0:00:22 > 0:00:24Is it possible to climb Everest
0:00:24 > 0:00:28and stand on its summit at over 29,000 feet without oxygen?
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Even more important, is it possible to return
0:00:32 > 0:00:36without fatal brain damage or madness?
0:00:36 > 0:00:38The pilot and crew of this plane
0:00:38 > 0:00:41have been using their masks from 10,000 feet,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44but Reinhold Messner has used nothing.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46As they climb towards the summit,
0:00:46 > 0:00:48he wants to see what happens.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52Will he be able to stay conscious and rational?
0:00:52 > 0:00:56On this flight, I could only feel that it is possible
0:00:56 > 0:00:59to stay doing nothing on the top of Everest
0:00:59 > 0:01:03and enjoying the view, enjoying the climb.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07But flying up about 30,000 feet without oxygen,
0:01:07 > 0:01:09that is not a proof that we can go
0:01:09 > 0:01:13with our forces above the top of Everest,
0:01:13 > 0:01:15near the top of Everest without oxygen.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19It was only proof that we can stay there not dying
0:01:19 > 0:01:24and enjoying the whole mountain area
0:01:24 > 0:01:25and the whole climb.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Not dying? But of course he is.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33Man cannot survive for long periods over 18,000 feet.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36This is the lower limit of the death zone,
0:01:36 > 0:01:38where the human body steadily deteriorates.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44How long is it possible to survive at 29,000 feet?
0:01:44 > 0:01:45No-one quite knows.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Namche Bazaar is at an altitude of 11,300 feet.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18And the Sherpas live and work there as if it were at sea level.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21The way oxygen is bound to their red blood corpuscles
0:02:21 > 0:02:23is different from Europeans.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25Perhaps as a result of living
0:02:25 > 0:02:27thousands of years above 10,000 feet,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30a genetic adaptation has taken place,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34accounting for their extraordinary fitness at high altitude.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37For Europeans, there is no easy way.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39It's the treadmill of extreme physical fitness
0:02:39 > 0:02:42and gradual high-altitude acclimatisation.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Peter Habeler is a ski instructor from Austria.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52The climbs he has done with Reinhold Messner from the Italian Tyrol
0:02:52 > 0:02:55have astounded the climbing world.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Accompanying them to film at high altitude
0:02:57 > 0:03:02and to make his own oxygen-free attempt is Welshman Eric Jones.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Leo Dickinson, Britain's leading adventure film-maker,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08intends to go with them as high as possible.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16The approach march is a key part of every Himalayan climb.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20It enables the body to adapt to the scarcity of oxygen.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23If a helicopter is used to fly unacclimatised mountaineers
0:03:23 > 0:03:27direct to Everest base camp at 18,000 feet,
0:03:27 > 0:03:29within hours, they would collapse,
0:03:29 > 0:03:33gasping for air, acutely sick and exhausted.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36If no oxygen were available, they would be fortunate
0:03:36 > 0:03:40to avoid death from pulmonary oedema or a stroke.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Everest is the dwelling place of gods
0:03:43 > 0:03:46and is cruel to the weak or unprepared.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48The monks at Tengboche Monastery
0:03:48 > 0:03:51are quite prepared to placate them, for a fee.
0:03:51 > 0:03:52GONG SOUNDS
0:03:59 > 0:04:01HORN SOUNDS
0:04:04 > 0:04:05BELL RINGS
0:04:15 > 0:04:17INSTRUMENTAL CACOPHONY
0:04:33 > 0:04:37It wasn't the first time Everest had been attempted without oxygen.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39This old Sherpa, Dawa Tenzing,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42was with the 1924 British expedition
0:04:42 > 0:04:45which came within 1,000 feet of the top
0:04:45 > 0:04:48and ended in one of the most famous and mysterious tragedies
0:04:48 > 0:04:49in mountaineering history.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Two expeditions had already failed,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58but a route had been found from the Tibetan side.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00There were high hopes for this team,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02with sports jackets and nail boots
0:05:02 > 0:05:04more suitable for British hills than Everest.
0:05:05 > 0:05:10Andrew Irvine, at 22, was the youngest and fittest member.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13George Leigh Mallory, on his third attempt on Everest,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16was one of the finest mountaineers of his generation.
0:05:16 > 0:05:21Accompanied by Norton, made their bid without oxygen on a perfect day.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Although Somerville was coughing blood,
0:05:23 > 0:05:28they climbed to over 28,000 feet before exhaustion turned them back.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31The summit seemed tantalisingly close
0:05:31 > 0:05:34and they were sure it was attainable.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Five days later, Mallory and Irvine set out,
0:05:47 > 0:05:49taking heavy and unreliable oxygen sets with them.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Instead of attempting the face route
0:05:57 > 0:05:59that had been tried by Norton and Somerville,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02they decided to stay on the ridge.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06This was cut in places by steep, rocky steps.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08It was during one short clearing in the mists
0:06:08 > 0:06:10that Odell, in the support team,
0:06:10 > 0:06:12caught a glimpse of them for the last time
0:06:12 > 0:06:14just below one of the steps.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16They were still going strong for the summit.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19It was up here that all these things were taking place.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21There is the step
0:06:21 > 0:06:23at which I last saw them.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25And the clouds were about.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27In fact, there was quite a lot of heavy mist
0:06:27 > 0:06:29around about the upper part,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32but there was a clearing, almost like a window.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34And gazing up,
0:06:34 > 0:06:39I saw two figures making their way up a snow slope
0:06:39 > 0:06:42towards a rock feature in the ridge
0:06:42 > 0:06:46that led up to the final pyramid of the mountain.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50And these two figures were moving one at a time
0:06:50 > 0:06:57and one made his ascent up to this rock step, as we called it,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01and then seemed to appear at the top. I imagine that would be Mallory.
