:54,400
who represented all that was
appealing about home, family,
268
00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,000
the flatlands of Cambridge,
at sea level.
269
00:24:59,500 --> 00:25:02,400
But Everest represented
all that was exciting,
270
00:25:02,500 --> 00:25:04,600
adventurous, visionary, mystical.
271
00:25:07,100 --> 00:25:10,000
His personality was pulled
between those two poles.
272
00:25:18,300 --> 00:25:22,100
Early in 1923,
the crisis came to a head
273
00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:27,100
when Mallory sailed to America
to speak about his Everest adventures.
274
00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:35,300
He was the star turn at the
Explorers Club in New York.
275
00:25:36,900 --> 00:25:42,200
I can just imagine the audience
on the edge of their seats
276
00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:46,300
as Mallory told them
about the biting wind,
277
00:25:46,300 --> 00:25:51,300
the lack of appetite,
the fierce cold.
278
00:25:53,900 --> 00:25:57,000
A New York Times journalist
asked the question,
279
00:25:57,100 --> 00:26:00,200
"Why climb Everest?"
280
00:26:00,300 --> 00:26:03,200
Mallory gave his legendary reply...
281
00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:10,300
"Because it's there."
282
00:26:17,100 --> 00:26:21,400
Three words that have probably become
more famous than Mallory himself,
283
00:26:21,500 --> 00:26:25,600
suggests a sort of fatalism
bubbling away in Mallory.
284
00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:29,200
The mountain remains,
it's unclimbed,
285
00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:32,600
and so the quest remains.
286
00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:35,600
And he is the man
who is locked into
287
00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:38,400
this almost fairytale relationship
with the mountain.
288
00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:42,500
He's been twice and he must
go back for the third time.
289
00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:52,400
I think that the idea that someone else
would build on his progress
290
00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:56,500
and get to the summit on his shoulders
was quite difficult for him to accept.
291
00:26:56,500 --> 00:27:00,100
It was, after all, his route
and his mountain.
292
00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:04,100
It is actually a surprisingly selfish thing
for someone like Mallory to experience.
293
00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:08,200
But then mountaineers all do have this
kind of element of selfishness deep down.
294
00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:16,800
Aged 38,
295
00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:19,600
this was Mallory's last chance
to conquer the mountain.
296
00:27:38,100 --> 00:27:41,100
Conrad Anker
will follow Mallory's footsteps,
297
00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:43,500
leading his own expedition
to Everest
298
00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:45,100
and the Second Step.
299
00:27:49,700 --> 00:27:53,700
During his climb,
Conrad plans to test clothes and boots
300
00:27:53,700 --> 00:27:56,400
modeled on those he found
on Mallory's body.
301
00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:03,700
Using this replica clothing,
302
00:28:03,700 --> 00:28:06,300
I'm going to have this chance
to go back and see
303
00:28:06,300 --> 00:28:10,400
what it was like for Mallory
to try climbing Everest in 1924.
304
00:28:16,500 --> 00:28:19,200
But like Mallory,
Conrad is torn between
305
00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:22,200
his passion for Everest
and his love for his family.
306
00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:26,400
My family's
anxious about this trip.
307
00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:28,800
I'm going to Everest...
308
00:28:29,100 --> 00:28:31,300
It's a deadly mountain.
309
00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:32,800
What's it worth?
310
00:28:33,100 --> 00:28:35,400
Is it worth
leaving your kids behind?
311
00:28:35,500 --> 00:28:37,600
Why are you going
to this mountain?
312
00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:39,600
Are you going to be safe?
313
00:28:39,700 --> 00:28:41,800
You know I love you.
314
00:28:42,100 --> 00:28:43,700
And I can see there,
315
00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:46,700
as I was trying to rationalize it
to my wife and children
316
00:28:46,700 --> 00:28:49,900
that it's a safe thing
and it's a fine thing to go on Everest
317
00:28:50,100 --> 00:28:51,500
and it's a noble thing,
318
00:28:51,500 --> 00:28:55,500
that these were the same answers
Mallory had for Ruth.
319
00:28:57,100 --> 00:29:01,200
I know what it's like to be
the wife of a climber.
320
00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:03,400
And I know what it's like to be
321
00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:05,500
the wife of a climber
who doesn't come home.
322
00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:10,100
Jennifer was previously married
323
00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:14,300
to one of America's
finest mountaineers, Alex Lowe,
324
00:29:14,300 --> 00:29:17,500
Conrad's climbing partner
and closest friend.
325
00:29:20,300 --> 00:29:23,400
Just a few months
after finding Mallory's body,
326
00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:27,500
Conrad was climbing with Alex
when the mountains claimed another life.
327
00:29:29,300 --> 00:29:31,200
An avalanche struck Alex and I
328
00:29:31,300 --> 00:29:33,500
as we were climbing
in the Himalayas.
329
00:29:33,500 --> 00:29:37,400
He died and I was
three feet away from him.
330
00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:44,600
You could look at him
and tell that he was burdened
331
00:29:44,700 --> 00:29:48,400
with this world of guilt and grief,
332
00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:52,300
that somehow he could have
prevented Alex's death.
333
00:29:55,900 --> 00:29:58,300
In the aftermath of this tragedy,
334
00:29:58,300 --> 00:29:59,900
we communicated with each other
335
00:29:59,900 --> 00:30:03,900
and eventually
we grew to fall in love.
336
00:30:03,900 --> 00:30:06,900
It wasn't just Jennifer
that my love grew for,
337
00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:08,800
it was also the boys.
338
00:30:10,500 --> 00:30:14,300
Jennifer must really like climbers
to willingly bring me into her life
339
00:30:14,300 --> 00:30:16,800
and then marry
and have me adopt the boys,
340
00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:19,800
because she knows
it's downright dangerous work.
341
00:30:22,700 --> 00:30:25,900
Boys, look what I found downstairs.
342
00:30:25,900 --> 00:30:29,700
- Wow!
- Good God!
343
00:30:30,500 --> 00:30:32,200
Is this my Halloween costume
344
00:30:32,300 --> 00:30:34,600
or is this what
I'm going up Everest in?
345
00:30:34,700 --> 00:30:37,400
- You guys are laughing.
- You look like Inspector Gadget.
346
00:30:37,500 --> 00:30:39,000
You're supposed to take me serious.
347
00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:40,600
Mom can appreciate it.
348
00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:42,500
It's amazing to think of those guys
349
00:30:42,500 --> 00:30:45,200
going for the summit
in clothing like that.
350
00:30:47,300 --> 00:30:49,400
Would you climb Everest in that suit?
351
00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:51,700
- No.
- What would you wear?
352
00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:53,700
I wouldn't climb Everest.
353
00:31:12,300 --> 00:31:14,200
Before climbing Everest,
354
00:31:14,300 --> 00:31:17,900
Mallory had to choose
his climbing partner.
355
00:31:17,900 --> 00:31:22,700
Among the candidates was
a 21-year-old chemistry student,
356
00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:27,000
Andrew 'Sandy' Irvine -
a mountaineering novice.
357
00:31:30,300 --> 00:31:32,800
My great uncle Sandy Irvine
took life by the horns,
358
00:31:32,800 --> 00:31:35,400
and if there was an opportunity
that presented itself to him
359
00:31:35,500 --> 00:31:36,900
he would take it.
360
00:31:36,900 --> 00:31:39,400
He loved the theater,
he loved cars,
361
00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:41,300
and above all he loved women.
362
00:31:41,300 --> 00:31:43,600
And he had this
very indiscreet love affair
363
00:31:43,700 --> 00:31:46,600
with his
best friend's step-mother.
364
00:31:46,700 --> 00:31:49,400
It was a terrible scandal.
365
00:31:52,700 --> 00:31:57,000
But Sandy Irvine was first
and foremost an oarsman.
366
00:31:57,300 --> 00:32:00,300
And when he got to Oxford
he was selected to take part
367
00:32:00,300 --> 00:32:02,500
in the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.
