0:00:07 > 0:00:08High above the clouds...
0:00:12 > 0:00:13..there are lost worlds.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Unexplored.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Unforgiving.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28Wildly unpredictable.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37But here, on the great mountains of our planet,
0:00:37 > 0:00:39life does exist.
0:00:42 > 0:00:43Against all odds,
0:00:43 > 0:00:49a few extraordinary animals and remarkable people
0:00:49 > 0:00:54make their home on the highest places on Earth.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11Time for school in the highest village in the Himalaya.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19But these pupils have no ordinary school run.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31For those who live in the Himalaya,
0:01:31 > 0:01:33every day is extraordinary.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41This is the mountain range of the greatest extremes.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45And the weather harsher,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47mountains higher...
0:01:49 > 0:01:52..gorges deeper than anywhere else in the world.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58To survive here, the only option
0:01:58 > 0:02:02is to face these daily extremes head-on.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10Only then can you carve out a life...
0:02:17 > 0:02:19..on the roof of the world.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34The Himalayas stretch from Pakistan in the west
0:02:34 > 0:02:37through northern India, into Nepal.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43They climb to the highest point on Earth, Mount Everest...
0:02:45 > 0:02:49..before pushing on through Bhutan and ending in China.
0:02:55 > 0:03:02Here, in the province of Yunnan, at 2,500 metres above sea level,
0:03:02 > 0:03:03is a frozen forest.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Hidden here is a remarkable animal.
0:03:12 > 0:03:13Rarely seen.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21The Yunnan snub-nosed monkey.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26The highest-living monkey in the world.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35They have no nose to get frostbitten.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Pink lips help them stand out to other monkeys.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49Six-inch-long fur to protect from the cold.
0:03:51 > 0:03:52And they need it.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Temperatures can drop to minus 28.
0:03:59 > 0:04:04They endure this hardship to have access to their food - lichen.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09In winter, the only thing that grows in this frozen world.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20To prevent freezing to death, they must huddle together for warmth.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26For that, they need family.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41This young three-year-old male is alone.
0:04:45 > 0:04:46He has no family.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53He was recently thrown out when his mother had a newborn.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01Come nightfall, the temperature will plummet.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05If he doesn't find others to huddle with he won't survive long.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08He has only one option.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14To be accepted into a gang of exiles.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23MONKEYS CHATTER AND CRY OUT
0:05:26 > 0:05:30Like him, they have all been thrown out of their family troupes.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35They fight to decide their rank.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Huge canines, not for eating...
0:05:44 > 0:05:46..but weapons.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51And they're ruled over by a ferocious leader.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04If he's rejected, he'll have little chance of survival.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15His first attempt at being accepted has not started well.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21To the lower-ranking members
0:06:21 > 0:06:25he's seen as a threat to their position in the gang.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36MONKEYS CHITTER
0:06:42 > 0:06:44He's quickly seen off.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04He faces 12 hours on his own in a freezer.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08WIND HOWLS
0:07:10 > 0:07:14It's a very long, cold night.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27But clouds come in, insulating the land.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31They keep temperatures from dropping too low.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37It gives the young male a lifeline.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42At least for another day.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48If he's allowed to groom the dominant male
0:07:48 > 0:07:50he could secure a place for himself in the group.
0:07:53 > 0:07:54He spots his chance.
0:07:57 > 0:07:58The boss is on his own.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16He lets the young male clean his fur.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20It's a sign of acceptance in the group.
0:08:26 > 0:08:31The youngster's gamble has paid off and saved his life.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45He can now huddle with his surrogate family.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54A safeguard against the extreme cold of his Himalaya home.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02As harsh as the conditions at this altitude seem,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04this is just the beginning.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12The higher you climb in the Himalaya, the tougher it gets.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18They contain some of the harshest weather ever recorded.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22175mph winds.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27And minus 40 degrees.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33They are the highest peaks on the planet...
0:09:36 > 0:09:39..stretching almost nine kilometres high.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52Between these giants lie some of the most inaccessible
0:09:52 > 0:09:54valleys in the world.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59Completely isolated, it can take weeks of trekking to reach them.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Astonishingly, people live here.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11The village of Kibber, in northern India.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17One of the most isolated villages in the Himalaya.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23In winter, snow and ice block the roads.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27It cuts the village off from the rest of the world.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31They must be completely self-sufficient.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44All they have to keep them alive are their livestock.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54But a mysterious beast is taking their animals.
