0:00:06 > 0:00:08I went to Venezuela looking for adventure...
0:00:12 > 0:00:14No way!
0:00:15 > 0:00:18..and got rather more than I bargained for.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29I think we just nearly got killed by that plane.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34My name's Steve Backshall. I'm a naturalist and adventurer...
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Honestly, the wing tips looked like they were about
0:00:37 > 0:00:39that far off the ground.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42..and this was only the beginning of my expedition.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47I'm here to explore Venezuela's tepuis.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Ancient sheer-sided mountains.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Lost worlds cut off from the jungle below.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00They're often called "islands in the sky",
0:01:00 > 0:01:02and many have never been climbed.
0:01:03 > 0:01:04Who knows what's up there?
0:01:07 > 0:01:09The bold aim of our expedition...
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Oh, wow!
0:01:12 > 0:01:14'..to take on these mountains...'
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Whoa!
0:01:17 > 0:01:20..from the outside...
0:01:20 > 0:01:21and the inside.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Oh, that's tight. I'm not built for this.
0:01:28 > 0:01:29'But first...'
0:01:29 > 0:01:31Boys, we need to stick together.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34'..we had to work out how to climb one of these monsters...'
0:01:34 > 0:01:36It's steep.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39That is not steep, that is overhanging.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42'..to search for wildlife on top.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47'The trouble is, tepuis just don't like being climbed.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49'Freak weather...
0:01:49 > 0:01:51'rockfall...'
0:01:51 > 0:01:54No, no, no! MAN SHOUTS
0:01:54 > 0:01:56'..and raw fear.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00'I had no idea what was going to happen...'
0:02:00 > 0:02:03We've got to get off this thing. Someone's going to die.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08'..nor the kinds of decisions we'd be forced to make.'
0:02:08 > 0:02:12It's just really dangerous, isn't it, up here?
0:02:53 > 0:02:56We're heading to the south of Venezuela
0:02:56 > 0:02:57and the Canaima National Park.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00It's one of the largest national parks in the world,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03about the same size as Belgium, and to my mind it's
0:03:03 > 0:03:06the most exciting place on the planet for exploration.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11We've got together a team of climbers,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13of expedition professionals,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16and also of film-makers who are the very, very best in the business.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Our first objective is to try and make
0:03:20 > 0:03:24the first descent of a mountain which hasn't been climbed before.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26What we find on top, we have absolutely no idea,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29but hopefully over the next month
0:03:29 > 0:03:33we're going to be able to achieve something really, genuinely special.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35First, let's get our bearings.
0:03:35 > 0:03:36This is where we're heading -
0:03:36 > 0:03:39the remote heart of Venezuela in South America.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47A land of over 100 huge flattop mountains called tepuis.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49And this is our goal.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53The tepui we're planning to climb - Amaurai tepui.
0:03:55 > 0:03:56We're flying in two planes.
0:03:56 > 0:04:02In mine, the film crew, and next to me, former Royal Marine Aldo Kane,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04our expedition medic.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08In the other plane are our two main climbers,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10John Arran and Ivan Calderon.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Like me, they're dying to see the tepuis.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Oh, yes! Fantastic!
0:04:20 > 0:04:25- Just peeking up through the clouds, we've got our first view...- Wow!
0:04:25 > 0:04:29- ..of a tepui. Wow!- Unbelievable!
0:04:29 > 0:04:31That is out of this world!
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Look at the clouds, they are just rolling down.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37That's my first ever view of a tepui.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44From the air you really do get a sense
0:04:44 > 0:04:47of why this place is so unexplored.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50The terrain here is impossibly difficult to move through,
0:04:50 > 0:04:52it's all covered with forest. It's very, very steep.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55And then you get to the rock faces themselves,
0:04:55 > 0:04:59they're vertical or overhanging, they're hundreds of metres high.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02It's no wonder this place has remained so untouched,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04so undiscovered for so many years.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08They're just like islands.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Anything that's up there has been separated from the rest of the world
0:05:11 > 0:05:13for possibly millions of years.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19I wonder if we can see our other one.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Yeah, it should be over here on... There it is, there it is!
0:05:22 > 0:05:24- There it is. - That's it! That's our mountain.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29You could not ask for any better.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32We've seen nothing but cloud for nearly an hour
0:05:32 > 0:05:37and there it is, it's just appeared out of nowhere.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40'Amaurai tepui. Even from this distance,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43'it's obvious that trying to get to the top
0:05:43 > 0:05:45'will take everything we've got.'
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Holy...cow!
0:06:00 > 0:06:05Touchdown is in Kamarata, the closest village to our mountain.
0:06:05 > 0:06:06Wow!
0:06:08 > 0:06:10'But there's still one more plane to come.'
0:06:10 > 0:06:13DOG WHINES
0:06:17 > 0:06:21This is the plane that's coming in with all of our cargo.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23He's just doing a pass, just to check, I guess,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25that the landing strip's all right.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31This thing should be in a museum - it's a relic!
0:06:35 > 0:06:38MUSIC: When the Levee Breaks by Led Zeppelin
0:06:39 > 0:06:42I'm very glad that it's our kit inside that and not us.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53We've got well over a ton of gear here.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55Everything from all of our climbing stuff,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58everything we need to film the expedition
0:06:58 > 0:07:00and a month's worth of food as well.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10That's it. Good job, guys, good job. Gracias!
0:07:16 > 0:07:19I just can't believe this thing is still flying.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23It's got fabric wings, it's all rusty, bolts are falling off it,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26and then instead of an instruction manual in the front,
0:07:26 > 0:07:27they've got a Bible.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Now it really feels like we're on an expedition.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42But then the expedition nearly comes to an abrupt end...
0:07:43 > 0:07:45No way!
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Holy...!
