0:00:02 > 0:00:07This programme contains some strong language.
0:00:07 > 0:00:08- K2?- No, Nanga Parbat.
0:00:08 > 0:00:13- Oh, my God!- Then we'll show you K2, your destination, OK?
0:00:13 > 0:00:15We're on our way in.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21'The doomed mission to climb one of the world's
0:00:21 > 0:00:23'most challenging mountains...'
0:00:23 > 0:00:27Ill-fated expedition to the top of K2 was airlifted to safety today.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32'More than a quarter of those who try to scale it die in the attempt.'
0:00:32 > 0:00:34Why did we split up?
0:00:36 > 0:00:39'One of the worst disasters in the history of mountaineering
0:00:39 > 0:00:44'and, in particular, on K2, the most dangerous mountain on Earth.'
0:00:58 > 0:01:01I think people are interested in trying to know what actually
0:01:01 > 0:01:02happened that day.
0:01:04 > 0:01:068,000m, you are in the death zone.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11There is a struggle, there is a fight,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14in every breath, in every thought.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21Everything hurts. Every limb, every cell is screaming
0:01:21 > 0:01:23"oxygen, oxygen, oxygen".
0:01:26 > 0:01:28You don't feel the cold any more.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31You don't think the same way.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35You don't know if you're dreaming or if it's real.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Time seems to stand still.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Sometimes things go wrong, you know?
0:01:45 > 0:01:49But the question you should ask yourself - what would you do?
0:02:27 > 0:02:29You have to run this bit, because there's rock fall.
0:02:29 > 0:02:35- Really?- Yeah, they've been running it. Go, go, go.- Shit.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14It's good to be back here.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17It's nice to wake up to this sight this morning.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40It's my belief that everybody has a love of climbing.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43The first thing a child wants to do is climb something.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46The art of rock climbing is relearning what you
0:03:46 > 0:03:48intuitively knew as a child.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52You get such big respect for this mountain
0:03:52 > 0:03:55and all the climbers who did it before you. If you want to have
0:03:55 > 0:03:59a nice story on the birthday parties, you climb Everest.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02But K2 is for the real mountaineers.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06- Hello.- Hello.- How are you?- Good.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18- Pretty good view, I reckon.- I think it's pretty hard to beat, actually.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21There is a difference between people from the Himalayas
0:04:21 > 0:04:24and people from the Western world.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26There is difference, because the
0:04:26 > 0:04:29western people are more adventurer.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31They love adventure.
0:04:31 > 0:04:38- Our people also like adventure, but they love climbing.- Where are we?
0:04:38 > 0:04:41- We are now climbing K2. - All right.- Yes.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02Everything is raw. It's glaciers, it's black mountains.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04It fills you with respect.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09K2 is absolutely the king.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16The higher it gets, the more interesting it gets.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22So when it comes to climbing 8,000m peaks, you want to do it,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25but at the same time, you have this fear.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29This is serious. This is for real.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33If you make one step wrong, you're history.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Finally here. Such a relief.
0:05:46 > 0:05:47Good job.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52Let's get the tents up, the stoves going and prepare for tonight.
0:05:52 > 0:05:53Good.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57For three months, we were on this expedition,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01so when we reached Camp IV, it was already a magic moment.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04The whole earth is beside you.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08And then you look behind you and see another mountain.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12And that's K2. It's a mountain on a mountain.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Ger was coming, I was filming.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20I was asking Ger how are you feeling? And he was almost crying.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36You could hear his voice, you know,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39it's something that we already achieved.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41It's already something, that's what he said.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56We had a brilliant night. No clouds, there was nothing.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02And then we went to the summit.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22HE COUGHS
0:07:22 > 0:07:27- Afraid?- No. - I am. I'm scared to death.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33We felt, overall, like this was our day.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39So we moved up along the slopes above IV.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Fred and I started out a little more slowly.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Both of us felt really strong, very positive.
0:07:45 > 0:07:51There were perfect conditions. We're talking about day in a million.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54There was not a day like this that I can remember.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Cos it was warm.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Starting to get light enough to see the route up ahead.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Looking up, seeing a tightly-spaced group of climbers moving
0:08:08 > 0:08:10extremely slowly.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16They're not moving. What are they doing?
0:08:17 > 0:08:21We are way back in time.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29We are really late. I don't know what the fuck we're going to do?
0:08:29 > 0:08:34- Pretty disappointing. - I was so devastated.
0:08:34 > 0:08:40You put in so much effort for months and then you realise there is no way
0:08:40 > 0:08:45we are going to be able to summit and come back down in daylight.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50We just went down. It was simple as that.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Many of the other climbers there had been on Everest
0:09:01 > 0:09:03or other 8,000ers before K2.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07I hadn't been higher than 6,200.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10I just wanted to come along, to see how high I could get.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15When we finally got to the bottleneck, there was actually
0:09:15 > 0:09:17a traffic jam.
0:09:35 > 0:09:41The serac was the main danger. It's probably almost 100m high.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Slightly overhanging. And it could crack at any time.
0:09:50 > 0:09:55This very, very delicate place is notorious.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Ice can drop at any time.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00It's a Russian Roulette, that's what it is.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07The main tactic to avoid the dangers of the serac is to be fast,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10to minimise the time when you're exposed to it.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13It was not with a good feeling we were waiting there.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37Above 8,000, you can only trust yourself.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40I wanted to traverse out to the right, to have a rest
0:10:40 > 0:10:42outside of the fixed ropes.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45It's exhausting to be in a queue, to wait.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47You can't climb at your own pace.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Several others wanted to wait there until others had passed.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01The bigger the chain, the bigger the chance that there is somebody
0:11:01 > 0:11:05in this chain who is making a mistake.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Dren unclipped his rope and tried to pass me.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16HE SCREAMS
0:11:34 > 0:11:37We were all shocked when he fell, but when he stopped he stood up
0:11:37 > 0:11:38and waved.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42- So we thought he was fine. - He's standing up. He's OK.
0:11:42 > 0:11:48But then we saw him falling again and sliding further down.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54- Right there at the end. - What's happening?
