[ Indistinct conversations ] [ Rock music playing ] ♪ F ♪ ♪ [ Applause ] [ Dramatic music plays ] ♪ Joe: [ Gasping ] [ Breathing heavily ] [ Echoing ] Simon!

♪ [ Echoing ] Simon!

♪ [ Echoing ] Simon!

[ Gasps ] [ Echoing ] Simon!

♪ [ Whooshing ] [ Exhales heavily ] Hello.

Welcome to the Clachaig Inn, Glencoe.

To Joe Simpson's wake.

God, there's a lot of you.

Lots of GORE-TEX.

Lots of climbers.

I'm Sarah, Joe's sister.

Big sis.

Sorry I didn't make any sandwiches.

Probably couldn't be F*ked.

If you're hungry, you can drink.

♪ People say, don't they, on these occasions, uh, "At least he died doing something he loved."

Because Joe loved climbing, didn't he?

"At least he died doing something he loved."

But that's bulls*t, isn't it?

Because Joe wasn't climbing when he died, was he?

He was trapped inside a glacier.

Alone.

And I think he would have hated that.

♪ To Joe.

Cheers!

[ Whooshing ] [ Rock music plays ] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Simon?

Yes.

Thank you for coming.

Sarah, I'm sorry.

Richard: Simon!

I -- Simon!

Simon!

So, this is it.

The world-famous Clachaig Inn.

Sorry I'm late.

Directions.

Simon, you didn't say this place was in Scotland.

Typical climber.

"Bit of a slope, Richard."

Turns out it's a bloody cliff.

Or in Peru -- "Nice stroll out in the hills," you said.

A man died.

Richard -- Are there no sandwiches or anything?

I'm starving.

Richard, this is Sarah.

Joe's sister.

Yeah.

Pleased to meet you.

Well, when I say "pleased," obviously I'd rather your brother wasn't dead, but, uh, you know what I mean.

Sorry.

It's fine.

Were you very close?

I used to torture him.

Things must be...

Overwhelming.

Overwhelming.

God, I've not been to many funerals.

Not a climber then?

No.

I'm -- I'm sorry.

Uh, who are you?

Richard.

I, uh -- I don't really have a second name, or, at least, Joe can't remember it right now.

[ Whooshing ] I was with Joe and Simon on the expedition in Peru.

Base camp manager.

We met Richard in Lima.

He's traveling round the world.

Richard looked after our tents while we were up on the hill.

I wasn't really interested in climbing before Peru, but after everything that's happened, I've become obsessed.

I'm reading all about it.

I am what you call an armchair mountaineer.

Mallory, Tenzing, Toni Kurz, the north face of the Eiger.

It's an absolutely extraordinary world.

Yeah, it's not really.

Isn't it?

It's just a hobby.

Well, I've become so obsessed that I've actually started to write a book -- About climbing?

It's a memoir about the Siula Grande expedition.

So, the story of an ordinary young man -- me -- accidentally caught up in this extraordinary mountain drama.

Right, sitting in a tent at base camp.

No!

Well, yes, a bit.

But, really, it's about how, in different ways, Simon, Joe, and I were all on Siula Grande, each of us reaching for the heights of life, risking our lives.

Not me, obviously, but, you know, escaping the earthly complications of being human.

I'm gonna call it "Avoiding The Touch."

[ Whooshing ] Joe: Simon!

Richard: Can I get you a drink, Sarah?

Jameson's.

A bottle.

No ice.

This is a climber's pub isn't it?

Didn't Joe and you used to come here?

Is this where you planned the expedition?

No.

Where was that?

Um... That was a bar in the Alps, I think.

Chamonix.

It had tables like this, though, um, with tablecloths on, uh -- No, The Clachaig doesn't have tablecloths.

[ Whooshing ] The funeral was strange.

Joe would have hated it.

All the fussing, handshakes.

And God.

He would have hated God.

Yeah.

And being polite.

Yeah.

Fortunately for Joe, you don't have to be polite if you're the deceased.

If you're the deceased, you can be as rude as you like.