0:07:48 > 0:07:51LAUGHTER AND CHATTER
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Maybe that's why he carries a Bible in there.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Maybe it is, yeah.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01He's flying with God on his side,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04and not an enormous amount of intelligence.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16So we've made it, more or less safely, into Canaima National Park,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19but with no roads through the jungle to our mountain,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22we now need to travel by river.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24We're not getting a lot of kit in that, are we?
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Well, no, but the guys will go in the big one
0:08:27 > 0:08:29- and we'll go in the small one.- OK.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32So we're heading to a base camp now
0:08:32 > 0:08:35which is probably about 40km downstream from here
0:08:35 > 0:08:38and setting up a base camp that's near our mountain.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Our journey from Kamarata will take us north
0:08:45 > 0:08:48through thick jungle on the Acanan river.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51It should take two days in a traditional dugout canoe
0:08:51 > 0:08:53to reach our base camp
0:08:53 > 0:08:56and leave us within hiking distance of our mountain.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01'Aldo and I set off first.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05'The climbers, led by John, still need to prepare their gear...'
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Right, shall we steer ourselves out?
0:09:07 > 0:09:11'..so they'll catch up tomorrow in motorised canoes.'
0:09:11 > 0:09:14- Say hi to the crocodiles!- See you tomorrow, guys.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Packing gear,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35or a day to quietly paddle down a jungle river looking for wildlife?
0:09:35 > 0:09:37No contest, really.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51It's kind of easy to forget where you are paddling along these rivers,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54just surrounded by this green cavern of forest
0:09:54 > 0:09:57and then you just go round a corner and see that.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Just a towering fortress of rock,
0:10:01 > 0:10:05and that's a kilometre higher than we are,
0:10:05 > 0:10:091,000 metres of rock looming over the river.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11I can't think of anywhere else on the planet
0:10:11 > 0:10:13that feels as much like an adventure as this does.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16What a stunning place to be in a canoe.
0:10:25 > 0:10:31It just takes your breath away... but something's not quite right.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37The water at the moment is kind of cloudy.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Normally it would be very, very clear, and the reason for that is
0:10:40 > 0:10:43that it's been raining very heavily upstream of here,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45which is really bad news for us.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48We're desperately trying to keep ahead of the rainy season,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51because if we're on the rock face and we get hit by a storm,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53then it will be really dangerous.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02'Not much we can do about it though,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04'so rather than dwell on the weather...'
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Let's just pull in here.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09'..with the light fading, it's time to make camp.'
0:11:17 > 0:11:19Just go scope it out.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24This is perfect. It's perfect, Aldo.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28'Well, perfect for a wildlife lover.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33'The forest floor is crawling with bugs...
0:11:38 > 0:11:41'..but the creepiest creatures come out at night.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49'On the edge of camp I find an animal...'
0:11:49 > 0:11:50Oh, wow!
0:11:50 > 0:11:52'..that commands complete respect.'
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Got something. Come around here.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58You see that in there?
0:12:00 > 0:12:03That there is every arachnophobic's worst nightmare.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06It's by far the most dangerous spider
0:12:06 > 0:12:09found in this part of the world, a wandering spider.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13They've got enormous venom glands and the venom is very, very toxic.
0:12:13 > 0:12:20On men, it has the unfortunate side effect of causing endless priapisms.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23If you don't know what that is, look it up, it's pretty unpleasant.
0:12:23 > 0:12:29And after three days of endless erection, you'll probably have
0:12:29 > 0:12:33total loss of sexual function for the whole of the rest of your life.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36So you definitely do not want to get bitten by this spider.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Right, I'm just going to see if I can get it out into the open.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48But the real reason that they're dangerous to us is because they
0:12:48 > 0:12:52actually go out and actively hunt around the forest floor at night.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55And when it comes to the end of the darkness,
0:12:55 > 0:12:57they find themselves a crack or a crevice
0:12:57 > 0:12:59where they can lay up for the daytime.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01All too often, that's someone's clothing or boots
0:13:01 > 0:13:05and you put your shoe on and get bitten.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10A great reason to shake out our boots every morning.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Next morning, we're loading up the boats...
0:13:15 > 0:13:20but then I spot something that stops me in my tracks.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23A wasp that hunts tarantulas.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Got her, got her!
0:13:29 > 0:13:31I've got to be ever so careful here.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35'Getting her out of the net...'
0:13:35 > 0:13:37HE GIGGLES NERVOUSLY
0:13:37 > 0:13:38'..isn't so easy.'
0:13:40 > 0:13:43There she is.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45Ow! Balls!
0:13:47 > 0:13:50I was asking for that.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54- A tarantula's here.- Is it? - I think it's been stung.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56Oh, my God! Amazing, amazing, amazing!
0:13:56 > 0:13:59OK, I've got to catch her somehow.
0:14:02 > 0:14:08Ah, not again! Ooh, it hurts so much!
0:14:08 > 0:14:10BUZZING
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Come on, baby. Yeah, got her.
0:14:17 > 0:14:23So...this is one of the most extraordinary insects
0:14:23 > 0:14:26found in the entire world.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Incredibly beautiful, actually.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32It's what's called the tarantula hawk wasp,
0:14:32 > 0:14:36the largest species of wasp found in the entire world.
0:14:36 > 0:14:42These will go out, catch, sting and paralyse a tarantula,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46lay their egg on it and the egg will hatch out into a maggot
0:14:46 > 0:14:50which eats the tarantula from the inside out, living on its flesh.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52The most extraordinary thing is
0:14:52 > 0:14:55is that it somehow knows to eat around
0:14:55 > 0:14:57the vital organs of the spider
0:14:57 > 0:15:00so that the meat stays fresh and the spider stays alive.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03It's one of the most gruesome things that's found in
0:15:03 > 0:15:06the whole natural world, and there it is.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14Small tarantula, looks dead, but it isn't, it's just paralysed.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17One sting, and this spider...