0:11:56 > 0:11:59This is Eric at Camp IV.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03I picked up my camera and I zoomed in trying to find him, locate him.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09How can someone fall on this perfect day?
0:12:09 > 0:12:13No wind, it's bright, it's great.
0:12:13 > 0:12:14How is it possible?
0:12:14 > 0:12:20Chhiring, I understood that you and Pemba are climbing.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Are you in the lead and has there been an accident, over?
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Is he in a rut?
0:12:26 > 0:12:28He's here.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32That is the rock. Down. Down.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Chhiring says he's moving.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36Whoa. He's still alive.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39We have to do something.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41Is everybody coming down? Ask the question.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47Chhiring , do you know if everyone is coming down at this point, over?
0:12:49 > 0:12:51INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Of course, we had a discussion.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Should we turn around to try to help?
0:12:59 > 0:13:01We talked about it and then we said,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04"Listen, the Serbian guys are going down.
0:13:04 > 0:13:05"We know the Americans are there.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08"I think it doesn't make sense to go down."
0:13:36 > 0:13:37I was like, "I'm going to save this guy.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39"I'm going to save him.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42"There's no way he's going to die, not this day.
0:13:42 > 0:13:43"No way. It's not going to happen."
0:13:45 > 0:13:46I just shoot off.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55He hit the rock, lose control.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59Keep falling for 200 more metres, then stopped.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Then, I started coming down.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03There were maybe two guys below me.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05I came down pretty fast.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Maybe ten minutes.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10He was wrapped in rope,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13and just giving no signs of life.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Already...very pale and grey.
0:14:18 > 0:14:19Cuts on the head.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24Black nose, broken. Blood from mouth.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26- Finished.- Totally finished, almost.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40If I knew that Dren was dead, I would not have gone up.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49The Serbians, they want to take him down to base camp.
0:14:49 > 0:14:50I say that that's impossible.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55What we can do is, at least, bring him down to Camp Four
0:14:55 > 0:14:57and give him a proper burial there.
0:15:01 > 0:15:038,000m. You're in the death zone.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08'Every step is a burden. When you have a dead body,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10'it's a hell of a load.'
0:15:10 > 0:15:12OK, we have to go down like this, guys.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17You have to stay not so close.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19If you do fall, you release, OK?
0:15:19 > 0:15:23It's our lives too, OK? Remember.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28'Jehan Baig from Pakistan suddenly started acting really weird.'
0:15:32 > 0:15:35'He's coming down on my right side, holding on to the rope,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37'which goes around my lower legs.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39'We're crying out...'
0:15:39 > 0:15:40Release the ropes.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42Release the rope!
0:15:48 > 0:15:51'He did not make one single move to stop his fall.'
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Instead, he just let go,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57and he shoots off like a rocket,
0:15:57 > 0:15:58straight out to the open air
0:15:58 > 0:16:00and just disappears.
0:16:14 > 0:16:15If you climb on K2,
0:16:15 > 0:16:19it's very necessary that you have the right people in the team.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22You have to trust each other fully for 200%.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Gerard said, "Hey, listen, it would be lovely
0:16:24 > 0:16:27"if I can bring Pemba." Pemba is a Sherpa.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30But a lot of people are thinking about a Sherpa
0:16:30 > 0:16:35that he's just an ordinary guy who's bringing stuff up the mountain,
0:16:35 > 0:16:39but Pemba was a really different guy.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41He was a professional climber, like we were.
0:16:44 > 0:16:45Yeah, yeah. Fantastic.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50- Do we have boil-in-the-bag rice? - You can take care of it.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52It's the one thing that I'm concerned about,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55that Pemba mightn't be too used to freeze-dried food.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26It was clear for me that Gerard would be part of this team,
0:17:26 > 0:17:28because I found a good companion in Gerard.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32He was a climber who had the same ambitions as me.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Then you are pushing the limits, higher.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Then it ends up in the Himalayas.
0:17:38 > 0:17:39HE CHEERS
0:17:43 > 0:17:48Gerard was new for me, but Wilco knew him before.
0:17:48 > 0:17:49I know Wilco, so I trust him.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55It was very quickly clear that Gerard was a very qualified climber.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56CHEERING
0:17:57 > 0:18:022003, I was the expedition leader on Mount Everest.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04We had a small team.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08Gerard, he had a huge passion and he had bursts full of energy.
0:18:08 > 0:18:09Come on, Ireland!
0:18:10 > 0:18:13He knew how dangerous, actually, mountaineering was.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17He knew over 8,000m, it's not called "death zone" for nothing.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20Every blood cell in your body has been deprived of oxygen,
0:18:20 > 0:18:22which numbs your brain cells.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Making logical decisions becomes harder.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28The longer that you're up at high altitude,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32the more prone you are to your whole body disintegrating from inside.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34It creates mucus, it creates fluids.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37It actually starts to swell the brain, the lungs,
0:18:37 > 0:18:39till eventually you won't survive.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Within high-altitude mountaineering, there is an unwritten code.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48If it's the case that someone is dying
0:18:48 > 0:18:51and you know you're going to put your own life at risk,
0:18:51 > 0:18:53you should leave them.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57- GERARD:- This 8,000m stuff was alien to me at this point,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00so I was just following direction, you know?
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Descending, Pat was in a bad way
0:19:04 > 0:19:07and seemed to be moving exceptionally slowly
0:19:07 > 0:19:08and stopping to rest.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12When I saw the look on Pat's face...
0:19:17 > 0:19:18Oh, shit.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24I was getting pulmonary oedema, cerebral oedema, thrombosis.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26I was being deprived of oxygen.
0:19:26 > 0:19:27I started to die.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32There was no energy there.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34More than a lack of energy...
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Actually, I think there was an awareness of a lack of energy.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43I think there was also a knowledge that he knew in himself
0:19:43 > 0:19:45that he was in trouble.
0:19:45 > 0:19:46Pemba and, in particular,
0:19:46 > 0:19:50Ger were the people that were encouraging me down.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55If my team members hadn't helped on that day,
0:19:55 > 0:20:00I may very well myself be encrusted onto the rocks
0:20:00 > 0:20:02of Mount Everest for eternity,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05never to come back home to see my family.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07CHEERING AND CHANTING
0:20:09 > 0:20:12They say that the most important thing when you go climbing
0:20:12 > 0:20:15would be to select a good climbing partner -
0:20:15 > 0:20:18somebody that you're compatible with.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20I've been lucky, really.