368
00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:08,500
The annual boat race was the most
prestigious sporting event of the day.
369
00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:19,100
They were victorious.
370
00:32:19,300 --> 00:32:21,500
And what Mallory saw in Sandy
371
00:32:21,600 --> 00:32:24,800
was this extraordinary ability
that great oarsmen have,
372
00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:26,800
which is to row through pain,
373
00:32:26,900 --> 00:32:31,800
to push himself almost beyond
normal human limit.
374
00:32:33,900 --> 00:32:37,100
But there was another reason
for choosing Irvine.
375
00:32:37,300 --> 00:32:39,100
Mallory needed someone technical
376
00:32:39,300 --> 00:32:43,300
to master the oxygen equipment
vital at high altitude.
377
00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:46,600
And unlike Mallory,
Irvine was very practical.
378
00:32:47,900 --> 00:32:50,600
Sandy asked the
Mount Everest committee
379
00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:54,400
to send him a 1922 set,
plus the drawings.
380
00:32:54,500 --> 00:32:57,600
And he spent hours and hours
in his rooms in Oxford
381
00:32:57,600 --> 00:32:59,800
trying to make it serviceable,
382
00:32:59,900 --> 00:33:03,800
trying to make it lighter,
stronger and less fragile,
383
00:33:03,900 --> 00:33:08,000
so that the climbers could
use it with greater confidence.
384
00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:12,500
And so the fact that Sandy was
so practical with the apparatus,
385
00:33:12,500 --> 00:33:14,900
I think, made it quite clear
in Mallory's mind
386
00:33:14,900 --> 00:33:17,900
that he was a useful man
to have climbing with him.
387
00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:28,900
Conrad Anker has also chosen
388
00:33:28,900 --> 00:33:32,900
a young Englishman
as his climbing partner - Leo Houlding.
389
00:33:32,900 --> 00:33:37,000
Like Irvine, Leo is young,
strong, a natural athlete
390
00:33:37,100 --> 00:33:39,400
and has never climbed
at high altitude.
391
00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:43,000
The 90-feet high Second Step
392
00:33:43,100 --> 00:33:45,800
will be a dangerous venture
into the unknown.
393
00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:53,100
I'm definitely concerned
about the altitude
394
00:33:53,100 --> 00:33:54,800
and the acclimatization process,
395
00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:57,600
just because I've never
been high enough before
396
00:33:57,700 --> 00:33:59,200
to know whether, you know,
397
00:33:59,400 --> 00:34:02,200
I might be one of those people
that it doesn't gel with.
398
00:34:05,700 --> 00:34:07,500
I don't want to let Conrad down
399
00:34:07,500 --> 00:34:09,900
and I'm sure Irvine
felt some of that pressure.
400
00:34:50,900 --> 00:34:55,800
Leo's never been to altitude,
this unknown.
401
00:34:55,900 --> 00:35:00,200
And you can't walk into
a hospital and take a test
402
00:35:00,500 --> 00:35:03,800
that will come back and say,
oh, you'll do well at altitude.
403
00:35:03,900 --> 00:35:05,200
Some people do really well.
404
00:35:05,500 --> 00:35:07,100
But I've seen fit people
405
00:35:07,100 --> 00:35:09,800
doubled over
and with splitting headaches.
406
00:35:17,100 --> 00:35:20,700
Being invited to climb the highest
mountain in the world with Conrad,
407
00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:23,000
one of the best climbers
in his generation,
408
00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:24,900
is such a privilege.
409
00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:28,300
For Irvine, being invited
to climb with George Mallory,
410
00:35:28,500 --> 00:35:31,500
the best climber of his generation,
on the unclimbed Mount Everest -
411
00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:33,500
I just can't imagine
how he must have felt.
412
00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:39,600
"I am walking on metaphorical air."
413
00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:44,000
We shall go all out for the summit.
414
00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:48,700
If I have to die,
then there would be no finer death
415
00:35:48,800 --> 00:35:51,600
"than in an attempt to conquer Everest."
416
00:35:55,200 --> 00:36:00,700
On February 29, 1924,
Mallory set sail from Liverpool,
417
00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:03,300
after making Ruth
a solemn promise.
418
00:36:04,500 --> 00:36:07,300
As my grandfather
was leaving England
419
00:36:07,500 --> 00:36:09,300
and leaving my grandmother,
420
00:36:09,500 --> 00:36:13,700
he told her that he would leave
a photograph of her
421
00:36:13,700 --> 00:36:16,700
at the top of Mount Everest.
422
00:36:16,700 --> 00:36:20,600
And I think he was pretty confident
that he would get there
423
00:36:20,700 --> 00:36:23,600
and that he would
leave that photograph.
424
00:36:26,900 --> 00:36:29,100
With the eyes of the world upon them,
425
00:36:29,100 --> 00:36:33,100
Mallory and Irvine set out
on the three-week voyage for India.
426
00:36:46,900 --> 00:36:51,900
Late that March, their convoy
began its 350-mile trek.
427
00:37:08,900 --> 00:37:11,400
Five thousand miles apart,
428
00:37:11,600 --> 00:37:15,400
Mallory and Ruth
wrote to each other frequently.
429
00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:18,700
Couriers carried their letters
across the world,
430
00:37:18,700 --> 00:37:21,600
and after the months of tension
they had gone through,
431
00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:23,300
he and Ruth made up.
432
00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:28,000
"I do miss you a lot."
433
00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:32,600
I know I have rather often
been cross and not nice,
434
00:37:32,700 --> 00:37:34,800
and I am very sorry.
435
00:37:34,900 --> 00:37:38,000
I was unhappy
at getting so little of you.
436
00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:41,800
Very, very much love
to you, my dear one,
437
00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:43,600
"Your loving Ruth."
438
00:37:47,800 --> 00:37:49,600
"Dearest one,"
439
00:37:49,700 --> 00:37:53,000
We went through a difficult
time together in the autumn.
440
00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:56,300
Your letters bring you much nearer.
441
00:37:56,300 --> 00:37:58,900
"I wish I had you with me."
442
00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:04,900
We can think of the relationship
between Mallory, Everest and Ruth
443
00:38:04,900 --> 00:38:06,800
as a kind of love triangle.
444
00:38:06,900 --> 00:38:10,200
When he was at home with Ruth
he was dreaming of Everest.
445
00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:12,900
When he was away with
Everest he was dreaming of Ruth -
446
00:38:12,900 --> 00:38:16,400
until a certain point, until he got
sufficiently close to the mountain
447
00:38:16,700 --> 00:38:19,000
that it cast its spell over him.
448
00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:39,800
The convoy of 300 pack animals
and 70 porters
449
00:38:39,900 --> 00:38:42,200
journeyed through Tibet.
450
00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:48,200
Provisions included four cases
of Montebello Champagne
451
00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:51,200
and 60 tins of quail and foie gras.
452
00:38:54,300 --> 00:38:58,200
On April 25th, 17,000 feet up,
453
00:38:58,300 --> 00:39:01,300
they reached the last pass
before Everest -
454
00:39:01,400 --> 00:39:02,900
Pang La.
455
00:39:13,900 --> 00:39:15,100
The Pang-La is the pass
456
00:39:15,200 --> 00:39:18,200
where you get the first
stunning view of Everest, right?
457
00:39:18,300 --> 00:39:20,200
Yeah, and it's this vista.
458
00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:23,200
You've got five of the world's
highest peaks in one view.
459
00:39:38,300 --> 00:39:39,900
That's Everest.
460
00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:45,100
Wow.
461
00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:55,000
It's so much bigger
than all the other ones, isn't it?
462
00:39:55,100 --> 00:39:56,300
Yeah.
463
00:39:57,900 --> 00:40:01,400
It's really special that we haven't
had any sign of the mountain,
464
00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:03,400
and then you drive up
to this high pass
465
00:40:03,400 --> 00:40:06,900
and then she just
reveals herself in all her glory...