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Well, I mean, it is all over for it.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Charles Darwin, probably the greatest biologist of all time,
0:15:23 > 0:15:24was a religious man,
0:15:24 > 0:15:29the only thing that led him to question the existence of God
0:15:29 > 0:15:31was wasps like this, because he couldn't believe that
0:15:31 > 0:15:36a beneficent, omnipotent God could expressly create wasps
0:15:36 > 0:15:37with the intention
0:15:37 > 0:15:41of them raising their young inside the living bodies of other hosts.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46I've been waiting at least ten years to see this,
0:15:46 > 0:15:51but actually seeing it happen, that is a once in a lifetime thing.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55And when I release her, she is going to be absolutely furious,
0:15:55 > 0:15:59so I suggest that everyone gets out of here quite quick.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04Right.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08And she's off.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17Back on the river, big tepuis are soon looming over us.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23These mountains, with their vast, flat summits,
0:16:23 > 0:16:29formed over 100 million years ago during the time of the dinosaurs.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Lost worlds, just waiting to be explored.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39Upriver, the climbers, led by John,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42are in their motorised canoes and catching up fast.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50By mid afternoon, Aldo and I are closing in on the place
0:16:50 > 0:16:51we plan to stay the night.
0:16:53 > 0:16:54But then...
0:16:57 > 0:16:58..rapids.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Minutes later, the climbers catch up with us, with all their gear.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18We wanted to get the boat to one shore
0:17:18 > 0:17:20and off-load most of the bags in the hope that
0:17:20 > 0:17:23we now have enough stability to be able to run the rapids,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27but I'm still not convinced that it's going to work.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32John and the climbers carry on unloading to reduce weight,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34while Aldo and I lower down our canoe.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38But this is the easy bit.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40The big boats are next.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51This is an enormous job.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55Each one of these massive dugouts must weigh several tons,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58and water's coming really hard,
0:17:58 > 0:18:02so having to do this, it's a seriously dangerous prospect.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05They're placing them.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08I've got so much respect for these guys.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Bravo, bravo!
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Loaded up again, we push on.
0:18:27 > 0:18:33As dusk falls, we get the first clear view of our mountain
0:18:33 > 0:18:36and its towering rock walls.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45THUNDER RUMBLES
0:18:45 > 0:18:50As lightening lashes the face, it's easy to imagine how terrifying
0:18:50 > 0:18:55and genuinely dangerous it could be up there.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57THUNDER RUMBLES
0:19:04 > 0:19:08The mountain kind of looks really intimidating this morning.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Maybe it's because the faces are dark
0:19:11 > 0:19:14and because it's still shrouded in cloud,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16but it looks really forbidding.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22It just looks like trouble.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26It is so big, so huge,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29it kind of feels like you could just reach out and touch it,
0:19:29 > 0:19:31but I reckon it's going to take us at least two days,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34even just to get to the rock face from here.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41Just when it seems the jungle will never end...
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Wow! Savanna.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51..we break out onto a vast expanse of savanna,
0:19:51 > 0:19:53but the weather is still ominous,
0:19:53 > 0:19:57storms rampage along the walls we will soon be living on.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07Now our tepui, Amaurai, dominates the view.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12With every step, the daunting scale of our challenge
0:20:12 > 0:20:14is becoming more apparent.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17If there were people on it now you certainly wouldn't see them.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20I think if there was a double-decker bus on it,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22you probably wouldn't see it either
0:20:24 > 0:20:27By late afternoon, we're after a camp site,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30and they don't come much more unusual...
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Whoa!
0:20:32 > 0:20:33..than this!
0:20:37 > 0:20:39What an awesome hunk of metal.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Look at that!
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Whoa. 'A spectacular place to spend the night.'
0:20:59 > 0:21:01It's just magnificent.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06And a menacing reminder that
0:21:06 > 0:21:10some expeditions in these mountains don't end well.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14But the boys don't seem intimidated.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16After days of hard travel,
0:21:16 > 0:21:18and with the mountain now tantalisingly close...
0:21:18 > 0:21:20Everybody on board?
0:21:20 > 0:21:22LAUGHTER
0:21:22 > 0:21:24..we're ready to let off some steam.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Start the engine.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Don't open the sunroof!
0:21:34 > 0:21:38This is probably the coolest camp site in the whole world.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43We've made great progress,
0:21:43 > 0:21:48but there's still a big day tomorrow to reach the foot of the tepui,
0:21:48 > 0:21:52so up go the tents and we settle in for the night.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Although, not everyone opts for a tent.
0:22:00 > 0:22:05(Look at that, all the climbers fast asleep in their hammocks,
0:22:05 > 0:22:09(and it's like, it's about nine o'clock at night.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11(Who says climbers are tough?)
0:22:16 > 0:22:19It turns out they chose the best place to sleep.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22The rest of us get soaked.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27So the dreaded rains have arrived - with a vengeance.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39Mercifully, next morning the rain clouds clear for a while
0:22:39 > 0:22:42and we have a chance to pick our climbing route.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44John, we've got a big hunk of rock like this
0:22:44 > 0:22:48that's has never been climbed before. How do you even start?
0:22:48 > 0:22:51There's an area on the right there
0:22:51 > 0:22:54that's just clean rock, virtually the whole way up.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56That is just a magnet.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01Yeah, but to me, even from here, it looks utterly impossible.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06The dark sections are wet and maybe a little vegetated,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09the green sections are just horrible.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11We're looking at the orange.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13Try and follow the most orange possible.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15It's like a puzzle, you know,
0:23:15 > 0:23:20because you have to try to attach all the cracks and lines,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23and if you do it, for sure, you'll get to the top.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27- Game of chess.- Yeah, every move is important decisions,
0:23:27 > 0:23:29so that's a good thing about this kind of climbing.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34- You mean, nobody's written the guidebook yet?- LAUGHING:- Not yet.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41So here's our route.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43We're guessing five days to reach the top,
0:23:43 > 0:23:45sleeping on the cliff face each night.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51Only then will we be able to start exploring the summit plateau.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57But first, one more haul to the base of the mountain.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10The savanna is a dream - easy walking -
0:24:10 > 0:24:12and all morning we're storming along.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21But then, the grass runs out and we plunge back into the jungle.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26And it's horrible.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29THUNDERCLAP
0:24:32 > 0:24:34Going from savanna to forest
0:24:34 > 0:24:39is kind of like going from midday to midnight in a blink of an eye,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42and it also doesn't help, this hammering down with rain.