0:20:30 > 0:20:31You see in the rock?
0:20:31 > 0:20:36Do you know if everyone is coming down at this point, over?
0:20:36 > 0:20:39When the accident happened, Gerard was also asking,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42"Do we have time enough to reach the summit?"
0:20:42 > 0:20:43"Aren't we too late?"
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Pemba said, "No, no, we can just reach the summit.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48"There is time enough."
0:20:48 > 0:20:51Then we said, OK. This is the decision - to move on.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53We just moved on.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24He had the big Korean team ahead, then you have the Norwegian guys,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27then us in the middle with the Spanish guy in front.
0:21:44 > 0:21:45We were climbing, climbing, climbing
0:21:45 > 0:21:48and then you see the first guys reaching the summit.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Then you think, "Please, let it be the end,"
0:21:50 > 0:21:54because you are really completely exhausted.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16Alberto was kind of a mythic figure,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18so I didn't see Alberto close up at all
0:22:18 > 0:22:21until I met him when he was on his way down.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Then I asked him how far it was.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28He said, "Yeah, a little less than an hour."
0:22:50 > 0:22:52One moment you realise that it is in your reach,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55you're going to feel that you're going to make it.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58It's only a matter of time to keep on going to reach the summit.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21HE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:23:21 > 0:23:23CHEERING
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Gerard, Cas, Pemba, over.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35Four guys of this expedition, you know,
0:23:35 > 0:23:37half of the team, was on the summit of K2.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42We're on the summit of K2. Woo-hoo.
0:23:42 > 0:23:43Yo, yo, yo.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47The light was exceptional, brilliant.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52You are at the end of the Earth.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54Heaven, almost.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02You're thinking, "This is it, you know, it's over, we've done it."
0:24:14 > 0:24:17It's definitely a place of extremes,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20but with those extremes comes extreme beauty.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27In many ways, those very extremes, they're addictive.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41He phoned me, and I was lucky enough that the connection was made.
0:24:45 > 0:24:46He was elated.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49He told me everybody was feeling good.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52There was no problem.
0:24:52 > 0:24:53And then...
0:24:54 > 0:25:00Yeah, it was just hoping to hear from him, you know,
0:25:00 > 0:25:01five or six hours' time.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11We were all really strong, we were normal talking.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14We didn't have problems with the altitude.
0:25:14 > 0:25:15We were feeling very good.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18We were having a good moment on the summit,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20and now we are going down.
0:25:20 > 0:25:21Marco was coming up, he said,
0:25:21 > 0:25:23"Somebody has to take pictures of me."
0:25:23 > 0:25:26I said, "Yeah, yeah. Up, up. Quickly, quickly."
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Then you realise, "Fuck, we have to go down."
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Now the surviving starts.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03President McAleese has said her thoughts
0:26:03 > 0:26:06are with the family of a County Limerick man,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09who is among nine climbers missing and feared dead in the Himalayas.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11..on the world's second-highest peak,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14that may have killed as many as a dozen climbers.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17..when as many as a dozen of them were caught out in a collapse
0:26:17 > 0:26:19of an ice ledge just beneath the summit...
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Straddling the border of Pakistan and China,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24K2 is slightly smaller than Mount Everest,
0:26:24 > 0:26:27but its reputation has always been much larger.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29..another Pakistani, a French national
0:26:29 > 0:26:31and an Austrian are missing.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37They summited on the Friday. Friday the 1st of August, I mean.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Come Saturday, the internet was ripe with stories.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45We heard the Fredrik Strang story
0:26:45 > 0:26:47about pulling bodies off the mountain.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50One of the climbers, an American guy, Nick Rice,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53had his blog up on the Sunday.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56He said that Gerard refused to come down the mountain.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59He said, "Refused to come down the mountain."
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Anyone that knows Gerard knew what Gerard was about.
0:27:02 > 0:27:03Something wasn't right.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09Someone might throw some comment out on their blog
0:27:09 > 0:27:11about what they think might be happening or, you know,
0:27:11 > 0:27:15some rumour they heard and not realising,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18"Hey, we are waiting for our loved ones."
0:27:20 > 0:27:22We're hanging on every single word,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24even how it's written
0:27:24 > 0:27:27to get some kind of clue of what was going on.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Those guys are making big stories
0:27:36 > 0:27:39even when the tragedy is still going on
0:27:39 > 0:27:40actually on the mountain.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44- MAN TALKS ON RADIO:- ..you're a bit clumsy...
0:27:44 > 0:27:46It's always the same.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48The real heroes, you don't hear.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54The stupid thing is if we would have been successful,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57which we were because we reached the summit,
0:27:57 > 0:28:02there was only such a small piece in the newspaper, you know?
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Now, because 11 climbers died,
0:28:05 > 0:28:06it went all over the world.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Everybody wants to know how it was possible.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18What happened to us was just a matter of...
0:28:19 > 0:28:24..misfortune.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27it was such a successful story till we went to the summit.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50We were the first expedition on the mountain.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54We had a beautiful time because everything was really organised.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56We had good food, we had good cooks.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58Every detail was planned and organised.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07We are a very strong team compared to other expeditions.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10We were putting all our fixed rope.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13Everything we were doing by ourselves.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18Bringing up those ropes to 8,000m, it's a hell of a job.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20First four till five weeks,
0:29:20 > 0:29:25every day fixing the ropes 100m by 100m by 100m.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29Then going back, just by the rope, going down to the base camp.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34K2 base camp, over.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38The snow conditions and the wind weather conditions
0:29:38 > 0:29:40are also really bad for you.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44Maybe it's a good idea to postpone
0:29:44 > 0:29:46the project one day, over.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50No. Not possible.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52'We have to be ready in July.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55'We want to quit this expedition in the end of July.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58'Most of the accident happened in August.'
0:30:01 > 0:30:04The humidity is getting bigger, you know? More avalanche danger.
