0:00:05 > 0:00:07My name is Richard Parks.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10When my rugby career was ended through injury,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13I became an extreme environment athlete.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15In just 197 days,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19I skied to the North and the South Poles and climbed to the top
0:00:19 > 0:00:22of the highest peak on every continent,
0:00:22 > 0:00:23setting a new world record -
0:00:23 > 0:00:25and that included Mount Everest,
0:00:25 > 0:00:28the most iconic mountain on the planet.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32Now I'm attempting to climb to the top of the world once again but this
0:00:32 > 0:00:34time, it's going to be even tougher.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39At more than 29,000 feet,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42there's just a third of the oxygen there is at sea level,
0:00:42 > 0:00:45but I'll be climbing without the use of supplemental oxygen.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Without proper training and acclimatisation,
0:00:50 > 0:00:52dropped onto the summit of Mount Everest,
0:00:52 > 0:00:56you'd be unconscious in four minutes and dead within six.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02Now the medical community in Wales is re-evaluating what they thought
0:01:02 > 0:01:04they knew about the human body -
0:01:04 > 0:01:08what we thought 40 years ago to be scientifically impossible.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16Could the way my body reacts to the extreme environment of the Himalayas
0:01:16 > 0:01:18provide vital clues to preventing
0:01:18 > 0:01:21one of the fastest-growing diseases on the planet?
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Could mount Everest hold the key to
0:01:25 > 0:01:27unlocking our understanding of dementia?
0:01:29 > 0:01:33It could well be, you know, one of the biggest escapes of my life.
0:01:39 > 0:01:45Every single item of gear that is here and that will be
0:01:45 > 0:01:49meticulously laid out and chosen - I love.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53You know, for me, a lot of my performance is about the detail,
0:01:53 > 0:01:59but the piece de resistance of my kit is my expedition suit, my summit suit.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05That item of clothing that is the closest thing I get to a spacesuit -
0:02:05 > 0:02:06and I love this.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12It looks cool, I love it, but it is - make no bones about it -
0:02:12 > 0:02:18it is a life...it is a survival item. It's a survival suit
0:02:18 > 0:02:20and, um, that's as I see it.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27Summiting Everest is hard enough as it is,
0:02:27 > 0:02:32but summiting without supplemental oxygen is a very different undertaking.
0:02:32 > 0:02:40The way our bodies adapt to the lack of oxygen in the air is to increase
0:02:40 > 0:02:46our red blood cell count and that increases the viscosity of our blood.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48The human endeavour of summiting Everest,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51and summiting Everest without supplemental oxygen
0:02:51 > 0:02:56is something that... it really captivates me.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02My climb of Mount Everest is an experiment to gather new evidence
0:03:02 > 0:03:04in the hope of demonstrating how, with training,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07it's possible to keep the mind sharp
0:03:07 > 0:03:10by increasing blood flow to the brain,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13even when there's less oxygen for the brain to use.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16I'm hoping to show how anyone who does a little exercise
0:03:16 > 0:03:19can help prevent the onset of dementia.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23I've undergone an intensive training programme at the Human Performance Lab in Reading
0:03:23 > 0:03:26to prepare me for the extreme altitude in which I'll be climbing.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Try and go from the lunge.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Nicky Phillips is my performance director on the expedition,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38having worked with me on the majority of my world-first projects.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Come on, last set. Make it a good one.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44She is my go-to person when it comes to physical preparation.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Richard's physical preparation, the effort that he puts into that,
0:03:48 > 0:03:53for what would be a two-hour session of interval training,
0:03:53 > 0:03:58is beyond what most athletes would do and what's been quite interesting
0:03:58 > 0:04:01is that he trained amongst other high-performance athletes
0:04:01 > 0:04:05when he did that and I think he really earned their respect
0:04:05 > 0:04:07when they saw what he was doing.
0:04:07 > 0:04:13So if you can imagine the burn that you'd get just from walking up one hill very fast,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16and he's doing that again and again and again and where he finds
0:04:16 > 0:04:18that extra strength, I don't know.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24This expedition is important not just to me, but to my mum and dad.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28We've experienced what it's like to have a close family friend diagnosed
0:04:28 > 0:04:31with dementia. My godfather battled with the disease.
0:04:31 > 0:04:37Having experienced this cruel disease so close to home -
0:04:37 > 0:04:41it's like somebody disintegrating from the inside out.
0:04:43 > 0:04:44And...
0:04:46 > 0:04:47..it just seems really cruel.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54Gavin Watkins and his wife Kim from Ebbw Vale have been living
0:04:54 > 0:04:58with Gavin's dementia since he was diagnosed with the disease five years ago.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00As the moment, there is no cure.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03They reckon there's one around the corner
0:05:03 > 0:05:06but it's still a long way away
0:05:06 > 0:05:09and we want to do as much as we can.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10And I want to do it while I can,
0:05:10 > 0:05:14before I've lost it completely and unable to.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19How did...how did it start, if you don't mind me asking?
0:05:19 > 0:05:23Well, he was just... It was silly, stupid little things.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26We went to our daughter's in Plymouth one day and he forgot
0:05:26 > 0:05:29to lock the door and he got back into the car and said,
0:05:29 > 0:05:30"Have I locked her door?"