You don't even have to bother to F*king turn up.

Look, Sarah, I didn't really know Joe that well.

I know.

We were just...

Both: Climbing partners.

"Just."

I hate climbers.

F*king climbers.

F*king anoraks, F*king fleeces, F*king carabiners, F*king trousers, F*king wiry French wankers hogging the jukebox all night.

And F*king stories, F*king endless F*king stories about how they nearly died, blah, blah, epic blah.

You know what climbers are?

No.

Climbers are cunts!

[ Exhales heavily ] Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.

It's okay.

I don't think the sister of the deceased has to be polite at a funeral, either.

Look, Simon, I -- Sorry.

God.

It took us ages to find the bar.

Ended up in Switzerland.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Would you like a peanut, Sarah?

Sarah, we've brought you some of Joe's things.

Things he left in his tent.

Yeah, we thought you might want them.

It's his, uh, passport, his notebook, and there are some photographs I took on the trip.

There's not very many, but I made you some copies.

Is this it?

Uh, yes.

Yeah.

Doesn't seem much evidence of a life.

No.

There's also this.

What is it?

It's a letter.

We found it in his notebook.

Um...

It's addressed to you.

Not gonna read it?

No.

There's something I want to ask you.

Uh, both of you.

It might seem a bit odd.

It is odd, uh, but I feel I have to ask.

Is that okay?

Of course.

You can ask anything.

Are you absolutely sure that he's dead?

[ Whooshing ] I mean, are you certain?

Are you 100% certain that Joe is dead?

There's no chance at all that he could have survived?

That he's still out there?

I mean, there isn't a body.

He fell from an ice cliff... "Fell"?

...into a crevasse.

Look, Sarah, even if Joe had survived the fall -- He wouldn't have survived the fall, would he?

He already had a broken leg and a shattered ankle.

He was hypothermic and dehydrated.

He wouldn't...

He wouldn't have been able to climb out.

I'm sorry.

But it just doesn't feel like he's dead.

It feels like he's just left the room, gone to get a drink at the bar.

Put a record on the jukebox.

Nipped off for a piss.

I-I dream about him -- Sarah, I know But what?

You have to accept.

Accept?

Joe's gone.

You need to let him go.

What, like you did?

[ Whooshing ] Why do you do it?

Do what?

Climb mountains?

Because they're there.

I'm not asking you.

I'm asking him.

It's hard to explain.

Give it a shot.

The outdoors, the exercise.

It's a friendly crowd.

No, those are reasons you take up Morris dancing.

I'm asking why you do something that has you hanging off cliffs thousands of feet up.

I'm talking about going to places you can never get rescued from.

Why do you do it?

In 1923, a journalist asked George Mallory why he wanted to climb Everest, and Mallory said, "Because it's there."

Ah, I heard you the first time, Bamber Gasgoine.

It's just that, for a lot of climbers, Mallory's answer is their answer.

And, uh, what happened to Mallory, then?

He died.

On Everest, actually.

[ Laughs ] Good.

Oh, God, I'm sorry.

Is that in bad taste?

Ohh.

What can I say?

My brother's dead.

I lost my moral compass.

Do you happen to have one?

Oh, no, you're a climber!

Look, I-I know the mountain is there.

The mountain has always been there.

What I want to know is, why were you there?

Why were you on the side of a F*king mountain in the first place?

That's what I don't understand.

Why do you do it?

It started when I was a kid.

I hated school.

I always wanted to be outside.

And then one day I saw some lads bouldering on a crag and I tried it and...

I was good at it.

I'm no good with books.

Can't play football.

[ Chuckles ] In every other part of my life, I was ungainly.

But on the crags I felt like I'd come home.

I was... gainly.

It's a feeling.

I can't really describe it.

Try.

Look at the stone in front of you.

Look for a hold.

♪ [ Laughs ] ♪ Hey, no!

[ Exhales heavily ] That's it.

♪ Now look for a placement for your foot.

♪ Feel the lip of the hold.

♪ Do you feel it?

Grip with your fingers.

Grip it.

Come on.