0:24:44 > 0:24:45THUNDER CONTINUES
0:24:45 > 0:24:47This is really not a good omen.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05You know what, Aldo?
0:25:05 > 0:25:08- I reckon this would make a really good base camp.- Yeah.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10'There's no time to rest.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12'We've got to push on to the cliff face
0:25:12 > 0:25:15'if we're going to find somewhere to start the climb tomorrow.'
0:25:30 > 0:25:34We found a really steep terrain up towards the rock wall,
0:25:34 > 0:25:38which is looming through the trees,
0:25:38 > 0:25:40it's like an ominous presence above us.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44This is steep.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48'We know where we need to get to...'
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Boys, we need to stick together.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55'..but getting there is much easier said than done.'
0:25:57 > 0:26:00There are no trails now, so out come the machetes.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04Jungle terrain like this is the worst in the world
0:26:04 > 0:26:06to navigate through cos
0:26:06 > 0:26:10you've got no visual landmarks, it's just one big green cavern,
0:26:10 > 0:26:14but we can see the rock, it's just up there.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29But it doesn't look like the going will get any easier.
0:26:30 > 0:26:36Unfortunately, this massive block came from the rock face,
0:26:36 > 0:26:40so now we can add rock falls to the potential dangers ahead.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47And then, finally, the forest runs out
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Wow!
0:26:55 > 0:26:58I've never seen anything so overhanging in my entire life.
0:26:58 > 0:27:03Now it's real, and deadly serious because this rock we can see
0:27:03 > 0:27:05is only the beginning.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08We're only looking up as far as an overgrown ledge
0:27:08 > 0:27:10about a quarter of the way up.
0:27:10 > 0:27:15- It's steep.- Steep?- Yeah, steep.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18That is not steep, that is overhanging.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25The rock here is wet, slippery and unclimbable,
0:27:25 > 0:27:29so there's no option but to push on in the failing light.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32We're pretty close now.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36I'm desperately hoping we'll find better rock further along.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40But it's all just plain grim.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43It's looking pretty bleak, actually,
0:27:43 > 0:27:47just a slippery black mess, so we're backtracking.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Even worse than that though, is the fact that now
0:27:49 > 0:27:52we have to make our way back down to camp in the dark.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Very, very steep, very slippery, and it's starting to rain.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59All the kind of things where you don't want to be moving
0:27:59 > 0:28:02in the jungle, and that's what we're going to have to do.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11An hour of muddy sliding later and we're back in base camp,
0:28:11 > 0:28:15trying our best not to be disheartened.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19Tomorrow, we start climbing - somehow.
0:28:20 > 0:28:25The night before the climb is when it all starts to become real.
0:28:25 > 0:28:32I am genuinely nervous, bordering on scared,
0:28:32 > 0:28:36particularly having seen the rock.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39I'm not the world's best climber, I'm average at best,
0:28:39 > 0:28:42and this is a really, really serious route,
0:28:42 > 0:28:44even for people like John and Ivan,
0:28:44 > 0:28:46who are some of the best in the world.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49For me, it's way out of my pay grade
0:28:49 > 0:28:52and the possibility of something going wrong is high,
0:28:52 > 0:28:57and if anything goes wrong out here it's going to go badly wrong.
0:29:01 > 0:29:06We're all keen to get going, but first things first.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08I've got a pressing problem that needs sorting out.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10This is the glamour end of the job.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13Sticking plasters on Backshall's backside.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19Anybody who thinks that this expedition business is glamorous,
0:29:19 > 0:29:22I'm currently having a plaster applied to my butt
0:29:22 > 0:29:24by our hairy Scottish medic.
0:29:24 > 0:29:29I managed to chafe off a big area of skin oN my backside yesterday.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33Everyone becomes very good friends on an expedition,
0:29:33 > 0:29:34you kind of have to.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38It feels good, I feel like a new man.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45We're going to be spending a week in the vertical world.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47This is big wall climbing.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50Our lives will depend on our kit -
0:29:50 > 0:29:53hundreds of metres of rope and other climbing gear.
0:29:53 > 0:29:58We also need supplies for our exploration of the summit,
0:29:58 > 0:30:03so we repeat the previous night's hike, but this time with heavy bags.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06Lots of loose rock up here, boys.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11On days like this, the jungle is a big greenhouse -
0:30:11 > 0:30:14hot, wet and very humid.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16I just want to get climbing.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23But when I see the rock face up close,
0:30:23 > 0:30:26I feel like heading straight back to base camp.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28It's going to be horrific getting up there.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34Under normal circumstances, no-one would climb rock this slippery,
0:30:34 > 0:30:36but we have no choice.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41As the strongest climber on the team, John takes the lead.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43- Good to go?- Yeah, stay safe, John.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47- 'But his first step...' - Pretty slippery.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52'..the rock might as well be covered in oil.'
0:30:58 > 0:31:02This is less like climbing than vertical gardening.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06I don't envy him one little bit.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11The challenge for John isn't just slippery rock,
0:31:11 > 0:31:17but in finding places to secure himself, and it's not looking easy.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21As John's going, what he's looking for are cracks and crevices
0:31:21 > 0:31:24that he can put bits of gear into which he'll then clip
0:31:24 > 0:31:27the rope through which will protect him if he falls,
0:31:27 > 0:31:29so it's called protection.
0:31:32 > 0:31:33(Oh, grim!)
