0:00:38 > 0:00:40Richard Parks is an extraordinary individual
0:00:40 > 0:00:44who set out to conquer the highest peaks and poles of the world
0:00:44 > 0:00:46in a race against time.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49His challenge - to stand on the highest summit of each
0:00:49 > 0:00:51of the world's seven continents and the three poles,
0:00:51 > 0:00:56North, South and Everest, the highest, within a seven-month period.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59Hey, Mum, can you hear me? It's Richard.
0:00:59 > 0:01:04The driving force was to raise money for Cancer Support,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07and his mum and dad, coming from a cancer-ravaged family,
0:01:07 > 0:01:09were his backbone.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13Having left the South Pole on January 1st 2011,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16he then climbed Mount Vinson on Antarctica,
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Aconcagua at the top of the Andes
0:01:18 > 0:01:23and, by the end of February, he'd scaled Kilimanjaro in Africa.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26After early delays, he was back on schedule,
0:01:26 > 0:01:28with five targets remaining,
0:01:28 > 0:01:32and the highest mountain in Australasia the next hurdle.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38A series of flights to Indonesia, and on to the island of West Papua
0:01:38 > 0:01:40and the mountain of Carstensz,
0:01:40 > 0:01:43situated in the middle of dense tropical jungle.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Carstensz, first conquered in 1962.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56Only a few hundred people have ever climbed to the summit.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Its inaccessibility, the jungle and political instability in the region
0:02:00 > 0:02:04being the biggest hurdles to prospective climbers.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10It's so remote, and so few people get the opportunity to climb it,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12and although we did it the harder way,
0:02:12 > 0:02:17I believe it was a purer experience, and I'm really grateful
0:02:17 > 0:02:19that we did trek in,
0:02:19 > 0:02:24because I got a better appreciation of the continent, of the people,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27of the environment, and a experience
0:02:27 > 0:02:30which at the time was really grim and uncomfortable,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34but in hindsight, it was just an amazing experience.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40From the town of Ilaga, it would take
0:02:40 > 0:02:42six or seven days' trekking to reach base camp.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48There isn't an easy way to get to Carstensz.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51Eight, nine or ten-hour days with temperatures rising
0:02:51 > 0:02:53from 20 degrees at 7:30 in the morning,
0:02:53 > 0:02:58humidity at 90%, and, of course, the rain.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23This is brutal.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26And it's only day one.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31No one footstep is the same as the last.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38A lot of places are shin-deep mud.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40It's just a real grind.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02What an awesome feeling.
0:04:02 > 0:04:07We finally get above the jungle.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10The long, hot, uncomfortable days
0:04:10 > 0:04:14and nights under the jungle canopy were now over,
0:04:14 > 0:04:15a chance to set up camp.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18But there were more hardships to come.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26The porters were finding the expedition hard work.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Twice they refused to go any further
0:04:29 > 0:04:31until pay rises were agreed with the Papuan leader.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35One porter turned back, suffering from malaria.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40After another pretty intense negotiation
0:04:40 > 0:04:44with the Papua porters this morning, we're back on the trail,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47and we're going to be arriving at base camp tonight.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51Which, I've got to say, I'm pretty excited about.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55It's been five days trekking through the jungle
0:04:55 > 0:05:01and the swamps of the Alpine region, and now to be actually in
0:05:01 > 0:05:05or amongst the mountains is a pretty awesome feeling, actually.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08I see the light at the end of the tunnel.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12After a week of arduous trekking, they were close to 14,800 feet,
0:05:12 > 0:05:16and Richard still hadn't caught a glimpse of Carstensz.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22That's our team mascot there.
0:05:22 > 0:05:28That dog's been following us since Ilaga. It's pretty amazing, actually.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34We're at just under 4,500 metres,
0:05:34 > 0:05:39and this is the last day until we get to base camp.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42We're about an hour away from base camp now.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44It's gone pretty quickly today.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49It's just nice to get the mind occupied,
0:05:49 > 0:05:51as opposed to just long trudging.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00That's my first sight of Carstensz Pyramid.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04You can see it there, just behind this ridgeline,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06disappearing into the clouds.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Despite having the lowest summit altitude of the seven peaks,
0:06:13 > 0:06:16it's the most technically demanding.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19All of Richard's mountaineering skills will be called upon,
0:06:19 > 0:06:23and one chasm with a 300 foot drop was almost catastrophic
0:06:23 > 0:06:24for one of the group.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29When we got there, there was a fixed cable going across,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32and there was maybe three or four safety lines.