466
00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:09,300
you know, Chomolungma,
Mother Goddess of the Earth,
467
00:40:09,400 --> 00:40:11,000
the mountain we call Everest.
468
00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:12,500
Just... bang!
469
00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:24,300
This wonderful photograph,
taken on the 26th of April, 1924,
470
00:40:24,300 --> 00:40:26,100
is pretty amazing.
471
00:40:26,100 --> 00:40:30,000
See Everest there,
there's Mallory, Irvine,
472
00:40:30,100 --> 00:40:33,500
a couple of their Sherpas
they had with them and their pony.
473
00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:37,900
This is almost exactly
the same spot, right?
474
00:40:37,900 --> 00:40:39,100
Pretty close.
475
00:40:39,100 --> 00:40:41,600
And they spent three weeks
trekking on the plateau
476
00:40:41,800 --> 00:40:45,200
to get to this point,
to be able to see it.
477
00:40:45,200 --> 00:40:47,600
And they were on their feet,
they'd walked every day.
478
00:40:47,800 --> 00:40:50,800
I mean, you think for us
to get here we've been in a Jeep.
479
00:40:57,200 --> 00:41:00,100
On April 29th, Mallory and Irvine
480
00:41:00,100 --> 00:41:04,000
set up their center of operations -
Base Camp -
481
00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:05,900
12 miles from the summit.
482
00:41:21,200 --> 00:41:25,200
Like Mallory, Conrad will
rely heavily on Sherpa porters,
483
00:41:25,300 --> 00:41:28,100
accustomed to high altitude.
484
00:41:28,100 --> 00:41:31,200
But this is a still
a dangerous mountain.
485
00:41:31,300 --> 00:41:35,500
Over 200 people have died here -
among them, many Sherpas.
486
00:41:36,300 --> 00:41:38,400
Well, most important is safety.
487
00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:43,600
Ten fingers, ten toes,
one nose, all come back...
488
00:41:43,900 --> 00:41:46,500
- Two eyes!
- Yes, two eyes!
489
00:41:48,300 --> 00:41:51,500
And if you see something with us,
if we look sick,
490
00:41:51,500 --> 00:41:55,500
then you tell us and say,
"Go down!"
491
00:42:25,300 --> 00:42:27,400
Before one embarks
on an expedition,
492
00:42:27,400 --> 00:42:32,100
it's customary to have a puja,
which is a blessing ceremony.
493
00:42:32,100 --> 00:42:36,100
As Chomolungma is
Mother Goddess of the Earth,
494
00:42:36,200 --> 00:42:41,700
the mountain is a deity
for the Tibetans and the Sherpas.
495
00:42:41,900 --> 00:42:45,300
Safe passage depends
upon having a good puja.
496
00:43:10,200 --> 00:43:12,200
Ho!
497
00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:18,700
Good luck, everybody!
498
00:43:21,500 --> 00:43:22,700
Lots of luck.
499
00:43:31,500 --> 00:43:34,400
The Monks from the
ancient monastery nearby
500
00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:36,700
gave Mallory a very mixed welcome
501
00:43:36,700 --> 00:43:40,300
when he approached their
sacred mountain, Chomolungma.
502
00:43:55,300 --> 00:43:58,800
It was 83 years ago
on this day, May 15th,
503
00:43:59,000 --> 00:44:01,200
that Mallory
and his team came here
504
00:44:01,300 --> 00:44:03,400
for a blessing from the lama.
505
00:44:11,400 --> 00:44:15,000
The head lama welcomed
the strange white climbers,
506
00:44:15,100 --> 00:44:17,600
but it was an ominous encounter.
507
00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:25,200
Along with the blessing,
508
00:44:25,200 --> 00:44:29,500
the lama had a very stern warning
for the expedition.
509
00:44:29,600 --> 00:44:31,800
He spoke of disaster to come,
510
00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:34,300
prophesying that
the mountain's demons
511
00:44:34,400 --> 00:44:37,500
would delight in forcing
the climbers off Everest.
512
00:44:40,600 --> 00:44:43,700
The monks had even
created an illustration,
513
00:44:43,700 --> 00:44:45,700
a very gruesome one,
514
00:44:45,700 --> 00:44:49,200
of the Gods disemboweling
a western man
515
00:44:49,200 --> 00:44:51,300
and pitching him into hell.
516
00:44:53,500 --> 00:44:55,800
It must have been
a terrifying moment for Mallory.
517
00:44:56,100 --> 00:44:58,400
He was not a superstitious man,
but I think it would have been
518
00:44:58,500 --> 00:45:02,700
hard to be in that landscape
at that time on the third expedition
519
00:45:03,400 --> 00:45:06,000
And not feel the atmosphere
to be saturated
520
00:45:06,100 --> 00:45:10,200
with signs and portent
and hints and forebodings.
521
00:45:16,400 --> 00:45:18,200
Despite the bad omens,
522
00:45:18,300 --> 00:45:22,100
Mallory hoped that this time
he'd summit the mountain.
523
00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:25,900
The weather was good.
524
00:45:25,900 --> 00:45:29,100
He planned to reach
the top of Everest by mid-May,
525
00:45:29,100 --> 00:45:31,800
to beat the snows
that came with the monsoon.
526
00:45:45,100 --> 00:45:50,300
On May 2, 1924, the giant convoy
of climbers and porters
527
00:45:50,300 --> 00:45:52,900
made its way out of Base Camp.
528
00:46:04,100 --> 00:46:06,000
"My dearest Ruth,
529
00:46:06,100 --> 00:46:11,400
The thought of you will be present
in the most important decisions...
530
00:46:11,500 --> 00:46:14,200
I am eager for
the great events to begin."
531
00:46:18,900 --> 00:46:23,200
Mallory realized that
the way to attack Everest
532
00:46:23,200 --> 00:46:28,300
was a series of camps,
almost militaristic in style.
533
00:46:28,400 --> 00:46:32,100
You go some way up,
then come back down,
534
00:46:32,100 --> 00:46:35,900
recuperate,
and then move back up.
535
00:46:36,000 --> 00:46:38,200
It's how you acclimatize.
536
00:46:38,200 --> 00:46:40,200
He pioneered this technique,
537
00:46:40,200 --> 00:46:44,300
and it's the one
we still use on Everest today.
538
00:47:05,000 --> 00:47:07,500
Conrad and Leo
follow Mallory's route
539
00:47:07,500 --> 00:47:11,600
through a forest
of ice pinnacles, up to Camp 3.
540
00:47:27,500 --> 00:47:32,400
You definitely can't cheat or hide
from altitude and acclimatization.
541
00:47:32,500 --> 00:47:34,600
It just makes everything
really hard work.
542
00:47:37,400 --> 00:47:39,700
- This is it, Leo.
- Finally.
543
00:47:39,900 --> 00:47:42,100
Camp 3 for 1924.
544
00:47:45,900 --> 00:47:51,600
At Camp 3, altitude really begins
to show its nasty side effects.
545
00:47:51,600 --> 00:47:56,300
With each breath you're getting
fewer molecules of oxygen in.
546
00:47:56,300 --> 00:47:57,500
It's insidious.
547
00:47:57,500 --> 00:47:59,300
You lose your appetite,
548
00:47:59,400 --> 00:48:01,400
you have splitting headaches,
549
00:48:01,400 --> 00:48:06,300
you have a difficult time
just doing the simplest of tasks.
550
00:48:06,300 --> 00:48:11,500
And yet 9,000 feet above you,
the summit of Everest,
551
00:48:11,500 --> 00:48:13,000
and it's calling you.
552
00:48:26,600 --> 00:48:29,300
Somewhere above their Camp 2,
553
00:48:29,300 --> 00:48:34,400
Mallory and Irvine experienced
their first bout of bad weather.
554
00:48:34,400 --> 00:48:37,300
A storm came in,
the temperatures plummeted,
555
00:48:37,300 --> 00:48:40,400
and Mallory realized
it wasn't going to be
556
00:48:40,500 --> 00:48:42,700
easy street up to
the summit of Everest.