[ Both laugh ] Now search again with the other foot ♪ Feel the shape of the rock.

Find the hold.

Search.

Touch.

Pull!

[ Gasping ] [ Bird warbling ] [ Wind whipping ] [ Breathing heavily ] [ Grunts, pants ] Okay.

Okay?

Okay.

[ Breathing heavily ] [ Whooshing ] Where are we now?

Windgather Rocks, Peak District.

[ Exhales sharply ] Lovely.

Absolutely lovely.

Here, take this.

Why?

Just trust me.

Step into it.

Uh...like this?

Uh...nope.

Put it on the ground.

On the ground.

Now both feet through.

Yep.

And jiggle it up.

That's it.

♪ So be easy and free when you're drinking with me ♪ [ Grunting ] ♪ I'm a man you don't meet Good.

What are you doing now?

I'm clipping you in.

When I'm climbing, you belay me, which means when you're climbing, I belay you.

You and me are partners now, okay?

Okay.

Good.

Climb when ready.

[ Laughs ] You've got to be joking.

No.

♪ I'm a man you don't meet every day ♪ Richard: I'll mind your jacket.

Oh, uh, thank you.

That's alright.

Go on.

[ Exhales sharply ] ♪ Whatever it costs, I will pay ♪ Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

s*t. It's okay.

Think about your feet.

You won't get anything without them.

Okay.

[ Grunting ] That's good.

Good, good, good, good.

Wait, no, no, no.

I'm stuck.

I'm stuck.

I'm stuck.

You're going up right.

Right hand.

Right hand.

Right.

Big pull, big pull.

Go on.

You can do it.

Yes.

Throw.

Okay.

High left.

Yeah, lovely.

Oh, my God.

Beautiful rock group.

Come on.

Come on.

No, no, no, no.

I'm lost.

I'm lost.

I'm lost.

I'm lost.

Okay.

You're gonna have to go back across right, I think.

s*t. Why didn't you say that before, F*k's sake?

Okay.

I've got you.

I've got you.

Just look for your route, the edge of the rock.

Go.

Come on.

Come on.

[ Breathing heavily ] Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

Good, Sarah.

Come on.

Fight.

Fight.

Oh, God.

Allez!

Go on!

[ Grunting ] F*k. [ Breathing heavily ] [ Chuckles ] Jesus Christ.

You're doing great.

You're doing great.

Come on.

Come on.

Good work, good work, good work.

Throw for it.

Yeah!

[ Breathing heavily ] Nice.

Nice.

[ Grunting ] Okay, come on.

Nearly there, nearly there.

Let's go.

Really trust these toes.

Trust the foot.

Trust the foot.

Yeah, I'm trusting them!

[ Laughing ] Okay.

Oh, my God.

That's it.

That's it!

Come on, Sarah.

Last movement.

Last movement.

Come on!

Allez!

Whoo!

[ Laughs ] Whoo!

Whoo!

[ Laughs ] Oh, my God.

[ Breathing heavily ] You still haven't answered my question.

Haven't I?

Now, why do this but 4,000 feet up in a blizzard 1,000 from rescue?

You really want to know?

Yeah.

I really want to know.

Okay.

Let's get you down.

Oh, F*k. [ Laughs ] It's okay.

Just turn around and just bum-shuffle off the edge.

What?

You heard.

Come on.

s*t. Three... You've got me?

I've got you.

Two... one.

Ahh!

Jesus Christ!

Good, good, good, good.

Find your feet and then just baby steps.

You're just walking down, okay?

Baby steps.

There you go.

Good, good, good, good.

Baby steps, baby steps.

Oh, my God!

Whoo!

[ Laughs ] Whoo!

Okay.

Well done.

Ready?

Ready.

[ Whooshing ] ♪ Well, I took out my dog ♪ And him I did shoot ♪ All down in the county... Ice axes?

Trust me.

You'll be needing them.

Uh, what -- Come on.

♪ [ Whooshing ] What the F*k?!

Okay.

Don't look down.

Ahh!

It's okay.

It's okay.

It's okay.

I've got you.

Take me back, take me back take me back!