0:06:32 > 0:06:37You have no idea who's fixed them, when they fixed them...
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Just pull him across.
0:06:44 > 0:06:45Yeah.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Chris, Chris, just hang for a while.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Ah, ah!
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Watch your hands. Watch his hands.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03Almost there.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04Two metres, two metres.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11I clipped into all four of the safety lines,
0:07:11 > 0:07:15so you'd be bloody unlucky if all four went.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18It's certainly not for the faint-hearted.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35The final route to the summit is virtually vertical,
0:07:35 > 0:07:37along precipices with sheer drops
0:07:37 > 0:07:40and jagged corners over the north face.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56The summit range was fantastic,
0:07:56 > 0:07:59but they were pretty severe drops either side,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01it was a pretty sharp summit ridge.
0:08:10 > 0:08:16I'm about ten metres away from the summit of Carstensz Pyramid.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Leg number five.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23And I guess the halfway mark for me.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Oh, it's been a tough day today.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34On 16th March, Richard successfully summited Carstensz Pyramid.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39The most elusive and mysterious leg of the challenge had been completed.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45We'd really worked for it, I felt like I'd earned it.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49There was a lot that could have gone potentially wrong.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53I'd heard stories of political instability between the tribes,
0:08:53 > 0:08:57believe it or not, people getting kidnapped out there, the weather,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01there's all kinds of things that potentially or logistically
0:09:01 > 0:09:05could have gone wrong with that, so it was more relief than anything.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08This leg, though, had been mentally and physically
0:09:08 > 0:09:10extremely difficult to deal with,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14and as feared, Richard's knee had taken a battering.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19My knees from the descent are still sore,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23and my muscles are just screaming at the moment,
0:09:23 > 0:09:29but an amazing feeling to stand on the summit yesterday.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Yeah, it's a great feeling this morning,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34but my body is absolutely shattered.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41He returned to the UK for some rest and intensive medical treatment
0:09:41 > 0:09:43before setting off again.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46The North Pole and Everest would be the next challenges
0:09:46 > 0:09:50ahead of Richard, and he'd be accompanied on both legs
0:09:50 > 0:09:53by Olympic gold medallist Steve Williams.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56Ever since we met, I could see it in his eyes
0:09:56 > 0:09:59how focused he is, how determined he is.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03The challenge for him is more than just the nine legs.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06It's a real mission for him.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09It's going to be a world first, no-one else has ever done it.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Lots of people have done similar things,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14but they either haven't done all of what he's going to do
0:10:14 > 0:10:16or in the same timescale he's going to do it,
0:10:16 > 0:10:17so that speaks for itself.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23On March 30th, they travelled to Norway, where they faced delays
0:10:23 > 0:10:28as an ice runway was being built for their flight to the Arctic.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32It wasn't until April 6th that they could take off
0:10:32 > 0:10:37on the first passenger flight of the year to land on the Arctic ice.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47After four days of delay, we've finally got a green light to go.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54And, uh, pretty nervous!