557
00:48:45,400 --> 00:48:47,500
"My dearest girl,
558
00:48:47,500 --> 00:48:53,600
I was acting as a lone horse
and arrived first in Camp 3.
559
00:48:53,600 --> 00:48:59,700
The glacier is everywhere
beneath the stones...
560
00:48:59,700 --> 00:49:03,500
My boots were frozen
hard on my feet.
561
00:49:03,600 --> 00:49:09,200
I was a good deal depressed
by the situation...
562
00:49:09,300 --> 00:49:12,000
I love you always, dear one."
563
00:49:16,200 --> 00:49:17,300
Shall we try it on?
564
00:49:17,400 --> 00:49:21,600
Yeah, I'm pretty keen
to see how this stuff works.
565
00:49:21,600 --> 00:49:23,000
Check this out.
566
00:49:27,000 --> 00:49:29,400
Can you imagine
climbing up with these things?
567
00:49:29,400 --> 00:49:30,700
They're something else.
568
00:49:32,400 --> 00:49:35,000
So I've got every layer on here.
569
00:49:35,000 --> 00:49:37,100
Mallory and Irvine
had seven layers on
570
00:49:37,100 --> 00:49:39,500
when they went for
the summit in '24.
571
00:49:39,500 --> 00:49:43,200
But the big difference
is here, in the footwear.
572
00:49:43,300 --> 00:49:47,100
I tell you, the rest of this outfit
seems pretty good.
573
00:49:47,200 --> 00:49:50,100
But compared to the boots
that we wear these days,
574
00:49:50,100 --> 00:49:53,500
these things look decidedly,
you know, inappropriate.
575
00:49:58,800 --> 00:50:02,700
Wearing hobnailed boot
and gabardine jackets,
576
00:50:02,700 --> 00:50:05,300
Conrad and Leo
venture onto the mountain.
577
00:50:08,400 --> 00:50:11,200
We were right near the spot
578
00:50:11,200 --> 00:50:16,300
where seven of Mallory's porters
lost their lives in the avalanche.
579
00:50:16,300 --> 00:50:18,800
But as in 1924,
580
00:50:19,100 --> 00:50:23,300
we were just bound together
by a thin cotton rope.
581
00:50:31,500 --> 00:50:33,500
Using Mallory's technique,
582
00:50:33,500 --> 00:50:36,600
Conrad cuts steps
into the steep ice slope.
583
00:50:40,600 --> 00:50:42,400
This is real mountain terrain.
584
00:50:42,500 --> 00:50:43,600
I mean, if you lose your footing
585
00:50:43,700 --> 00:50:46,200
you'll fall down 1,000 feet
to the base of it.
586
00:50:46,200 --> 00:50:48,200
And we need to
start being careful now,
587
00:50:48,300 --> 00:50:51,600
there's crevasses,
there's danger of avalanche.
588
00:50:53,700 --> 00:50:55,800
When you stand
on the edge of a crevasse,
589
00:50:56,100 --> 00:50:59,200
you just see this slot
disappearing down into the glacier,
590
00:50:59,200 --> 00:51:00,900
hundreds of feet deep.
591
00:51:01,100 --> 00:51:03,700
But the dangerous ones
are the ones that you can't see.
592
00:51:03,800 --> 00:51:06,600
You can be walking across
a snow bridge just a few feet thick
593
00:51:06,700 --> 00:51:09,600
and fall through it to certain death.
594
00:51:10,400 --> 00:51:13,300
- Yikes, she's deep, isn't she?
- Yeah.
595
00:51:17,400 --> 00:51:19,300
I'm right at the bridge!
596
00:51:20,100 --> 00:51:21,300
Ten feet of rope!
597
00:51:22,600 --> 00:51:24,300
Be careful, my friend.
598
00:51:40,700 --> 00:51:45,200
It's phenomenal that they
were able to get to 28,000 feet
599
00:51:45,200 --> 00:51:48,300
in what I would basically call
600
00:51:48,300 --> 00:51:51,300
clothing you'd walk through the forest.
601
00:51:55,300 --> 00:51:56,900
Good job, Leo.
602
00:51:57,100 --> 00:51:59,500
No... Good job Conrad.
603
00:52:02,400 --> 00:52:03,800
Ohhh...
604
00:52:03,800 --> 00:52:05,500
I'm knackered!
605
00:52:11,600 --> 00:52:16,500
In 1924, Mallory's team were
pinned down by weather so severe
606
00:52:16,600 --> 00:52:19,300
Sandy Irvine feared for his life.
607
00:52:20,500 --> 00:52:22,700
"May 10th...
608
00:52:22,700 --> 00:52:26,400
Had a terrible night
with wind and snow.
609
00:52:26,500 --> 00:52:29,400
I don't know how
the tent stood it.
610
00:52:29,400 --> 00:52:31,300
Very little sleep,
611
00:52:31,300 --> 00:52:35,800
and about two inches of snow
over everything in the tent.
612
00:52:35,900 --> 00:52:38,300
Awful headache this morning."
613
00:52:40,300 --> 00:52:43,600
Irvine was suffering
from altitude sickness.
614
00:52:43,600 --> 00:52:48,800
His role as Mallory's
climbing partner was now in doubt.
615
00:52:48,900 --> 00:52:53,700
The harsh conditions forced the
entire team back down to Base Camp.
616
00:52:56,700 --> 00:52:58,400
When they arrived there
617
00:52:58,400 --> 00:53:01,700
they found that two
of the staff were dead.
618
00:53:01,700 --> 00:53:04,000
Instead of preparing
for a summit bid
619
00:53:04,200 --> 00:53:06,000
they were burying people
in Base Camp.
620
00:53:06,200 --> 00:53:09,800
It must have been quite strange
for Irvine to come to terms with that.
621
00:53:12,600 --> 00:53:16,200
"One of our NCOs
suddenly got paralysis,
622
00:53:16,300 --> 00:53:20,900
probably due to a clot on the brain
from frostbitten fingers.
623
00:53:20,900 --> 00:53:25,300
The poor fellow died
within half a mile of Base Camp."
624
00:53:28,200 --> 00:53:32,000
Meanwhile, Mallory planned
another dangerous summit bid.
625
00:53:34,800 --> 00:53:38,300
But he allowed no sign
of the team's suffering to show
626
00:53:38,400 --> 00:53:40,900
in a letter to his eldest daughter, Clare.
627
00:53:43,600 --> 00:53:44,800
"My darling,
628
00:53:44,800 --> 00:53:48,800
There is not much wind today,
so it is nice and warm.
629
00:53:48,800 --> 00:53:51,600
Now tea has come
and for the first time
630
00:53:51,600 --> 00:53:55,500
since I don't know when, cake.
631
00:53:55,500 --> 00:53:59,400
Shall we have a little tea party together
one day in August,
632
00:53:59,400 --> 00:54:04,800
with a flat, warm squidgy cake
and nothing else?
633
00:54:04,800 --> 00:54:07,000
Haven't you got a greedy Daddy!
634
00:54:13,600 --> 00:54:15,900
It was already mid-May.
635
00:54:16,000 --> 00:54:18,400
And soon, the snows would come.
636
00:54:19,700 --> 00:54:23,100
The monsoon arrives
early June every year.
637
00:54:23,300 --> 00:54:25,300
It releases a tremendous
amount of snow.
638
00:54:26,300 --> 00:54:27,900
Climbing is impossible.
639
00:54:45,600 --> 00:54:49,700
We had the same challenge
as Mallory in 1924.
640
00:54:49,800 --> 00:54:52,400
We were there late in the season.
641
00:54:52,500 --> 00:54:55,600
If we didn't get up the mountain
before the monsoon hit
642
00:54:55,600 --> 00:54:57,900
we'd be in very serious trouble.
643
00:55:05,800 --> 00:55:08,400
Over 22,000 feet up,
644
00:55:08,500 --> 00:55:11,900
Conrad and Leo start
the ascent of Everest itself.