0:07:01 > 0:07:08And then, unfortunately, the clouds came down and obscured them
0:07:08 > 0:07:10and I never saw them again.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Eventually, the search team set out,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20but as soon as the camp saw a cross of laid-out sleeping bags,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22they knew the worst.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Mallory and Irvine were lost.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27But did they get to the summit?
0:07:27 > 0:07:30We now know that there is a steep, unavoidable rocky pitch
0:07:30 > 0:07:33where the Chinese used ladders to ascend.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36And it seems unlikely that with primitive equipment
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Mallory could have climbed it.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40At the time, it was a real mystery.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42What did happen to Mallory and Irvine?
0:07:42 > 0:07:47Could that extra 1,000 feet be climbed with or without oxygen?
0:07:47 > 0:07:49The borders were closed for nine years
0:07:49 > 0:07:52before the next expedition set foot on the mountain.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56This time, Eric Shipton was with the team and no oxygen would be taken.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59The party was led by Hugh Rutledge, elegant in topper,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03which no doubt impressed the abbot of the Rongbuk Monastery,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05as they called in for the traditional blessing.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12At the start, all went well.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14But the monsoon came early that year
0:08:14 > 0:08:16and there were few spells of fine weather.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20On the first summit attempt, Wager and Wyn-Harris
0:08:20 > 0:08:22found the ice axe of either Mallory or Irvine,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25perhaps at the point where they fell.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28But had they fallen after they'd reached the summit?
0:08:54 > 0:08:58Finally, they were no more successful than the 1924 expedition
0:08:58 > 0:09:00and they returned defeated.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09It wasn't until 1953
0:09:09 > 0:09:12that Everest finally succumbed to a strong attack on a new route
0:09:12 > 0:09:15discovered by Shipton on the south side of the mountain.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Hillary and Tenzing in the Western Cwm were already using oxygen,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23or English air, as the Sherpas called it on an early expedition.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27Merely by being English, it was supposed to be better that the local air.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29And in a way, I suppose it was.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39To give a reasonable rest, masks were also used for sleeping.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43So that for several days they were breathing air enriched with oxygen,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45minimising the effect of high altitude.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48Nevertheless, it was a fine achievement at the time,
0:09:48 > 0:09:53establishing what has become today the easy way, or the Yak route.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Since then, over 60 climbers have stood on the summit
0:09:57 > 0:09:59using air bottled in many countries.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02WIND WHISTLES
0:10:06 > 0:10:09There were men who scorned the use of artificial aids,
0:10:09 > 0:10:11particularly oxygen.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Reinhold Messner was one of them.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Everest is climbed just... maybe 15 times,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20I don't know exactly how many times.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23And for me, alpinism is a joke.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28And I know it is possible for me to climb Everest with oxygen,
0:10:28 > 0:10:32but nobody knows if it is possible to climb Everest without oxygen.
0:10:32 > 0:10:39Especially for me, seeing alpinism as a joke,
0:10:39 > 0:10:44it's interesting to try this climb without oxygen.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48I would never come here to try Everest with oxygen.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50It is not important for me.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52It is not a challenge for me.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55I am doing this alpinism,
0:10:55 > 0:11:00this climbing in high altitude, for knowing myself.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04It's not more important to explore the mountains.
0:11:04 > 0:11:10Exploring the mountains maybe was necessary for 100, 200 years,
0:11:10 > 0:11:14and maybe also '53, when Hillary and Tenzing climbed
0:11:14 > 0:11:17the first time Everest.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21But in the meanwhile, the whole mountains in Himalaya,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24in Karakorum, also in Patagonia,
0:11:24 > 0:11:26they are explored.
0:11:26 > 0:11:32And it's not important for the human world to explore them.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35What's important to explore, myself.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38And if I put some technical equipment,
0:11:38 > 0:11:42some important technical thing between me and the mountains,
0:11:42 > 0:11:48I have never the possibility to know myself, to explore myself.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52He was fortunate that his climbing partner, Peter Habeler, agreed with him.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54From the moment we started from Europe,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57I was sure we would try without oxygen.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01I had... Naturally, there were people who told us,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04"Well, you are crazy. You are idiots. You can't make it."
0:12:04 > 0:12:09But then I was relying on...funny enough, on the English people,
0:12:09 > 0:12:15on Odell, Norton, who did climb from the north side very, very high.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Maybe Mallory even reached the summit, I don't know.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21But I was holding on to it, you know.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Making more or less an excuse for me.
0:12:23 > 0:12:24It must be possible. It's possible!
0:12:24 > 0:12:28If everything is going well, if we have good weather,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30if we are in good shape,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34if we are able to put our last bivouac about...