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Then there was repeating things over and over and he'd tell us
0:05:34 > 0:05:37the same story every weekend.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41The things that upset me so much is knowing that I'm going to forget my
0:05:41 > 0:05:44wife, my children, and my grandson.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49I just know it's going to come and it's so upsetting when you realise.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51You sit and think about that in your days.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54You know, that's the hardest part of it,
0:05:54 > 0:05:58is knowing that's going to happen and it means such a lot to me
0:05:58 > 0:06:00to keep it as long as I can
0:06:00 > 0:06:03and that's where I fight to try and keep that going.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Two years ago, I began working with the scientists
0:06:08 > 0:06:12at the University of South Wales in Pontypridd.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16Professor Damian Bailey will be monitoring my performance on Mount Everest
0:06:16 > 0:06:18in a science lab at Base Camp.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22His research explores the relationship between oxygen and dementia.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27The personal thing that really drives me is that there is no
0:06:27 > 0:06:30curative treatment at the moment,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33so if you're diagnosed with it, we can't cure it.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37People are working very hard, they're chasing after a cure
0:06:37 > 0:06:39and it's proving very challenging,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42so the lion's share of our attention,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45really, is spent at trying to prevent it.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48We've got some evidence and, as the literature is suggesting,
0:06:48 > 0:06:52that exercise is probably the best medicine out there.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54We can put that on inside. Come on in, Ben.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58For the past ten weeks, the team have been carrying out tests on me
0:06:58 > 0:07:01in a special chamber, where the oxygen levels in the air
0:07:01 > 0:07:04have been reduced to simulate extreme altitude.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07We've been able to track Richard's progress -
0:07:07 > 0:07:09physiologically, if you like,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11during the training phases.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17The aim of this pilot study is to demonstrate that my acclimatisation
0:07:17 > 0:07:20can compensate for the lack of oxygen on Mount Everest,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23that exercise can improve cognition,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25even if there's less oxygen going to the brain.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Richard has got a very comprehensive battery of tests that he will be
0:07:30 > 0:07:33performing during the ascent to Base Camp,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36during the stay at Base Camp and then, of course,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38above the Khumbu Icefall.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Toughest of all will be a procedure where I have to anaesthetise my leg,
0:07:41 > 0:07:46making an incision with a scalpel 5 cm into the muscle
0:07:46 > 0:07:51and then, using a 15 cm needle, to remove a sample of tissue.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55This muscle biopsy will be stored and later analysed to assess
0:07:55 > 0:07:57how my body uses oxygen during my ascent.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01All of this must be done, whatever the weather, at 29,000 feet
0:08:01 > 0:08:03and on my own.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06There's still a question mark over whether this is even possible,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09with the limited time I'll have at the most extreme of altitudes.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16The test will help in our understanding of the link between exercise and brain function.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19You don't see the brain when it's exercising.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Of course, you can see the muscle, or the heart or the lungs,
0:08:22 > 0:08:24you can see your chest moving up and down
0:08:24 > 0:08:26and you're breathing air in and out
0:08:26 > 0:08:29but everybody forgets that the brain is in there as well
0:08:29 > 0:08:32but we do know that there are parts of the brain -
0:08:32 > 0:08:35one specific part called the hippocampus -
0:08:35 > 0:08:41that actually shrinks with age and the question is to what extent
0:08:41 > 0:08:44can we improve aspects of cognition with exercise,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47by increasing blood flow and oxygen delivery to parts of the brain
0:08:47 > 0:08:49that need it more than most.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57Wales' highest mountain may only be 3,560 feet,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01but there's an intimate connection between Snowdon and Mount Everest.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Not only was Everest itself named after a Welshman -
0:09:05 > 0:09:07the surveyor Sir George Everest -
0:09:07 > 0:09:10but it was here on Snowdon that Sir Edmund Hillary
0:09:10 > 0:09:13and the 1953 expedition team came to train.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17But the time for my training is over.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22I felt confident.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26I just had no idea what was ahead or what was in store for me, but...
0:09:27 > 0:09:30..you know, I'm confident of the tool box that I had and the people
0:09:30 > 0:09:33I had around me to manage it, but...
0:09:34 > 0:09:38..I had every confidence that I was going to stand on the summit.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53Kathmandu very much is the gateway into the Himalaya.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00It's a real melting pot for not just local people,
0:10:00 > 0:10:04but climbers from all over the world and it's an opportunity to distance
0:10:04 > 0:10:07myself, actually, from Wales and from the world here.
0:10:09 > 0:10:14Just the smells, the noises, the excitement, nerves, everything, really.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29From Kathmandu, I'll fly into Lukla,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32the mountain town known as the gateway to the Himalayas.
0:10:32 > 0:10:38From there, my team and I will trek on foot first to Namche Bazaar,
0:10:38 > 0:10:42and then onto Dingboche as we acclimatise to the altitude.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44As part of my acclimatisation strategy,
0:10:44 > 0:10:49I'll then attempt to summit the 20,300 feet of Island Peak.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Returning to Dingboche, I move onto Everest Base Camp,
0:10:52 > 0:10:56before my ultimate goal - to summit Mount Everest herself
0:10:56 > 0:10:58without supplemental oxygen.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11My expedition team are Dr Damian Bailey,
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Dr Nicola Phillips,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16and operating the camera is Gareth Morrow.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23It's regarded as the scariest flight on the planet and, you know,
0:11:23 > 0:11:24Lukla airport has been voted
0:11:24 > 0:11:28one of the most dangerous airports on the planet.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36It's a really short runway!
0:11:36 > 0:11:37Really short!
0:11:43 > 0:11:45It's not for the faint-hearted.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47If you had any anxiety around flying,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50it's definitely not the airport to visit!
0:11:53 > 0:11:57Arriving in Lukla feels like the expedition is finally beginning.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01This place is real, not a simulated environment in the lab.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07We've got three days' trekking ahead of us before we reach Namche Bazaar.
0:12:07 > 0:12:14With our Sherpa, we'll be climbing from 9,383 feet to 11,290 feet.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Some of the best bits about the trek to Base Camp are the steel bridges
0:12:19 > 0:12:23that we have to cross. They're pretty spectacular.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26I'll let you guys take a look for yourselves.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45We start our ascent to the Himalayan foothills and straight away,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48these steep slopes are enough to get the heart pumping.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51It's actually a crucial part of the climb.
0:12:51 > 0:12:52You know, from my experience,
0:12:52 > 0:12:57the better you acclimatise or the easier you take the first few days
0:12:57 > 0:13:00up to and around 3,000-4,000 metres,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03the better foundation you'll have above it.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07When we get around the corner, you've got Everest
0:13:07 > 0:13:13and to the right, Lhotse, then the real, er, the real beauty...
0:13:13 > 0:13:16the jewel is Ama Dablam.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24- It's really special, isn't it? - Stunning, isn't it?- Stunning.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26But those first few days were wonderful,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29cos it was going to be an intense couple of months,
0:13:29 > 0:13:34so an opportunity for us all to get to know each other and
0:13:34 > 0:13:37you know, to bond further,
0:13:37 > 0:13:39before the tough times came.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42HE LAUGHS
0:13:56 > 0:14:00It's day four of the expedition, and already my team is gelling.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02There's no room for standing on ceremony.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04It's share and share alike -
0:14:04 > 0:14:08especially when it comes to luxury items!
0:14:08 > 0:14:10I nearly got myself into trouble now.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13I left three toilet rolls in the toilet.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15- Oh, were those yours? - I kept leaving them.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17- Yeah?- One in each.