I've got you, Sarah.

Breathe.

Breathe!

Breathe.

[ Breathes deeply ] You're okay.

You're okay.

Hey.

You're okay.

Just focus on the face.

[ Whooshing, wind whipping] Everything's the same as it was before, only now we're higher up, okay?

Okay.

Good.

Now follow me.

Hit, hold.

[ Ice breaking ] Hit, hold.

[ Ice breaking ] Good.

Hit, hold.

[ Ice breaking ] Hit, hold.

[ Ice breaking ] Kick, kick.

s*t. Alright, come on.

Kick... Good.

...kick, kick, kick!

Kick, kick.

And push!

Push!

Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe.

Breathe.

Hit, hold.

[ Ice breaking ] Hit, hold.

[ Ice breaking ] Hit, hold.

[ Ice breaking ] Hit, hold.

[ Ice breaking ] Kick, kick!

Kick, kick!

Push!

Push!

Breathe.

Breathe.

Whoo!

Whoo!

Oh, where are we now?

Walker Spur of the Grandes Jorasses in the French Alps, a few years ago.

I'm climbing with Joe.

We've only just met.

[ Whooshing ] Sarah: Joe!

Do you ever think it's weird, Joe?

What?

Doing this for fun.

What, launching yourself up the side of an Alp at extreme risk to life and limb?

Yeah, that.

[ Chuckles ] Well, the thing is, I just think the question's wrong.

When people ask, "Why climb?"

the question assumes that it's being here, clambering up rocks, which is weird.

But it isn't climbing that's weird.

It's not climbing.

Climbing's what humans do.

Have done for hundreds of thousand of years.

We evolved to put our hands on rock or branches, feel for a hold and pull ourselves up.

Just look at any kid, any girl or boy in a playground, on a wall in the street.

What are they doing?

They're climbing.

Climbing.

It's not climbing that's weird.

It's -- It's "normal life."

It's living in captivity, sitting at a desk, doing a job, lying on the couch with dead eyes watching Esther Rantzen.

I-It's bosses and underlings, houses and cars, small talk and bulls*t. It's civilization.

That's what's weird.

That's what nuts.

Not "Why climb?"

but "Why not?"

Climb when ready!

Richard: Can I come?

No!

No!

We need someone to look after base camp.

Why live like that when you can live like this?

♪ Together: Hit, hold!

Hit, hold!

Kick, kick, push!

Breathe!

Hit, hold!

Hit, hold!

Kick, kick, push!

Breathe!

Hit, hold!

Hit, hold!

Kick, kick, push!

Breathe!

Hit, hold!

Hit, hold!

Kick, kick, push!

Breathe!

♪ ♪ Hit, hold, hit, hold!

Hit, hold, hit, hold!

Kick, kick, push!

Hit, hold, hit, hold!

Kick, kick!

Kick, push!

Breathe!

Hit, hold!

Push, breathe!

Hit, hold, hit, hold!

Kick, kick!

Kick, push, breathe!

Hit, hold, hit, hold!

Hit, hold, kick, kick!

Jesus!

[ Whooshing ] Simon: Don't look down!

Joe: Do look down!

[ All breathing heavily ] If we fall now, we'll fall for a minute.

Rip out the ice screws and spin into air, kicking our legs in the void in the silence Oh, my God, I feel sick!

It's okay.

It's okay.

It's okay.

It's -- It's just the void.

The trick with the void is -- is not to fear it, but to accept it, inhale it.

Use it to concentrate.

Use it like a drug to -- to sharpen your senses, heighten your awareness The void doesn't want to hurt us.

The void's just there.

The void's our companion.

The void climbs beside us.

Life with the void is life times a thousand.

[ Whooshing ] Simon!

♪ ♪ Okay.

That was good.

That was helpful.

Now take me back to the start.

The start of what?

Well, you and Joe, the expedition to Peru, the accident, everything.

Tell me everything, I-I need to make it clear.

Well, it started in the Alps.

♪ There's a scrap of waste ground on the outskirts of Chamonix, which is -- well, a kind of makeshift campsite where young climbers come from all around Europe.