0:30:04 > 0:30:05CRACKING AND RUMBLING
0:30:12 > 0:30:15We said, "OK, we want to go at the end of July."
0:30:15 > 0:30:16That was the plan.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18We were ahead of schedule.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24In that period, all the other teams were arriving.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28The Koreans.
0:30:28 > 0:30:29Very, very cold.
0:30:29 > 0:30:30Very strong wind
0:30:30 > 0:30:31The Americans.
0:30:35 > 0:30:36The Serbian guys.
0:30:37 > 0:30:38Resting in peace.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40French guys.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44And the Norwegian team.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50That's a lot of different cultures up there.
0:30:50 > 0:30:55Sherpas from Nepal, high-altitude porters from Pakistan.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58There were different approaches to the climbing.
0:31:03 > 0:31:08The South Koreans are the main big, old style big expedition.
0:31:11 > 0:31:16Sherpas - oxygen, a lot of rope, many camps.
0:31:16 > 0:31:17Beautiful day.
0:31:21 > 0:31:22The Norwegian expedition,
0:31:22 > 0:31:26we were only four friends on a trip
0:31:26 > 0:31:28trying to climb K2.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33MAN SINGS IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:31:39 > 0:31:42- Time to break out the whisky. - That's a good idea.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44I like whisky.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48There is that element of remoteness that I love, however,
0:31:48 > 0:31:51the bustle of this camp, I actually love it.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53I get to meet a lot of different cultures.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55Everyone was into the same thing.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Everyone's there to climb.
0:31:57 > 0:31:58We ended up having a great time.
0:32:02 > 0:32:03It was very quickly clear
0:32:03 > 0:32:06that Ger was a very qualified climber.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09Next to that, he is a very social boy -
0:32:09 > 0:32:14more social than the average climber.
0:32:14 > 0:32:15THEY CHANT
0:32:20 > 0:32:22For me, the most important thing for all of these expeditions
0:32:22 > 0:32:26is to have a good time and have a good laugh with your friends.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29GER SINGS IN IRISH
0:32:29 > 0:32:31Thank you.
0:32:31 > 0:32:32CHEERING
0:32:33 > 0:32:35Gerard was with at us a lot,
0:32:35 > 0:32:37and we would sit with them as well.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41Ger and Rolf were friends.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Both were the same kind of guys.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49When I met Rolf in 2003, I...
0:32:51 > 0:32:53..felt that I met a soul mate.
0:32:55 > 0:33:00In 2005, we went to K2 to try to get to know the mountain.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03The most important thing wasn't to get to the summit.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06The most important thing for us
0:33:06 > 0:33:10was to come home with good health.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14We were there for 93 days.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16We only got to a little higher than camp three.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22So this time, I don't think we really thought we'd get to the summit.
0:33:24 > 0:33:31Of course, you have to want that, otherwise you won't make it.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36But it's so much that has to be right for it to happen.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45TINKLING METAL
0:33:45 > 0:33:48What went wrong was the weather.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51For three weeks it was snowing, snowing, snowing.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53It was unbelievable.
0:33:53 > 0:33:5780% chance of snow today.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59- Wind?- 8km at 8,000m.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04He was ready to come home. He said to me,
0:34:04 > 0:34:07"I can't wait to have a good meal and a glass of red wine."
0:34:07 > 0:34:09You know, he was kind of ready.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13It was 60-something days, by that point.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15But, if you get a weather window, you take it.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28The end of July, the good weather came in.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31But then everybody wants to use this window.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36So we said, let's have a talk, let's try to work together.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39- BROKEN ENGLISH: - 300 rope for bottleneck.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42If we want to, more 50.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44400 rope we are...fixing.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47Couloir? We take 400m.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52Then the Italians got 200m for traverse.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54So 600m is plenty enough.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57Maybe we need more.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00- We don't need more. - 600m is plenty enough, I think.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04- 700 better. - Seven? OK, Kim says 700.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08We had a lot of meetings because if we are working together
0:35:08 > 0:35:09let's be clear.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12We are with a lot of people, we share all the workloads,
0:35:12 > 0:35:17and 80% chance we will get to the summit without any problems.
0:35:17 > 0:35:22First, leading. Second, help them. Third, making the bamboos.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26MEN CONTINUE PLANNING
0:35:26 > 0:35:29I always saw the base camp meetings
0:35:29 > 0:35:32as a vital key to success.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36It was our chance to get together
0:35:36 > 0:35:38and do this as one team -
0:35:38 > 0:35:43not South Koreans, Americans, Serbians, Dutch.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45As one team.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48There is one in the one survey team from every group.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53The question is also, who is climbing in front. You know?
0:35:53 > 0:35:58We say, listen, every team gives his strongest climber,
0:35:58 > 0:36:01and that's the trail-breaking party.
0:36:01 > 0:36:07Two good climber and one, two porter who, er, carry...fix rope.
0:36:07 > 0:36:12These teams start one or two hours before other members from camp four.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18We were thinking, if the strongest team go into this part,
0:36:18 > 0:36:21fixing the ropes through the bottleneck,
0:36:21 > 0:36:23we can just follow the ropes and go to the summit.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26So it is a really safe plan.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31They were really focusing on the summit.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35Both Ger and Wilco were really...
0:36:35 > 0:36:37..had the summit in their eyes!
0:36:37 > 0:36:40You could see it.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47There are always things you don't talk about,
0:36:47 > 0:36:49and which you don't expect.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53and one thing was that the leader of the high-altitude porters
0:36:53 > 0:36:55who are making breaking-trail,
0:36:55 > 0:36:57I trust this guy completely.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03But what happened? He went ill. So no leader any more.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06High altitude porters are Sherpas.
0:37:06 > 0:37:07They're going to fix the rope
0:37:07 > 0:37:09and the members from the Koreans
0:37:09 > 0:37:12they're going to counter-check the rope,
0:37:12 > 0:37:14whether it is fixed properly or not.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16A new plan was that a Korean leader -
0:37:16 > 0:37:20the climbing leader of the big Korean team -
0:37:20 > 0:37:23he would check everything in camp four.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26But he didn't.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37The summit bid was delayed because people were wandering around,
0:38:37 > 0:38:39like, "Hey, where's the gear?