0:11:01 > 0:11:02The villagers call it
0:11:02 > 0:11:04the Ghost of the Himalaya.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09MAN SPEAKS IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Everyone has their own tale to tell.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53Come evening, the villagers are forced to lock their livestock up
0:11:53 > 0:11:55in their own homes.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10SHEEP BLEAT
0:12:17 > 0:12:19Everyone is on edge.
0:12:26 > 0:12:27When night falls...
0:12:29 > 0:12:32..the creature may come into the village looking for food.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41COW LOWS
0:12:51 > 0:12:52HORSE WHINNIES
0:13:16 > 0:13:20Dawn, and villagers can breathe a sigh of relief.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Their defences have held.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34But the mysterious creature is never far away,
0:13:34 > 0:13:36keeping an eye on its prey.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42Snow leopard.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56Mountain specialists.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Thick fur to tackle the cold.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Enlarged lungs for the thin air,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14and huge paws to spread their weight as they navigate the cliffs.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24They've no desire to be close to people.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29But in winter, the weather's so bad it pushes them down to the village.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43It's hard to turn down an easy meal.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45SHEEP BLEAT
0:14:47 > 0:14:49For this isolated community,
0:14:49 > 0:14:53each animal lost is the equivalent of two months' salary.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00Yet remarkably, they don't want the snow leopards gone.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Here, the Buddhist philosophy of acceptance
0:15:04 > 0:15:06stretches beyond the village walls.
0:15:08 > 0:15:09HE SPEAKS IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE
0:15:18 > 0:15:20SHE SPEAKS IN HER OWN LANGUAGE
0:15:29 > 0:15:32With the help of local conservation groups,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34they've come up with a simple but ingenious plan.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44They have made their own local wildlife sanctuary.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50They've set aside areas where they won't graze their livestock.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55This provides food for wild blue sheep...
0:16:00 > 0:16:03..the natural prey of the snow leopards.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11This enterprising community
0:16:11 > 0:16:14has reduced the number of livestock lost...
0:16:17 > 0:16:21..whilst increasing the number of critically endangered snow leopards.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Normally an elusive animal,
0:16:27 > 0:16:34Kibber is now a safe haven for one of the rarest big cats in the world.
0:16:47 > 0:16:53The mountain peaks surrounding Kibber stretch up for 6,000 metres.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59Clouds, heavy with rain, arriving on the southern slopes,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01cannot climb over this barrier.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06They are forced to dump their rain.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11THUNDER CLAPS
0:17:14 > 0:17:16The Indian monsoon.
0:17:18 > 0:17:24In just four months, 3,000 billion tonnes of rain falls.
0:17:26 > 0:17:31High in the mountains, the rivers swell, gouging deep valleys.
0:17:43 > 0:17:49In the River Ganges alone, 40,000 tonnes of water can rush past...
0:17:50 > 0:17:51..every second.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57With devastating consequences.
0:18:07 > 0:18:12In the foothills of Mount Machapuchare in Nepal,
0:18:12 > 0:18:14the water is so powerful
0:18:14 > 0:18:18it bores a hole into the mountain.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Here, the rock is mainly limestone.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42It's easily eroded by the water.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55It creates a labyrinth of caves and tunnels under the mountain.
0:19:00 > 0:19:05Giant stalactites build up over tens of thousands of years.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16This water has created the only place in the Himalaya
0:19:16 > 0:19:19where nothing ever changes.
0:19:23 > 0:19:28Winter to summer, the temperature is a constant five degrees Celsius.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34Ideal for the most unexpected of Himalayan creatures.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Greater horseshoe bats can only flourish in the mountains
0:19:47 > 0:19:49because of these caves.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Down here, it never freezes.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57It never snows.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59There is no wind.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05These bats are perhaps the one Himalayan animal
0:20:05 > 0:20:08that deals with extremes by avoiding them.
0:20:24 > 0:20:25A perfect sanctuary...
0:20:27 > 0:20:29..created by the water...
0:20:29 > 0:20:30from the monsoon.
0:20:41 > 0:20:47But 3,000 metres up on the northern slopes, there is no water at all.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53This is the driest place in the Himalaya.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57The Indian province of Ladakh.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06The rain clouds struggle to reach here,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09kept out by the towering peaks.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15The result, a high-altitude desert.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25For centuries, the famous trading path, the Silk Route,
0:21:25 > 0:21:30ran through this hostile desert as traders went from Persia to China.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39To transport goods, they depended on a mountain specialist.