0:31:35 > 0:31:39- His last protection is far away from him.- Yeah.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41If he comes off from there,
0:31:41 > 0:31:44- he will come all the way down to where we are now.- Yeah.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49I really wasn't expecting this to get so serious so quickly.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54We're down here, somewhere in the trees.
0:31:54 > 0:31:55Our goal for the day is
0:31:55 > 0:31:58to reach the overgrown ledge
0:31:58 > 0:32:00that we saw last night,
0:32:00 > 0:32:03but the climbing is slow and dangerous.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09In this kind of climbing, there is a cataclysmic gap between
0:32:09 > 0:32:11the person who is leading, the person who goes first,
0:32:11 > 0:32:13and everybody who comes after.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17He's the one that has to find the route,
0:32:17 > 0:32:21but also the one that has the biggest chance of making a fall,
0:32:21 > 0:32:25so this is the really dangerous bit.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29'Finally, after a long struggle...'
0:32:29 > 0:32:32- Take me off!- That's John safe.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34'..he secures himself to the rock face.'
0:32:34 > 0:32:36We're up.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39OK, this is it. Climbing, John!
0:32:39 > 0:32:41'Now it's my turn.'
0:32:47 > 0:32:49God, this stuff is awful.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52I'm soon grateful to be attached to John's rope...
0:32:56 > 0:32:58HE SCREAMS
0:33:00 > 0:33:03- Are you all right?- Yeah, fine.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06'With such slippery rock and limited hand holds,
0:33:06 > 0:33:09'I'm grabbing anything I can.'
0:33:09 > 0:33:10Oh, this is hideous!
0:33:10 > 0:33:14'But climbing this kind of cliff face comes with extra risks...'
0:33:21 > 0:33:23Oh, heads, heads!
0:33:27 > 0:33:29'When the rock's this grotty,
0:33:29 > 0:33:34'loose boulders on overgrown rock faces are a real danger.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36'But having got away with that one,
0:33:36 > 0:33:39'I clutch a tree root and clamber up to a safe point...
0:33:43 > 0:33:46'..and out of the jungle at last.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50'It's not much of a reprieve.'
0:33:53 > 0:33:56I can't quite believe you're about to attempt this, John.
0:33:56 > 0:34:02- Hm.- This isn't pretty, is it? - Uh-uh.
0:34:02 > 0:34:03It's dripping wet.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08Are you sure about this, John?
0:34:10 > 0:34:12Honestly, I can't even watch.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16It's just SO slippery.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23It's making me feel sick watching you do this, John.
0:34:30 > 0:34:31I've been climbing for 20 years
0:34:31 > 0:34:35and I've never seen anyone try and climb anything like this.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38This is ludicrous.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42OK.
0:34:42 > 0:34:43Oh, John.
0:34:45 > 0:34:46Oh!
0:34:46 > 0:34:49That hole just snapped off, the flake I was using.
0:34:49 > 0:34:50I know, I know, I saw.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53Oh, that shook me up a bit.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58This whole business of picking your way up through the rock,
0:34:58 > 0:35:00trying to find a weakness,
0:35:00 > 0:35:04trying to find a portion that's climbable is the trick.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07Unfortunately, it's beginning to look like
0:35:07 > 0:35:09this portion that we're pushing through now
0:35:09 > 0:35:11doesn't have that weakness.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14It may be simply impossible.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18And if that happens, our expedition's over.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25John and Ivan know we simply have to find a route up to
0:35:25 > 0:35:27the ledge we saw last night.
0:35:29 > 0:35:34If they make it, they can fix ropes for us all to easily ascend tomorrow
0:35:34 > 0:35:36and our climb will be back on track.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41But with darkness falling, there's no more I can do.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43I head down dispirited.
0:35:43 > 0:35:49They climb on into the dark, hoping to follow down later.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54Back in jungle camp, the whole climb hangs in the balance.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56Tough.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58That was a really big day.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01I've left John and Ivan still pushing on,
0:36:01 > 0:36:03despite the fact that it's now dark.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05I'm really, really hoping that
0:36:05 > 0:36:06they'll be able to drop down some lines
0:36:06 > 0:36:09and tomorrow morning we'll be able to start fresh and early
0:36:09 > 0:36:12and this whole adventure can really begin,
0:36:12 > 0:36:15cos so far it's been desperate.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20This is much, much harder than any of us expected.
0:36:27 > 0:36:28It's all pretty tense.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31Right now I care less about the climb than
0:36:31 > 0:36:34the safety of my friends in the dark high above us.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42- Hey, hey!- How are you?
0:36:42 > 0:36:45Yeah, yeah, yeah. John, what's the story, what's happening?
0:36:45 > 0:36:48We did make it to the terrace, eventually,
0:36:48 > 0:36:52and then we abseiled down in the dark into exactly where we started.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55Ah, unbelievable! That's incredible.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58So you've got one set of ropes that are now...
0:36:58 > 0:37:02We've got A rope going from the terrace to the ground.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06- That is...- We're good to go tomorrow.- Oh!- Good to go.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10Absolute legend. That's incredible.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13The climbing today was very scary.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15I didn't even have a head torch.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18I have my phone, so I have a torch on my phone and...
0:37:18 > 0:37:21You were climbing by the light on your phone?
0:37:21 > 0:37:23Absolutely, yeah.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27You have properly made this expedition happy today.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31- You've kicked everything off. - We kicked it off...
0:37:31 > 0:37:35- there's a lot to go...- There is. - We're only a quarter of the way up.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37Well done, guys. Well done, seriously.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39- Cheers, Steve.- Thank you.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41Yeah, let's get some food inside you.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53We're just packing for getting on the wall today.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56This is the last day that we'll be down here,
0:37:56 > 0:37:58so each of us needs only one bag for
0:37:58 > 0:38:02the next four or five days, and it's just the basics -
0:38:02 > 0:38:09toothbrush, toothpaste, sleeping kit and a whole load of sense of humour.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13Of course, we're filming our climb, so cameraman Keith
0:38:13 > 0:38:15also has to pack for the rock face.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19Well, the whole operation depends on so many tiny widgets.
0:38:19 > 0:38:20You forget one tiny widget
0:38:20 > 0:38:24and the whole thing will collapse like a stack of cards.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27Which reminds me, where's my fork?
0:38:31 > 0:38:35Whilst we slog up the trail with all our climbing and camera gear,
0:38:35 > 0:38:39high on the wall above, John and Ivan are already on the ledge,
0:38:39 > 0:38:43having ascended on the rope they left in place last night.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45Welcome to our home.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48This will be our base for the night.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51The first in a series of camps higher up the rock face.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55The only problem - dangerously loose rocks -
0:38:55 > 0:38:58lumps of quartzite sandstone,
0:38:58 > 0:39:01some of the hardest and sharpest rock on earth.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04If this is going to be our bedroom, it's got to go.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Maybe if we clean it and we throw some blocks.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12- We need to let the others know before we drop those.- Yeah.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15With the rest of us well out of the way at the base of the wall...
0:39:15 > 0:39:19OK! You're good to go!
0:39:19 > 0:39:22..John and Ivan begin clearing the loose rocks.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27I am very glad I'm not underneath that lot.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35There's a wonder there's anything left of the tepui,
0:39:35 > 0:39:37I think, at the moment.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39One of these things coming down from that kind of height,
0:39:39 > 0:39:41it would smash a helmet to smithereens,
0:39:41 > 0:39:47and some of the bigger stuff would, without doubt, be fatal.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52'With the route cleared...'
0:39:52 > 0:39:54You've got that there, that there.
0:39:54 > 0:39:55'..it's time to head up.'
0:39:55 > 0:39:59- See you later, guys. - Yeah, enjoy.- OK.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03'So I'm on my way at last, up the ropes, out of the trees,
0:40:03 > 0:40:05'heading for clean, dry rock.'
0:40:10 > 0:40:13Our climb to the summit is back on.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20What a view.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22This is utterly extraordinary.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26Wow!
0:40:29 > 0:40:34Suddenly I feel unstoppable, confidence is sky-high.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37Hello, mate.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42Well done. Welcome home for the night.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45- Well, thank you. - Have you seen that rain?
0:40:47 > 0:40:49We're finally here, up on the ledge,
0:40:49 > 0:40:52way above the tree tops,
0:40:52 > 0:40:56looking down on a monster storm.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59But we're going to be in here,
0:40:59 > 0:41:03under this massive overhang,
0:41:03 > 0:41:05and protected from the rain.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08- And coming up below me... - Oh, it's dry here, isn't it?
0:41:08 > 0:41:10Yep! ..is Keith.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14The ledge is pretty cramped,
0:41:14 > 0:41:17so sleeping spots need some creative thinking.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19I think my best bet is to try
0:41:19 > 0:41:22and hitch a hammock between some of these trees.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25They don't look very fixed, Steve.
0:41:25 > 0:41:30That one doesn't. That one's completely... Whoa!
0:41:36 > 0:41:38HE GASPS
0:41:39 > 0:41:44Just had a lightning bolt crack down very, very close to us.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47THUNDER RUMBLES
0:41:49 > 0:41:52I'm very, very glad we've got this rock ceiling above us.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56Whoa!
0:41:56 > 0:42:00Have you seen the waterfall behind you now, Steve?
0:42:00 > 0:42:02That is epic.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07You can see how much these places change in heavy rain.
0:42:07 > 0:42:11All of a sudden now there's a vast waterfall falling where
0:42:11 > 0:42:14no more than an hour ago there was nothing.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18'I'm longing for a chance to relax.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21'No chance.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23'We've got uninvited guests for dinner.'
0:42:23 > 0:42:26It seems we're not alone on our ledge.
0:42:26 > 0:42:30As if it's not enough that there's a 100-metre drop
0:42:30 > 0:42:32just off to the side of me, and it's hammering down with rain,
0:42:32 > 0:42:35and there's an electrical storm, we're sharing it with scorpions too.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40But I'm past caring.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43Food and bed - that's what I need.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13Good night, then, Aldo?
0:43:13 > 0:43:16Yeah, good night's sleep in between thinking about scorpions
0:43:16 > 0:43:19that were up here, that we were sharing the ledge with
0:43:19 > 0:43:23and a 100-odd metre drop on that side and the rain that
0:43:23 > 0:43:27blew in through the middle of the night, but apart from that, awesome.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34- We've got coffee. Everything's all right.- Yeah.
0:43:36 > 0:43:40Do you know what? The thing is, when you're tired
0:43:40 > 0:43:43and when you're outside and when you're working hard,
0:43:43 > 0:43:46everything tastes a billion times better, doesn't it?
0:43:52 > 0:43:55We have a beautiful rainbow down there.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57It's great, isn't it?
0:43:57 > 0:44:00At last, things seem to be going our way.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04- OK.- I've got you, John. - Thanks, Steve.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07- Be safe.- It's loose.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13Very mossy and wet at the bottom.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16After breakfast, John pushes on...
0:44:20 > 0:44:22..while Aldo packs up.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27Our plan is to make a new camp, higher up,
0:44:27 > 0:44:30to save coming down again at the end of the day.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36- You climbing?- Yeah.- OK.
0:44:36 > 0:44:40STRAINED: It's harder than I might have hoped, just to start off with.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45Ah, there you go, there you go, that's a nice hold.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48That flake is obviously all right for John's weight.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50I hope it's all right for mine.
0:44:56 > 0:44:57Phew! Yeah!
0:44:57 > 0:45:00Spread the weight...
0:45:00 > 0:45:01Nice one, Steve.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04..and move.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09All of a sudden,
0:45:09 > 0:45:15all of that slog of grime and sweat and frustration feels worthwhile.