0:38:39 > 0:38:42"Where's the equipment? Where's the rope?"
0:38:42 > 0:38:44We are WAY back in time.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47We are really late.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49Pretty disappointing.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53The high-altitude porters, they just starting to fixing the rope,
0:38:53 > 0:38:56and Pemba was not that kind of leader who said,
0:38:56 > 0:38:59"Listen, we are going to do it like this!" You know?
0:39:07 > 0:39:10It was, like, 10m from the tents or something.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13There were ropes very, very early on.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17Suddenly there's no more progression,
0:39:17 > 0:39:20and people are just standing there waiting.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23They yell back that they've run out of rope.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32We were thinking, in God's sake, how is this possible?!
0:39:32 > 0:39:34The only thing you can do is going back
0:39:34 > 0:39:36and cut the ropes and bringing up.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39And that's what we did.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43We were delayed with two hours.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45And that's too long.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49You can't catch up two hours on a summit bid,
0:39:49 > 0:39:51even though there were perfect conditions,
0:39:51 > 0:39:55in the death zone, you are just losing more energy.
0:40:21 > 0:40:22SHOUTS
0:40:22 > 0:40:24MAN HOWLS
0:40:33 > 0:40:35People think that we're mad.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38How can you continue if someone died?
0:40:40 > 0:40:43But if you drive a car, you see people crash,
0:40:43 > 0:40:45you see people die in traffic.
0:40:45 > 0:40:50You keep on driving because you think it's not going to happen to you.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54Is he in the rock?
0:40:54 > 0:40:56He's here. On the rock.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58Right there, at the edge.
0:41:20 > 0:41:26- How are you? Good.- But not a great day today. A hard day for me today.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28Yes.
0:41:28 > 0:41:29Was not a good day.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35He said, you go, you feel strong,
0:41:35 > 0:41:39you are strong, you go to the top with Lars.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42And, erm....
0:41:42 > 0:41:44I look back many times and every time I look back,
0:41:44 > 0:41:49if he was looking at me at the same time, he was, like,...
0:41:49 > 0:41:53thumbs up, and "keep on going".
0:41:58 > 0:42:02I remember Ger warning us that when you get around the traverse
0:42:02 > 0:42:06you will see the summit and then you will get summit fever.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11It's so hard to turn around,
0:42:11 > 0:42:14and it's so easy to just continue a little bit.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16Just a half an hour and see.
0:42:19 > 0:42:20CLIMBER CALLS TO CECILIA
0:42:20 > 0:42:25I could see Lars on the summit.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27He took Rolf's rabbit hat on
0:42:27 > 0:42:30and danced on the summit.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35We had just a few minutes, took pictures.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40Even in our most crazy dreams,
0:42:40 > 0:42:42we wouldn't have dreamt it to be that beautiful.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48With that shadow of K2 into China.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50Absolutely beautiful.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55I enjoyed the view, but the only thing that was in our head
0:42:55 > 0:42:58was that we are not going to stay here for very long.
0:42:58 > 0:42:59We are going back.
0:42:59 > 0:43:03We have to get back to the ropes before it gets dark.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06We are on the summit of K2! Woo-hoo!
0:43:09 > 0:43:12The time passes by in a very strange fashion up there.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15What may feel like a couple of seconds,
0:43:15 > 0:43:19could actually be a minute, or vice versa.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21It's very hard to tell.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03You know that almost all the accidents in climbing
0:44:03 > 0:44:07happen on the way down, on the descent.
0:44:07 > 0:44:11You get exhausted, you relax, it gets dark, erm...
0:44:13 > 0:44:15So that is a fact that every climber knows.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22We caught up with Rolf further down.
0:44:22 > 0:44:23He was so happy.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25And congratulated us,
0:44:25 > 0:44:29and we decided to descend together, of course,
0:44:29 > 0:44:32down to the fixed ropes.
0:44:32 > 0:44:34Slow but efficient.
0:44:34 > 0:44:40It gets dark just 15 minutes after we get to the fixed ropes.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42So we put on our head torches.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53When Rolf gets there I ask him
0:44:53 > 0:44:55if he wants to go first,
0:44:55 > 0:44:57or if he wants me to go first.
0:44:57 > 0:45:03He said, "Lars, I go first. You look after my wife."
0:45:09 > 0:45:13Yeah. That's the...
0:45:13 > 0:45:15the last thing he said.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29DEEP RUMBLING
0:45:29 > 0:45:32I don't know if I heard anything but I felt it.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34The ground was shaking underneath me.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39LOUD CRACKING, RUMBLING
0:45:44 > 0:45:47The last thing I saw was Rolf's head torch moving.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52And then it was dark.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14You must think I'm crazy saying this,
0:46:14 > 0:46:16but, suddenly, I could hear his voice.
0:46:16 > 0:46:18And it was so strong.
0:46:18 > 0:46:22It was, like, saying...
0:46:25 > 0:46:27.."You have to get down."
0:46:48 > 0:46:50You're going down, thinking, follow the lines,
0:46:50 > 0:46:52and there was camp four,
0:46:52 > 0:46:54and in a few days we would have big party
0:46:54 > 0:46:56with all the teams in the base camp.
0:46:59 > 0:47:03The problem is you are so exhausted, and you are not that concentrated,
0:47:03 > 0:47:06and everybody is going down at his own speed.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21MEN PANT HEAVILY
0:48:05 > 0:48:08We were looking up the mountain every hour.
0:48:08 > 0:48:12And we were monitoring our radios all the time.
0:48:12 > 0:48:16And we were getting more and more anxious about their safety.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19We could see these head lamps and we were thinking,
0:48:19 > 0:48:21"Oh, my God, Oh, my God! They're not moving very fast.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23"What's going on?"
0:48:25 > 0:48:29We started feeling...hopeless.
0:48:53 > 0:48:58The whole thing was a little bit stuck, so it was not totally clear.
0:48:58 > 0:49:01One moment you are not walking all together any more,
0:49:01 > 0:49:05so you are a little bit separated, a few metres between you.
0:49:05 > 0:49:07Everybody is just descending.
0:49:13 > 0:49:19We came at the point where the fixed rope should be, but it wasn't there.