645
00:55:16,900 --> 00:55:20,900
They are on one of the most
treacherous parts of the mountain -
646
00:55:20,900 --> 00:55:25,700
the giant wall of ice and snow
that leads up to the North Col,
647
00:55:25,800 --> 00:55:27,600
the launchpad to the summit.
648
00:55:56,800 --> 00:56:01,100
Despite all the modern equipment,
the altitude hits Leo hard.
649
00:56:02,900 --> 00:56:05,600
This is the first time
I've ever been to this altitude,
650
00:56:05,700 --> 00:56:11,200
and you move so desperately slowly,
it's unreal, you just can't believe.
651
00:56:11,400 --> 00:56:13,600
You take two steps
and you're completely out of breath,
652
00:56:13,700 --> 00:56:15,800
and I'm sure it's going to
get worse as we get up.
653
00:56:33,600 --> 00:56:36,500
With hobnailed boots
and no guide-ropes,
654
00:56:36,600 --> 00:56:39,600
Mallory led the assault
on the North Col,
655
00:56:39,600 --> 00:56:44,000
cutting steps into what he called
'its great battlements of ice. '
656
00:56:46,600 --> 00:56:49,200
"The North Col was a triumph.
657
00:56:49,400 --> 00:56:54,400
I enjoyed the conquest of
the ice wall and making the steps.
658
00:56:54,500 --> 00:56:57,800
Afterwards I was
practically bust to the world."
659
00:56:59,700 --> 00:57:01,700
Looking back down the valley,
660
00:57:01,700 --> 00:57:06,600
he was already higher than
the greatest peaks in Europe or America.
661
00:57:06,600 --> 00:57:10,500
But the summit was still
6,000 feet above.
662
00:57:21,600 --> 00:57:25,800
Here on the Col, Mallory set
up his bridgehead to Everest -
663
00:57:25,900 --> 00:57:28,600
Camp 4.
664
00:57:28,600 --> 00:57:32,100
He planned higher camps
further up the mountain.
665
00:57:32,200 --> 00:57:35,800
These would take him within
striking distance of the summit.
666
00:57:37,800 --> 00:57:41,500
Mallory had a cough
that wouldn't go away,
667
00:57:41,500 --> 00:57:45,000
Irvine was suffering from diarrhea,
668
00:57:45,000 --> 00:57:47,000
and the cold never left them.
669
00:57:52,600 --> 00:57:54,300
"My dearest Ruth,
670
00:57:54,500 --> 00:57:55,900
I couldn't sleep,
671
00:57:56,000 --> 00:58:00,600
distressed with bursts of coughing
fit to tear one's guts.
672
00:58:00,600 --> 00:58:03,600
Fierce squalls visited our tents
and shook them
673
00:58:03,600 --> 00:58:07,900
with the disagreeable threat of tearing
them away from their moorings.
674
00:58:07,900 --> 00:58:11,800
There was never a more
determined and bitter enemy."
675
00:58:17,500 --> 00:58:19,300
Twenty-three thousand feet up,
676
00:58:19,500 --> 00:58:23,200
Conrad and Leo test out
Mallory's gear one last time.
677
00:58:24,800 --> 00:58:29,500
Suddenly, temperatures plummet
to 20 below freezing.
678
00:58:29,600 --> 00:58:31,300
They're in severe danger of frostbite.
679
00:58:42,200 --> 00:58:43,900
Thank you, Mingma.
680
00:58:44,000 --> 00:58:44,900
No problem.
681
00:58:53,200 --> 00:58:56,900
I can't imagine going to
8,500 meters in these boots.
682
00:58:59,200 --> 00:59:01,300
Which is my theory,
683
00:59:01,600 --> 00:59:05,900
that if those guys
were moving they were okay...
684
00:59:06,000 --> 00:59:08,900
but once they stopped moving
the clock was ticking,
685
00:59:09,000 --> 00:59:11,600
and it was a different game altogether.
686
00:59:17,600 --> 00:59:19,200
My toes are freezing.
687
00:59:24,600 --> 00:59:29,400
In '22, Mallory frostbit one of his fingers...
688
00:59:29,600 --> 00:59:32,900
And he commented that it
was bad but not that bad.
689
00:59:32,900 --> 00:59:37,700
And then as a note aside he said,
690
00:59:37,700 --> 00:59:41,900
"I wouldn't mind if
I lost a finger for this summit."
691
00:59:43,300 --> 00:59:45,600
And if I was in his shoes
I probably would have thought
692
00:59:45,700 --> 00:59:51,000
the same thing because it
was the golden age of exploration.
693
00:59:56,600 --> 00:59:58,000
Ahh, that's it.
694
00:59:58,000 --> 00:59:59,400
Come on, my beauties.
695
01:00:02,800 --> 01:00:04,700
Oh, God.
696
01:00:10,800 --> 01:00:13,100
Bad weather blocks Conrad's path
697
01:00:13,200 --> 01:00:16,000
and the monsoon snows
are imminent.
698
01:00:16,000 --> 01:00:20,900
He and Leo risk being trapped
high on Everest, beyond rescue.
699
01:00:23,700 --> 01:00:26,400
It was a stressful moment.
700
01:00:26,700 --> 01:00:27,800
What are we doing?
701
01:00:27,800 --> 01:00:30,000
We're climbing
into the second week of June,
702
01:00:30,100 --> 01:00:32,200
the monsoon's on our ass.
703
01:00:32,200 --> 01:00:35,900
I get on the phone to Jennifer,
and I say to her,
704
01:00:35,900 --> 01:00:40,000
it's not worth what I'm putting you
and the family through,
705
01:00:40,100 --> 01:00:41,800
and I'm ready to come home.
706
01:00:43,900 --> 01:00:46,400
The window was closing;
I knew the monsoon was coming.
707
01:00:46,700 --> 01:00:50,200
I was looking at the satellite
imagery of the weather.
708
01:00:50,200 --> 01:00:51,700
I said, Conrad, you know what?
709
01:00:51,700 --> 01:00:53,400
I'm looking at the computer screen
710
01:00:53,700 --> 01:00:56,100
and I'm seeing this
giant wall of weather -
711
01:00:56,100 --> 01:00:58,100
and it's the monsoon.
712
01:00:58,200 --> 01:01:00,100
And I just said, Conrad,
713
01:01:00,100 --> 01:01:04,900
you need to be confident
that you can make it.
714
01:01:05,000 --> 01:01:08,500
But if you have a chance
to climb the Second Step,
715
01:01:08,700 --> 01:01:10,100
I want you to go for it.
716
01:01:15,700 --> 01:01:17,200
"My dear one,
717
01:01:17,200 --> 01:01:19,500
What is happening to you?
718
01:01:19,700 --> 01:01:21,800
I wonder so much.
719
01:01:21,800 --> 01:01:25,300
Are you happy
and are you well?
720
01:01:25,300 --> 01:01:29,300
All the immortal love
my soul has is with you...
721
01:01:29,300 --> 01:01:31,100
Ruth."
722
01:01:33,700 --> 01:01:36,200
Early in June, 1924,
723
01:01:36,200 --> 01:01:40,000
two of Mallory's team,
Norton and Somervell,
724
01:01:40,000 --> 01:01:45,800
pushed on up the mountain,
but Everest forced them back.
725
01:01:45,800 --> 01:01:49,500
Snow-blind, Norton had
to be carried down.
726
01:01:49,700 --> 01:01:52,300
Somervell almost choked to death
727
01:01:52,300 --> 01:01:55,300
before coughing up
part of his frostbitten larynx.
728
01:01:57,900 --> 01:02:01,000
Clearly, it was time to go home.
729
01:02:01,000 --> 01:02:04,400
They were weak with exhaustion...
730
01:02:04,400 --> 01:02:07,800
The monsoon was due...
731
01:02:07,800 --> 01:02:09,900
But Mallory refused to give in.