0:45:18 > 0:45:20Like Ivan says,
0:45:20 > 0:45:27this really is a game of chess, just figuring out your next move.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29Oh!
0:45:30 > 0:45:32Oh, wow!
0:45:33 > 0:45:38I'm climbing behind a huge curtain of water.
0:45:38 > 0:45:43The vast overhang above us is acting like an umbrella.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46'This is where we've got to, inching our way up
0:45:46 > 0:45:50'and daring to get excited about what we might find on top.'
0:45:54 > 0:45:56This is some of the most unconventional climbing
0:45:56 > 0:45:58in the whole world.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00Now he's climbing a sapling,
0:46:00 > 0:46:02probably about four or five hundred metres up.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04Oh, oh!
0:46:04 > 0:46:06He's right on the limit.
0:46:06 > 0:46:09I can't see any protection from here on in.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12John's obviously finding it quite hard and he's in a dangerous bit.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15A bit worried he's not protected at all.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19He's got no gear into cracks in the rock face, so if he falls,
0:46:19 > 0:46:21he falls big.
0:46:21 > 0:46:26There's a very good chance I might have to pull up on this vine.
0:46:26 > 0:46:27What are you, Tarzan?
0:46:31 > 0:46:33OK, tree, how strong are you?
0:46:33 > 0:46:34'Unfortunately...'
0:46:36 > 0:46:37Oh!
0:46:39 > 0:46:41'..not very.'
0:46:42 > 0:46:44JOHN EXHALES
0:46:44 > 0:46:47- Are you all right, John? - Yeah, I'm fine.
0:46:47 > 0:46:51Whoa! That was a biggie. How far did you fall?
0:46:51 > 0:46:55- Oh, about 30 feet.- 30 feet? Wow!
0:46:59 > 0:47:02With all this rock still to be climbed,
0:47:02 > 0:47:04there's no point kidding ourselves.
0:47:05 > 0:47:09Climbing Amaurai tepui may be beyond us.
0:47:13 > 0:47:17Our exploration of the summit hangs in the balance.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33Usually John's climbing is absolutely effortless,
0:47:33 > 0:47:35even on really, really difficult ground,
0:47:35 > 0:47:37but I can hear him puffing and panting
0:47:37 > 0:47:39and hear his deep breathing.
0:47:40 > 0:47:47If he's struggling then this really is something very, very serious.
0:47:47 > 0:47:48This stuff's unclimbable.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57Oh!
0:47:57 > 0:48:01Oh, Jesus Christ! You all right, John?
0:48:01 > 0:48:03JOHN PANTS
0:48:05 > 0:48:07I'm beginning to run out of ideas.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15Exhausted, John calls it a day.
0:48:16 > 0:48:22This is where he got to, a tiny figure a very long way up.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29We've made progress, but not enough to warrant building a new camp.
0:48:31 > 0:48:33With the light fading across the jungle,
0:48:33 > 0:48:36we reluctantly retreat back down to scorpion ledge...
0:48:43 > 0:48:47- Hey, Steve?- Yeah. - You want some arepas?
0:48:47 > 0:48:50'..where Ivan is rustling up something to lift our spirits.'
0:48:57 > 0:49:01- Hey, Ivan.- Hey, Steve, welcome to the party.
0:49:01 > 0:49:03Amazing. Look at this!
0:49:03 > 0:49:06This is like typical for us here in Venezuela.
0:49:06 > 0:49:08This is like our bread.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10Yeah, I know it's typical in Venezuela,
0:49:10 > 0:49:13but it's not typical hanging off the side of a mountain face though.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15- Yeah. - THEY LAUGH
0:49:20 > 0:49:24Oh, that's fantastic, Ivan.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26Mwah! It's haute cuisine.
0:49:26 > 0:49:32- A lot of people prefer to stay in five-star hotel, you know.- Yeah.
0:49:32 > 0:49:36We have here one billion star hotel. Just look at that.
0:49:36 > 0:49:38THEY LAUGH
0:49:49 > 0:49:55Day four on the rock face and we're all aware we're behind schedule,
0:49:55 > 0:49:58so John takes the lead again, needing to make real progress.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00Oh, good, there's a good little ledge here.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03He finds a different route through the previous day's
0:50:03 > 0:50:06impassable rock and makes it look easy.
0:50:07 > 0:50:11Problem is, where John leads, I have to follow.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14I'm not someone that's scared of heights,
0:50:14 > 0:50:16and looking down doesn't bother me.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20Looking up at that really does.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25HE EXHALES OK.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29- OK, John, climbing!- OK, you're on.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34Come on, Backshall. Get it together.
0:50:39 > 0:50:41Go on, Steve.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47Yes!
0:50:47 > 0:50:49OK.
0:50:51 > 0:50:53- Yes, I've got it.- Well done.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57Whoa! Oh, it's really hard.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02Keep working your feet up, if you can.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08'Several big blocks are just too loose to risk touching.'
0:51:10 > 0:51:12Is that one loose?
0:51:12 > 0:51:15- OK, taking it, John, OK?- OK.
0:51:15 > 0:51:16HE BREATHES HEAVILY
0:51:19 > 0:51:22Hanging on the rope, I recover my strength.
0:51:24 > 0:51:25OK.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34Brilliant.
0:51:35 > 0:51:36Woo!
0:51:36 > 0:51:38Good effort.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40Where's the others?
0:51:40 > 0:51:43'Down below, on the previous day's high point,
0:51:43 > 0:51:47'Aldo and support climber Fuko are building a new camp.'
0:51:48 > 0:51:50Where's the ones for there, then?
0:51:50 > 0:51:52Once complete, these hanging portaledge tents
0:51:52 > 0:51:55will be our base for the night.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57No more scorpion ledge for us.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03Even so, the animals just keep coming.