0:21:44 > 0:21:45The Bactrian camel.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57Coming from Mongolia, it's toughened,
0:21:57 > 0:22:02splayed feet can tackle both sand dunes and rocky passes.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09Thick hair can grow a foot long for winters in the deep freeze.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18And Bactrians have not just one but two humps...
0:22:20 > 0:22:25..each holding up to 45kg of fat for food storage.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41They're so well adapted they became the ultimate mode of transport
0:22:41 > 0:22:43over these Himalayan paths...
0:22:44 > 0:22:47..and are even sometimes used today.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57There are some travellers in the Himalaya...
0:22:58 > 0:23:01..who wish to go even deeper into the mountains.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Down ancient routes even more remote.
0:23:19 > 0:23:223,500 metre up.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26Lama Dorje is a Tibetan monk.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31He travelled high into the Himalaya in search of solitude.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39He was guided here by ancient scriptures.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43CHANTING
0:23:45 > 0:23:49HE SPEAKS HIS OWN LANGUAGE
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Behind this door is a cave in the side of the mountain.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22For eight months, this was Dorje's home...
0:24:26 > 0:24:28..with only candles for heat.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Totally alone, he spent every waking hour meditating.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42Every month, food was left at a drop-off down the mountain.
0:24:48 > 0:24:49He saw no-one.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56Dorje used the solitude of this extreme land
0:24:56 > 0:24:59on his quest for enlightenment.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15Tibetan Buddhism was born in the Himalaya.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22In the Phyang Monastery in India,
0:25:22 > 0:25:26rituals rooted in the mountains go back thousands of years.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33At the centre of one ritual is the very rock of the Himalaya.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38This is calcite...
0:25:39 > 0:25:44..forged deep under the mountain millions of years ago.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Tibetan monks collect it from the mountain slopes.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05It is crushed into a fine sand...
0:26:08 > 0:26:12CHANTING AND RINGING OF BELLS
0:26:12 > 0:26:14..and mixed with coloured dyes.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32Grain by grain, the ground up mountain rock is precisely placed.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44The monks go into a state of meditation.
0:27:45 > 0:27:51It has taken over 60 hours of work, and a lifetime, to master the craft.
0:28:00 > 0:28:06The humble calcite has been transformed into a masterpiece,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08called a sand mandala.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21For Buddhists, it is a symbolic representation
0:28:21 > 0:28:23of the entire universe.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28The centre running right through the Himalaya.
0:28:37 > 0:28:38Climb higher...
0:28:39 > 0:28:45..and at 4,000 metres, on the slopes of this mountain, is a burrow.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Inside is a tiny animal...
0:28:55 > 0:28:58..who's about to take his first-ever glimpse
0:28:58 > 0:29:00of the outside world.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09A baby Himalayan marmot.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12HE SNIFFS
0:29:15 > 0:29:17He has one big task ahead.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25He has to triple his weight in the next 12 weeks.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33When winter arrives, he will hibernate for eight months,
0:29:33 > 0:29:37and for that he needs to build big fat reserves.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44He has a lot of grass to eat.
0:29:46 > 0:29:47But there's competition.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52There are 50 other marmots living here,
0:29:52 > 0:29:55all facing the same challenge.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03On this, his first day outside...
0:30:04 > 0:30:05..he must stake his claim.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12THEY SQUEAK
0:30:16 > 0:30:19The fight starts with a ritual pose.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29Then the rule book gets thrown out.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02Securing a patch of grass is just the first challenge.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08Up here, marmots are on everyone's menu.
0:31:11 > 0:31:12Tibetan fox...
0:31:14 > 0:31:16..Himalayan brown bear...
0:31:22 > 0:31:23..and golden eagles...
0:31:26 > 0:31:28..all feed on marmots.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32It's hard to concentrate on eating...
0:31:34 > 0:31:36..when you might get eaten yourself.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48DISTANT GRUNTING MARMOT SQUEAKS
0:31:48 > 0:31:53When the alarm is sounded, there's only one course of action.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08This time, it's a herd of Himalayan yak.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12They may be intimidating in size...
0:32:14 > 0:32:16..but they're not here for the marmots.
0:32:21 > 0:32:26The meadow has become the staging ground for the yaks' annual rut.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30Males compete for the right to mate.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43One-tonne bulls fighting near you...