732
01:02:12,300 --> 01:02:14,300
"My dear girl,
733
01:02:14,400 --> 01:02:18,400
This has been
a bad time altogether...
734
01:02:18,400 --> 01:02:22,000
Perhaps it's mere folly
to go up again.
735
01:02:22,000 --> 01:02:25,500
But how can I be out of the hunt?
736
01:02:25,800 --> 01:02:30,200
Six days to the top
from this camp.
737
01:02:30,200 --> 01:02:34,000
It's 50 to 1 against,
but we'll have a whack yet
738
01:02:34,100 --> 01:02:37,100
and do ourselves proud.
739
01:02:37,200 --> 01:02:38,400
Great love to you,
740
01:02:38,500 --> 01:02:40,800
ever your loving George."
741
01:02:57,200 --> 01:03:00,300
The big question
is why George Mallory
742
01:03:00,300 --> 01:03:02,400
thought it was worth
one more shot.
743
01:03:02,400 --> 01:03:05,900
I think the way to reconcile
the overriding conflict in his life,
744
01:03:05,900 --> 01:03:08,300
was actually to climb the mountain
and be done with it
745
01:03:08,300 --> 01:03:11,000
and go home to Ruth
and say I've done it,
746
01:03:11,000 --> 01:03:14,000
it's over, now we can get on
with the rest of our lives.
747
01:03:15,200 --> 01:03:19,200
He knew that this was it.
748
01:03:19,200 --> 01:03:21,600
He couldn't
come back again later
749
01:03:21,800 --> 01:03:24,100
if he didn't get to the top.
750
01:03:24,100 --> 01:03:28,600
It would be impossible
to put Ruth through that again.
751
01:03:30,800 --> 01:03:33,600
"I must tell you, dearest one,
752
01:03:33,800 --> 01:03:38,300
I feel full of energy and strength.
753
01:03:38,300 --> 01:03:41,300
My plan will be to carry
as little as possible,
754
01:03:41,400 --> 01:03:44,000
go fast, and rush the summit."
755
01:03:53,900 --> 01:03:59,500
Mallory now needed oxygen
and Irvine more than ever.
756
01:03:59,500 --> 01:04:02,000
He wanted his partner,
757
01:04:02,000 --> 01:04:05,000
now over the worst
of his altitude sickness,
758
01:04:05,100 --> 01:04:08,400
to apply his technical skills
to the final assault.
759
01:04:10,400 --> 01:04:13,900
"Irvine has been brilliantly
skillful about the oxygen.
760
01:04:13,900 --> 01:04:17,100
He has practically
invented a new instrument."
761
01:04:20,600 --> 01:04:22,400
"Fifth of June...
762
01:04:22,500 --> 01:04:26,500
It will be a great triumph
if my impromptu apparatus
763
01:04:26,600 --> 01:04:29,300
gets us to the top.
764
01:04:29,300 --> 01:04:32,000
It has been
very trying for everyone
765
01:04:32,100 --> 01:04:35,900
with terribly strong
reflection off the snow.
766
01:04:36,000 --> 01:04:38,500
I've prepared
two oxygen apparatus
767
01:04:38,500 --> 01:04:41,300
for our start tomorrow morning."
768
01:04:44,400 --> 01:04:47,900
These are the last words
written by Sandy Irvine.
769
01:04:50,300 --> 01:04:51,700
He would have gone
770
01:04:51,900 --> 01:04:54,000
wherever Mallory would have
wanted him to go,
771
01:04:54,100 --> 01:04:57,200
and I'm quite sure
that he had every intention
772
01:04:57,200 --> 01:04:58,700
of coming back from the mountain
773
01:04:58,900 --> 01:05:01,300
with both feet, both legs,
both arms intact.
774
01:05:01,400 --> 01:05:05,000
I don't think
he even entertained, truly entertained,
775
01:05:05,000 --> 01:05:06,700
the idea that he would die.
776
01:05:06,900 --> 01:05:09,400
I think he believed that
he was indestructible.
777
01:05:13,300 --> 01:05:15,000
Early on June the 6th,
778
01:05:15,100 --> 01:05:19,200
support climber Noel Odell
photographed Mallory and Irvine
779
01:05:19,300 --> 01:05:22,000
as they set out from the North Col.
780
01:05:27,000 --> 01:05:30,200
"Who could hold back
when such a victory,
781
01:05:30,200 --> 01:05:35,500
such a triumph of human endeavor
was within their grasp."
782
01:05:39,000 --> 01:05:43,700
"One must conquer, achieve,
get to the top...
783
01:05:43,700 --> 01:05:48,500
to know there's no dream
that mustn't be dared."
784
01:05:58,000 --> 01:06:00,100
There's nothing on top
of Mount Everest.
785
01:06:00,200 --> 01:06:03,100
There's not a pot of gold.
786
01:06:03,100 --> 01:06:06,200
Well, why are we doing this?
787
01:06:06,300 --> 01:06:08,100
You want the glory.
788
01:06:08,100 --> 01:06:12,200
You want that feeling
of standing on top of the world.
789
01:06:16,000 --> 01:06:20,700
Gambling on beating the monsoon,
Conrad makes his choice -
790
01:06:20,700 --> 01:06:23,500
to follow Mallory
up to the Second Step.
791
01:06:26,300 --> 01:06:30,400
We're starting our summit bid
and it's the 10th of June.
792
01:06:30,400 --> 01:06:32,000
I think the 5th of June
793
01:06:32,100 --> 01:06:35,300
is the latest anyone's
ever climbed pre-monsoon.
794
01:06:35,300 --> 01:06:37,800
The clouds in the background
are an indication
795
01:06:38,000 --> 01:06:39,400
of the monsoon rolling in,
796
01:06:39,400 --> 01:06:43,300
so we're gonna play it by ear,
one day at a time,
797
01:06:43,300 --> 01:06:46,400
but this is our window.
798
01:07:12,800 --> 01:07:15,300
It's just ridiculously tiring,
799
01:07:15,300 --> 01:07:18,300
like it feels like
someone's taking the Michael...
800
01:07:18,300 --> 01:07:21,600
You take one step
and your head's in your hands.
801
01:07:50,400 --> 01:07:52,600
That is unreal, isn't it?
802
01:07:52,700 --> 01:07:55,200
It's like an out-of-body experience.
803
01:08:07,700 --> 01:08:10,800
On June the 7th,
cameraman John Noel
804
01:08:10,900 --> 01:08:14,600
filmed the last images
of Mallory and Irvine.
805
01:08:18,500 --> 01:08:22,600
They were two miles above him
with their porters,
806
01:08:22,700 --> 01:08:24,700
climbing into the death zone,
807
01:08:24,700 --> 01:08:26,500
where the lack of oxygen
808
01:08:26,500 --> 01:08:28,800
makes it impossible
to function for long.
809
01:08:31,600 --> 01:08:34,900
In the death zone,
above 26,000 feet,
810
01:08:35,100 --> 01:08:40,900
the body enters into
what is known as necrosis...
811
01:08:41,200 --> 01:08:42,900
One is dying.
812
01:08:47,200 --> 01:08:50,500
Humans weren't meant
to survive at this altitude,
813
01:08:50,600 --> 01:08:52,500
and you're on borrowed time.
814
01:08:57,700 --> 01:09:02,200
As they enter the death zone,
Conrad and Leo use oxygen,
815
01:09:02,200 --> 01:09:04,500
like Mallory and Irvine before them.
816
01:09:15,200 --> 01:09:16,400
I was just thinking,
817
01:09:16,500 --> 01:09:19,400
oh, the death zone -
this place isn't that bad.
818
01:09:19,500 --> 01:09:22,600
All of a sudden
the first of the dead bodies
819
01:09:22,700 --> 01:09:28,400
that we encountered
appeared right by the path.
820
01:09:28,500 --> 01:09:30,000
And it was a real...
821
01:09:30,200 --> 01:09:33,000
Where else do you
walk past a dead body?