0:12:34 > 0:12:36above 8,400 metres,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40it can be possible to climb Everest without oxygen.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42Maybe for Peter and me, it's not possible,
0:12:42 > 0:12:46but I am quite sure that it is possible, generally speaking,
0:12:46 > 0:12:48to climb Everest without oxygen.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51And all the way through towards base camp, I was happy,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53I was more or less relaxed,
0:12:53 > 0:12:57and then, here, I-I... You know, you hear stories
0:12:57 > 0:13:00and I was a little frustrated.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04I was thinking of home and if I would go back
0:13:04 > 0:13:06and if I would not recognise my wife any more,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09which some people said when I left Europe.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Habeler was worried more about the effects of oxygen starvation
0:13:12 > 0:13:15than about all the other risks of mountaineering.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19Avalanches, crevasses, bad weather, or simply falling off.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22He had enough experience to avoid these.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25There was no trick to escape the thin atmosphere.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29Above the Everest base camp, the route changes from a pleasant walk
0:13:29 > 0:13:32frequented by hundreds of trekkers each year
0:13:32 > 0:13:35to a savage mountain requiring all the resources
0:13:35 > 0:13:38of a full-scale expedition.
0:13:38 > 0:13:39The fame of Habeler and Messner
0:13:39 > 0:13:42had attracted sufficient commercial support
0:13:42 > 0:13:44to enable them to buy a privileged place
0:13:44 > 0:13:46on a large Austrian expedition
0:13:46 > 0:13:50making an oxygen-assisted ascent of the ordinary route.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Habeler and Messner had already broken trail to the next camp
0:13:53 > 0:13:55without using oxygen
0:13:55 > 0:13:58as the main party of climbers and Sherpas followed.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02If the pessimists were correct, and their attempt failed
0:14:02 > 0:14:04with blood vessels bursting in their brains,
0:14:04 > 0:14:07there would be enough manpower to pull their freezing
0:14:07 > 0:14:10and no doubt gibbering remains off the mountain.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17The most dangerous part of the ordinary route
0:14:17 > 0:14:22is the Khumbu Icefall guarding the entrance to the Valley of Silence,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24the huge Western Cwm.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26This is what separates the men from the boys.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29The real climber from the guided tourist.
0:14:31 > 0:14:32Moving at over a yard a day,
0:14:32 > 0:14:37crevasses would open where there had only been flat, clear snow.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Huge stabilised towers would creak
0:14:39 > 0:14:42and then, with a sigh, collapse and disappear
0:14:42 > 0:14:44in a mass of ice fragments.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47More people had died on the three-mile path threading this maze
0:14:47 > 0:14:49than anywhere else on the mountain.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52And there were other dangers,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54as Leo Dickinson discovered
0:14:54 > 0:14:57while doing a delicate balancing act.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01RUMBLING
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Eight tonnes of equipment had been brought to base camp
0:15:29 > 0:15:32by 130 porters and their yaks.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34And most of the £65,000
0:15:34 > 0:15:37the expedition was to cost had already been spent.
0:15:37 > 0:15:4120 Sherpas had been retained to help on the mountain.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44The most dangerous and rewarding part of the trip.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48Their job was to carry food and equipment to the highest camp.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50And their role is vital.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53No-one has yet climbed Everest without them.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56The high altitude affected everyone, even the locals.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00And the expedition medical team, under Dr Oltz, were kept busy.
0:16:00 > 0:16:05This patient was a typical case of high-altitude mountain sickness.
0:16:05 > 0:16:10Although it did not...the disease did not affect his lungs,
0:16:10 > 0:16:14in other words, he didn't have pulmonary oedema,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17he was generally in a bad shape.
0:16:17 > 0:16:22And the main problem he had
0:16:22 > 0:16:24was a light brain oedema.
0:16:24 > 0:16:30Of course, we don't know what the reason is for all this.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35We know finally, it's hypoxia, it's lack of oxygen.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39But what all the exact mechanisms are, we don't know.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45Now, this patient also had,
0:16:45 > 0:16:50and you find that very often in these people,
0:16:50 > 0:16:55this patient had some lack of fluid.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Many people make this mistake when they go to high altitude,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01that they don't drink enough.
0:17:01 > 0:17:06And since they have to respirate very heavily,
0:17:06 > 0:17:10they lose a lot of fluid via mouth.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15And that was the reason why we gave him some fluids intravenously,
0:17:15 > 0:17:20and I think, or I hope, that was one of the reasons
0:17:20 > 0:17:22why he recovered rather quickly
0:17:22 > 0:17:25when he was lowered down to lower altitude.
0:17:29 > 0:17:30And recover he did.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34The onset had been sudden and collapse total.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38Suppose the same thing happened to Habeler or Messner near the summit.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40How long could they survive?
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Was a rescue really possible?
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Norton and Odell had climbed to over 28,000 feet
0:17:46 > 0:17:49and returned to distinguished careers.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53The questions ran through Habeler's mind, doubting and reassuring.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Already, Camp One was established above the Icefall.