0:32:47 > 0:32:49..is not good for the digestion.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00Luckily, the yaks quickly exhaust themselves.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07And, in fact, their visit actually helps the marmots.
0:33:14 > 0:33:19They provide plenty of fertiliser for the grass.
0:33:21 > 0:33:26But also, their grazing creates lots of new grass shoots,
0:33:26 > 0:33:28rich in energy and protein.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34Far more nutritious for a growing marmot.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46He can now start to pile on those precious calories.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53It's given him a fighting chance to be ready for winter
0:33:53 > 0:33:55and his eight-month hibernation.
0:34:02 > 0:34:084,200 metres up, to the west of the marmot meadows,
0:34:08 > 0:34:12is the most barren and unforgiving lands shaped by the Himalaya.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17The Tibetan Plateau.
0:34:19 > 0:34:24It runs for 1,800 miles along the north of the Himalaya.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27Incredibly vast, larger than Western Europe.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34Frost for six months of the year.
0:34:36 > 0:34:37Dry as a desert.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44But creatures do make their home here.
0:34:53 > 0:34:54The chiru.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59With the finest and warmest wool in the animal kingdom...
0:35:00 > 0:35:03..it copes with minus 40 degree winters.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10The kiang, an ancient relative of the horse...
0:35:11 > 0:35:14..it can survive without drinking for weeks.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21But the strangest creature of them all...
0:35:24 > 0:35:27..is the Tibetan hot-spring snake.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31The highest living snake in the world.
0:35:36 > 0:35:41Here, on the Tibetan plateau, there are thermal pools
0:35:41 > 0:35:43heated by magma deep under the Earth.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51Snakes are cold-blooded.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58So what better way to warm up than to sit in a hot tub?
0:36:05 > 0:36:09Living and feeding in these pools sounds like paradise.
0:36:13 > 0:36:18But outside these springs, the snakes are surrounded
0:36:18 > 0:36:22by hundreds of miles of frozen wilderness.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32Bathing in these heated pools isn't a choice.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35It's the only way to stay alive.
0:36:37 > 0:36:42A haven, but also a prison they can never leave.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57On the very edge of the Tibetan Plateau,
0:36:57 > 0:37:04there is an enormous mountain, so high it towers over all others.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10It sits on the border between Nepal and China.
0:37:11 > 0:37:17The route to its summit is guarded by an ever-changing river of ice.
0:37:18 > 0:37:24The Tibetans know it as Chomolungma, meaning "mother of the universe".
0:37:26 > 0:37:30To most, it is known as Mount Everest.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36The tallest mountain on the planet.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44Today, an elite group of athletes are gathering on its slopes
0:37:44 > 0:37:47to take part in the highest race in the world.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51The Everest Marathon.
0:37:58 > 0:38:03For Mira Rai, a Nepalese runner, this is her first attempt.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08SHE SPEAKS HER OWN LANGUAGE
0:38:31 > 0:38:37The start of the race is at 5,200 metres, by Everest base camp.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42It takes ten days of trekking just to get here.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47But that's not the biggest problem in this extreme place.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53As altitude increases, the air pressure drops.
0:38:57 > 0:39:02Here, each breath contains only half the amount of oxygen
0:39:02 > 0:39:03than at sea level.
0:39:05 > 0:39:11Mira and the other athletes are about to starve themselves of oxygen
0:39:11 > 0:39:15whilst running down the side of the tallest mountain in the world.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21Here, even while resting, the body is suffering.
0:39:21 > 0:39:26There's headache and nausea, blood vessels start to burst,
0:39:26 > 0:39:29the pulse rate doubles.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32And that's before they even start running.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40The advice doctors give is not to push your body.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48START GUN FIRES
0:39:48 > 0:39:50CHEERING
0:39:58 > 0:40:02Immediately, the athletes feel the full force of this altitude.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11Normally, this level of oxygen starvation happens when someone
0:40:11 > 0:40:13is critically ill.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23The mountain's tough terrain force the pack to quickly thin out.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30HEAVY BREATHING
0:40:40 > 0:40:42Mira takes an early lead.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49Like all who live high in the Himalaya...
0:40:52 > 0:40:55..her body has transformed to tackle the conditions.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05She has up to 50% more haemoglobin in her blood...
0:41:08 > 0:41:10..allowing her to carry more oxygen.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18Boosting her ability to keep running.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47All those who live in these mountains know that
0:41:47 > 0:41:50one wrong step could end in disaster.