822
01:09:33,200 --> 01:09:34,400
Unless you're in a war zone
823
01:09:34,500 --> 01:09:36,600
you're never going to
witness anything like that.
824
01:09:36,600 --> 01:09:38,400
It's such an extreme environment
up there
825
01:09:38,500 --> 01:09:40,600
that no one can
do anything about it,
826
01:09:40,600 --> 01:09:42,300
they can't bring them down.
827
01:09:49,500 --> 01:09:53,600
High in the death zone,
some 2,000 feet below the summit,
828
01:09:53,700 --> 01:09:57,400
Mallory and Irvine
pitched their last camp.
829
01:10:00,200 --> 01:10:02,900
Here Mallory wrote
to cameraman John Noel,
830
01:10:02,900 --> 01:10:06,700
who was waiting further down
to film the moment of triumph.
831
01:10:08,600 --> 01:10:09,800
"Dear Noel,
832
01:10:09,800 --> 01:10:13,600
We'll probably start early tomorrow
to have clear weather.
833
01:10:13,600 --> 01:10:15,600
Start looking out for us
834
01:10:15,600 --> 01:10:18,500
either crossing the rock band
under the pyramid
835
01:10:18,500 --> 01:10:21,300
or going up the skyline at 8 p.m."
836
01:10:23,300 --> 01:10:25,900
Clearly he meant to say 8 a.m.
837
01:10:30,800 --> 01:10:32,000
He was tired.
838
01:10:32,300 --> 01:10:34,500
He had been
on expedition for three months
839
01:10:34,600 --> 01:10:37,800
and now over three days
in the death zone.
840
01:10:57,800 --> 01:11:00,500
We knew the monsoon
was imminent.
841
01:11:00,600 --> 01:11:04,800
We only had a 12-hour window...
842
01:11:04,800 --> 01:11:07,700
We had to strike
while the iron was hot.
843
01:11:08,800 --> 01:11:11,600
You're so nervous
that I woke up
844
01:11:11,600 --> 01:11:14,800
before the alarm
and turned our headlamps on,
845
01:11:14,800 --> 01:11:17,100
got all the
layering systems set up.
846
01:11:17,300 --> 01:11:20,300
When you step out of the tent
it was a bit like a starting gate.
847
01:11:20,300 --> 01:11:21,700
I was ready to go.
848
01:11:22,300 --> 01:11:24,500
Leo was so excited,
849
01:11:24,500 --> 01:11:26,900
he had that boost
of summit energy.
850
01:11:27,000 --> 01:11:29,600
It's probably similar
to what Mallory and Irvine had
851
01:11:29,600 --> 01:11:31,700
on their summit day
852
01:11:31,700 --> 01:11:34,000
when they were there
within striking distance
853
01:11:34,000 --> 01:11:35,900
of the first ascent of Everest.
854
01:11:52,700 --> 01:11:56,800
Imagine the morning
of June 8, 1924...
855
01:11:58,900 --> 01:12:02,800
They're cold,
they've had a restless night of sleep.
856
01:12:05,100 --> 01:12:08,700
Compound this with
a lack of appetite,
857
01:12:08,800 --> 01:12:12,500
severe dehydration.
858
01:12:12,600 --> 01:12:14,600
Their bodies are wasted.
859
01:12:14,600 --> 01:12:17,600
Their mental faculties
are compromised.
860
01:12:17,600 --> 01:12:21,100
Simple things
become monumental chores.
861
01:12:37,400 --> 01:12:39,500
Twenty-eight thousand feet
is at the limit
862
01:12:39,600 --> 01:12:42,400
of what is humanly possible.
863
01:12:42,400 --> 01:12:47,900
Even with supplemental oxygen,
it's very, very desperate.
864
01:12:47,900 --> 01:12:51,200
And above them is a route
that no one has ever been on.
865
01:12:51,400 --> 01:12:52,800
And when you're the first,
866
01:12:52,800 --> 01:12:55,400
overcoming this sense
of the unknown
867
01:12:55,500 --> 01:12:57,500
is one of
the greatest challenges.
868
01:13:07,600 --> 01:13:09,200
Think about it:
869
01:13:09,400 --> 01:13:12,900
The anxiety, the fear, trepidation,
870
01:13:13,000 --> 01:13:16,400
combined with the exhilaration.
871
01:13:16,500 --> 01:13:20,800
All those things stirring around
872
01:13:20,800 --> 01:13:25,700
and held fast
by pain and suffering.
873
01:13:35,000 --> 01:13:38,700
Mallory and Irvine
climbed the North Face,
874
01:13:38,700 --> 01:13:40,700
up towards the summit ridge,
875
01:13:40,700 --> 01:13:42,900
where the Second Step
blocked their path.
876
01:13:48,100 --> 01:13:52,000
We got to the ridge
just on schedule, right after dawn.
877
01:13:55,900 --> 01:13:57,800
Absolutely wonderful.
878
01:14:30,500 --> 01:14:34,800
At 12:50 on June 8, 1924,
879
01:14:34,800 --> 01:14:39,100
support climber Noel Odell
sighted Mallory and Irvine
880
01:14:39,200 --> 01:14:41,000
through a gap in the clouds.
881
01:14:44,500 --> 01:14:48,900
"My eyes became fixed
on a tiny black dot,
882
01:14:49,000 --> 01:14:53,200
a short distance from the base
of the final pyramid.
883
01:14:53,200 --> 01:14:55,800
Another moved up to join it.
884
01:14:55,800 --> 01:15:00,600
They were moving expeditiously,
as if to make up for lost time.
885
01:15:00,700 --> 01:15:05,300
Then the whole
fascinating vision vanished,
886
01:15:05,500 --> 01:15:08,200
enveloped in a cloud."
887
01:15:13,900 --> 01:15:16,500
Mallory and Irvine were missing.
888
01:15:18,800 --> 01:15:21,800
"No trace can be found...
889
01:15:21,800 --> 01:15:23,700
Awaiting orders."
890
01:15:26,000 --> 01:15:29,100
Instead of capturing
their victorious ascent,
891
01:15:29,200 --> 01:15:33,700
cameraman John Noel
had to film the search for them.
892
01:15:37,800 --> 01:15:42,300
Days later, blankets laid out
as a cross in the snow
893
01:15:42,600 --> 01:15:46,200
signaled the devastating news.
894
01:15:46,200 --> 01:15:50,700
Mallory and Irvine were lost,
presumed dead.
895
01:16:06,700 --> 01:16:11,700
Mrs Mallory,
Herschel House, Cambridge...
896
01:16:11,700 --> 01:16:16,200
Committee deeply regret
receive bad news.
897
01:16:16,300 --> 01:16:20,200
Everest expedition today...
898
01:16:20,300 --> 01:16:22,200
Your husband killed...
899
01:16:22,300 --> 01:16:24,100
Last climb.
900
01:16:24,200 --> 01:16:27,700
Committee offer you and family
heartfelt sympathy.
901
01:16:32,200 --> 01:16:35,000
Ruth received
the news one evening.
902
01:16:35,000 --> 01:16:37,600
She decided not
to tell her children that night
903
01:16:37,700 --> 01:16:39,100
because they'd already gone to bed.
904
01:16:39,200 --> 01:16:41,100
She actually went to bed herself
905
01:16:41,100 --> 01:16:43,000
and slept with
that terrible knowledge,
906
01:16:43,000 --> 01:16:46,900
then in morning woke them up
and took them into her bed,
907
01:16:46,900 --> 01:16:49,300
and told them this terrible news.
908
01:16:51,000 --> 01:16:55,800
"George's spirit
was ready for another life,
909
01:16:55,800 --> 01:17:00,300
and his way of going to it
was very beautiful.
910
01:17:00,300 --> 01:17:04,200
I know so absolutely
he could not have failed
911
01:17:04,300 --> 01:17:08,200
in courage or self-sacrifice.
912
01:17:08,300 --> 01:17:11,900
If only it hadn't happened.
913
01:17:11,900 --> 01:17:14,000
It so easily might not have."