0:10:58 > 0:11:00At last.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Mate, we've finally got the green light to go, then.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04Fingers crossed.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06We haven't taken off yet.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17The party of explorers, scientists and adventurers
0:11:17 > 0:11:20were then flown by helicopter to the 89th degree,
0:11:20 > 0:11:25where the difficult and dangerous hike to the Pole would really begin.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49The North Pole was brutally cold,
0:11:49 > 0:11:54and mentally you just had to be absolutely on it,
0:11:54 > 0:11:56every second of the every day.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58Everything you did had a consequence.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02Well, we're on our own now.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06For the next five days,
0:12:06 > 0:12:09they'd ski across the lethal icy wastelands,
0:12:09 > 0:12:13pulling their sleds, known as pulks, with all their kit and supplies.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17To cross the 111km, they'd average around 20km a day
0:12:17 > 0:12:19at temperatures of minus 40,
0:12:19 > 0:12:23and that would get them to the Pole, hopefully, on April 11th,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26but well behind schedule for Everest.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39The team had to be constantly wary of the surface below them.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42There were a number of narrow escapes -
0:12:42 > 0:12:46the icy waters on this occasion lapped around their feet,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49and they quickly tried to move to firmer ground.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54A serious crack can appear at any time,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58and slipping into the icy Arctic is a real danger.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08The exact position of the geographic North Pole is marked
0:13:08 > 0:13:12by a Russian flag on the seabed under the polar icecap.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14The ice on the surface moves,
0:13:14 > 0:13:18and so finding the exact spot is a challenge in itself.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20They had to use GPS technology,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22a global navigation satellite system,
0:13:22 > 0:13:26to track their whereabouts and the elusive North Pole marker.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30We were making these drastic directional changes,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33because if you can imagine,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36the geographic North Pole is a stationary position
0:13:36 > 0:13:40at the bottom of the sea, and we're on a floating lid of ice,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42which is moving above it.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45We ended up almost chasing it.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49Steve and myself are stood on the geographical North Pole.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51What an amazing feeling.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55This truly is, you know,
0:13:55 > 0:14:00a beautiful and hostile environment.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Top of the world.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10That was a particularly dangerous leg,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14and certainly one that I was really happy to get...
0:14:14 > 0:14:18You know, to get over successfully.
0:14:21 > 0:14:22There's our taxi home, Steve.
0:14:22 > 0:14:23Eh?
0:14:23 > 0:14:25There's our taxi home.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39From the North Pole to London,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42and within six days they were already flying from Kathmandu
0:14:42 > 0:14:46to the frighteningly tiny runway of Lukla in Nepal.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54The landing strip is short and sloping,
0:14:54 > 0:14:58and is commonly known as the most extreme airport in the world.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05The flight from Kathmandu into Lukla was...
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Just before we took off, I heard it was rated
0:15:08 > 0:15:12as one of the most dangerous flights in the world or something like that.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Probably a good thing I learned that last minute.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20The delays in getting to the Pole now meant they'd lost precious
0:15:20 > 0:15:25acclimatisation time on Everest, and some doubts were creeping in.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38'I've been rock-solid confident that I'll be nothing but successful
0:15:38 > 0:15:41'from the challenge's conception.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45'However, yesterday, there was an element of doubt in my mind,
0:15:45 > 0:15:51'and that really rocked me, really played on my mind last night.'
0:16:02 > 0:16:06'So, today was the first time we actually got sight of Everest on the trek in.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09'Honestly, I didn't really spend too long looking at it.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12'I can only relate it back to my playing days, really -
0:16:12 > 0:16:16'I never really dwelt too much on my opposite number,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20'I didn't want to really empower them, and that's a bit like this one.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25'I don't really want to be paralysed by thinking too hard about it.'
0:16:33 > 0:16:35They met up with all kinds of people
0:16:35 > 0:16:38who had their own special reasons for attempting Everest.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43An 82-year-old man wanted to be the oldest person ever to summit.
0:16:43 > 0:16:44Tragically, he died en route.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49'There've been fatalities on other mountains
0:16:49 > 0:16:52'while I've been there on this challenge,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55'and you hear of them, but you just disassociate with them,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58'you don't know them, you've not met them.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01'This was a little bit different,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03'because we'd met this Nepalese guy on the trek in,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06'and I had so much admiration for him -
0:17:06 > 0:17:09'obviously, trying to be the oldest man to summit Everest
0:17:09 > 0:17:11'is pretty phenomenal.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13'When I heard that, sadly, he had passed away,'
0:17:13 > 0:17:17it was the first time I'd actually had a connection,
0:17:17 > 0:17:19and it was sad, if I'm being honest.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21And it, um...
0:17:23 > 0:17:26..Certainly rocked me for a day or two.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30The original plan was that Richard and Steve
0:17:30 > 0:17:33would join up with a full climbing expedition
0:17:33 > 0:17:36organised by the logistics team of the challenge,
0:17:36 > 0:17:40but this group had already had three weeks of acclimatisation on Everest.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44The delays on the North Pole now meant that climbing with this group
0:17:44 > 0:17:46was impractical and dangerous.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Along with their expedition leader, David Hamilton,
0:17:48 > 0:17:53they would need to devise a different and risky strategy.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58'We sat down with David Hamilton, the expedition leader.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02'The challenges we had were that we were almost four weeks behind
0:18:02 > 0:18:06'every other team there, and we really didn't have that much time.'