0:17:58 > 0:18:03Insignificant between the massive walls of Lhotse and Everest.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06It's easy for the doctors to tell the weary climbers
0:18:06 > 0:18:08to drink 10-15 pints of fluid every day
0:18:08 > 0:18:11to reduce the risks of frostbite and strokes,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14but each drop had to be melted from snow
0:18:14 > 0:18:17and seemed impossible to swallow after the first pint or two.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Crossing the floor of the Western Cwm
0:18:29 > 0:18:31required rudimentary engineering work,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34where testing the theory of flexible bridges
0:18:34 > 0:18:36over a 200-foot deep crevasse
0:18:36 > 0:18:38added spice to the Sherpas' day.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Ready?
0:20:03 > 0:20:05During the day, when the weather was fine,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07the temperature in the Western Cwm
0:20:07 > 0:20:11could rise to a sweltering 42 degrees centigrade.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13In bad weather, particularly at night,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16it could fall to below minus 30.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18The combination of high altitude
0:20:18 > 0:20:20and rapidly fluctuating temperatures
0:20:20 > 0:20:24called for clothing that was light, with high-insulating properties.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29This was not the era of the nail boot or heavy sports jacket.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32For the summit, the climbers would wear plastic double boots,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34silk underwear, a fleece undershirt
0:20:34 > 0:20:38and a one-piece suit of the best eiderdown on top.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41With three pairs of gloves and a couple of hats,
0:20:41 > 0:20:43it was possible to withstand the worst weather.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45At least for a few hours.
0:20:59 > 0:21:00Camp Two was in the usual place
0:21:00 > 0:21:03beneath the southwest face of Everest,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06climbed by Chris Bonington expedition in 1975,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09and the Lhotse face, where the next part of the route
0:21:09 > 0:21:12would be to the South Col.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Immediately, the ritual began of melting snow
0:21:14 > 0:21:18for the essential drinks to keep the blood from thickening.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22Two weeks at high altitude gives about 80% acclimatisation.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25The maximum being reached after four to six weeks.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27This early, many of the Europeans
0:21:27 > 0:21:30were feeling the strain at 21,000 feet.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33The Sherpas, completely happy at this height,
0:21:33 > 0:21:35enjoyed their afternoon tea,
0:21:35 > 0:21:39unaware of the disaster that had struck in the Icefall.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42This is London tea.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Juice. Lemon juice.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Lemons from London.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Although technically easy in good conditions,
0:22:01 > 0:22:02the ordinary route up Everest
0:22:02 > 0:22:05is still exposed to all the dangers of a high mountain.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09A crevasse had opened up, completely engulfing one Sherpa,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12who was never to be seen again.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16A second had fallen 150 feet into another crevasse,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19and only prompt action by the rescue team
0:22:19 > 0:22:21would give him any chance of recovery.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24No-one knew quite how badly he was injured,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26but they knew how important it was
0:22:26 > 0:22:29to get him to the medical team at base camp before nightfall.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Five doctors did the operation,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15giving the skill and care he would get in a private clinic.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19To recover, he was flown out to the hospital
0:23:19 > 0:23:21founded by Sir Edmund Hillary
0:23:21 > 0:23:23a few minutes' flight down the valley.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25The Sherpas took a day off,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28and after that were prepared to continue.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32The doctors wondered if the next casualty would be lucky enough
0:23:32 > 0:23:34to get down to base camp alive.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36YELLING
0:23:38 > 0:23:42Above Camp Two, at 21,000 feet, lies the Lhotse face
0:23:42 > 0:23:45and the key to the route to the South Col of Everest.
0:23:45 > 0:23:51The only safe campsite is over 2,600 feet above Camp Two.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54The greatest height difference between camps on the ordinary route
0:23:54 > 0:23:57and a real test of acclimatisation and fitness.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02The fixed ropes are laid to make a handrail for Sherpas and Saabs
0:24:02 > 0:24:04as they ferry loads to the higher camp.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10Mystery shrouds the effect of high altitude on the human body.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Whilst the cause of the sickness is well understood,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15the reasons why one person adapts well
0:24:15 > 0:24:18and another not at all are uncertain.
0:24:18 > 0:24:19Where there is mystery,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22rumours, particularly of the more dramatic kind, thrive.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26There was a story of an aide to the Viceroy of India
0:24:26 > 0:24:28who, at the regular palace parties,
0:24:28 > 0:24:32could remember every guest's name, title and decoration.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35On his return from a Himalayan expedition,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38he was dumbfounded to find his memory wiped completely clean.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42He recognised the faces, but the names had disappeared.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47There is another tale of an unknown pre-war American expedition
0:24:47 > 0:24:49whose members, now old men,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52are mindless cabbages in asylums for the insane,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56occasionally grabbing in the air for invisible holds
0:24:56 > 0:24:59or chopping steps in non-existent ice slopes.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Maybe untrue, but nevertheless, 30% of one expedition
0:25:03 > 0:25:06had burst blood vessels in the retina of the eye.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10And it was believed that similar bleeding had taken place in the brain.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14There have been many reports of minor memory loss
0:25:14 > 0:25:17and of hallucinatory experiences.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20The third man on the rope, invisible to one's companion,
0:25:20 > 0:25:24but following in a sinister, threatening way.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27All these indicated some damage to the brain.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Reinhold Messner and Eric Jones, climbing without oxygen,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36well knew the chances they were taking.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39To minimise these risks, it was essential to minimise
0:25:39 > 0:25:41the time they were exposed to them.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43To climb to the summit as quickly as possible
0:25:43 > 0:25:47and get down to base camp before the damage was done.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Messner had already climbed the north face of the Eiger with Habeler
0:25:50 > 0:25:54in 10 hours, half the previous fastest time.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Every day during training in Austria,
0:25:56 > 0:25:59they had run 3,000 feet of vertical height,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02almost the height of Snowdon, in 34 minutes.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05They were in superb condition
0:26:05 > 0:26:09and at this height were climbing as if it were 10,000 feet lower.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33Camp Three, at 23,000 feet,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36was one of the few places safe from avalanche on the Lhotse face.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41It was just about halfway between Camp Two and the South Col.