914
01:17:18,700 --> 01:17:24,800
The golden age of exploration
had ended in tragedy.
915
01:17:24,900 --> 01:17:29,100
The fallen hero was
mourned by King and country.
916
01:17:32,700 --> 01:17:35,200
It must have been
an extraordinary day,
917
01:17:35,300 --> 01:17:39,800
the bells ringing out
around Britain in mourning...
918
01:17:39,900 --> 01:17:43,500
And then
a memorial service in St Paul's,
919
01:17:43,700 --> 01:17:46,500
the mourners packing the pews
920
01:17:46,700 --> 01:17:48,800
and speeches given
in Mallory's honor.
921
01:17:54,400 --> 01:17:59,700
Mallory, the man,
soon became Mallory, the legend.
922
01:17:59,700 --> 01:18:06,200
Many people were convinced
he had reached the top of Everest.
923
01:18:06,300 --> 01:18:12,000
But to summit, he would first have had
to free-climb the Second Step.
924
01:18:14,300 --> 01:18:20,200
On June 14th our expedition
reached the Second Step -
925
01:18:20,300 --> 01:18:26,200
this formidable rock face that
stood between Mallory and the summit.
926
01:18:28,800 --> 01:18:32,100
The Sherpas cleared the fixed-ropes
and hauled the ladder away,
927
01:18:32,200 --> 01:18:36,200
restoring the Second Step
to what it was like in 1924.
928
01:18:42,200 --> 01:18:49,500
Goal is today, pull the ladders up
and climb it free -
929
01:18:49,800 --> 01:18:52,300
that is without the assistance
of the Chinese ladder.
930
01:19:20,100 --> 01:19:21,800
This whole time on the expedition
931
01:19:21,800 --> 01:19:25,600
I knew it was going to
come down to this half hour,
932
01:19:25,800 --> 01:19:30,000
on a cliff band at 28,300 feet.
933
01:19:30,100 --> 01:19:33,200
Could I do it in the form
that Mallory and Irvine
934
01:19:33,200 --> 01:19:36,000
would have encountered it,
free of any ladder,
935
01:19:36,100 --> 01:19:41,000
free of any rope,
free of any indication of man?
936
01:19:41,100 --> 01:19:44,000
You have the whole
North Face of Mount Everest
937
01:19:44,100 --> 01:19:47,200
all the way down to the
central Rongbuk glacier below you.
938
01:19:49,200 --> 01:19:51,900
Seven, eight-thousand feet of exposure.
939
01:19:52,000 --> 01:19:54,000
God, what am I doing?
940
01:20:08,000 --> 01:20:09,600
Just like Mallory and Irvine,
941
01:20:09,800 --> 01:20:12,100
Leo and I were tied together.
942
01:20:14,400 --> 01:20:16,200
It's the brotherhood of the rope.
943
01:20:32,100 --> 01:20:34,400
Imagine this...
944
01:20:34,400 --> 01:20:40,100
June 8, 1924.
945
01:21:17,000 --> 01:21:18,000
Whoa!
946
01:21:29,200 --> 01:21:30,700
You okay?
947
01:21:30,900 --> 01:21:32,300
Yeah...
948
01:21:32,400 --> 01:21:33,600
Man!
949
01:21:33,600 --> 01:21:36,200
What happened?
950
01:21:36,200 --> 01:21:37,500
Bad step.
951
01:21:40,300 --> 01:21:42,900
Had I not caught myself,
952
01:21:43,000 --> 01:21:46,000
there's a good chance
I could have fallen over the edge,
953
01:21:46,100 --> 01:21:48,200
pulled Leo off of the mountain
954
01:21:48,300 --> 01:21:52,000
and fallen 7,000 feet
to the central Rongbuk glacier.
955
01:21:54,100 --> 01:21:55,700
I think it shook him up somewhat
956
01:21:55,900 --> 01:21:58,200
and he ended up
spending quite a long time
957
01:21:58,200 --> 01:22:01,400
figuring out what to do next,
recomposing himself.
958
01:22:01,500 --> 01:22:03,500
I mean, I'd say at least 20 minutes.
959
01:22:04,500 --> 01:22:07,000
Want to stand on my shoulders?
960
01:22:08,400 --> 01:22:10,300
I'm going to give it another go.
961
01:22:14,200 --> 01:22:19,100
My job was to...
climb the Second Step.
962
01:22:19,200 --> 01:22:23,100
I knew that I had to
try it from a different angle.
963
01:23:39,600 --> 01:23:41,200
Okay...
964
01:23:41,200 --> 01:23:42,400
High step...
965
01:24:12,200 --> 01:24:14,200
I think I got it, Leo.
966
01:24:14,300 --> 01:24:15,600
I think I got it...
967
01:24:22,300 --> 01:24:23,700
Aaaahhh!
968
01:24:56,200 --> 01:24:59,700
After eight years
of keeping me awake at night
969
01:24:59,700 --> 01:25:05,900
and being the 90 feet of climbing
that I had to get done...
970
01:25:06,100 --> 01:25:07,700
I got the Second Step.
971
01:25:19,300 --> 01:25:20,500
I can't breathe.
972
01:25:24,300 --> 01:25:28,700
I realized that my toes
had gone completely numb.
973
01:25:28,700 --> 01:25:31,300
My biggest fear
through this whole experience
974
01:25:31,300 --> 01:25:34,800
has been getting frostbite
in my toes.
975
01:25:34,900 --> 01:25:38,200
I was just concerned about
getting to the top of the Second Step
976
01:25:38,200 --> 01:25:39,900
as quickly as I possibly could.
977
01:25:48,200 --> 01:25:51,300
I thought about Mallory.
978
01:25:51,400 --> 01:25:53,900
Our ascent of the Second Step
979
01:25:53,900 --> 01:25:58,500
opens up the possibility
that they could have pulled it off.
980
01:26:02,500 --> 01:26:05,000
Earlier I was under the impression
that the Second Step
981
01:26:05,200 --> 01:26:08,600
was an impossibility
for climbers of that time.
982
01:26:08,600 --> 01:26:11,400
Now I'm changed on that.
983
01:26:11,500 --> 01:26:14,800
They definitely were
capable of doing it.
984
01:26:17,200 --> 01:26:21,600
The Second Step is not too much
of an obstacle for them to overcome.
985
01:26:46,400 --> 01:26:49,000
They were determined,
986
01:26:49,200 --> 01:26:53,500
and if they were strong
and they were moving quickly,
987
01:26:53,500 --> 01:26:55,900
there's a chance
they made it to the top.
988
01:26:58,900 --> 01:27:01,000
"Dear one,
989
01:27:01,300 --> 01:27:05,600
I will be thinking of you
as you set off for the summit.
990
01:27:05,700 --> 01:27:09,000
I know you can achieve
your wildest dream."
991
01:27:28,300 --> 01:27:31,400
"If we get within
200 yards or so
992
01:27:31,400 --> 01:27:33,500
of the top of Everest,
993
01:27:33,600 --> 01:27:37,600
we shall go...
994
01:27:37,700 --> 01:27:41,900
And if it's a one-way ticket,
so be it."
995
01:28:34,900 --> 01:28:38,600
Eight years after I found
the body of George Mallory,
996
01:28:38,600 --> 01:28:41,400
the circle is complete.
997
01:28:46,800 --> 01:28:50,500
A few hours before
the monsoon closed in,
998
01:28:50,500 --> 01:28:53,900
Leo and I summitted Mount Everest.
999
01:28:57,700 --> 01:29:02,100
And we have shown
that these could have been
1000
01:29:02,100 --> 01:29:05,600
Mallory and Irvine's final footsteps.
1001
01:29:16,900 --> 01:29:22,200
"Is this the summit crowning the day?
1002
01:29:22,400 --> 01:29:27,000
How cool and how quiet...
1003
01:29:27,100 --> 01:29:32,900
Have we vanquished an enemy?
1004
01:29:33,000 --> 01:29:35,500
None but ourselves?"