0:49:22 > 0:49:26Marco was looking, I was searching, but we couldn't find it.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30I was convinced that this was the right way,
0:49:30 > 0:49:31but why wasn't the rope there?
0:49:33 > 0:49:36The only thing you think is we must be
0:49:36 > 0:49:40on the wrong side of the mountain, or we must have lost the way.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06PANTING
0:50:06 > 0:50:08GROANING
0:50:10 > 0:50:14I expected by noon at the latest to hear from them.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16And the phone rang when I was at lunch,
0:50:16 > 0:50:19and I thought it was him but it was another friend.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21She was like, "Have you heard from Gerry?"
0:50:21 > 0:50:23I said "No, I'm really worried."
0:50:23 > 0:50:29Then I went home from lunch and got on the Internet
0:50:29 > 0:50:32and the first thing was trouble on K2.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39First thing I thought of was,
0:50:39 > 0:50:41"OK, when does the sun rise on K2?"
0:50:41 > 0:50:43That's when they'll start moving again.
0:50:43 > 0:50:47How many more hours do they have out there?
0:50:50 > 0:50:52LOUD WHISTLE
0:51:06 > 0:51:09LOUD WHISTLE
0:51:12 > 0:51:15PANTING AND GROANING
0:51:22 > 0:51:27We were not in a panic, we were just sitting wondering
0:51:27 > 0:51:28why we couldn't find the rope,
0:51:28 > 0:51:32but we were convinced that next morning at first light
0:51:32 > 0:51:34we would find the rope again.
0:51:56 > 0:51:58THEY SING AND SLAP LEGS IN TIME
0:52:04 > 0:52:07For me the descent is not really the big problem.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12I am so much fixed in the descending,
0:52:12 > 0:52:16that I don't really know who is in front of me or back of me.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19So, erm... Only thing is I know that I see light
0:52:19 > 0:52:21and I was coming close to the light
0:52:21 > 0:52:24and I saw it was Hugues, the Frenchman.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27THEY EXCHANGE GREETINGS
0:52:31 > 0:52:34You go past. You are quicker than me.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40'I pass him, and I go on descending.'
0:52:40 > 0:52:42- Take your time. - All right, cool.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49Then I noticed something is not OK with the rope.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52I keep on descending.
0:52:52 > 0:52:56Above 8,000m you are fixed in your own descending,
0:52:56 > 0:52:59you don't realise what's going wrong on the mountain.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02Then I hear some noises.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04DISTANT ROAR
0:53:04 > 0:53:06LOUD WHOOSHING
0:53:06 > 0:53:08You think, "Oh, no. He's falling."
0:53:08 > 0:53:11You don't really know what to do.
0:53:11 > 0:53:13And I go on descending.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03We could go up and get...
0:55:04 > 0:55:06It was still nice and clear.
0:55:07 > 0:55:12We could see some of the climbers at the top of the serac.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20WIND WHISTLES
0:55:43 > 0:55:45We were convinced that with the first light,
0:55:45 > 0:55:48we would find the rope again.
0:56:10 > 0:56:13I was going to the right, you know, to have a look over there.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15I was going to the left to have a look over there.
0:56:15 > 0:56:16Marco was looking somewhere.
0:56:18 > 0:56:19We couldn't find it.
0:56:20 > 0:56:25And then I started to realise that I'd got problems with my view.
0:56:26 > 0:56:32I was getting more in panic, because I knew, fuck...
0:56:32 > 0:56:36getting snow-blind at this altitude, it's finished.
0:56:36 > 0:56:37No helicopters are coming,
0:56:37 > 0:56:42the guys can't do something with a body of 80 kilos. It's finished.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45I said, "Listen, guys, I have to go down, I have to go down."
0:56:45 > 0:56:48So, I started just going down, without thinking any more.
0:56:48 > 0:56:49Just going down.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58This is base camp calling.
0:56:58 > 0:57:01Do you know some information about Gerard,
0:57:01 > 0:57:05the Irish guy from Norit expedition?
0:57:05 > 0:57:09What I was hearing was Jimmy Bhote - Jumik - and Pasang, in trouble.
0:57:09 > 0:57:11They were the Korean Sherpas.
0:57:11 > 0:57:15And then Rolf and then Dren Mandic.
0:57:15 > 0:57:19I didn't even understand that other people had died, really.
0:57:21 > 0:57:23I was in shock.
0:57:23 > 0:57:28I remember a phone call I had to my father-in-law.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31I was so scared to make that phone call.
0:57:31 > 0:57:35He was going to be mad at me for not looking after his son.
0:57:40 > 0:57:42But instead he said...
0:57:47 > 0:57:50.."You have to get off the mountain. You have to come home."
0:57:55 > 0:57:57Yeah...
0:57:58 > 0:58:02I didn't want to lose my husband,
0:58:02 > 0:58:03but I lost...
0:58:06 > 0:58:07..of course, my best friend.
0:58:11 > 0:58:18And...our future like I was hoping it would be.
0:58:41 > 0:58:44I was just climbing down and then suddenly,
0:58:44 > 0:58:45those Koreans were hanging over there.
0:58:47 > 0:58:51I was just thinking, "What the hell are they doing here?"
0:58:51 > 0:58:53I didn't understand anything about it.
0:59:11 > 0:59:12HE GROANS
0:59:16 > 0:59:18Gloves!
0:59:18 > 0:59:20I had some spare gloves, so I gave the gloves.
0:59:20 > 0:59:24I didn't ask what happened. Maybe they were hanging all night long.
0:59:24 > 0:59:28But at that time, I was just, you know, shocked about it.
0:59:31 > 0:59:33I said, "Listen, I have to go down
0:59:33 > 0:59:35"because I'm starting to get snow-blind."
0:59:35 > 0:59:39He said, "Yeah, yeah, but help is on the way, so go ahead."
0:59:40 > 0:59:41I'll send help.
0:59:48 > 0:59:50CAMERA CLICKS
0:59:51 > 0:59:53FAINT WALKIE-TALKIE
0:59:59 > 1:00:02They are all up there by themselves.
1:00:02 > 1:00:04They're not moving anywhere.