0:26:42 > 0:26:48Above lay the critical barrier at 8,000 metres. 26,200 feet.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52Only 14 peaks in the world were higher than this.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55And most climbers setting out from Camp Three
0:26:55 > 0:26:58knew they were tempting their personal height record.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02Above the camp, they were crossing the barrier into the unknown,
0:27:02 > 0:27:06where oxygen masks were simply taken for granted.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17That night, Peter Habeler became very ill,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20probably from eating a bad tin of fish.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22The weather seemed to be deteriorating
0:27:22 > 0:27:25and he wanted Messner to descend.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27But Messner was not to be stopped.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Although he couldn't make the summit on his own,
0:27:30 > 0:27:31he set out with two Sherpas
0:27:31 > 0:27:34to establish Camp Four on the South Col.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38A decision that could have cost all four of them their lives.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43I went up yesterday to Camp Three, everything was fine.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47I must have eaten something wrong because everything went in front,
0:27:47 > 0:27:50went in the back, and it weakened me. I couldn't sleep.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54Maybe I took too many drugs. I had about eight Tonapan.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57They kept me awake all the time.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01And all I can say, I'm very, very tired.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04And it was still beginning...
0:28:04 > 0:28:05- All change again.- ..with headache?
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Yeah, but not bad. A little headache.
0:28:10 > 0:28:15And then you took the drugs and it starts moving in the stomach?
0:28:15 > 0:28:18The body couldn't hold anything up there. Nothing.
0:28:19 > 0:28:25Nothing. Everything I ate, everything I drank, came out immediately.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30You see? It's the first time it seems to be I am holding something.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35- How did you sleep? - I didn't sleep at all!
0:28:36 > 0:28:39It was windy, but not much, you know. It was not bad.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45But, er...maybe I took too many drugs. It could be.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50- So, what are your plans now? - Er...well, rest.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52I'm sure this will pass again, and rest, and then...
0:28:52 > 0:28:55aiming for the same goal again.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58If Reinhold isn't too far ahead, you know.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01Because he went to South Col today
0:29:01 > 0:29:05and he went...early,
0:29:05 > 0:29:07so they should reach it.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12Er...they went all without oxygen, all the Sherpas.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14The Sherpas didn't like it at all.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16- They didn't?- No, they didn't.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20Because they may think if they have to go up to Camp Five...
0:29:20 > 0:29:23And if something goes wrong, you know, they die.
0:29:23 > 0:29:24That's what they thought.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30Something did go wrong.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34A blizzard struck, trapping Messner and the two Sherpas on the South Col.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38Conditions were bad enough at the relatively sheltered Camp Two.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42On the Col, 80mph winds ripped their tent
0:29:42 > 0:29:44and conditions became so bad
0:29:44 > 0:29:48that the Sherpas lay down in their tent and lost hope.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50Hello! Hello!
0:29:52 > 0:29:56Peter Habeler had descended alone, getting sicker and weaker.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58In a moment's lack of concentration,
0:29:58 > 0:30:01he had missed the route in thick cloud
0:30:01 > 0:30:03and only the chance find of a marker pole
0:30:03 > 0:30:07prevented him from spending his last hours lost in the Western Cwm.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09WIND WHISTLES
0:30:21 > 0:30:25High on the South Col, Reinhold was fighting his own battle,
0:30:25 > 0:30:28abusing and threatening the two Sherpas to keep them awake
0:30:28 > 0:30:31as the temperatures dropped to minus 45
0:30:31 > 0:30:34and the lightning flickered around their tent.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36THUNDERCLAP
0:30:50 > 0:30:53After two nights, they descended to Camp Three,
0:30:53 > 0:30:56then tottered into Camp Two, looking like three old men.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59They had been lucky to survive
0:30:59 > 0:31:02and Peter Habeler began to have serious doubts
0:31:02 > 0:31:04about a second attempt.
0:31:04 > 0:31:05Messner was unaffected.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08JOYOUS CHATTER
0:31:08 > 0:31:12- How are you? - Fine. Really fine.
0:31:21 > 0:31:26What are the conditions of the final 2,000-3,000 feet, Reinhold?
0:31:26 > 0:31:29From the South Col to the last camp is an easy way.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33All snow and you can go, so...
0:31:33 > 0:31:34It's the way I can do it.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37- Also, I'm quite crazy, I can do it.- Yes.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41But the last steep...the last step is very steep.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44Given good conditions, do you think you can do it?
0:31:45 > 0:31:48Yes, but I need a new partner.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52Maybe Peter is coming up again.
0:31:52 > 0:31:56- I know Peter is the strongest climber I ever know.- Yes.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58But this year, he's almost changing.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02Going 100 metres, a cloud is coming, he says,
0:32:02 > 0:32:05"Ah, today, I am hurting. Let's go back."
0:32:05 > 0:32:08So I did...not the whole Lhotse face.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11Robert did 300 metres.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14- Peter did 100 metres and the rest I did.- Yeah.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16It is too much, I cannot do all.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22So they descended out of the Death Zone to base camp,
0:32:22 > 0:32:24where the doctors were carrying out blood tests
0:32:24 > 0:32:27to measure the degree of acclimatisation.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29One theory to help circulation
0:32:29 > 0:32:31was to drain off a pint of blood
0:32:31 > 0:32:33and inject a pint of plasma,
0:32:33 > 0:32:35effectively diluting the blood.
0:32:36 > 0:32:41Happily for high-altitude climbers, this experiment failed.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43The unlucky patient was very ill for two weeks.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46He was, of course, one of the doctors.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49During a prolonged stay at high altitude,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52the shortage of oxygen stimulates the bone marrow
0:32:52 > 0:32:55to produce more red blood corpuscles.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57After about a month at base camp,
0:32:57 > 0:33:00their number could have increased by about 25%.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04Although this allows more oxygen to be carried to the body tissues,
0:33:04 > 0:33:06it makes the blood thicker.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10If it's not possible to drink 10-15 pints of fluid every day,
0:33:10 > 0:33:13the blood gets even stickier.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16This can cause poor circulation in the extremities
0:33:16 > 0:33:18and even clotting of the blood,
0:33:18 > 0:33:21particularly dangerous in the brain.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24Even a short exposure to the 80mph winds
0:33:24 > 0:33:26at a temperature of minus 40 degrees
0:33:26 > 0:33:29will cause frostbite in the fingers and toes
0:33:29 > 0:33:32and eventually gangrene, as the cells freeze and die.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36These risks are well known.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38Just when the situation gets out of control
0:33:38 > 0:33:41is unpredictable, sudden and irreversible.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46While Messner and Habeler recuperated,
0:33:46 > 0:33:49the main Austrian team made their attempt.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53Six days after Reinhold Messner had staggered exhausted into base camp,
0:33:53 > 0:33:55three members of the expedition,
0:33:55 > 0:33:58with their chief Sherpa, reached the summit.
0:33:58 > 0:33:59They had all used oxygen.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24The thin air was an insidious enemy.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27The next victim was a Sherpa who had a stroke,
0:34:27 > 0:34:30totally paralysing him down one side.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Once again, his only chance of survival
0:34:33 > 0:34:35was to get down to a lower altitude
0:34:35 > 0:34:37and the expedition doctors at base camp.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49This was a very serious case.
0:34:49 > 0:34:55He suffered a stroke in an altitude of 6,400 metres.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59In other words, about 21,000 feet.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02That is a very rare occurrence
0:35:02 > 0:35:08and is one of the most severe, er...expressions
0:35:08 > 0:35:12of acute mountain sickness.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16We know from the literature
0:35:16 > 0:35:19that it occurred in the Himalayas several times
0:35:19 > 0:35:24and people usually recovered from this rather quickly.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26Now, the unusual thing in this case
0:35:26 > 0:35:30was that he stayed paralysed, hemi-paralysed.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34I don't know the reason for this.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37He had either a thrombosis, which is possible,
0:35:37 > 0:35:43as a consequence of increased viscosity of the blood,
0:35:43 > 0:35:46as a consequence of loss of fluid.
0:35:46 > 0:35:52It's also possible that he had a bleeding in his brain.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55We see very often in climbers
0:35:55 > 0:35:58coming back from high altitude,
0:35:58 > 0:36:02when we examine their eyes with an ophthalmoscope,
0:36:02 > 0:36:06we see bleedings, haemorrhages in the eye ground.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08And we know, or we have to assume,
0:36:08 > 0:36:11that the same bleedings also occur in the brain.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15And it's possible that this patient had bleedings
0:36:15 > 0:36:18on the right side of his brain.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20He was paralysed on the left side.
0:36:21 > 0:36:26In any case, he didn't recover in the high altitude
0:36:26 > 0:36:28and we had to lower him down and...
0:36:28 > 0:36:31Well, it was rather a tough rescue
0:36:31 > 0:36:33through this dammed Icefall.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36It was...very heavy work.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38It was a little dangerous.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53It looked sometimes a little, um... a little rough.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56And I think what had happened in his brain
0:36:56 > 0:37:01had happened already 24 hours ago.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05So I'm not sure...
0:37:05 > 0:37:09there was more risk when we lowered him down.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49Finally, we got him down.
0:37:49 > 0:37:54Unfortunately, his condition didn't improve remarkably.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56His mental state is improved a little bit
0:37:56 > 0:38:00but not the signs of paralysis
0:38:00 > 0:38:03of the left side of his body,
0:38:03 > 0:38:06so we had to rescue him finally by helicopter
0:38:06 > 0:38:08from base camp to Kathmandu.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16When the first summit party came back,
0:38:16 > 0:38:20Robert Schauer told me that whenever he took...
0:38:20 > 0:38:25He took his mask down sometimes, you know, his oxygen mask.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29And he was completely... He was dizzy, you know.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31He didn't know what to say, he didn't know what to think.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34And this made me think, and I was fighting against it.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38And then I got a book about...
0:38:38 > 0:38:42It's called Doctor On Everest.
0:38:42 > 0:38:46And then I read what Odell again said.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49And then I was thinking, "Well, it must be possible.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51"These 200 metres..."
0:38:51 > 0:38:56We climbed Hidden Peak, we didn't feel bad, and this must be possible.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00So... But inside, I was always fighting.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02There were two powers sort of
0:39:02 > 0:39:05really, really pushing each other, you know.
0:39:05 > 0:39:11And I was almost ready and willing to use oxygen.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13Not to lose my brain, to be normal,
0:39:13 > 0:39:15to just go up and have a nice time.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19Sit maybe one hour there and take some nice pictures.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23And then I tried to find a second partner.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25And I told Reinhold this.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27And I didn't find a partner and I was so mad
0:39:27 > 0:39:29because there were big discussions
0:39:29 > 0:39:32and they said I should have to go back
0:39:32 > 0:39:34on the end of the line and then try.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36And then I said, "Well, that's finished."
0:39:36 > 0:39:41I was very, very angry and I was... for going, all for going.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44And I had a big discussion with Reinhold
0:39:44 > 0:39:47and we said, "OK, let's give it a try."
0:39:47 > 0:39:50And he could not find a partner in one hour
0:39:50 > 0:39:54and so I know now it's the possibility
0:39:54 > 0:39:58to take him back in my party.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00And I have only to tell him,
0:40:00 > 0:40:03"Peter, you have done this and this and this and this.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06"If I can do it, also you can do it, I'm sure."
0:40:06 > 0:40:09And I told him also,
0:40:09 > 0:40:12"You see the base camp, nobody was willing to go with you.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15"Now show them that you can do Everest without oxygen."
0:40:22 > 0:40:25Messner once summed up his friend, saying,
0:40:25 > 0:40:29"He's like a rocket. More impressive when you light the fuse."
0:40:29 > 0:40:32And the combination of being rejected by the main expedition
0:40:32 > 0:40:33and Messner's confidence
0:40:33 > 0:40:36dispelled any fears Habeler had.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40He was going to the summit without oxygen and nothing would stop him.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45They climbed quickly to Camp Three at 23,600 feet.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47And next day set out on the long pull
0:40:47 > 0:40:50to the South Col at 26,000 feet.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55Had the rest at base camp really helped?
0:40:55 > 0:40:57The speed they could climb this section would tell them
0:40:57 > 0:41:00if they had acclimatised well enough to reach the summit.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Steadily, as Eric Jones filmed,
0:41:07 > 0:41:09Messner and Habeler pulled ahead.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12They could take 15 or 20 steps
0:41:12 > 0:41:14before running out of air and had to rest.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18Progress seemed grindingly slow and exhausting.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27As they disappeared from sight towards Camp Four,
0:41:27 > 0:41:31Messner, although completely spent, started using his cine-camera.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35He had reached the South Col in a record four hours
0:41:35 > 0:41:37and recovered enough to film Peter Habeler's arrival.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42Of Eric Jones, there was no sign.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44Eric was well experienced, very fit
0:41:44 > 0:41:47and had adapted well to oxygen starvation,
0:41:47 > 0:41:50but he was unable to climb at the relentless speed
0:41:50 > 0:41:54that Messner and Habeler had pushed themselves up the mountain.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57It wasn't until some hours later that he was to reach this point.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01Habeler was delighted with his own performance
0:42:01 > 0:42:05and was as confident of success as Reinhold Messner.
0:42:06 > 0:42:11If on the way down I feel so bad that I have to take oxygen, I will do it.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14And for me, it's quite a valid ascent.
0:42:14 > 0:42:19But I am 100% sure if we can reach the top of Everest without oxygen
0:42:19 > 0:42:24and if we can come down to the last bivouac, to the last camp,
0:42:24 > 0:42:26we don't use oxygen any more
0:42:26 > 0:42:30because I know it from other expeditions, from other experience,
0:42:30 > 0:42:35that on the way down it is so much more easier to come down,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38to feel again well.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41But on the way up, just if you reach the Western Cwm,
0:42:41 > 0:42:44there will be no more problems.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46Reinhold got up the Hillary Step first
0:42:46 > 0:42:49and filmed as I came up.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53And I think I put the ice axe in as hard as I could to hold on,
0:42:53 > 0:42:58because it's maybe the most exposed place on earth,
0:42:58 > 0:43:02down to Tibet, and on the left-hand side, down to Nepal.
0:43:02 > 0:43:07And I got up that part, Reinhold didn't belay me, he was just filming.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11This leg, you know, was... Again, it was in my way,
0:43:11 > 0:43:13I put it somewhere, the rope,
0:43:13 > 0:43:16and then I got up to him and he did continue.