0:14:17 > 0:14:18THEY LAUGH
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- I might have... - Thanks, mate. I had a...
0:14:20 > 0:14:23- You had a good... - Pleasant arse-wipe this morning!
0:14:23 > 0:14:26- Yeah!- I appreciate that.- You had a freebie there, did you?- Yeah.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29- That's OK.- I did think, I thought, "Blinking heck, this place is nice!"
0:14:30 > 0:14:31- Free toilet rolls!- Yeah!
0:14:33 > 0:14:36- There's Damian.- We're quits now.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39I'll let you use some of mine later for that.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43- Oh, you used it as well, did you? - Yeah!
0:14:43 > 0:14:47Unbelievable! People were running in the loo to use my free toilet paper!
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Unbelievable!
0:14:52 > 0:14:56- CAMERAMAN:- Yeah, I might have taken a few sheets as well!
0:14:56 > 0:14:59- THEY LAUGH - That was bang out of order!
0:14:59 > 0:15:01That was outrageous!
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Trousers down and we're ready to go!
0:15:08 > 0:15:09- Let's do this.- On your marks...!
0:15:14 > 0:15:16- CAMERAMAN:- I'm right behind you.
0:15:28 > 0:15:29Throughout the expedition,
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Damian will be monitoring my blood and brain function
0:15:33 > 0:15:34as we progress ever higher.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38People that are acutely exposed to this altitude would get very,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41very sick, very, very quickly and, you know,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44it again demonstrates that we're acclimatising very well
0:15:44 > 0:15:46and that's the objective here,
0:15:46 > 0:15:48is to acclimatise Richard ahead of the summit bid.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52Now, for some people, if you climb too high and too quickly,
0:15:52 > 0:15:54and you get too cold,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57you can't actually acclimatise to that stress
0:15:57 > 0:15:58and you actually break down
0:15:58 > 0:16:01and these are symptoms really are known as acute mountain sickness,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04so acute mountain sickness really
0:16:04 > 0:16:09encapsulates a severe headache and with that comes feeling sick,
0:16:09 > 0:16:14a lack of appetite and difficulty breathing and just not sleeping
0:16:14 > 0:16:16very well, so it has a really negative impact,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20just as a migraine would have a very negative impact on you at sea level,
0:16:20 > 0:16:21very similar in altitude.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36This slow acclimatisation is a key process for preparing my body for
0:16:36 > 0:16:38Mount Everest. The more my body adapts,
0:16:38 > 0:16:40the longer I'll be able to stand on the summit.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52The locals are used to the effects altitude has on them
0:16:52 > 0:16:53but for us lowlanders,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56readying ourselves physically takes time.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01Preparation of the mind is also key but I'm about to take part
0:17:01 > 0:17:04in a tradition that few climbers are privileged to experience -
0:17:04 > 0:17:07the preparation of my spirit.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10It's a tradition and it's a really important tradition, actually,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12for the Sherpas and the Nepalese people,
0:17:12 > 0:17:17that the local lama blesses not just themselves but their equipment
0:17:17 > 0:17:20before the summit of Everest to wish them good luck
0:17:20 > 0:17:22and to keep them in good health.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26The last few years, it's become even more poignant,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30an even more important tradition - you know, whatever your beliefs are,
0:17:30 > 0:17:34you can't help but feel something special about here.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37It's a very spiritual place.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40LAMA CHANTS IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Richard. Richard.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01- LAMA:- Richard?- Richard. - Richard Parks. Richard Parks.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03- Richard Parks! - LAMA LAUGHS
0:18:03 > 0:18:05HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:18:05 > 0:18:10You know, I know that I'm on the prayer sheets at Mum's church
0:18:10 > 0:18:13back home but no, it's really special
0:18:13 > 0:18:15and I just wish I knew what he was saying!
0:18:15 > 0:18:16HE LAUGHS
0:18:16 > 0:18:20I thought it was quite funny when he laughed at my name, but...
0:18:20 > 0:18:24It's not the first time someone's laughed at me and it probably won't be the last!
0:18:24 > 0:18:28LAMA CHANTS IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Today is the first of our major ascents.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49In two hours, we begin our climb to Island Peak.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00White gold.
0:19:02 > 0:19:03White gold!
0:19:06 > 0:19:11Amazing how many friends you have when you've got toilet paper!
0:19:11 > 0:19:14or, as Damien knows, when you are...
0:19:15 > 0:19:17..sharing quilted toilet paper!
0:19:19 > 0:19:20If unbeknown to him!
0:19:24 > 0:19:28We leave today for Island Peak, which...
0:19:29 > 0:19:32..is probably about a three-day climb.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36It's our last opportunity, really, to get the data collection nailed,
0:19:36 > 0:19:38so if it goes well, amazing.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41If it doesn't, we need to go back to the drawing board, don't we?
0:19:41 > 0:19:44And I know that's the nature of
0:19:44 > 0:19:47things out there, but, yeah, a little bit apprehensive,
0:19:47 > 0:19:48if I'm being honest.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58I was just sort of laughing, cos without really knowing it,
0:19:58 > 0:20:00- I've been really OCD! - I can see that.- Yeah, but I have!
0:20:00 > 0:20:03I genuinely haven't even been aware of it.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07You know, "That goes there, that goes there, no, that doesn't go there. That's got to go there!"
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Yeah, um!
0:20:10 > 0:20:11It's quite alarming, though,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13when you see it, like, in the third person, but hey!
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Have a good one.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Look after yourself.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28I shall. See you on the way back down.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Go easy.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43So over the last week and a half,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46we've been gradually increasing in altitude, going up a little,
0:20:46 > 0:20:50down a little, up a little again, and so on.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Today, now, will be the first time when Richard goes up into pretty
0:20:53 > 0:20:55significant altitude.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59Island Peak is around 6,100, I think, something like that.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04And the purpose is to practise collecting scientific data with all
0:21:04 > 0:21:07the difficulties that there are when you're not doing it in a lab, basically.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Ahead of me is High Camp.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18As I get closer, the clean,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21crisp mountain air carries with it a very welcome scent -
0:21:21 > 0:21:24something you wouldn't expect to smell at 18,400 feet.
0:21:35 > 0:21:41Pretty incredible what Ramesh and his team can make on the side of a mountain.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55It's really humbling, actually - you know,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57humbling in the true sense of the word.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00We are on the side of a mountain,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03at just over 5,000 metres and...