0:18:06 > 0:18:09What's the last date we should aim for?
0:18:09 > 0:18:11I think it's probably the 26th.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13There's no fall-back plan, is there?
0:18:13 > 0:18:17If the weather doesn't play along, you don't have a second chance.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Conditions on Everest dictate that climbing can only occur
0:18:23 > 0:18:25at a certain time of the year.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Within that season,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30weather conditions are key to a successful summit.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34These are the weather windows that climbers hope will come their way.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44It took them 12 days to get to Base Camp,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47and as they took part in the Puja -
0:18:47 > 0:18:49a religious ceremony to bless their trip -
0:18:49 > 0:18:52the main group were leaving for the higher camps.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55It would be another three weeks before Richard
0:18:55 > 0:18:57could make a push for the summit.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01Patience and a measured build-up might lead them to success.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03CHANTING
0:19:07 > 0:19:09'I guess I could say that I'm nervous on many levels
0:19:09 > 0:19:12'about the climb ahead.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15'Quite simply, I haven't got that luxury.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20'Any weakness or doubt that I've got in myself or strategy
0:19:20 > 0:19:22'will be ripped open at altitude.'
0:19:23 > 0:19:26You know, my psyche has to be rock solid,
0:19:26 > 0:19:28and, um...
0:19:28 > 0:19:33I just can't afford to let any doubt into my head at all, really.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40This is it, 2 o'clock in the morning, May 20th.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45God willing, sunrise in three days' time we'll be up at the top.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51Richard's strategy was not the traditional shuttle climbing -
0:19:51 > 0:19:53up to one camp and return to a lower camp to sleep,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56and prepare the body for higher altitude.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05To conserve energy, his push, although more risky,
0:20:05 > 0:20:10involved one long exposure to extreme altitude.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14This season had been particularly cold,
0:20:14 > 0:20:18with more cases than for many years of frostbite,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21snow blankness and retina freezing of the eyes.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28'I knew, physically, it was going to be tough,
0:20:28 > 0:20:33'I was prepared for that, but the constant self-doubt,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37'the constant questioning was really draining.'
0:20:37 > 0:20:40Every mental decision I made,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43every thought I had, every physical action I did,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46it was as if it was put under a microscope mentally.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52There were definite signs that the climbing season
0:20:52 > 0:20:56was rapidly coming to an end, with Camp Two starting to crumble,
0:20:56 > 0:21:01avalanches and rock slides on the increase.
0:21:07 > 0:21:14We're about three hours in to the climb up to Camp Two.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19The ice fall never really ceases to amaze me
0:21:19 > 0:21:22how much it changes from time to time.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50We're about 6,100 metres.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54The air's getting pretty thin now.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56There she is.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02This is probably the best view we've had of Everest
0:22:02 > 0:22:04since I've been here.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09One slip crossing five ladder crevasses would be fatal.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Progressing 1,000 metres at this stage through the Western Cwm
0:22:13 > 0:22:15is a painstaking process.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Then comes the most impressive wall of Everest - the Lhotse face.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29They pass the body of a Japanese climber here
0:22:29 > 0:22:31who died a few days earlier.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35Supplementary oxygen now plays a vital part in aiding breathing,
0:22:35 > 0:22:37but as they moved from Camp Three to Camp Four,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40Steve climbed again without an oxygen mask.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45It's a risk that I wouldn't have taken, personally,
0:22:45 > 0:22:47because the summit was my target,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50but if you don't believe in your own ability,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53if you don't believe in yourself,
0:22:53 > 0:22:54well, then what's Steve even...
0:22:54 > 0:22:57What were any of us doing on the mountain, anyway?
0:22:57 > 0:23:00So, I completely get why he did it
0:23:00 > 0:23:03and why he had the confidence to do it.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09The death zone above 7,900 metres, 26,000 ft,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12is the point at which there isn't enough oxygen in the air
0:23:12 > 0:23:14to sustain human life,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17although a handful of individuals have succeeded.