And they gather for the summer, looking to make a name for themselves, without much more than a sleeping bag and the price of a cable-car fare to get them to the start of the glaciers.

Yeah.

Simon didn't have a sleeping bag, slept in his rucksack.

One night I bumped into Joe round a campfire, sharing a tin of, uh, shoplifted beans.

We'd both thrown ourselves up a couple of routes separately, but that night we thought, "Why not team up again and take on Mont Blanc?"

Now, Joe fancied an unusual route.

It had been done before, but it was... interestingly difficult.

In fact, it almost got him killed.

But we did it.

[ Chuckles ] And it left us walking into Chamonix that night just feeling... [ Whooshing ] Whoa!

Whoa!

[ Laughs ] We can do this.

We can F*king do it.

We make a good team.

So...

So, what we need is a new route.

A big new route.

Yeah.

On a proper mountain.

Over 5,000 meters.

So, Alps again?

No, not the Alps.

All the good routes in the Alps have been done.

Uh, Himalayas?

Summit permit too expensive.

Well, where then?

The Andes.

Cordillera Huayhuash.

I've never heard of it.

It's seven big hills in the middle of Peru.

[ Imitating airplane engine ] [ Laughs ] [ Imitates explosion ] We fly in, alright, into Lima.

What, rent a llama?

Bus to Cajatambo Do you hear the drums, Fernando?

Now acclimatize for a week or so.

Yeah.

Beer.

Rent donkeys.

Nice ass.

Get the gear up to base camp, and there it is.

Siula Grande.

F*king hell.

F*king hell.

F*king hell.

Together: It's beautiful.

And... there's an unclimbed route up the west face, from here...to here... to here... and back down.

See?

♪ We can save up over winter, fly out next summer.

What do you say?

I dunno, Si.

'Cause it means getting a s*tty job for a whole year just for money.

Mm-hmm.

It means a year of sacrificing everything to climbing.

It means another year of both of us walking further and further away from normal life... ...and getting deeper and deeper into this big mountain s*t. So, what do you say?

Yes.

[ Both laugh ] I say F*k yes.

♪ Richard?

What?

Where are we now?

Bar El Poco, Lima.

For a supposedly outdoor pursuit, an awful lot of climbing seems to take place in bars.

Well, this is where they're meeting me.

Now, I was just going around South America at the time, backpacking.

I was eating in street bars.

staying in hostels, just doing what everybody does.

I was actually making a bit of money busking.

Mostly Simon and Garfunkel sort of stuff.

I'd fallen in with this old Peruvian guy who played the pan pipes.

I think he maybe sold hash, as well.

Anyway, he takes me to this bar, and I see these two British guys with their brightly colored outdoor jackets on, you know, the crispy, crunchy ones that make a noise.

And most backpackers go round in a pair of clown trousers and a stinky vest.

So I knew that they weren't backpackers, but they weren't tourists, either.

They were something else.

And I was curious.

By the way, Sarah, This is actually how my book begins.

Oh, just get on with the story.

Okay, so, I asked them...

Uh, ex-- [ Chuckles ] Do you guys fancy... a spliff?

[ Laughs ] No.

Yeah, alright.

Great!

Oh, mate.

I'm Richard.

Simon.

You're climbers!

Joe?

Yeah.

We're climbers.

Yeah, yeah.

So, you here on an expedition?

That's right, yeah.

Where are you going?

Siula Grande.

I don't know that one.

Not many people do.

It's quite remote.

Is it hard?

Eh, it's got its charms Bit of a cheeky one.

That's how they spoke.

That's how climbers speak.

It's a stroll in the hills.

A frisky day out.

It's like a special language.

Everything's not really what it is.

So, how you getting up there then?

We're gonna go direct, see, up the face.

No one's ever done that before.

And I suppose, if you manage this one, then you can always move on to a bigger one next time.

"If" we manage?

You know, I suppose one day eh, yous might even be able to take on Everest.

[ Laughs ] [ Laughs ] Everest?

Everest, eh?

Yeah.