0:22:05 > 0:22:10..you know, we're in the presence of a really, really talented chef.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13I know I'm here for a very specific goal,
0:22:13 > 0:22:17but every now and again, these surreal moments really just...
0:22:19 > 0:22:22..just take my breath away, you know.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24It's such a special place.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33What's Ramesh cooked up today?
0:22:33 > 0:22:36We have Rara noodle soup.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Pretty awesome, really.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41- It's super noodles, but...- More?
0:22:41 > 0:22:45More soup! Thanks very much.
0:22:49 > 0:22:55As night falls, even the high winds around my tent are no distraction from the challenge ahead.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58It's moments like these when my mind starts to wander.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02I think the thing that I'm most concerned about is the...
0:23:05 > 0:23:07..the blood sample from my earlobe.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13Ironically, on paper, it's the easiest thing.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15The biopsy should be the hardest bit but actually,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18I'm really confident of the biopsy.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Um...
0:23:20 > 0:23:24I'm confident of my ability to perform that on my leg -
0:23:24 > 0:23:27I can see it, whereas I can't see my ear.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29I guess it's the unknown that makes...
0:23:30 > 0:23:33..that makes this the adventure.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35I guess that's what inspires me to...
0:23:37 > 0:23:39..you know, to work at it.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44There are only a few hours to get some sleep,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46and it's not long before I'm out of my tent again and climbing.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01There's two reasons for starting so early in the morning.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06The first reason is, the early part
0:24:06 > 0:24:11of the glacier, the approach in as well as some of the crevasse crossings are safer,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14cos it's colder and the ice is more stable.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Um, and the second reason is not being able to see how far you've
0:24:23 > 0:24:26got to go is always a bit of a bonus as well!
0:24:26 > 0:24:27HE LAUGHS
0:24:29 > 0:24:33But there is another plus point to heading up so early -
0:24:33 > 0:24:34the view.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58The views here at this time of the morning
0:24:58 > 0:25:00are quite literally breathtaking.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16But as intoxicating as the view is,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19there is a sobering feeling that danger lies ahead
0:25:19 > 0:25:21as we edge closer to Island Peak.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32The headwall is where the real challenge begins.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37Fixed lines hang down more than 650 feet of steep, poor-quality ice.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41The headwall section of Island Peak -
0:25:41 > 0:25:46it's a tough few hours and it's tough because physically it's hard -
0:25:46 > 0:25:48you know, you're just under 6,000 metres,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50the air is thin,
0:25:50 > 0:25:54your body isn't getting as much oxygen as it would at sea level
0:25:54 > 0:25:57and everything is considerably harder.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00You've got a fixed line that's there,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03that you put a certain amount of trust into it,
0:26:03 > 0:26:10but there are points in the mountain where there are 10, 11, 12 ropes,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12all leading into one fixed point, and...
0:26:14 > 0:26:18..your option is to decide which rope looks the newest.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36Entrusting my safety to someone else's rope is an uncomfortable feeling.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38But then I'm met by one thing I dislike even more -
0:26:38 > 0:26:41a crevasse and a rickety ladder crossing.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Give me a bit of slack on this one.
0:26:47 > 0:26:48Yeah, I don't like crevasses.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53The penultimate leg of my 737 challenge was on Denali -
0:26:53 > 0:26:56also known as Mount McKinley.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00I had what could have been a very dangerous, if not fatal, crevasse fall,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03where I fell about 7m down, through...
0:27:05 > 0:27:09..a melted snow bridge and my fall was only broken by landing on a ledge.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12And yeah, it very quickly turned into...
0:27:14 > 0:27:18..a very dangerous situation.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21There are a handful of ladder crossings spanning open crevasses
0:27:21 > 0:27:23in the early part of this section.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34It's a useful reminder of what's to come on the icefall in the Western Cwm of Mount Everest.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43My left foot is stuck.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46You can imagine, you're balancing on a ladder -
0:27:46 > 0:27:50on two ladders that are tied together using climbing rope.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54With just a momentary lapse in concentration,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57I've put my crampon down in a place where actually,
0:27:57 > 0:28:01it's become wedged between two rungs and it is absolutely horrific.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07You're balanced on this moving, um,
0:28:07 > 0:28:12this moving ladder and so you have to sort of really gingerly try and
0:28:12 > 0:28:15loosen the crampon to get off.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16It's not nice. No.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21No, I don't enjoy that at all. I can't imagine many people would!
0:28:33 > 0:28:36With so many things that could have gone wrong,
0:28:36 > 0:28:41I feel really strongly about taking a moment to breathe it in and to
0:28:41 > 0:28:43really acknowledge the achievement.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48As with all of my expeditions,
0:28:48 > 0:28:51it's the challenge and the physical exertion that makes the taste
0:28:51 > 0:28:52of success all the more sweet.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02'Flying the Welsh flag -
0:29:02 > 0:29:06'and that's really important, too, because it was in a really,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09'really significant and important milestone in the project.'
0:29:11 > 0:29:15It helps build confidence, momentum,
0:29:15 > 0:29:19and it helps you visualise what you're actually trying to achieve
0:29:19 > 0:29:21and it's a really proud moment.
0:29:22 > 0:29:26It's easy to get caught up in the moment of summiting Island Peak,
0:29:26 > 0:29:28but I'm here for a very specific reason.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32This is my dry run and I've got to complete the blood, breath,
0:29:32 > 0:29:35cognition and tissue sampling, fast.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39If it goes wrong on Mount Everest in what's known as the death zone,
0:29:39 > 0:29:42and I'm there for too long, it could very well be catastrophic.
0:29:44 > 0:29:49First thing we do is going to be application there.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55Then, that's to take two minutes.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59'Most climbers that get to the top can only stay there for a few minutes
0:29:59 > 0:30:01'before they are forced to retreat.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03'The same applies to me.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07'But I'll have no supplementary oxygen and I MUST complete my tests.'
0:30:07 > 0:30:10Damien, how do I get this working, mate?
0:30:10 > 0:30:13What you want to do is press.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15Breathe in and out.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18- How many times?- Just a steady state, so a few times.
0:30:18 > 0:30:19Nice and slowly.
0:30:23 > 0:30:24That's good. And relax.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29So, then, there's the oximeter.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34'What's more, the weather here on Island Peak is perfect.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38'The chances of equally favourable weather on Mount Everest are slim.'