0:23:20 > 0:23:26Steve and I are here in Camp Four, just under 8,000 metres.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31Really grateful to get to the tent and out the wind.
0:23:32 > 0:23:38'The tent was just rattling and shaking, it was just wild,'
0:23:38 > 0:23:42it was like something from another planet, I guess,
0:23:42 > 0:23:44the closest maybe I'll get.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48Obviously at that altitude we're on oxygen or supplementary oxygen,
0:23:48 > 0:23:52so you can't even really breathe for that long up there.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55I knew that we weren't going to summit that night,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58and I just couldn't imagine the winds dropping.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Last night we had to abort our summit attempt due to really high winds.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20This means we've got an extra 24 hours up here in the death zone
0:24:20 > 0:24:22just under 8,000 metres,
0:24:22 > 0:24:27and we're going to aim to attempt again tonight.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31I had a weird one last night.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34I was just lying on the floor,
0:24:34 > 0:24:38and I was shaking so much, I was so cold.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42This floor, we've got that much foam mat,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46and underneath that it's just very cold ice and rock,
0:24:46 > 0:24:51and my legs and arms were just shaking uncontrollably.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54We've just got to keep our nerve.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58We've got to stay strong, stay focused and just wait.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04I think she'll give us our chance, I really do.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10May 24th, and a prediction for low winds
0:25:10 > 0:25:14meant that a summit attempt was possible.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17But this would be their final opportunity.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19It was literally now or never.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25That was the first time I actually thought to myself,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29we're going to have to do this, it's now, this is it.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37The wait was agonisingly long for the whole team.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41The family and friends back in Newport, powerless to help.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52As they left Camp Four at 9 o'clock at night,
0:25:52 > 0:25:57given the right conditions, they could summit in about nine hours.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04Steve slowly slipped behind Richard as they neared the summit ridge.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10Richard's mask froze and stopped supplying him with oxygen.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16The incredible Sherpa Mingma, on his 17th ascent,
0:26:16 > 0:26:20gave him his mask, and Richard continued.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32One slip, one wrong step, there'd be no recovery.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Tears of joy, not only at the top of Everest,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30but also back in Newport, as Richard phoned home.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35- Hi, Rich.- Hi, Rich.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41I'm fine, thanks, very proud.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Exhausted ourselves and very tired,
0:27:43 > 0:27:45I'm going to bloody bed now.
0:27:53 > 0:27:54Love you.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56God bless, Rich, we love you.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Take care, we love you.
0:28:01 > 0:28:02Oh, my God...
0:28:02 > 0:28:07Steve Williams also summited, but, as they descended to Base Camp,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10it was obvious that the mountain had left her mark.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12It's been a tough two-and-a-half days.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16Just been to see the medical centre here.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19What I thought was a bruise on my toenail
0:28:19 > 0:28:22is actually frostbite in my right big toe.
0:28:23 > 0:28:28To go from the elation of standing on the summit of Everest
0:28:28 > 0:28:32two-and-a-half days ago, to now being told
0:28:32 > 0:28:37that it's 50-50 that I'm going to make it to Denali...
0:28:41 > 0:28:43..And even worse than that, it's 50-50
0:28:43 > 0:28:46whether I'm actually going to lose my toe or not.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50I just don't know, I just don't know what to say.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53An emergency helicopter flight,
0:28:53 > 0:28:56immediate treatment at Kathmandu Hospital
0:28:56 > 0:28:59and a flight back to the UK as soon as possible.
0:28:59 > 0:29:00With time running out,
0:29:00 > 0:29:03Denali would now become increasingly hard to surmount.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05With a frostbitten foot,
0:29:05 > 0:29:08would he even be allowed to attempt the summit?
0:29:08 > 0:29:11And even the last leg of Elbrus looked in jeopardy,
0:29:11 > 0:29:14as terrorist activity forced the Russian government
0:29:14 > 0:29:15to close the mountain region.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18The race against time and the whole challenge
0:29:18 > 0:29:21was in serious danger of collapsing.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:29:47 > 0:29:50Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk