0:00:03 > 0:00:06WIND WHISTLES
0:00:34 > 0:00:38Everest is one of those symbols of man's achievement.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40To take the oldest form of flight
0:00:40 > 0:00:42across the most spectacular mountains on Earth
0:00:42 > 0:00:45is one of life's great things to do.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51For 10 years, Chris Dewhirst has nurtured a dream.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54A vision of ascending over the summit of the world
0:00:54 > 0:00:56in a chariot of fire.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59A hot-air balloon.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04A celebration of the first ascent of humankind over 200 years ago.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10Now we're moving closer to that moment of truth,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13I imagine I'll feel amazingly frightened
0:01:13 > 0:01:15and incredibly exhilarated at the same time.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35Chris has tried once before, but the balloon fell short of Everest.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Then it became a matter of honour.
0:01:39 > 0:01:44And I felt I'd never feel satisfied with myself unless I did it.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49But now there are others who would have the same dream.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Everest by balloon has become a race.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01But the mountain is indifferent to the ambitions of man...
0:02:02 > 0:02:04..and his puny flying machine.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25In the little Himalayan state of Nepal,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28nestled between the two giants of China and India,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31the 20th century has only just touched down.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37FAINT CHANTING
0:02:39 > 0:02:41They call it Sagarmatha.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45That's the Sherpas, you know, mother goddess of all earth.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47But I just think it's another mountain.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51But I'll tell you what, I'm glad I've got those prayer flags on the balloon
0:02:51 > 0:02:54because when you're in Nepal, you really feel that it's important
0:02:54 > 0:02:58to have a foot in both camps when it comes to this sort of thing.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03This trip is different from last time.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05I'm married to Heather.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08This time, I've promised someone that I'm going to come back.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11That I'm not going to get killed, that I'm going to survive.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14It was from this place in Kathmandu
0:03:14 > 0:03:17where Chris took off for his first flight in 1985.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Taking off from this square here was just extraordinary.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33In my imagination, I thought we had twice the space we'd got,
0:03:33 > 0:03:34but now I'm back here, I think,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36"God, we actually put two balloons up in here
0:03:36 > 0:03:39"and we didn't knock one of those temples over? That was luck!"
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Well, we flew a long way towards Everest,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03but we fell short by ten miles.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07We ran out of fuel, we were too slow in the air.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09And we failed on that expedition.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12We had one balloon up a tree
0:04:12 > 0:04:14and the other stretched on the side of a mountain.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18So when I got a call from Leo to say,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21"Would you like to fly this balloon over Everest?" I couldn't believe it.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25I thought it was an opportunity that I could never let go past again.
0:04:25 > 0:04:25I thought it was an opportunity that I could never let go past again.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Leo Dickinson is a world-famous adventure cameraman.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43He specialises in filming the impossible.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Leo flew with Chris on the first expedition.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59And after it failed, he pledged that he'd bring it back to life again.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Very few people get a chance to fly in a balloon over Mount Everest.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03Very few people get a chance to fly in a balloon over Mount Everest.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07And so it's very important for me to get the best possible film
0:05:07 > 0:05:09so that I can share these experiences.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Leo is like a sort of dog with a bone, you know.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16He buries it, he digs it up, he buries it again,
0:05:16 > 0:05:17he digs it up, he gnaws at it.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19He doesn't like things to flop.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22He doesn't like unfinished business.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25So it's his nature to keep going at a project, I think.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27And good on him, too, because he stayed with it
0:05:27 > 0:05:30and he got back on the wagon when it started rolling again.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35LAUGHTER
0:05:38 > 0:05:40British balloonist Andy Elson
0:05:40 > 0:05:42and mountain climber Eric Jones
0:05:42 > 0:05:47will fly a second balloon to film the big flight.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Eric Jones, I've only ever seen him on Leo's film
0:05:50 > 0:05:52where he soloed the north face of the Eiger.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57He has the great capacity and the coolness
0:05:57 > 0:05:59to make things succeed for him.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02My motto is life is adventure or nothing at all.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06I've got to have this bit of adrenaline flying and having a good time.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09And I just hope that I'm fortunate enough to stay healthy
0:06:09 > 0:06:11to be able to do it for a few more years.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Andy? You're going to enjoy this!
0:06:17 > 0:06:20I don't know how you Welsh mountain goats get up here.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Andy's a balloonist and an engineer.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29He's flown across the Alps, Mont Blanc,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32the Aiguille du Midi, all of those,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34but nothing as big as Mount Everest.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Mont Blanc wouldn't even get a name in the Himalayas.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Peter Mason had the job of expedition organiser.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49It took him three years because of political uprisings.
0:06:50 > 0:06:55First in Tibet and then in China, in Tiananmen Square.
0:06:55 > 0:07:01Then in 1990, democracy finally caught up with the kingdom of Nepal.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Everything was go for a launch in the spring of 1990.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07We came back to Kathmandu.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10And would you believe it? We got caught in another uprising.
0:07:10 > 0:07:11This time in Nepal,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14the last place we expected to have political problems.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21We'd heard that a number of tourists had been shot in the streets.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27We could hear the gunfire. There were demonstrations.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31Kathmandu was not a very safe place to be in those three days.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36And we very reluctantly took the decision to postpone the project.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39We were now looking at doing it with two balloons.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41A second balloon as a camera platform.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Which, of course, doubled the amount of paperwork.
0:07:44 > 0:07:50I must have amassed a million words of correspondence.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53It was a nightmare. A nightmare of paperwork.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02OK, thanks very much. Thank you. Thanks.
0:08:04 > 0:08:05Thank you.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16The mountain of paperwork completed,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19the mountain of equipment now snakes its way up the Khumbu Valley,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22the gateway to Mount Everest.
0:08:22 > 0:08:28Ahead lies a backbreaking six days' trek to base camp at Gokyo.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32We've got five tonnes of gear,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35two caterpillars making their way up the mountain,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39three tonnes of food, 150 porters, 50 yaks,
0:08:39 > 0:08:43all to get two lighter-than-air machines over Mount Everest.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54An 100lb load for a porter is worth triple money,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58so a lot of the porters will seek the heavy loads for that reason.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03We have a ballooning expedition,
0:09:03 > 0:09:04a meteorological expedition
0:09:04 > 0:09:07and we have a camera expedition.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09And there's bound to be a certain amount of problems.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11At 16,000 feet, they become accentuated
0:09:11 > 0:09:14because altitude has a strange effect on the human body
0:09:14 > 0:09:16and on the human mind.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18You know what's happened this time?
0:09:18 > 0:09:21I've been left holding the baby.
0:09:21 > 0:09:21I was invited to go ballooning over Mount Everest
0:09:21 > 0:09:23I was invited to go ballooning over Mount Everest
0:09:23 > 0:09:25by this group of Australians six years ago.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28And they let me down - they didn't have the permission.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31So we went for a nice flight across the Himalayas.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34We, now, the British, have got this bit of paper
0:09:34 > 0:09:36from the Chinese that says,
0:09:36 > 0:09:38"Yeah, go fly over Everest if you want to."
0:09:38 > 0:09:40So I've brought the Australians back, saying,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43"OK, here's the baby back, guys. Let's go and do it."
0:09:43 > 0:09:46So I guess it's appropriate that this is a British expedition.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48They had the first person die on Everest,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51they were the first to fly over Everest in 1932.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53I guess they might feel a little bit disappointed
0:09:53 > 0:09:56that they've got an Australian pilot.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Chris seems to spend half his time at least taking to Heather.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04And I would like to spend at least half his time talking to me,
0:10:04 > 0:10:06and it's not happening.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10I don't feel as if I'm forming this bonding relationship with Chris.
0:10:10 > 0:10:11And it's important because
0:10:11 > 0:10:14we're going over the top of Mount Everest together.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16We've got ten days sitting at Gokyo.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18I'm going to be with the party the whole rest of the way up the trek.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Don't you think...? You listen! Let me finish!
0:10:20 > 0:10:25You've just accused me of abandoning the team, destroying team morale.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28You're right on your bloody high horse, it gives me the...!
0:10:28 > 0:10:30I think it's being the local soap opera, actually.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33We've got the mothers' committee out there with their knitting.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36I wonder how many stitches they've dropped?
0:10:36 > 0:10:38I was there! No, you weren't...!
0:10:38 > 0:10:43You're an old bloody woman! I was away for one night from this team.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45I just knew right from the start that I wasn't wanted.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48All I'm needed for is a jockey in the bloody balloon! You were not!
0:10:48 > 0:10:50That I'm not a leader of the project,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54that all I'm here for is to fly that balloon for you guys.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57I've asked you three times if you will assume the role of expedition leader.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Everyone's looking up to you. You're the guy who'll get all the glory.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03You're the guy who's going to go down in history.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04I'm not interested in all the glory on this, Leo.
0:11:04 > 0:11:05I'm not interested in all the glory on this, Leo.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08I'm not interested in going down in the history books.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09I'm simply saying that, as a mate,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12for somebody that's got me on your first trip,
0:11:12 > 0:11:13I've now got you on our trip,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15I just want to share these experiences.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17I've got Mandy with me, you've got Heather with you.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20I don't actually want to stay in the same tent with you...!
0:11:20 > 0:11:23CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY
0:11:33 > 0:11:35We have an enormous investment in these yaks.
0:11:35 > 0:11:36This gear is very delicate.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39So if we've got this far without losing any gear, we're fortunate.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43They've got four legs and our little porter up there,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46who's carrying about the same weight, has only got two.
0:11:48 > 0:11:49I was just congratulating us
0:11:49 > 0:11:52on getting so far after a week on the trail
0:11:52 > 0:11:55when one of the porters yelled out that a yak had taken a tumble.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00So apparently, the yak went 15 metres rolling down the gorge.
0:12:00 > 0:12:01Luckily, the yak's all right,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04which is more than can be said for the cameras.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Well, I've never seen a lens looking like that before.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12My whole reason for being here is to film.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15And I spent a couple of years preparing.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18And when this yak fell off the track with my cameras
0:12:18 > 0:12:21and broke and bent them and so forth,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24it put me in a state of shock. I was in mourning.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Right, anybody want to pray to their gods?
0:12:33 > 0:12:35WHIRRING
0:12:35 > 0:12:35WHIRRING
0:12:35 > 0:12:37Well, good old Photo-Sonic!
0:12:37 > 0:12:40We have a working movie camera.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44Well, it looks like you said the right things to the right gods, Leo.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47You've got it working. Is the zoom working, as well?
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Yep, the little zoom is working, too.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Challenging Everest can be costly.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Leo got off lightly compared to a recent Japanese expedition,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05who attempted to fly Mount Everest from the Tibetan side.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12They were tracking towards Everest,
0:13:12 > 0:13:15but they were so awestruck by the surroundings,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17they felt they weren't getting anywhere,
0:13:17 > 0:13:19that they weren't travelling fast enough.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22You don't realise just the scale that you're in.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30The Japanese pilot decided that they wouldn't get over Mount Everest,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33they didn't have the speed, so they aborted their flight.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35And as they came down, they got caught in a wind eddy
0:13:35 > 0:13:37and they were smashed at the side of a mountain.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41Their basket was burnt and the pilot was almost killed.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43They were very lucky to get away with their lives.