Yeah, we're not backpackers, mate.

[ Laughs ] [ Laughs ] Yeah, at the time, I didn't really get that joke, but now I do.

And it's funny, actually, Sarah, because Everest isn't necessarily -- So, what about you, Richard?

What brings you to Peru?

One second.

[ Imitates whooshing ] I'm looking for material for my novel.

Oh, you're a writer?

Eh, I'm just starting out.

It's a bit like you guys, actually.

And you're writing a novel?

Novel.

Novella.

Memoir.

Possibly an interlinked series of short stories.

Mm-hmm.

[ Scoffs ] And what's it about?

I don't know.

[ Chuckles ] Trouble is, nothing's actually happened to me yet.

At least, nothing that seems worth writing about.

I was groped by a policeman in Caracas.

But apart from that... nothing.

I really need something to happen to me, or else the book's gonna be a bit, um... s*t. Why don't you come with us?

Me?

No.

I can't climb.

I get dizzy in a lift.

Not up the mountain.

Come to base camp.

It's, what, a few days on busses, a few days walking?

Look after the tents.

Base camp manager!

Alright.

Yeah?

Yeah.

Well, I can read.

I can write.

I can do my yoga.

Ooh, yoga?

It'll be an adventure.

[ Whooshing ] Rope.

Rope!

Carabiners.

Uh, 15 each.

Pitons?

So, we're at base camp now.

Joe and Simon are sorting out their kit for the climb Simon: Ice screws.

Uh, crampons.

No spares.

They're making the ascent in alpine style.

Uh, what does that mean?

Joe: Uh, snow stakes.

Well, in early days, climbing big mountains meant expeditions with porters and fixed ropes, oxygen, camps high on the hill, hundreds of people all to get two men on the summit.

They call that "siege climbing."

It's like a medieval siege.

Ice axes?

Yeah.

But to climb alpine style means doing away with all of that.

Still too much gear.

Alpine style goes back to basics.

Two people and a rope.

Stove.

Uh, dried food.

Go light, go fast, carry only what you need.

Prussics.

Tea.

Baccy.

Biscuits.

Chocolate digestives.

Mm-hmm-hmm!

[ Laughs ] Alpine style means peeling away the layers that come between you and a direct line to the top of the mountain.

Tent?

No.

No, it's too heavy We'll bivvy in snow holes.

It's just two men, a rope, and the abyss.

Right.

Gas.

1, 2, 3, 4.

How many?

It's beautiful.

Well, it's two days up, two days down, I reckon.

Mm-hmm.

That's three nights.

If the weather holds.

[ Chuckles ] Three cans should do it.

It's also very dangerous.

You scared?

A bit.

[ Laughs ] Still.

Still.

Yeah, it's no fun unless you're scared a bit.

[ Whistles ] Okay.

I think that's us.

[ Chuckles ] I think it is.

Alpine climbing -- like Toni Kurz!

Joe told me about him.

Joe: Simon!

[ Whooshing ] Toni Kurz?

Toni Kurz is my hero.

He did all the most difficult climbs, and he did them simply.

All the way back in the 1930s, him and his childhood friend Andreas Hinterstoisser -- they climbed all over the Alps.

These guys put new routes up everywhere.

Together they practically invented alpine style.

Okay.

And what happened to him?

Well, he died.

I knew it!

I knew it.

I knew he'd die.

They always F*king do in these stories.

No, no, no, sto-- Climbers -- Sis, look, the point isn't that he died.

The point is how he lived.

Look, look.

[ Sighs ] Okay, one summer, they decided to cycle from Germany to Switzerland to take on the last great unclimbed wall.

The...?

Uh, the... Come on.

Come on.

The, um, Ei-- Yeah?

Yeah, yeah.

Eiger, Eiger.

Yeah, north face of the Eiger.

Yes.

Yeah.

See, everyone thought it was impossible.

And they just set off one -- one perfect afternoon.

And a third of the way up, just happen to run into two Austrians trying for the face, as well -- Willy Angerer and Edi Rainer.