0:42:11 > 0:42:16In this race, the first seven runners are all Nepalese.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21Even though some are local farmers
0:42:21 > 0:42:24competing against highly trained Western athletes.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31Many Himalayan people have genetic adaptations allowing them
0:42:31 > 0:42:34to cope with critically low oxygen levels.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39Mira, too, was born in the mountains.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45She is a natural master of this world.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00The end is in sight.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03Namche Bazaar, the highest town in the region.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:43:18 > 0:43:22She's not only made it, but won the women's race.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42Ascending past Everest base camp, the mountain becomes
0:43:42 > 0:43:43a desolate world.
0:43:45 > 0:43:49It seems like an impossible place for anything to live.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54But there is life.
0:43:55 > 0:44:01At 6,700 metres lives the highest animal in the world.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08The Himalayan jumping spider.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13At just four millimetres long, he may be tiny...
0:44:14 > 0:44:17..but he has gigantic superpowers.
0:44:18 > 0:44:23Eight eyes that give him 360-degree vision,
0:44:23 > 0:44:27his body can be super-cooled to minus 20.
0:44:33 > 0:44:37And tiny hooks on his feet help grip
0:44:37 > 0:44:41as he leaps from rock to rock.
0:44:44 > 0:44:45He can jump...
0:44:47 > 0:44:49..50 times his body length.
0:44:54 > 0:44:58But his greatest asset is his size.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04Being so small, he hugs close to the rocks.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09They are charged with the sun's heat,
0:45:09 > 0:45:12creating a one-inch layer of warm air.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15The perfect microclimate
0:45:15 > 0:45:17for a tiny hero.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28But he's missing just one crucial thing.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33Up here, there's nothing for him to eat.
0:45:38 > 0:45:43He relies entirely on stray insects blown up on the wind.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54Little to eat, and terrible weather.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58It seems a strange place to make a home.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03But there's a good reason.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08As nothing else can live up here,
0:46:08 > 0:46:10there is nothing to eat him.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16He might be tiny,
0:46:16 > 0:46:21but up here on Everest he's the top of the food chain.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37Above the spider, at 8,000 metres,
0:46:37 > 0:46:40there is a realm where nothing can live.
0:46:48 > 0:46:50Climbers call it the Death Zone.
0:46:55 > 0:47:00The only living things that can climb this high are humans,
0:47:00 > 0:47:02aided by modern technology.
0:47:05 > 0:47:09Past this point, the oxygen levels drop so low...
0:47:11 > 0:47:12..the body starts to die.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21Battling relentless exhaustion...
0:47:25 > 0:47:28..the climbers summon their last piece of courage...
0:47:31 > 0:47:32..and get their prize.
0:47:40 > 0:47:42Woo!
0:47:44 > 0:47:50To stand at 8,848 metres,
0:47:50 > 0:47:53the highest point on the planet.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00But bound by the mountain's extreme conditions,
0:48:00 > 0:48:03they can only remain here for 15 minutes.
0:48:21 > 0:48:27For many, the climbing of Everest is their greatest achievement.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32But for those that live here,
0:48:32 > 0:48:36there is perhaps an even greater achievement.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41To live amongst these mountains and to face their extremes
0:48:41 > 0:48:44every single day.
0:48:45 > 0:48:50To do that is to face a world of constant challenge...
0:48:50 > 0:48:54where every day you must find the resolve
0:48:54 > 0:48:58to start all over again.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26Sometimes, in making the Mountain series,
0:49:26 > 0:49:30the film crew was most surprised by how mountains
0:49:30 > 0:49:31affect the people they met.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Filming Mira Rai, the marathon runner...
0:49:38 > 0:49:42..showed more than anything the impact mountain life can have.
0:49:46 > 0:49:50It quickly becomes clear how well-adapted Mira is to
0:49:50 > 0:49:53the extreme altitude during the walk in to the start
0:49:53 > 0:49:55of the marathon race.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59It's a ten-day trek to Everest base camp.
0:50:03 > 0:50:07As they climb higher, in every breath there is less oxygen.
0:50:08 > 0:50:14By 4,000 metres, there's already a third less than at sea level.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16OK, this altitude...
0:50:16 > 0:50:19You take two steps and you're like, "Whoa!"
0:50:19 > 0:50:22I'm very tired. Very out of breath.