0:13:51 > 0:13:52FAINT SHOUTING
0:14:07 > 0:14:09To climb, to fly, to do something with Everest
0:14:09 > 0:14:13which is spectacular, has great meaning for people in the west.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16But it doesn't have that meaning for people who live in the east.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18For the Sherpas who live here,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22I don't think they care very much whether you climb Everest or not.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24And I think that's very interesting,
0:14:24 > 0:14:28that Everest is no more than a dwelling place for the mountain gods.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31For us, it has some other strange significance.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44People who live in the west are accountants.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47And they measure success by the height of the mountain they climb.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10I started to feel really nervous,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12excited and a little bit anxious.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14And bringing home the reality
0:15:14 > 0:15:18that we're going to cast ourselves adrift over Everest in a hot-air balloon.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21It's a pretty wild concept, isn't it, really?
0:15:24 > 0:15:27Gokyo is to be our home for as long as it takes to do the flight.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32For the Hindus, Gokyo is a sacred place.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34When Shiva was creating the world,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37he drove his trident into the ground
0:15:37 > 0:15:39and created the three lakes of Gokyo.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52At 16,000 feet, it's one of the highest dwelling places on earth.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Gokyo is dramatically close to Everest.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Only 14 miles away.
0:15:59 > 0:16:0215 minutes of flying time at 30,000 feet.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06We'll have to climb out of here so fast to get over the summit.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14The Sherpas, too, believe in the magic of this place.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18A plunge into the lake can bring lasting fertility.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Every summer, the Sherpas bring their yaks
0:16:26 > 0:16:28to the high pastures of Gokyo
0:16:28 > 0:16:31to fatten them up for the winter treks ahead
0:16:31 > 0:16:35as they ply their trade over the high mountain passes to Tibet.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45The three families of Gokyo village make a living
0:16:45 > 0:16:47from trekkers and from mountaineers
0:16:47 > 0:16:50that come through this place on a daily basis.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52We're important to the economy, really.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56When we arrived, we doubled the population of Gokyo.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01I probably have a romantic image of the Sherpas.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04In one hand, I think their life is simple,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07but on another plain, they have a complex set of demons
0:17:07 > 0:17:09that they have to struggle with every day.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Perhaps their life is just as complex as ours in another way.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24LAUGHTER
0:17:30 > 0:17:31Well, the Sherpas of Gokyo
0:17:31 > 0:17:34have their fortune tellers and their mythology and we have ours.
0:17:34 > 0:17:34Martin Harris, our weatherman.
0:17:35 > 0:17:36Martin Harris, our weatherman.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43Martin arrived at Gokyo with 18 steel boxes and set up camp.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49When Martin spotted the hut that he wanted,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52he quickly had it modified by two local carpenters
0:17:52 > 0:17:57and it became the most sophisticated meteorological station in Nepal.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02He looked after us in 1985.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04And for him, it's unfinished business,
0:18:04 > 0:18:06just as much as it is for us.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12We've got satellite pictures, we've got the radiosondes,
0:18:12 > 0:18:13we've got weather fax, charts,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15such as people have never ever had up here,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17as a meteorological station near Mount Everest.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21We get to see how the jet stream is developing to the north of us
0:18:21 > 0:18:23and how the monsoon is going away to the south.
0:18:26 > 0:18:27What we're basically doing
0:18:27 > 0:18:29is looking at a wild animal in this area.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32If the animal wags its tail or sneezes,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34we've got to make sure we monitor it
0:18:34 > 0:18:36because that might be the significant feature.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40We've got to lift off to the next section.
0:18:40 > 0:18:41Three, two, one, lift.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Martin has Russian and American satellites
0:18:44 > 0:18:47to look down on the moods of Sagarmatha.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50And radio communications to anywhere in the world.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54This is almost better than I've seen it put up on a playing field in England.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59There are two assistant meteorologists, Jackie and Lisa,
0:18:59 > 0:19:02to help maintain a 24-hour weather watch.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04RAPID BEEPING
0:19:05 > 0:19:09Everyone speaks to their own gods. We put our faith in technology.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14But the Sherpas, they put their faith in the spirits of the mountains.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Every expedition takes their Sherpa prayer flags.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22And it's really important to have them blessed
0:19:22 > 0:19:25because then we take the blessings of the local lamas with us
0:19:25 > 0:19:27across the mountain as we fly.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29TRIBAL SINGING
0:19:33 > 0:19:36But you can't live in the Himalayas without absorbing
0:19:36 > 0:19:39some of the spiritual meaning of the place.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40Some of the Sherpas believe
0:19:40 > 0:19:43that the head lama of Tengboche Monastery
0:19:43 > 0:19:48has flown across the Himalayas on one of his previous lives
0:19:48 > 0:19:50and left his footprints in the summit.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53And that what we're doing, really, is just re-enacting that flight.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02You look at cultures going back 10,000 years
0:20:02 > 0:20:04and the idea of flying in high places
0:20:04 > 0:20:07and gliding above mankind
0:20:07 > 0:20:10has always been a very important part of any culture.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22There's nothing more spectacular than taking the earliest form of flight
0:20:22 > 0:20:25into the Himalayas to the highest mountain in the world
0:20:25 > 0:20:28and really marry together two mythologies.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30The mythology of Everest and all its history,
0:20:30 > 0:20:32together with the history of flight.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51The assembly and rehearsal begins for the big flight.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54With all the survival gear and parachutes on board,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57there's little room for the balloonists in the basket.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Yeah, it's really tight.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02If the balloon doesn't raise quickly enough to get over Everest,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04it must be because of a fuel or burner problem.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07In which case, I'll ask Eric if he'd like to get out.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09LAUGHTER
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Done.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16Yeah. How much gas are you going to take, Chris?
0:21:16 > 0:21:20Er...probably about 500 litres of fuel, we'll be taking on the flight.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25That'll give us hopefully about four and a half to five hours' duration.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28The good news is that the basket's big enough for me
0:21:28 > 0:21:31and we're going to get it up and over Everest.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34The bad news is I'll have to put you on a platform out here to do the filming.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36I can't get inside because your ego's too big, Chris.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38LAUGHTER
0:21:38 > 0:21:42What's this? These are postcards of the Dalai Lama
0:21:42 > 0:21:45if we meet some friendly Tibetans.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47The Dalai Lama, huh? Might give us a free meal.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49We have a selection here of, um...
0:21:49 > 0:21:52It's currency in Tibet. Yes.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54These are some snow stakes,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56some figure-of-eight descenders.
0:21:56 > 0:21:57Rock pitons, ice pitons.
0:21:57 > 0:22:02In here, we have food for two men for ten days.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06We've got some morale boosters, which include some salami,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09cheese and fruit cake from your loving wife.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Eric Jones is one of the most experienced mountain climbers in Europe,
0:22:16 > 0:22:20having soloed some of the most difficult peaks in the Alps.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Well, teaching Andy a bit of ice climbing
0:22:24 > 0:22:28because he hasn't done anything on ice before.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34It's very important for him to know basic things about the mountains
0:22:34 > 0:22:36in case we have an emergency and come down there.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38The only reason we'll bail out of the balloon
0:22:38 > 0:22:40is if there's a fire in the basket.
0:22:40 > 0:22:45And after a fire in the basket, then mountains are quite tame, really.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55At 20,000 feet above Gokyo,
0:22:55 > 0:22:57the balloons will take off very rapidly
0:22:57 > 0:22:59towards the summit of Everest.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03Our climb rate has to be at least a thousand feet a minute.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06As the balloons climb up towards Everest,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09we don't just have to clear Everest at 29,000 feet,
0:23:09 > 0:23:11which is the height of Everest,
0:23:11 > 0:23:15but we have to clear Everest by another 3,000 or 4,000 feet beyond.
0:23:15 > 0:23:15but we have to clear Everest by another 3,000 or 4,000 feet beyond.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17And the reason for that is
0:23:17 > 0:23:21this streaming laminar air that rushes up the face of Everest
0:23:21 > 0:23:26explodes like Coca-Cola out of a bottle behind Everest.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29And so there is enormous turbulence and rotors
0:23:29 > 0:23:33that sometimes reach up to 3,000 or 4,000 feet higher than the summit.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35And if the balloons are caught in that rotor,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38then we'll be killed, we'll be destroyed.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Oh, my God, he's dead! Where's the doctor? Where's the hospital?
0:23:43 > 0:23:44Oh, shit!
0:23:44 > 0:23:48Now, rule number one, don't panic.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Because if you panic, you've got two patients.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54And two patients is never better than one.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56No matter what your worst fears are,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59no-one's dead until I say they're dead.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03So even if there is no heartbeat, no breathing
0:24:03 > 0:24:05and everything looks terrible,
0:24:05 > 0:24:09start cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12So it's right there, leaning forward,
0:24:12 > 0:24:14pushing on the heel of the hand...
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Dr Glenn Singleman is a specialist in expedition medicine.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24I'll never forget Glenn showing us the best part of the body to eat.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26It's a bit off Chris' backside.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30The worst that can happen is that one of the other people can die.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34Just do your best, whatever that amounts to,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37and if the person dies, we'll deal with that situation later.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Sometimes I look up at those mountains
0:24:42 > 0:24:46and it's almost like as if there is a spirit of Sagarmatha.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48And I talk to it and I say,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51"Don't take him away from me. Give him back. Let him be safe."
0:24:52 > 0:24:52"Don't take him away from me. Give him back. Let him be safe."
0:24:52 > 0:24:56They don't care and they don't make decisions, they just exist.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Mount Everest grows before your eyes.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04The great tectonic plates of India and Tibet crunching into each other,
0:25:04 > 0:25:06grinding the mountain skyward.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09And they're forever being worn down by the glaciers and by the weather.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12You can see the moraine moving.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17Boulders will crash and tumble, ice will fall. It's really awesome.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31But these mountains have an insidious power.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Altitude.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37At 16,000 feet, it can have dramatic effects on the body.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43What happened to Lisa is to be a warning to those who would dare to go higher.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48We had to climb 2,500 feet.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52I was doing quite well, I was monitoring my progress compared to Jackie,
0:25:52 > 0:25:56but I thought that my chest was getting very cold
0:25:56 > 0:26:01and the top of my chest was closing in and getting narrower.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04I couldn't breathe, so that's so distressing
0:26:04 > 0:26:07that you have to have something happen quickly.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08OK, start pumping.
0:26:11 > 0:26:12Start pumping. Come on, pump.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14We put Lisa into a gamma bag.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18It reduces the altitude by 5,000 feet by increasing the pressure.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20It's like a portable iron lung.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22It helps her breathe and keeps her alive.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25OK. We're at maximum pressure. Slow down the pumping, Andy.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34I was constantly aware that
0:26:34 > 0:26:38it was taking another human being to keep me alive, it wasn't a machine.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46But it's just really draining and distressing
0:26:46 > 0:26:48to have to think about breathing. I mean, you take it for granted.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Now, what's happening is she's got high-altitude pulmonary oedema.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02It's a rather catastrophic change in your lungs,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05where the plasma proteins leak out inside your lungs
0:27:05 > 0:27:08and you actually start drowning in your own fluid.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13It's very easy to die from this condition. Many people have died.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Because it's deadly and it happens very suddenly
0:27:16 > 0:27:17and you die very quickly.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Lisa spent eight hours in that bag and it saved her life.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32I didn't think about dying at all.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Lisa's crisis brought us all together
0:27:35 > 0:27:37and made our differences seem rather trivial.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Five, four, three, two, one, go.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49Ooo! Oh, they've tangled. Oh, they're separated.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55Are they going straight up into that anabatic flow, up over Gokyo peak?
0:27:55 > 0:27:58We monitored the weather daily with these radiosonde balloons.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Each of them had a radio transmitter
0:28:00 > 0:28:02and it would give us the direction of the wind
0:28:02 > 0:28:03and the speed at different altitudes.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06That was critical to the success of the expedition.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08There's a one-degree shift back to the left,
0:28:08 > 0:28:10but for the last three minutes, it's been shifting right.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13That is turning probably 260.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16We've spent an enormous amount of money on this project
0:28:16 > 0:28:20and that's a pressure which I hope he isn't feeling,
0:28:20 > 0:28:21but I think his main concern is
0:28:21 > 0:28:25that he's waited over seven years to do this flight
0:28:25 > 0:28:28and he doesn't want to miss the chance to do it.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30I think if we get that information consistently
0:28:30 > 0:28:34in the next 24-48 hours, we're going. It's adequate.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39But the mountain will not be taken easily.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42After three weeks, they are still waiting
0:28:42 > 0:28:44for the jet stream to carry them over Everest.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49Patience is beginning to wear thin.
0:28:51 > 0:28:52I don't like waiting.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55Increasing tension, stress and anxiety
0:28:55 > 0:29:00as we just hang about for the right winds at the right altitude.
0:29:00 > 0:29:05There are 20-odd people who are all contributing in major ways
0:29:05 > 0:29:07to the success of the project,
0:29:07 > 0:29:09but they're all very different people,
0:29:09 > 0:29:13so there's a lot of clashes of personality, a lot clashes of ego.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21It's most important to be patient on this kind of expedition
0:29:21 > 0:29:23because so much has been put into it.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29The first opportunity to get the balloon across Everest, we missed.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32At 9:00 last night, I had a flight plan
0:29:32 > 0:29:35that would take us three miles south of Everest.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39Six hours later, we've got a flight plan that will take us four miles south of Everest.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43So basically, in six hours the distance has deteriorated a mile.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46We weren't ready and we should have been.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49I think we're jumping the gun. I don't think we're mentally prepared.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52The team isn't in harmony. We're not even discussing...
0:29:52 > 0:29:54We're 12 hours away from flying
0:29:54 > 0:29:57and we're not even discussing with the four people flying.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59The wind's almost on target,
0:29:59 > 0:30:02but we're separately doing our own flight plans.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04This is crazy.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07We're not working together on this, and we should be.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10It's a team! And you're not playing as a team player!
0:30:13 > 0:30:14As each day went past,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17it was becoming more and more and more dangerous.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20The wind speeds at altitude were becoming so great
0:30:20 > 0:30:22that it was jeopardising the safety of the expedition.
0:30:25 > 0:30:26OK to launch. Launching.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33We were pretty well wired to go for tomorrow morning
0:30:33 > 0:30:37on information that had come through yesterday
0:30:37 > 0:30:40on the current wind trajectory at 30,000 feet.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43That's deteriorated and it's continuing to deteriorate.
0:30:43 > 0:30:44And it's probable we won't go in the morning and everyone's upset.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47And it's probable we won't go in the morning and everyone's upset.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Mason would have done anything. Moved Everest if he could.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55I would say if the situation doesn't deteriorate from what we've got now,
0:30:55 > 0:30:57then I think we should fly tomorrow.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59You're happy for us to miss Everest by five or six miles?
0:30:59 > 0:31:02I'm not happy about it, but if we don't have an alternative
0:31:02 > 0:31:05and if the indications are it'll get worse before it gets better,
0:31:05 > 0:31:08if indeed it does get better, I do have to consider
0:31:08 > 0:31:11how much longer we can spend sitting here waiting.
0:31:14 > 0:31:19The defined goal has always been to fly over Mount Everest.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21Anything else is totally unacceptable.
0:31:23 > 0:31:25OK, off she goes.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29The next indicator showed the wind coming back on course for Everest,
0:31:29 > 0:31:31and I couldn't believe it.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34It felt suddenly that it was all coalescing.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38I'm just looking down at the radiosondes
0:31:38 > 0:31:39and we needed to take quite a few of them during the night
0:31:39 > 0:31:41and we needed to take quite a few of them during the night
0:31:41 > 0:31:45because we've reached a crucial decision stage in the project.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47RAPID BEEPING
0:31:47 > 0:31:49After a month in Gokyo,
0:31:49 > 0:31:51when the waiting seemed like it would never end...
0:31:53 > 0:31:56..the weather balloon, the satellite picture
0:31:56 > 0:31:58and the high altitude wind forecasts
0:31:58 > 0:32:01all started to say the same thing.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04The next morning would be clear for takeoff.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25After ten years of waiting, the moment had arrived.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27The perfect morning.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29Now the urgency was to take off
0:32:29 > 0:32:31before the sun heated the land
0:32:31 > 0:32:33and created the first thermal breezes.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41I knew the moment I stepped into the balloon, I would focus.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45But that hour prior to takeoff was very frightening to me
0:32:45 > 0:32:48because we were launching balloons so close to Everest
0:32:48 > 0:32:51and I knew there was no turning back once we'd got off the ground.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57I feel like an astronaut on countdown.
0:32:57 > 0:32:58The button's been pressed.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07The biggest fear for me is the half-hour leading up to
0:33:07 > 0:33:10the actual start of whatever you're doing.
0:33:10 > 0:33:11I get really scared.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13It's quite difficult to control yourself.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18In the half an hour when pre-breathing oxygen,
0:33:18 > 0:33:24I was really just trying to keep calm, organised and together.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26But there was a moment there when I thought,
0:33:26 > 0:33:28"Maybe I shouldn't do this."
0:33:50 > 0:33:52I'm very pleased. It's looking good.
0:33:56 > 0:33:57It's looking good.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06The hotter it is outside,
0:34:06 > 0:34:09the hotter you've got to make your balloon to fly.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12The atmospheric temperature was much higher than we expected.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16I think we probably had a little bit too much weight on board, as well.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19I found that I had a balloon that was operating so hot
0:34:19 > 0:34:21that we were in a very dangerous situation of losing it.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25And I thought, "Well, we either abort or we go.
0:34:25 > 0:34:27"And if we go, I've got to coax this balloon
0:34:27 > 0:34:29"over Everest without it falling apart."
0:34:29 > 0:34:31And I made that decision just on takeoff.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37It was a tremendous relief when I saw Bish
0:34:37 > 0:34:42get this suspended camera box finally in place.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45That was at least half my reason for being there,
0:34:45 > 0:34:49was to have the automatic cameras recording this flight.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53Heather had already decided I was doing it and she got on with her job.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55I don't think she really realised how worried I was.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00There will come a moment
0:35:00 > 0:35:04when the connection between me and Chris is just gone.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06This is necessary for Chris' survival.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12Yes, I suppose dying is a very real possibility.
0:35:12 > 0:35:13Be careful!
0:35:15 > 0:35:18Don't do anything I wouldn't do!
0:35:18 > 0:35:21What? Don't do anything I wouldn't do!
0:35:22 > 0:35:25If anything happens to Leo, it's meant to happen
0:35:25 > 0:35:29and there's nothing I can do to change it. It's fate.
0:35:38 > 0:35:40It's a golden moment for anyone
0:35:40 > 0:35:43to take a balloon over the summit of Mount Everest.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46It was the moment of truth. We were taking off into the void.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48We knew not where we would end up.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51We knew not what would happen to us.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53It was a very stressful moment.
0:35:53 > 0:35:54It was a wonderful moment, too.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58FAINT SHOUTING
0:37:58 > 0:38:03Three years...three years and God knows how many weeks waiting here,
0:38:03 > 0:38:05and look, isn't that beautiful?
0:38:05 > 0:38:07May the winds welcome you with softness,
0:38:07 > 0:38:09may the sun bless you with his warm hands,
0:38:09 > 0:38:11may you fly so high and so well
0:38:11 > 0:38:13that God will join you in your laughter
0:38:13 > 0:38:16and send you gently back into the loving arms of Mother Earth.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18Good luck, guys! Good luck!
0:38:20 > 0:38:22SOBBING
0:38:34 > 0:38:37The last time I saw Andy was two minutes after takeoff.
0:38:37 > 0:38:39I looked down and he'd left.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41And figured that, "He'll be here shortly."
0:38:41 > 0:38:45And that was my last thoughts, really, about Andy and his balloon.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11Andy and I didn't have good communication going.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14And if there was any reason why the two balloons separated
0:39:14 > 0:39:17and one went in front of the other, that was the reason.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24You really don't want to operate a balloon hotter than about
0:39:24 > 0:39:26140 degrees Celsius for any length of time at all.
0:39:28 > 0:39:33I'm absolutely convinced our balloon temperature was well over 160,
0:39:33 > 0:39:35probably closer to 170,
0:39:35 > 0:39:38because the needle actually went off the end of the dial.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44So I was incredibly worried that we would lose the top of the balloon
0:39:44 > 0:39:46at any stage during the flight.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49That it would just fall out.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57When you're looking at Mount Everest
0:39:57 > 0:39:59and it looks like this huge black pyramid,
0:39:59 > 0:40:03I thought to myself, "Oh, just like a shark's fin!"
0:40:03 > 0:40:06And then I thought, "I wonder if that's my own conscience
0:40:06 > 0:40:09"just poking a little shark's fin through into the here and now?"
0:40:09 > 0:40:13But that pyramid increased dramatically in size
0:40:13 > 0:40:16as we flew directly towards the summit.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20It enlarged and enlarged and enlarged. It was enormous!
0:40:20 > 0:40:24My instruments were saying that we were going to get up and over the summit of Everest,
0:40:24 > 0:40:27but my instincts were very doubtful about that.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40I was driven by an unresolved demon somewhere in my spirit.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44It was almost as if I wanted to look down on the summit of Everest,
0:40:44 > 0:40:47to scour the summit for the remains of Mallory and Irvine.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51To look for all those expedition climbers that have been lost on Everest.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56RADIO: "All stations, this is Star Flyer One.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59"We're just crossing Everest now. Does anyone copy?"
0:41:02 > 0:41:06We crossed Everest and we enjoyed that moment of splendour.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09That incredible, magical moment. One we'll never see again.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13Leo insisted on shaking hands in true British tradition,
0:41:13 > 0:41:16so of course, I complied with that. That was fair enough.
0:41:16 > 0:41:17HE LAUGHS
0:41:41 > 0:41:42The balloon is revolving all the time
0:41:42 > 0:41:45and it's giving me this fantastic panorama to film
0:41:45 > 0:41:47eight of the world's highest mountains.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58As we flashed over the summit at 100 kilometres an hour
0:41:58 > 0:42:02and I looked back on to the Hillary Step and onto the summit itself,
0:42:02 > 0:42:04it became a totally different mountain.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08It was so bright and it was so different from the other side,
0:42:08 > 0:42:10I'd thought we'd lost Everest.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15It was all white and crystalline and beautiful and fluted.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18It was like rowing across the River Styx in Greek mythology,
0:42:18 > 0:42:21coming from the underworld to the real world.
0:42:21 > 0:42:22And it really felt like that.
0:42:22 > 0:42:27It was like going from the dark, black, forbidding area
0:42:27 > 0:42:30of the west side of Everest
0:42:30 > 0:42:33to this beautiful, illuminated summit of a fluted mountain.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35It was really quite a phenomenal feeling.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12Leo turned around to me as we passed Everest at 34,000 feet,
0:43:12 > 0:43:15running his finger across his throat, saying he was out of air.
0:43:15 > 0:43:19I knew he wasn't out of air, but it did mean that he had hypoxia.
0:43:19 > 0:43:20I wanted to see how bad it was,
0:43:20 > 0:43:23so I asked him what his date of birth was.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25And he said his name was Leo.
0:43:25 > 0:43:27I knew it was pretty serious then. Huh!
0:43:27 > 0:43:31Instead of doing what I wanted you to do, which was give me more air,
0:43:31 > 0:43:35you came up with a real dumb question and you asked me my name.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39I thought, "I think Chris must be hypoxic.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42"Why does he want to know my name? He must know who I am."
0:43:42 > 0:43:44When I asked you the question about your birth date
0:43:44 > 0:43:46and you came out with your answer, I thought,
0:43:46 > 0:43:48"Why is he giving me his star sign?"
0:43:48 > 0:43:50HE LAUGHS
0:43:50 > 0:43:54Because he came out with, "Leo," I thought, "This is really weird!"
0:43:56 > 0:43:59I'm clearly dissatisfied with the answers I'm getting,
0:43:59 > 0:44:01so I carry on filming.
0:44:01 > 0:44:02LAUGHTER
0:44:10 > 0:44:13RADIO: "This is Star Flyer One on 199.7.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15"At the moment, we're crossing Ama Dablam.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17"I'm almost out of fuel
0:44:17 > 0:44:20"and we'll probably be landing just south of Roxar.
0:44:20 > 0:44:22"Do you copy that message?"
0:44:24 > 0:44:27If he was happy, I was happy and I'd keep filming.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30But Chris seemed to be getting more and more agitated.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33It was because we were running short of fuel.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38And we had to find somewhere to land very, very quickly.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41And the options open to you in the middle of Tibet,
0:44:41 > 0:44:44just on the other side of Everest, are fairly minimal.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56Chris said to me, "We're looking for somewhere to land quite soon."
0:44:56 > 0:45:00I said, "How soon?" He said, "A matter of minutes."
0:45:00 > 0:45:02It was only just going to do it.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04And I put the balloon into a rapid descent,
0:45:04 > 0:45:06but we spun like a top on the way down.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27RADIO: "This is Star Flyer One on 199.7. Anyone receiving me?
0:45:27 > 0:45:29"I'm almost out of fuel
0:45:29 > 0:45:31"and we'll probably be landing just south of Roxar.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33"Do you copy that message?"
0:45:36 > 0:45:39You could see these tiny little yak pastures
0:45:39 > 0:45:41and a road that led into them.
0:45:42 > 0:45:45All right, Leo, I told you I would land us on a road!
0:45:49 > 0:45:51Not bad, huh?
0:45:51 > 0:45:53Not bad, mate. All is forgiven.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58And you sort of expand your whole consciousness as you're descending
0:45:58 > 0:46:01to let yourself become the whole balloon.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03It gives you a much better feeling of where you're going.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08Coming in to land, Leo!
0:46:08 > 0:46:10I slowed the descent rate down to 300 feet a minute,
0:46:10 > 0:46:12about 300 feet above the ground
0:46:12 > 0:46:16and scooted in into a ground surface wind
0:46:16 > 0:46:18of about 30 kilometres an hour,
0:46:18 > 0:46:21which is really too fast to land in safely.
0:46:21 > 0:46:22Is it going to be hard?
0:46:22 > 0:46:26Well, the problem is, during the flight, I burnt my rip line.
0:46:26 > 0:46:27Oh, here it is!
0:46:39 > 0:46:41I saw this mountainous moraine wall
0:46:41 > 0:46:44approaching us at about 15 miles an hour
0:46:44 > 0:46:46and it's full of huge boulders.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53FAINT SHOUTING
0:47:07 > 0:47:09FAINT SHOUTING
0:47:12 > 0:47:14Get off! Get off!
0:47:14 > 0:47:17Chris fell on top of me and I had to push him off.
0:47:19 > 0:47:20Oh, hell, we're going up again!
0:47:26 > 0:47:28Suddenly, we're 90 feet off the ground again.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31Chris is trying to relight the burners, but it's far, far too late.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37So we're going to hit another wall now.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39A bigger one...and harder.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42And out of control.
0:47:42 > 0:47:46For a split-second, I thought, "My cameras are out there.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49"I should have brought them in. Too late."
0:47:49 > 0:47:51Chris was starting to brace himself
0:47:51 > 0:47:54against the opposite side of the basket.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57That told me more than he could have explained in words.
0:47:57 > 0:47:59This isn't going to be a normal landing.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24I was catapulted from the bottom of the basket
0:48:24 > 0:48:27right over the side, in the way that we were going.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32Chris?!
0:48:32 > 0:48:33Where are you?
0:48:34 > 0:48:36Chris?
0:48:36 > 0:48:38Hello?
0:48:41 > 0:48:42COUGHING
0:48:42 > 0:48:44Oh!
0:48:47 > 0:48:48Ah! It's so painful coughing.
0:48:50 > 0:48:51Hello, please come in.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55We have crash-landed rather heavily, a balloon.
0:48:55 > 0:48:59Two miles from the road. Come in, please.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03God knows where Andy and Eric are.
0:49:03 > 0:49:05I'm actually at the point where we landed
0:49:05 > 0:49:09and we've moved boulders a yard across. That was the impact.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13Oh, God, Chris, why did you do this to me?
0:49:16 > 0:49:19All I wanted was a quiet flight over Mount Everest.
0:49:23 > 0:49:29Well, I want to walk to where the balloon is
0:49:29 > 0:49:32just to see its final resting place.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34I can't get enough air in!
0:49:37 > 0:49:40Oh! God, it's painful!
0:49:41 > 0:49:43Everything's disappeared now.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45Chris has disappeared off the face of the earth.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48You can't believe this landscape. It looks like the moon.
0:49:55 > 0:50:00But the bloody balloon went on and on and on, like a ping-pong ball.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02It threw us out as if it was angry.
0:50:02 > 0:50:06As if somehow we'd gone across Everest,
0:50:06 > 0:50:08we'd done what we wanted to do,
0:50:08 > 0:50:10but the gods weren't happy
0:50:10 > 0:50:12and it shook the balloon to bits.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15It is completely and utterly destroyed.
0:50:19 > 0:50:23My 16mm Aaton is destroyed, but it still runs.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26It's not looking totally sharp, but I've shot a bit of film.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29Oh, dear.
0:50:33 > 0:50:34Anyway, we're lucky.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39We have achieved our goal, we flew over Mount Everest.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44Beautiful.
0:50:44 > 0:50:48But the damage to the balloon and the equipment,
0:50:48 > 0:50:49that's going to cost a lot.
0:50:52 > 0:50:54Oh, shit!
0:50:54 > 0:50:57I can now see the balloon basket
0:50:57 > 0:51:01surrounded by a dozen Tibetans
0:51:01 > 0:51:03who have never seen a balloon before.
0:51:03 > 0:51:07And I personally never want to see another one.
0:51:07 > 0:51:12The end of a two-mile...drag.
0:51:16 > 0:51:18Hundreds of thousands of pounds' worth of damage.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25The end of a long road.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30And now it ends here, with a broken rib
0:51:30 > 0:51:36and...a lot of pain.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39But a lot of enjoyment.
0:51:41 > 0:51:45I suppose, in retrospect.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47SOBBING
0:51:50 > 0:51:52And I thought he must have been in a lot of pain.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54He was crying because of the pain.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56He said, "No, no, it's not the pain," he said,
0:51:56 > 0:52:00"It's just a 10-year project that's now over
0:52:00 > 0:52:03"and I don't know where to go from here."
0:52:03 > 0:52:07You know, that was really something very special to get that from Leo.
0:52:07 > 0:52:10And I think the Tibetans who were around, too,
0:52:10 > 0:52:13were fairly shaken, perhaps, by the fact that
0:52:13 > 0:52:16here was this westerner that had dropped out of the skies
0:52:16 > 0:52:20and sat down on the ground and started to cry.
0:52:20 > 0:52:21It was really quite beautiful.
0:52:23 > 0:52:27It's pretty emotional. I haven't cried, even when my father and mother died.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29I thought I couldn't cry again.
0:52:32 > 0:52:34And it had stopped and it looked so sad,
0:52:34 > 0:52:37this balloon that had taken us so far, so high.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40It was just there, dead.
0:52:40 > 0:52:44And I think it was part of me that was in sympathy with it.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47It was just the end of a... It was the end of the story.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55But I think to walk away from a balloon landing like this one
0:52:55 > 0:53:00where we hit at 30 kilometres an hour just with a bit of gear damage,
0:53:00 > 0:53:02was really a pretty cheap price.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06Oh, the gods were very kind to us.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08It could have been a lot worse.
0:53:15 > 0:53:19Andy and Eric flew directly over Mount Everest, too.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21But they almost lost their lives
0:53:21 > 0:53:23when their burner went out four times.
0:53:23 > 0:53:29And in saving themselves, they burnt the balloon control wires.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32But they eventually managed to make a perfect landing in the next valley
0:53:32 > 0:53:3410 miles away.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37I never felt that we'd been in a race, but there was no way
0:54:37 > 0:54:40I was going to let Andy beat me over Everest, that's for sure! Huh!