0:30:40 > 0:30:43Now, the analgesic in the thigh.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46Unzip, rezip it again and then it's...
0:30:48 > 0:30:51..three...six...
0:30:52 > 0:30:53That now...
0:30:56 > 0:30:59..is completely anaesthetised and it will take five minutes to
0:30:59 > 0:31:01activate or to take effect.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04- In those five minutes now, it's the...- Earlobe.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07- It's the earlobe.- Are you going to attempt it now?
0:31:07 > 0:31:08I can do it now if you want.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11- Yes, give it a shot. - Let's give it a shot.
0:31:19 > 0:31:20Hold that.
0:31:20 > 0:31:22'I'm starting to feel anxious.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25'No matter how many times I've practised this in the lab,
0:31:25 > 0:31:27'I knew it would take longer in reality.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30'What bothers me is just how long it's taking.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34'As part of my acclimatisation,
0:31:34 > 0:31:38'my body has produced a far higher concentration of red cells in my blood...'
0:31:38 > 0:31:42I knew this was going to happen. Let me just try it one more time.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44'..making it thicker and almost impossible to sample.'
0:31:47 > 0:31:49And then just turn your head.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51That's it.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53'It didn't go according to plan.'
0:31:53 > 0:31:56And I mean, I had some serious concerns.
0:31:56 > 0:32:02It highlighted that some of the things that I felt I could do,
0:32:02 > 0:32:05on my own, I needed help.
0:32:05 > 0:32:06'I needed another set of hands.'
0:32:09 > 0:32:13We were up there for a long time. There was just no way that
0:32:13 > 0:32:15I could spend that time on the summit of Everest.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20'We've now spent more than 30 minutes on this peak
0:32:20 > 0:32:24'and what's more, I haven't yet completed the cognitive tests.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28'At sea level, this usually takes eight to ten minutes.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31'Altitude inhibits the brain function so it's going to take me longer.'
0:32:33 > 0:32:38It's one thing going through it night after night in a tent, or at home,
0:32:38 > 0:32:42but actually, it's a completely different thing
0:32:42 > 0:32:44doing it at 6,000 metres.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47We couldn't do that on the summit.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50I'd be putting my life at risk.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56'Although this is only a dry run, these results,
0:32:56 > 0:32:58'along with others collected on Mount Everest,
0:32:58 > 0:33:01'will be analysed back in the lab in Wales.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11'After the stresses of the test procedure,
0:33:11 > 0:33:13'the whole team is reunited at Namche Bazaar,
0:33:13 > 0:33:15'and we move on towards Base Camp.'
0:33:38 > 0:33:40As we hike through the Khumbu Valley,
0:33:40 > 0:33:44I feel a million miles away from the modern world.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48Then, from out of nowhere, springs civilisation -
0:33:48 > 0:33:51or the closest thing to it on this mountain - Base Camp.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02How's it going?
0:34:02 > 0:34:04- How are you?- I'm good, mate. How you doing?- Good.- Nice to see you.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07- Yeah, pretty good. Yeah.- Welcome.
0:34:07 > 0:34:08Cheers, mate! How you doing?
0:34:08 > 0:34:10- Good to see you. - Good to see you, too.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12How are you doing?
0:34:12 > 0:34:19'The paradox of Base Camp is that having trekked up the Khumbu Valley,'
0:34:19 > 0:34:23getting more and more remote with each settlement,
0:34:23 > 0:34:25you then arrive at Base Camp,
0:34:25 > 0:34:31and it's got infrastructure there that is unlike any other part of the Khumbu Valley.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35It's like a bustling metropolis of tents.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39You know, there's even a very limited Wi-Fi signal there,
0:34:39 > 0:34:45which you can't get at other places along the trek into Base Camp.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51I can't believe you brought safety pins. That's next level, mate.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53Fair play!
0:34:55 > 0:34:58- Ooh, ooh, ooh! Sorry.- Sorry, sorry.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05Oh! What was that?
0:35:05 > 0:35:06Oh!
0:35:06 > 0:35:09HE LAUGHS
0:35:09 > 0:35:12I felt a pain in my ass!
0:35:12 > 0:35:13Ow!
0:35:13 > 0:35:15HE LAUGHS
0:35:15 > 0:35:18That's Richard Parks playing up again, isn't it?
0:35:18 > 0:35:20That's put me in a sweat now!
0:35:20 > 0:35:21THEY LAUGH
0:35:21 > 0:35:23It's given me a headache.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25We've all...
0:35:26 > 0:35:28..blessed the flag in the tent.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30Yeah?
0:35:30 > 0:35:32And you're a very big part of this team, so...
0:35:34 > 0:35:36- Whisky?- Whisky.
0:35:36 > 0:35:41- A little, little...- Just a little bit. Just a little bit.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43- NICOLA:- Oh, I'm glad I didn't see.
0:35:43 > 0:35:44Oh, thank you.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47THEY LAUGH
0:35:47 > 0:35:48Thank you. Thank you very much.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53Spirits are high. After two years of preparation,
0:35:53 > 0:35:55we are finally at the starting line for this expedition.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59The weather conditions are looking good and we're all feeling confident.
0:35:59 > 0:36:04However, my thoughts keep returning to my experience on Island Peak.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06David Hamilton, our expedition leader,
0:36:06 > 0:36:11arrives at our tent and our conversation compounds my concerns.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13I don't want to be overdramatic,
0:36:13 > 0:36:17but the last oxygenless ascent of Everest that I'm aware of
0:36:17 > 0:36:19resulted in a person dying
0:36:19 > 0:36:22and your gaping hole is your mountaineering consultant.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24If you had, you know,
0:36:24 > 0:36:29a guide who'd been on the top five or six times before,
0:36:29 > 0:36:32ideally one with medical training, walking along beside you,
0:36:32 > 0:36:34the whole project would just fit.
0:36:34 > 0:36:40Information came to me that I shouldn't have been privy to in that moment.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43Although you're trying to exert yourself to your maximum,
0:36:43 > 0:36:47you've always got to have this little regulatory mechanism,
0:36:47 > 0:36:49"Am I overstepping the mark?"
0:36:49 > 0:36:52Because if you do, the consequences can be fatal.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54It was right that the information came to me,
0:36:54 > 0:36:57but it's really difficult to, you know,
0:36:57 > 0:37:03to be told that I'm very close to my mortality but yet,
0:37:03 > 0:37:08still be expected to make rational, coherent decisions.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10And to me, that's the big weakness.