0:43:19 > 0:43:24I went towards the top and all of a sudden, without warning,
0:43:24 > 0:43:27I felt a tightening of my right hand.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31My fingers were sort of going into together,
0:43:31 > 0:43:36inside of my down glove and I couldn't move them any more.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40And at that moment, I was thinking of the Sherpa
0:43:40 > 0:43:43who was paralysed, half paralysed,
0:43:43 > 0:43:47and I thought, "My God, if this is going to happen to me, I'm going to die.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51"I can't go back home, I can't go back to my family
0:43:51 > 0:43:53"and it's all going to be finished, you see."
0:43:53 > 0:43:57So then I sort of tried to massage a little bit.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59Reinhold didn't notice, he was going on further.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02And when I did massage, it was better again.
0:44:05 > 0:44:07HE BREATHES HARD
0:44:22 > 0:44:24Within a short time, he reached the summit
0:44:24 > 0:44:27and he was sitting there beside the Chinese pole
0:44:27 > 0:44:30and I just remember seeing him
0:44:30 > 0:44:32and in the last moment, I thought,
0:44:32 > 0:44:35"Well, we are going to make it."
0:44:35 > 0:44:38And I went up towards him.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41And all I remember, I started crying.
0:44:41 > 0:44:46I cried like a little child, you know. I fell over him.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49He had to put his camera away.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52And I didn't care about the camera, I didn't care about anything else,
0:44:52 > 0:44:54I was just happy we were there.
0:44:54 > 0:44:58I wasn't proud or whatever,
0:44:58 > 0:45:00and I wasn't even aware.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03And I don't think he was aware that we were sitting on top of Everest,
0:45:03 > 0:45:06which we had done without any oxygen, you know.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10We were just on a mountain somewhere in the world.
0:45:18 > 0:45:20Characteristically, they'd hardly spoken
0:45:20 > 0:45:23between the South Col and the summit.
0:45:23 > 0:45:25At one point, as they gasped for air,
0:45:25 > 0:45:28Habeler had drawn an arrow in the snow pointing down.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31Messner immediately drew one pointing up.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35The message was clear and that was the way they went.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39From the highest point on earth, there's only one way. Down.
0:45:39 > 0:45:42And this could easily be the most dangerous part.
0:45:43 > 0:45:44And I sat in the snow
0:45:44 > 0:45:48and all I realised was that the snow was breaking,
0:45:48 > 0:45:51that I was in the middle of an avalanche and I was going down.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55I lost control, I lost my ice axe, you know.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58I was covering my mouth and waiting for the still-stand
0:45:58 > 0:46:01and I was trying to make a hole so I could breathe
0:46:01 > 0:46:04and then I realised I was free, I was sitting
0:46:04 > 0:46:09and I couldn't see anything because my eyes were full of snow
0:46:09 > 0:46:13and I had lost my ice axe.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15I had lost one crampon.
0:46:15 > 0:46:17I didn't think I was going to die,
0:46:17 > 0:46:20but there was nothing on my mind, it was blank.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23An hour after Peter Habeler arrived on the South Col,
0:46:23 > 0:46:25Reinhold slid into view.
0:46:25 > 0:46:29They had reached the summit in less than eight hours without oxygen,
0:46:29 > 0:46:32and with only a brief stop to make a cup of tea
0:46:32 > 0:46:35at the Austrian expedition's Camp 5.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38A few minutes had been enough to take some pictures
0:46:38 > 0:46:40and leave a token on the top,
0:46:40 > 0:46:44then Peter's wild, uncontrolled descent in one hour.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47It was an unbelievable performance.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49Reinhold plodded into camp.
0:46:49 > 0:46:53He had lifted his goggles too many times and had become snow-blind.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58Eric Jones, filming, had waited in support on the South Col.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01Already, his fingers and toes were frostbitten,
0:47:01 > 0:47:04eliminating any chance of an attempt on the summit.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10Messner had come to a strange agreement with Habeler.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12If one of the pair became incapacitated,
0:47:12 > 0:47:16the other must use what remained of his strength to save himself
0:47:16 > 0:47:18and abandon his partner to his fate.
0:47:18 > 0:47:22That night, Messner, the driving force behind the ascent,
0:47:22 > 0:47:25writhed in agony from his burning eyes
0:47:25 > 0:47:29and pleaded with Habeler not to leave him, and he didn't.
0:47:29 > 0:47:33Three days later, they were enjoying a heroes' welcome at base camp.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic!
0:47:44 > 0:47:47High-altitude climbing would never be the same again.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50They had not gone out crazy with ambition
0:47:50 > 0:47:52and returned crazy in the head,
0:47:52 > 0:47:54as some experts had forecast.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57They had proved conclusively that there was no place on earth
0:47:57 > 0:48:00too high to be reached by strong, intelligent men
0:48:00 > 0:48:03who had the ability to withstand pain
0:48:03 > 0:48:05and were prepared to risk everything.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11BEEPING
0:48:16 > 0:48:21RADIO: "This is Radio Nepal. The news, read by Rita Radcuro.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24"Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler
0:48:24 > 0:48:27"of the Austrian Sagarmatha expedition
0:48:27 > 0:48:31"scaled Mount Sagarmatha yesterday without using oxygen.
0:48:31 > 0:48:36"The two started climbing from the fourth camp on the South Col
0:48:36 > 0:48:38"at 6:00 in the morning yesterday
0:48:38 > 0:48:41"and reached the summit around noon.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45"They returned to the fourth camp by 2:30 in the afternoon."