Now, these guys -- obviously, they were -- they were fantastic young climbers, too, and so the four of them decided to team up and make an attempt together.

In the cafés in the village below the face, a crowd gathered to watch.

For four days the boys climbed, little dots on a wall of rock, flies on the side of a house... [ Both laugh ] ...just up and up, dancing past places where climbers had failed before.

And they nearly made it.

So, what happened?

Well, high up near the summit Willy Angerer was struck on the head by a falling rock and badly injured, and so they were forced to climb down.

But downclimbing's harder than climbing up because you have to reverse all your moves.

And it took them too long.

And on the fifth day, they were caught in an avalanche.

Hinterstoisser just -- [snaps fingers] just disappeared.

Rainer was -- was pulled off the slope.

His rope caught Angerer and strangled him.

So only Toni Kurz was left alive, dangling over an overhanging ice cliff.

He hung there all night, alone.

Rescuers from the village manage to get very close to him, but they couldn't reach him because their ropes weren't long enough.

"Toni!

Toni!

Toni!"

His right hand froze solid, so he couldn't even cut the rope and try his luck with a fall.

There was nothing the rescuers could do.

There was only 40 feet between them.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And a crowd of thousands watching it all through binoculars, but it doesn't matter how many people could see Toni Kurz.

'cause he was all alone.

And he fought.

He fought.

He climbed.

He cursed.

He hung.

He fought until he couldn't fight any more.

And only then did he turn and say to them soft and clear as a night bell, "Ich kann nicht mehr."

"I can't go on."

It's beautiful.

No, Joe, not beautiful.

Ugly.

Horrible.

Ugly and cold.

[ Whooshing ] Joe?

Joe?!

Joe!

♪ You okay?

Show me the mountain.

Alright.

This wall is Siula Grande.

Okay.

You have to get the scale of it.

The west face is about 4,500 foot high.

Huh.

Now, below the face runs a glacier... ♪ [ Blade slashing ] ♪ ...down into the valley.

On its way out, that becomes a... rock-strewn moraine.

♪ And below that are two -- two, two, two, two, two...

Lakes.

Two glacial lakes.

♪ Right, so, this is base camp.

This peanut packet is my tent.

And... this peanut... is me.

"Hello."

On the first day of the climb, we walk in, past the lakes, up through the valley for approximately six miles.

I came with them.

It was really tiring.

The thing you have to remember is that before we even start, we're already as high as Mont Blanc.

So breathing feels like you're trying to suck air out of a stone.

Now, the first real climbing -- [ Sucking air noisily ] The first real climbing obstacle is here.

It's a steep cliff of ice and rock, with the constant threat... of stonefall.

Joe called it "Bomb Alley."

Oh!

That's where I turned back.

♪ Here, Richard, take a picture.

The two of us just before we set out.

Come on.

You'll make a fortune off this.

You can sell it to the papers.

[ Camera shutter clicks ] For when they print our obituaries.

[ Chuckles ] ♪ That's actually one of the photos I give you.

But, Richard, what happened?

Well, then they picked their way over four miles of moraines.

Really difficult to walk over moraines.

They're big heaps of rock piled up together in a mess.

It's like spilt LEGO.

[ Imitates whooshing ] [ Groans lightly ] You get the idea, yeah?

But eventually they came to the glacier itself.

Now, this glacier's only one and a half miles long, but it took them ages to cross because it's basically a maze... of huge crevasses.

The plan was this -- climb the face and bivvy high around here.

Bivvy?

Sleep.

They're aiming for this.

It's a rising rock ramp which will take them to the couloir.

Hang on.

What's a couloir?

It's a --- It's like a big funnel made of rock.

Just beneath the summit ridge is where they'll bivvy again before traversing to the summit on the last day.

And then back down along the ridge to the col, down the face, across the crevasses of the glacier, over the moraines, through Bomb Alley, past the lakes, and... back to base camp in time for tea.

♪ Well, that's the plan.

This peanut is Simon.

And this peanut is Joe.

[ Whooshing ] And my leg is the rising valley floor.