0:37:10 > 0:37:15That's what really worries me is you, up there, you know, expending yourself,
0:37:15 > 0:37:22possibly into areas where your judgment may be impaired and nobody else there to help.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27I mean, if anything, David's helped you sort of,
0:37:27 > 0:37:29maybe visualise that moment in time,
0:37:29 > 0:37:34when you've really got to decide whether you can keep going forward or not.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38Um, I don't think he has helped me, no.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41Although it's very different to this,
0:37:41 > 0:37:45there are not many people on the planet that have skied more solo
0:37:45 > 0:37:47Antarctic miles than I have.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49Um...
0:37:49 > 0:37:54You know, this is the end of a really meticulous development cycle,
0:37:54 > 0:37:58and although relatively, I have less experience than David
0:37:58 > 0:38:01here on Everest, I am very confident
0:38:01 > 0:38:04of my own abilities to make those difficult decisions.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07I've proven it.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10You know, one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make was
0:38:10 > 0:38:13to abort my first solo Antarctic expedition
0:38:13 > 0:38:15just 100 km from the South Pole
0:38:15 > 0:38:20after battling the elements for 42 days.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23I believe that I have the right balance of...
0:38:25 > 0:38:30..humility and defiance and respect for the environment I'm in.
0:38:31 > 0:38:36'Warning heeded, but undeterred, and after five days at Base Camp,
0:38:36 > 0:38:39'I get my head down for one last good night's sleep,
0:38:39 > 0:38:41'before we push on to Camp One.'
0:38:43 > 0:38:44I feel really good at this point.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50My acclimatisation strategy has...
0:38:52 > 0:38:54..worked really well, and...
0:38:55 > 0:38:58..you know, I'm probably one of the only people
0:38:58 > 0:39:03here at Base Camp that isn't coughing uncontrollably.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07And I'm in good health, but...
0:39:12 > 0:39:16..it's about to get really real.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25From this point on, it's just me, my Sherpa and Gareth on camera.
0:39:32 > 0:39:37The Khumbu Icefall is one of the most dynamic, fast-moving glaciers
0:39:37 > 0:39:40I've ever been on. You can almost hear it creaking
0:39:40 > 0:39:43and grinding and cracking underneath you and from day to day,
0:39:43 > 0:39:46it can change overnight,
0:39:46 > 0:39:49with big chunks of glacier dropping off
0:39:49 > 0:39:51or crevasses opening or filling in.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55It's not a part of the climb that I'd want to hang around in.
0:40:05 > 0:40:10In order to manage some of the risk of that section and to be as safe as
0:40:10 > 0:40:15possible, it requires you to move as quickly as possible...
0:40:18 > 0:40:22..which is why there are a lot of accidents on the mountain,
0:40:22 > 0:40:26because a lot of people are working at their capacity.
0:40:37 > 0:40:42More than 270 people have died on this mountain in the last 50 years -
0:40:42 > 0:40:45nearly 100 of them in the last ten.
0:40:45 > 0:40:49As well as the Icefall, avalanches and falling into crevasses,
0:40:49 > 0:40:53the effects of altitude have claimed many climbers.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57It's not about conquering the mountain.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00It's more often than not about...
0:41:03 > 0:41:08..you know, conquering yourself and managing that internal dialogue
0:41:08 > 0:41:10and the emotional rollercoaster
0:41:10 > 0:41:13that you go through and...
0:41:14 > 0:41:16..it can be brutal.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43I'm actually... I'm a bit nervous to show you this.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49Right, you know, we've been really good mates so far and, you know,
0:41:49 > 0:41:51our friendship is getting stronger and, you know,
0:41:51 > 0:41:56we've got a big couple of weeks ahead of us and I really feel like
0:41:56 > 0:42:00the kick in the morale nuts now, might just be irreversible.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02Too much! It stinks.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04Oh, I can smell that.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08- I can smell that.- Do you want to see it, though? Do you want to see it? - It's like... Yeah!
0:42:08 > 0:42:10Has it got rice in, too?
0:42:10 > 0:42:12Oh, noodles!
0:42:12 > 0:42:14RICHARD LAUGHS
0:42:14 > 0:42:16Can I see your spoon, mate?
0:42:18 > 0:42:21That's... I believe that's potato.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24- Vaguely.- Wow.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26Definitely, there's something pink.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28And something yellow and something white,
0:42:28 > 0:42:30so I'm just going to base it on that.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32That looks amazing. No, seriously, that actually looks really good.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35I felt bad earlier, but I don't now.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38That looks amazing. It looks amazing.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40You nearly sound sincere there.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43I'll try and describe what I'm eating.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53- It's basically just...- Rubber!
0:42:53 > 0:42:56Yeah. A tree. Tree rubber.
0:42:56 > 0:42:57No taste.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01No season. It's the sort of thing that somebody would eat if...
0:43:01 > 0:43:06If they just were the most fussiest person in the world.
0:43:09 > 0:43:14But it's 500 calories, which is about what we need to get.
0:43:14 > 0:43:15Yeah. Yeah, of course.
0:43:15 > 0:43:20Yeah, you know, mate, just keep focusing on the positives.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23Just keep...just hang it on something. Hang it on anything.
0:43:23 > 0:43:24Your turn. Let's see...
0:43:24 > 0:43:26Let's see how yours goes.
0:43:26 > 0:43:28- OK.- Look at those noodles.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33- The big chicken breast and the sweetcorn. Yeah.- Chicken breast!
0:43:40 > 0:43:43Best meal ever!
0:43:43 > 0:43:45It's the best meal I've had today.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47Yeah!
0:43:50 > 0:43:52It's not really selfie kind of...
0:43:54 > 0:43:56Good forearm strength, by the way!
0:43:56 > 0:43:58- Oh, yeah.- Wow!
0:43:58 > 0:43:59That's my right hand.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02THEY LAUGH
0:44:15 > 0:44:17Things can go sideways very quickly
0:44:17 > 0:44:22and the climb, you know, the climb to Camp Two was a really good example of that.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24This is a high-risk avalanche area.
0:44:26 > 0:44:31You can make decisions that minimise the risk of avalanches but...
0:44:33 > 0:44:36..they're still pretty unpredictable
0:44:36 > 0:44:43and one moment, to be looking forward to a coffee at Camp Two,
0:44:43 > 0:44:49you know, having got through arguably the most dangerous part
0:44:49 > 0:44:51of the climb to Camp Two...