0:52:04 > 0:52:09My feet, which are pretty unpleasant at the best of times, are stained
0:52:09 > 0:52:10bright, bright yellow from all
0:52:10 > 0:52:12the dye running out of my climbing shoes,
0:52:12 > 0:52:16and a couple of big cockroaches have just come to investigate.
0:52:17 > 0:52:21They've clearly never seen a big pair of yellow hobbit feet before.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26Where did they go? No, he's going over my toes!
0:52:26 > 0:52:28He's going over my toes!
0:52:30 > 0:52:33'A brave move, even for a cockroach.'
0:52:34 > 0:52:36All right, you going to lead on, John?
0:52:38 > 0:52:40I am, once I've got me shoes on.
0:52:43 > 0:52:48Shoes in place, John surges up, and makes such great progress
0:52:48 > 0:52:50that our team is soon scattered up the wall
0:52:50 > 0:52:53in three separate, isolated positions.
0:52:54 > 0:52:58Here's Aldo and Fuko, building the portaledges,
0:52:58 > 0:53:00and here's John, pushing the route
0:53:00 > 0:53:01up ever more challenging
0:53:01 > 0:53:04and dangerously loose rock.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06And this is me, on my own,
0:53:06 > 0:53:08right below him, with a moment to reflect.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16From the very start, this climb has been relentless.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19The tension's getting to me.
0:53:22 > 0:53:26This has all just been a bit too much for me.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29I just can't get to the top of this thing quick enough.
0:53:29 > 0:53:33You know, I've got an awful lot to live for.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36I've got a girlfriend at home that I love very much,
0:53:36 > 0:53:41and I really want to get back to her. And at the moment, we are
0:53:41 > 0:53:44one piece of loose rock away from that not happening.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51I'm usually the world's most positive person,
0:53:51 > 0:53:54but somehow it just doesn't feel right.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58I'm not wrong.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01Conditions deteriorate - fast.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04WIND HOWLS
0:54:04 > 0:54:05The birds are all coming in to roost.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10There's a big storm coming and they know it.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15It's bad news for the guys building camp.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17John, Aldo, over.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19Hello, John.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21This wind's getting pretty strong, mate.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24I can hear the trees down in the jungle at the bottom breaking, over.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26MUFFLED REPLY
0:54:30 > 0:54:34We've got strong winds and rain...and we are
0:54:34 > 0:54:36completely lost in the cloud, at the moment.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39I've got no communication with the guys above or below.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42It's...really pretty frightening.
0:54:45 > 0:54:47We set off in bright sunshine,
0:54:47 > 0:54:49but now we're taking a beating from the wind and rain.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57Fuko is on the brink of hyperthermia.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04- You all right?- A bit cold.- Cold?
0:55:08 > 0:55:12And high above, John is in similar trouble.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15We've got to get down from our exposed positions.
0:55:17 > 0:55:19Fuko goes first...
0:55:19 > 0:55:21and I follow,
0:55:21 > 0:55:23but then it happens.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25My foot dislodges a rock.
0:55:25 > 0:55:26No, no, no, no!
0:55:28 > 0:55:29- Heads!- No, no!- Heads!
0:55:39 > 0:55:41Everyone OK?
0:55:44 > 0:55:47- BLEEP.- I just don't want to kill anyone.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56- This is ridiculous.- All right, we're just like,
0:55:56 > 0:55:58- "This isn't going to get any better."- Someone's going to,
0:55:58 > 0:56:01- we've got to get off this thing. - Yeah.- Someone's going to die.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07- It's getting colder. - Are you all right?
0:56:07 > 0:56:08- Yeah, yeah.- We're good.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11Is everyone OK? That was a big chunk came off.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14Yeah, we're good. Fuko's OK down below?
0:56:14 > 0:56:16Yeah, he's over to the right, luckily.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25That chunk I pulled off would have killed you boys, even just,
0:56:25 > 0:56:28even here, let alone down there.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35It just brings it all into perspective,
0:56:35 > 0:56:37especially in the storm.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40- This is serious. - Yeah, no, we, we...uh...
0:56:43 > 0:56:44It's only a mountain, you know.
0:56:44 > 0:56:48We... Nothing is worth risking this for.
0:56:51 > 0:56:53Let's get down and reassess,
0:56:53 > 0:56:55- once we get down on that next ledge. - Yeah.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01'I can't get down fast enough.'
0:57:04 > 0:57:08Be safe, boys. Get out of here as quickly as you can.
0:57:08 > 0:57:12'John, soaked and frozen, isn't far behind.'
0:57:12 > 0:57:13- You OK?- Yeah, OK!
0:57:18 > 0:57:20So, here we all are again,
0:57:20 > 0:57:23driven back down to the scorpion ledge.
0:57:23 > 0:57:27Day four on Amaurai tepui has taken a heavy toll.
0:57:31 > 0:57:33Yeah, I made a very, very quick phone call home and erm,
0:57:33 > 0:57:35I said, "You know, we're making slow progress,
0:57:35 > 0:57:36"cos it's really difficult",
0:57:36 > 0:57:39and she just said, you know, "You all right?"
0:57:41 > 0:57:43And uh...
0:57:45 > 0:57:48It's just really dangerous isn't it, up here?
0:57:51 > 0:57:54- It's going to be all right, mate.- Yeah.
0:57:54 > 0:57:57Yeah, we're good, we're good.
0:57:57 > 0:57:59'We're down - but not out.
0:58:01 > 0:58:03'Despite everything we've been through, I can't let go
0:58:03 > 0:58:05'of the summit dream,
0:58:05 > 0:58:09'yet nothing could prepare us for what followed.'
0:58:12 > 0:58:17- Next time...- 'Steve, we've had a bit of an incident up here.'
0:58:17 > 0:58:18..the climb continues...
0:58:19 > 0:58:23..and we go inside a tepui, an unexplored cave,
0:58:23 > 0:58:26before attempting an epic abseil
0:58:26 > 0:58:28off the highest waterfall in the world.