1:00:04 > 1:00:08They're just sitting still, just waiting to get help.
1:00:11 > 1:00:17The South Korean expedition leader, Kim, was arranging a rescue mission.
1:00:17 > 1:00:23But I said, "Guys, they're not standing up, moving one metre,
1:00:23 > 1:00:24"and you're telling me
1:00:24 > 1:00:29"that I should go up there when the ice is still falling down?
1:00:29 > 1:00:35"There is no fixed lines, there's no ropes. I mean, that is just insane."
1:00:35 > 1:00:38This is not a guided tour.
1:00:38 > 1:00:41We cannot physically pluck people off this mountain.
1:01:04 > 1:01:06Copy that. Copy that.
1:01:11 > 1:01:12Moving down.
1:02:04 > 1:02:06I was so thirsty, you know.
1:02:06 > 1:02:09I knew I'm getting crazy in a few hours,
1:02:09 > 1:02:11because when you don't have water
1:02:11 > 1:02:15at that altitude for such a long time, you won't survive it.
1:02:26 > 1:02:29HE GROANS
1:02:35 > 1:02:37HIS BREATHING ECHOES
1:02:43 > 1:02:44'I looked up and I saw that
1:02:44 > 1:02:47'Marco and Gerard were with those Korean guys.'
1:02:48 > 1:02:49Which way?
1:02:53 > 1:02:54That's it. That's it.
1:03:25 > 1:03:27OK. You're all right.
1:03:40 > 1:03:42HE GASPS FOR BREATH
1:03:42 > 1:03:44I had to go down, down, down.
1:03:44 > 1:03:48Of course I was exhausted, but there was no other way, so I had to do it.
1:03:48 > 1:03:50I just went down without knowing,
1:03:50 > 1:03:53because I was just following the terrain.
1:05:02 > 1:05:04When someone leaves somebody for dead,
1:05:04 > 1:05:06they're thinking of their families at home,
1:05:06 > 1:05:07they're thinking of them surviving.
1:05:07 > 1:05:10They've gone into this situation where
1:05:10 > 1:05:14they feel that everybody knows that if you die, you die.
1:05:14 > 1:05:18And they make that decision on that basis.
1:05:18 > 1:05:20Ger McDonnell was one guy I knew
1:05:20 > 1:05:23that couldn't actually make that decision.
1:05:27 > 1:05:30Ger did not have it in him to look in their eyes
1:05:30 > 1:05:34and to live at a later stage to say, "He did not do his best."
1:07:15 > 1:07:16Go ahead, Pasang.
1:07:51 > 1:07:54LOUD CRASH
1:07:56 > 1:07:59ICE RUMBLES
1:09:24 > 1:09:27He had gas, oxygen.
1:09:39 > 1:09:41Everybody wants to survive.
1:09:41 > 1:09:45'It doesn't matter if you have a child or a wife at home.'
1:09:45 > 1:09:48It was the last moment I saw Gerard and these other Koreans.
1:09:48 > 1:09:50But I don't know what happened with them.
1:09:52 > 1:09:54'Why are me surviving?'
1:09:56 > 1:09:58It's just a matter of stupid...
1:09:58 > 1:10:02being unlucky on the wrong time, the wrong place.
1:10:07 > 1:10:10Wilco, our expedition leader, is packed up with the helicopter
1:10:10 > 1:10:11because he's frozen his feet
1:10:11 > 1:10:14and there's a second helicopter for Marco.
1:10:14 > 1:10:17He froze his hands really badly,
1:10:17 > 1:10:19so he can't use his hands to get the ropes any more.
1:10:29 > 1:10:31- NEWSREADER:- '..doomed mission
1:10:31 > 1:10:34to climb one of the world's most challenging mountains.
1:10:34 > 1:10:37'Italian, Marco Confortola, was rescued from K2
1:10:37 > 1:10:39'nearly five days after an avalanche
1:10:39 > 1:10:41'swept some climbers away and stranded others.
1:10:41 > 1:10:46'..and badly frostbitten from trying to help save others in the group.
1:10:46 > 1:10:49'Instinct, he says, makes you want to do that.
1:10:49 > 1:10:53'Confortola says the expedition was plagued by inexperience and poor equipment.
1:10:53 > 1:10:56'He says some ropes and spikes easily broke.'
1:10:56 > 1:10:59Different people were saying different things.
1:11:00 > 1:11:04There was a lot of confusion, a lot of stories.
1:11:04 > 1:11:07The Marco story became the story.
1:11:21 > 1:11:24This guy had had a horrific experience up there.
1:11:26 > 1:11:29He was in pretty bad shape, both mentally and physically.
1:11:31 > 1:11:35I said, "Look, I need to find out for sure, you know,
1:11:35 > 1:11:39"what went on up here, you know? I have to go to Pakistan."
1:11:48 > 1:11:49It was really frightening,
1:11:49 > 1:11:51because we didn't know what we were going in for.
1:11:51 > 1:11:55And I mean, I guess half of me still believed Ger was alive
1:11:55 > 1:11:57and the other half didn't believe it.
1:11:57 > 1:12:00The following day, we got to meet Wilco and Cas.
1:12:04 > 1:12:06I'm sorry, I'm just totally in denial.
1:12:06 > 1:12:09But he said he saw Ger fall and his story of that.
1:12:09 > 1:12:11I can tell you, in my heart there was still hope.
1:12:11 > 1:12:14- I know it's ridiculous. - Yes, I understand.
1:12:15 > 1:12:18- But he is dead?- Yes, I'm sure. Absolutely.
1:12:18 > 1:12:21Because that was what Marco told us directly.
1:12:21 > 1:12:24'Wilco and Cas, they were obviously nervous'
1:12:24 > 1:12:30because our brother had died, you know, and they were alive.
1:12:30 > 1:12:33Why did you split up? Why didn't we look to each other?
1:12:33 > 1:12:37The only explanation is because we were too long at high altitude.
1:12:37 > 1:12:41Marco's account was he was sitting there with Ger and then there were
1:12:41 > 1:12:44three people ahead of them, and all of a sudden those people disappeared.