0:44:52 > 0:44:57..to the second, to have that, you know, it was pretty scary.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00THUNDERING CRASH
0:45:02 > 0:45:05MORE BOOMING CRASHES
0:45:11 > 0:45:15Um, I don't think I've ever moved so fast!
0:45:15 > 0:45:17About 6,000 m!
0:45:24 > 0:45:28With the avalanche still fresh in our minds, we arrive at Camp Two.
0:45:28 > 0:45:34My acclimatisation strategy means we rest here for two days before we can carry on.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37Unsurprisingly, there's very little to do when you're perched
0:45:37 > 0:45:40on the side of the world's largest mountain.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10So what are you going to do now?
0:46:12 > 0:46:14Put all my clothes back on again!
0:46:15 > 0:46:17GARETH LAUGHS
0:46:20 > 0:46:22You get a bit stir crazy, really.
0:46:22 > 0:46:24Oh, yeah.
0:46:24 > 0:46:29You know, it comes to something when the highlight of your day is a wet wipe!
0:46:29 > 0:46:31The wet wipe shower!
0:46:31 > 0:46:33Oh, we've missed that! You didn't tell me you were doing that.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35We didn't get it on camera!
0:46:35 > 0:46:37So give us a tour of...
0:46:37 > 0:46:39Well, of our tent, I suppose.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44Um, actually, you've tidied up, considering that we're filming.
0:46:44 > 0:46:50Well, I kind of knew that we'd maybe have guests in the form of a camera!
0:46:50 > 0:46:54So I'm a lot tidier than my usual.
0:46:54 > 0:46:59But, yeah, you can see I've got a selection of cleansing
0:46:59 > 0:47:02handy wipes. My first-aid kit.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04My sat phone. You've got the toilet roll and the Walkman,
0:47:04 > 0:47:08- so I can listen to music while I'm having a- BLEEP!
0:47:08 > 0:47:13Right above me in the morning is the tablet so that I've got no excuses
0:47:13 > 0:47:16to do the cognitive testing.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19I've got a little bedside table here.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21That's for personal stuff.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23I can't show you that.
0:47:23 > 0:47:25Really? I don't even know about that.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27No.
0:47:27 > 0:47:28You've got a bedside table!
0:47:28 > 0:47:32Well, it's the lid of my rucksack, if you can see by there.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35- See that?- Oh, yeah.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38And then you've got, like, little personal items in there, have you?
0:47:38 > 0:47:42Yeah, I've got my little letters and stuff.
0:47:42 > 0:47:44Oh, look!
0:47:48 > 0:47:51I'm just really impressed that you've tidied,
0:47:51 > 0:47:54knowing that we're going to be filming here.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57Yeah, well, the thing about my side of the tent is,
0:47:57 > 0:47:59I haven't got half the stuff you have.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03I don't know how... Basically I get by on baby wipes and a sat phone.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09- But that's home.- That's it, yeah.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21After two days' rest, we're ready to climb again.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24Tomorrow, it's the climb to Camp Three.
0:48:26 > 0:48:31And then the day after, the climb to the Yellow Band and then back down.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34Pema and I are going to leave Camp Two at around five,
0:48:34 > 0:48:35six o'clock tomorrow, so...
0:48:37 > 0:48:39..signing off now. Get some shuteye.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51The following day, we awake to a serious problem.
0:48:59 > 0:49:04The pictures say it all, but explain what's going down.
0:49:04 > 0:49:09Well, this morning we've had a cruel twist of mountain fate.
0:49:10 > 0:49:16After all the preparations to move up to Camp Three this morning,
0:49:16 > 0:49:19she's just completely shut down.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21We've had quite a lot of snowfall overnight,
0:49:21 > 0:49:26but we've got very low cloud and actually, white-out conditions, which...
0:49:26 > 0:49:28It's more the visibility than the snow.
0:49:28 > 0:49:34I'm confident. I think we're both confident to move in this type of snowfall, but...
0:49:36 > 0:49:38I've got another day...
0:49:42 > 0:49:45- ..in your palace. - Yeah. In my palace, yeah!
0:49:49 > 0:49:51'Sometimes, when you're in the mountains,
0:49:51 > 0:49:57'one cruel blow follows another and for me, things go from bad to worse.'
0:50:02 > 0:50:05Nicky and Damien have known this for the last two days.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07- Yeah.- But we've had poor comms,
0:50:07 > 0:50:11and I think both of them felt it was quite a difficult thing to try
0:50:11 > 0:50:13and convey it on a crackly line.
0:50:13 > 0:50:19Damien and our doc were looking through some of your blood test results
0:50:19 > 0:50:21and alarm bells started ringing.
0:50:21 > 0:50:24You arrived here fantastically acclimatised.
0:50:24 > 0:50:28You have more red blood cells than anyone else on this mountain
0:50:28 > 0:50:31which, from the point of view of climbing a mountain, is great.
0:50:31 > 0:50:36However, in one of the e-mails I've read, your blood is like treacle.
0:50:36 > 0:50:37Yeah.
0:50:37 > 0:50:41And that puts you at a very high risk of some medical events. Sure.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44'The severity of my situation becomes clear
0:50:44 > 0:50:49'when I'm eventually told that my condition could very well be life-threatening.'
0:50:49 > 0:50:53I think the recommendation is that you descend to Base Camp,
0:50:53 > 0:50:58they repeat the tests, and then bringing in all the accumulated expertise,
0:50:58 > 0:51:04try to help you to achieve your project without unnecessary risk to you.
0:51:04 > 0:51:09- We need to address the safety implications before you climb any further.- Sure.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12'Safety is paramount to me and I needed more information
0:51:12 > 0:51:14'to understand my situation fully.'
0:51:14 > 0:51:17You've just dropped a bombshell on me.
0:51:17 > 0:51:21Um, are you suggesting that I descend...
0:51:21 > 0:51:23Well, I can descend now.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32'This news is brutal.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35'First, we are delayed by the weather and now,
0:51:35 > 0:51:37'I'm forced to retreat to Base Camp.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44'In terms of the expedition, it could be a killer blow.'
0:52:05 > 0:52:06Glad to see you back safe.
0:52:08 > 0:52:09Come inside and get warm.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21Over the next few days,
0:52:21 > 0:52:25I'm subject to a series of tests to check my body and, more importantly,
0:52:25 > 0:52:27my blood is performing at extreme altitude.
