TV-PG
S1 • E1
The climbers arrive to discover one of the expedition Sherpas died the day before from altitude sickness. Russell Brice is distraught and the climbers stunned. It's a bad start, but 2006 will get worse and finish as one of the deadliest on record. The climbers are shocked to discover how badly their minds and bodies cope as they start their acclimatisation climbs. They must push themselves through new levels of pain to prove to themselves and team leader Russell Brice they have the courage and strength to reach the summit. It's them against the mountain and the threat of death is never far away as the expedition copes with two major emergencies.
S1 • E2
It's the best weather for years on Everest and normally cautious Russ decides to gamble on a secret early summit. He spots a weather window in two weeks time but his Sherpas will have to work flat out to put the necessary tents and oxygen in place and his climbers will have to stay uncomfortably high to complete their acclimatisation in time. For some climbers it's bad news - they don't look ready. As the weather window approaches, Russ makes up his mind to go for it, but it's a close call. The two summit teams are announced and there's no going back.
S1 • E3
The summit assaults are launched. Climbers set off knowing they might never return and many of them of them are in desperate physical condition. They need enormous mental and physical courage to believe they can summit when their strength is ebbing away
S1 • E4
Both teams are trapped in camp at high altitude by unexpectedly high winds that threaten to wreck their summit bid. It's particularly bad news for Mogens Jensen who is climbing without supplementary oxygen and can ill afford extra time in such thin air. When the weather relents next day, Mogens sets off into the Death Zone. He got within 400m of the summit last year before having to turn back with frostbite, but summiting without oxygen would be an extraordinary achievement and the Death Zone is unforgiving. At 1am, Team One leave top camp for the summit but almost immediately get caught in a human traffic jam that stops them in their tracks. If they can't pass some of the slow climbers ahead of them, they will run out of time and oxygen.
S1 • E5
Team One have summited but the mountain is so crowded with other climbers that they get caught in yet another queue as they attempt to get down. It's turned into a marathon climb of nearly 18 hours with climbers suffering frostbite in the bitter cold. Now it's Team Two's turn at the summit and they set off two hours early in an attempt to beat the queues, but it means an extra two hours in the dark on one of the coldest days anyone can remember. Mark Inglis makes history as the first double amputee to summit, but two climbers who are struggling mutiny when Russell orders them to turn back.
S1 • E6
The mutinous climbers are suffering from Summit Fever and still refuse to turn back because the summit is just 350 feet above them. But Russell is adamant they'll die unless they obey his orders. Eventually, their team mates returning from the summit manage to persuade them to descend but they're now very weak and running out of oxygen. Their survival is far from guaranteed. Max Chaya proved himself a very strong climber summiting well before everybody else at dawn, but on his way down he encounters and unconscious climber who is badly frostbitten and close to death. He asks Russell what he can do for the man, but Russell says there's nothing they can do. As the climbers descend it's clear that many are suffering serious frostbite. It's been one of Russell Brice's most difficult expeditions and one of the deadliest seasons on the mountain.
Self
Self - Climber
Self - Climber
Self - Climber
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Self - Expedition Doctor
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Self