0:50:24 > 0:50:28I've kind of lost track of how many days it's taken us to get this far.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31And I notice that Mira is not out of breath.
0:50:31 > 0:50:32SHE LAUGHS
0:50:35 > 0:50:37Oh, my God.
0:50:37 > 0:50:43Mira has 50% more haemoglobin in her blood, so she feels fine.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46She's even got the energy to make her own film.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55- Me?- Yeah.- I feel very tired.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57- Really?- Yeah.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05- Yeah?- Yes. - Do you like going uphill?
0:51:09 > 0:51:10Why?!
0:51:13 > 0:51:15Without any roads in these mountains,
0:51:15 > 0:51:19everything has to be moved by either pack animal
0:51:19 > 0:51:20or by hand.
0:51:22 > 0:51:27The 300 kilos of BBC equipment is carried up by six yaks.
0:51:31 > 0:51:33Here's the rest of our camera kit.
0:51:33 > 0:51:35Luckily, we don't have to carry this stuff.
0:51:36 > 0:51:40Do you think it's OK to hold some people once this lot comes through?
0:51:40 > 0:51:43Just hold them there, that would be great. This is getting heavy.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53Good.
0:51:55 > 0:51:59But keeping up with Mira on her daily training is tough.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02HEAVY BREATHING
0:52:06 > 0:52:10Each day, the crew's bodies make more and more red blood cells,
0:52:10 > 0:52:12slowly enabling them to acclimatise.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16Mira is always a step ahead.
0:52:17 > 0:52:18Oh...!
0:52:22 > 0:52:27The secret to Mira's sporting success lies in her upbringing.
0:52:27 > 0:52:30She was born and bred in the mountains
0:52:30 > 0:52:35and her ancestors have lived at high altitude for at least 3,000 years.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40Her family home is a village in eastern Nepal.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50There's no electricity or running water
0:52:50 > 0:52:53and it's a day's trek to the nearest shop.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57It's a life of hard, physical labour.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03To collect water, the community must climb down to a spring...
0:53:05 > 0:53:07..400 metres down the mountain.
0:53:09 > 0:53:12Mira's been doing it since she was just five years old.
0:53:32 > 0:53:37Living at altitude fine-tunes the body, making wider arteries,
0:53:37 > 0:53:40more capillaries and bigger lungs.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47But mountain life was also her biggest obstacle.
0:53:52 > 0:53:57Like many women in rural Nepal, she was destined to a life of housework.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23But her mother dreamed of a better future for her daughter.
0:54:38 > 0:54:42Aged 14, Mira left home looking for adventure.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50She ended up in the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu.
0:55:06 > 0:55:10It was here, in a forest on the edge of the city,
0:55:10 > 0:55:12that she entered her first-ever race.
0:55:14 > 0:55:1650km long.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19She'd never run such a distance before in her life.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42But she didn't just complete the race, she won it.
0:55:44 > 0:55:49From that day on, Mira went on to win race after race across Nepal.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53There is just one race she has yet to attempt...
0:55:55 > 0:55:56..the Everest Marathon.
0:55:58 > 0:56:00And the exhausted film crew has finally
0:56:00 > 0:56:02reached the start to film it.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15- And you ready, Mira? - Yes, I'm ready.
0:56:26 > 0:56:28- Good luck, Mira.- Oh, yes, thank you.
0:56:36 > 0:56:38START GUN FIRES
0:56:38 > 0:56:40CHEERING
0:56:41 > 0:56:43In just a few years,
0:56:43 > 0:56:47Mira has gone from a tough life in her remote mountain home
0:56:47 > 0:56:50to the biggest sports star in Nepal.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56Winning every race there is in the country.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:57:08 > 0:57:12Now she also trains children from other mountain villages...
0:57:14 > 0:57:16..helping them to become athletes.
0:57:39 > 0:57:40Since Mira started,
0:57:40 > 0:57:45the number of girls signing up to racing equals that of boys,
0:57:45 > 0:57:47for the first time.
0:57:49 > 0:57:51For those born in these mountains...
0:57:53 > 0:57:55..there are many obstacles in life.
0:57:57 > 0:58:02But they are also the perfect training grounds for success.
0:58:07 > 0:58:12Next time, the longest mountain range on the planet
0:58:12 > 0:58:16is full of extraordinary hidden worlds
0:58:16 > 0:58:22and even more extraordinary animals, with the most surprising lives.
0:58:23 > 0:58:24The Andes.