0:52:29 > 0:52:30Hold on.
0:52:34 > 0:52:38What we've identified is that his ability to make red blood cells
0:52:38 > 0:52:41is exceptionally good. In fact, it's so good,
0:52:41 > 0:52:43that it's actually raised a bit of a red flag.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46When the blood makes so many red blood cells,
0:52:46 > 0:52:47it can become quite sludgy,
0:52:47 > 0:52:51so blood moves through blood vessels very slowly because it's so thick,
0:52:51 > 0:52:53they've made so many red blood cells and of course,
0:52:53 > 0:52:56that makes them more prone to heart attacks and stroke.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59So this is the litmus test now, really.
0:52:59 > 0:53:04This will give us a very cold and sober look at Richard's bloods
0:53:04 > 0:53:06and then from that, we can make a decision.
0:53:07 > 0:53:11'The blood tests show a high concentration of red blood cells,
0:53:11 > 0:53:14'meaning that I'm at a very high risk of having a stroke,
0:53:14 > 0:53:18'or developing heart complications if I were to continue climbing the mountain.'
0:53:18 > 0:53:21- Literally, I'm in- BLEEP- the best shape of my life.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25Yeah, and that's the irony, isn't it?
0:53:25 > 0:53:27- It's just- BLEEP- brutal,
0:53:27 > 0:53:29because...cos I...
0:53:29 > 0:53:32You know, I'm at...physically I'm in the best shape of my life.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35Psychologically, I'm probably in the best shape of my life.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37I'll be honest, it's...
0:53:37 > 0:53:40As time is going on, and I don't mean long,
0:53:40 > 0:53:42we're talking hours and days,
0:53:42 > 0:53:45- but literally, it's really - BLEEP-ing- with my head.
0:53:45 > 0:53:46'As cruel as it is,
0:53:46 > 0:53:50'due to the risk of my blood clotting and the potential for complications,
0:53:50 > 0:53:54'my decision to cut the expedition and the experiments short
0:53:54 > 0:53:56'is the right one.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58From a positive aspect,
0:53:58 > 0:54:02Damian was able to collect the data that he needed to do for the project,
0:54:02 > 0:54:05so as far as the project is concerned,
0:54:05 > 0:54:09we have all the data that was the main part of the study.
0:54:09 > 0:54:12Richard was going to collect some more data at the summit
0:54:12 > 0:54:15but that was going to be a nice added extra.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17We don't have that any more so from that perspective,
0:54:17 > 0:54:22you can say the project is a success, but from...
0:54:22 > 0:54:25Richard, from a personal perspective, it's just really sad,
0:54:25 > 0:54:29because he set himself out as a challenge
0:54:29 > 0:54:32and I know the science project was the main part,
0:54:32 > 0:54:35but on a personal level,
0:54:35 > 0:54:38it's never good when you don't achieve
0:54:38 > 0:54:40what maybe you set out to achieve
0:54:40 > 0:54:42and that's a bitter pill to swallow.
0:54:44 > 0:54:47When Richard came down off the mountain,
0:54:47 > 0:54:50you know, I could certainly sympathise with him and, you know,
0:54:50 > 0:54:52he was distraught.
0:54:52 > 0:54:53Incredibly disappointed.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55You know, it's been two years in the build-up,
0:54:55 > 0:54:59training for this expedition physically, psychologically.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02You know, it's safety before summit.
0:55:02 > 0:55:07And I really stand by that, and you know, I would feel, you know,
0:55:07 > 0:55:11desperately responsible if anything untoward were to happen.
0:55:12 > 0:55:16I think over the last couple of days,
0:55:16 > 0:55:18when he's had an opportunity to reflect
0:55:18 > 0:55:21on his safety,
0:55:21 > 0:55:25I think it's become very clear to him that this was the absolute
0:55:25 > 0:55:26right decision to take.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31Moving forward would have been...
0:55:34 > 0:55:35..irresponsible and selfish.
0:55:37 > 0:55:41It doesn't make it any easier for me, because
0:55:41 > 0:55:45you know, I'm an ambitious person and I came here with an objective and, er...
0:55:46 > 0:55:50..I've not been allowed to even attempt it, let alone attempt it and fail.
0:55:53 > 0:55:54Success is going home.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57Success is going back to my family.
0:55:59 > 0:56:04And, you know, success is all the people around me being safe as well.
0:56:05 > 0:56:13We've still collected really exciting and ground-breaking data, measurements.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15From a scientific point of view, it has been a success.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20It might take a while for me to really believe that, though!
0:56:27 > 0:56:30Standing on the summit of Everest is...
0:56:31 > 0:56:33..is a memory, is a moment,
0:56:33 > 0:56:35is a feeling that will live with me forever.
0:56:39 > 0:56:41I can still feel...
0:56:43 > 0:56:50..the view. It's a very primal sense of insignificance.
0:56:52 > 0:56:54I mean...there are very few places
0:56:54 > 0:56:57where you can see the curvature of the Earth on the planet,
0:56:57 > 0:57:01so I had confidence that with the right preparation,
0:57:01 > 0:57:02the right training,
0:57:02 > 0:57:06I could stand on the summit without supplemental oxygen, and...
0:57:08 > 0:57:12..what...what troubles me is that I still believe I could have...
0:57:12 > 0:57:15I'll never know.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18That's what gives me sleepless nights.
0:57:18 > 0:57:21I don't think about it as much as I used to but it still...
0:57:23 > 0:57:25..it still troubles me.
0:57:28 > 0:57:34Dementia is the fastest-growing illness in the Western world
0:57:34 > 0:57:39and we all at some level have been touched by it
0:57:39 > 0:57:42and there are still no known cures.
0:57:42 > 0:57:47Knowing that I'm going to forget my wife, my children, and my grandson.
0:57:47 > 0:57:53It's so upsetting when you realise, you sit and think about that.
0:57:53 > 0:58:00Here in Wales, we are leading in some areas of research into this disease
0:58:00 > 0:58:04and some of the results already show that
0:58:04 > 0:58:08as a result of the acclimatisation process,
0:58:08 > 0:58:11we've not just offset some of the cognitive decline
0:58:11 > 0:58:15but we've actually improved my cognition on the mountain, which...
0:58:17 > 0:58:20..which is...it's awesome.
0:58:20 > 0:58:28I feel very proud that Project Everest will be able to add to the ongoing research.