1:12:44 > 1:12:48And so, they took such a fright, they decided, let's just sit here
1:12:48 > 1:12:52and wait until daylight, right? And then he says you came along. Then...
1:12:52 > 1:12:55No, no, that's not correct.
1:12:55 > 1:12:57Because we started together.
1:12:57 > 1:13:00- So you bivouacked all together, you never came along later?- No.
1:13:00 > 1:13:04'They had their information about the little bit'
1:13:04 > 1:13:09Wilco couldn't remember and the little bit Cas couldn't remember.
1:13:09 > 1:13:11And what they heard Marco could remember,
1:13:11 > 1:13:14and they drew a map for us, the terrain,
1:13:14 > 1:13:16where they thought things occurred.
1:13:18 > 1:13:22Marco is a very emotional boy and he got confused.
1:13:22 > 1:13:25And in the end, he was so tired.
1:13:27 > 1:13:29'They didn't know any more.'
1:13:29 > 1:13:32Cas and Wilco had been airlifted off the mountain.
1:13:35 > 1:13:40There was no debriefing with the remainder of the team
1:13:40 > 1:13:42and they actually didn't know.
1:13:44 > 1:13:49He was just getting more and more confused.
1:13:49 > 1:13:52We needed more, you know what I mean? It wasn't enough.
1:13:52 > 1:13:57For some reason, we felt we needed to talk to Pemba.
1:14:00 > 1:14:04Marco had left by the time we got there, but Pemba
1:14:04 > 1:14:08and the rest of the Norit team were hiking out, and that takes two days.
1:14:09 > 1:14:11Also, mentally...
1:14:14 > 1:14:15Yeah.
1:14:34 > 1:14:38- Yeah.- That is a... - We say "headcase".
1:14:40 > 1:14:43By the time Pemba got to Islamabad, Marco was gone
1:14:43 > 1:14:46and all the major news people left, too.
1:14:46 > 1:14:49It never occurred to them that maybe he'd have something to say.
1:14:50 > 1:14:54HE SPEAKS ITALIAN
1:15:17 > 1:15:20What Marco did on the mountain, nobody can take that away from him.
1:15:20 > 1:15:22He was a hero on the mountain. The family always...
1:15:22 > 1:15:24Just today, the family have said,
1:15:24 > 1:15:26"Marco did what he could do. He was a hero."
1:15:26 > 1:15:28HE SPEAKS ITALIAN
1:15:28 > 1:15:31But the stories were changing from Marco, from what he originally came out with.
1:15:31 > 1:15:34He said that Ger was out of his head,
1:15:34 > 1:15:36that Ger abandoned him,
1:15:36 > 1:15:39but in a day or two, the stories were rife in the papers.
1:15:45 > 1:15:49Marco was the last living witness to have seen Ger,
1:15:49 > 1:15:52so to hear these stories that Ger was out of his head,
1:15:52 > 1:15:56he was hallucinating, his body was splattered all over the mountain...
1:15:56 > 1:15:57This was heartbreaking for us.
1:16:00 > 1:16:02He changed his story several times,
1:16:02 > 1:16:05which certainly didn't help
1:16:05 > 1:16:07make things clear.
1:16:09 > 1:16:16And, you know, his story had a lot of clout because everyone else was gone.
1:16:16 > 1:16:23Everyone else had perished. So... you can say whatever you want.
1:16:23 > 1:16:28There's no-one there to... contradict what you say.
1:16:28 > 1:16:29Except for Pemba.
1:16:30 > 1:16:34You see, all we have is a story to cling on to, and now
1:16:34 > 1:16:37all the stories are different, and it's very hard, do you know?
1:16:37 > 1:16:41Every story is different, and that's all we have, with nobody...
1:16:41 > 1:16:46But why we are asking - because now I want you... The story says
1:16:46 > 1:16:50that you were a little bit lower than the body on your right.
1:17:16 > 1:17:18'Pemba was the missing piece of the jigsaw.
1:17:18 > 1:17:21'He held the key to a lot of people's questions.'
1:17:21 > 1:17:24Ger had given his camera to Pemba at the summit,
1:17:24 > 1:17:28so Pemba had Ger's camera, coming down.
1:17:28 > 1:17:31And he continued to take pictures of what was happening.
1:17:35 > 1:17:38It was obvious then why Ger refused to come down the mountain.
1:17:38 > 1:17:40There was people in trouble.
1:17:41 > 1:17:43Ger was never going to...
1:17:43 > 1:17:45Never going to leave them.
1:17:48 > 1:17:52'It would have destroyed him to just leave the Koreans.'
1:17:52 > 1:17:56It would have ate away and it would have haunted him,
1:17:56 > 1:17:58day and night, I think.
1:18:00 > 1:18:03At first, we weren't told that Ger had gone back up.
1:18:03 > 1:18:05That came out a little bit later.
1:18:08 > 1:18:13Ger was true to his nature to the very end. That's who he was.
1:18:18 > 1:18:22In our own team, we would have done everything for each other,
1:18:22 > 1:18:26but what did Gerard - not only in his own team,
1:18:26 > 1:18:30he fought for his life and even for the life of the Koreans.
1:18:30 > 1:18:33It's hard to explain, but as mountaineers,
1:18:33 > 1:18:37we understand, you know, that we are taking risks,
1:18:37 > 1:18:42and if there is an accident, yeah, we know that we have to live with it.
1:18:46 > 1:18:50If there is a heaven, we will meet each other in the future.
1:18:50 > 1:18:54We will laugh about it and say, "But we did it," you know?
1:18:54 > 1:18:55"We did it."
1:19:01 > 1:19:03Often times, when somebody does lose their life,
1:19:03 > 1:19:08what's went on is held up under the microscope.
1:19:08 > 1:19:11Some people might say, "They should have done this,"
1:19:11 > 1:19:13and, "they shouldn't have done that."
1:19:13 > 1:19:17Just because you survive a mountain doesn't make you an expert,
1:19:17 > 1:19:20and I don't think it gives you any right to say that
1:19:20 > 1:19:21somebody made a mistake, you know?
1:19:21 > 1:19:25Because when you weren't there, you don't know.
1:19:25 > 1:19:27Only the mountain knows.