[ Wind whipping ] ♪ ♪ ♪ With every step the boys take across the glacier, they move closer and closer... ♪ ...to the mighty west face of Suile Grande!

♪ Joe: Climb when ready!

Simon: Climbing!

♪ ♪ ♪ It's 5:00 p.m. on the second day, first day on the face, and they've spent the whole day climbing a huge wall of ice and rock.

Below them is the yawning void.

That's 2,000 feet of teetering emptiness dragging them towards it.

Jesus, my hands are sweating just looking at them.

Feel.

Sarah: Uh, no -- no thanks.

But look at them, dancing up the cliff like flies.

Simon: Climb when ready!

Joe: Climbing!

♪ ♪ They look happy.

Richard: Don't they?

Lost.

Well, they're breaking new ground, putting up a new route, risking everything for the ultimate prize...

The summit.

...a short article in the British Alpine Journal.

♪ [ Wind whipping ] [ Rumbling ] Where are they now?

11:00 a.m. on day three.

So, they're around about here.

Joe: I can't find any F*king protection!

What does he mean?

So, he's trying to get an anchor into the rock and putting a rope through so that when he falls, it catches him.

Right now Joe is roped to Simon, who's belaying him.

So he is safe?

Not exactly.

You see, the higher Joe climbs without protection, the further he'll fall if he makes a mistake.

But the further Joe falls, the more chance he'll rip Simon off the hill with him.

I'll show you.

Okay, uh, this peanut is Joe.

Uh, if Joe falls now at this height, Simon's protection won't hold.

Sarah: And?

What do you mean, "And?"

It would take them 18 seconds to hit the glacier.

Count it.

F*k!

1, 2, 3, 4...

There goes Simon.

...5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18.

Splat, 2, 3, splat.

Richard!

Sorry.

Safe!

[ Wind whipping ] They're working so hard.

Did you know that they're boiling hot when they're climbing, but the minute they stop to take a rest, they start to freeze.

♪ Simon: What time is it?

♪ It's noon.

That's not bad.

Yeah, well, we started late.

Still [grunts] that's 10 1/2 pitches in 4 1/2 hours.

And we're gonna finish this thing, you know.

Not if we can't get past those seracs.

Now, for this next bit, you're gonna need to know what a serac is.

Giant ice cubes?

Ha.

Huge blocks of ice the size of a bus waiting to fall on top of you, and if they do, they'll kill you.

They're climbing under a ticking time bomb.

What do you think?

Yeah, it looks The -- The right looks as if it's blocked by big icicles.

The left's a horrible overhang, but at least it's rock.

I'll try the rock.

♪ [ Whooshing ] ♪ You alright, Si?

Yep, just about.

♪ Crags look iced!

Everything's iced, mate.

♪ You got to get unclasped!

[ Speaks indistinctly ] ♪ F*king hell!

Watch me!

I'm gonna -- Ahh!

♪ Whew!

I got you!

I caught you!

[ Grunting ] Whew!

Safe!

♪ [ Grunts, pants ] [ Laughs ] Your face!

I was sure that was solid.

We'll have to try the other way.

You try.

I'm knackered.

Alright, mate.

But look out.

As I go up, I'm gonna have to knock some of those icicles away.

They look F*king big.

Just shout, yeah?

♪ [ Ice breaking ] Ahh!

Ahh!

F*k!

Joe!

Joe!

You said you'd shout!

Joe: Sorry!

I forgot!

You okay?

Yeah.

My mouth is bleeding.

It's my own fault.

♪ Simon.

What?

Look!

What?

Sarah: What can he see?

Richard: Beyond the seracs, snow.

Snow!

♪ Is snow bad?

It's not good.

Climbers like hard things, rock and ice.

Snow's soft.

It won't hold you.

It hides the rock.

It can avalanche.

I mean, you think it's solid, but it really isn't.

Every single mountain in the world is covered in snow.

That's a very good point.

Uh, but in the Alps, at this height, the snow is thin, so you can anchor into the rock, but here -- here in the Andes, different weather system.

It's like F*king candy floss!

Simon: Let's stop.

Let's rest.

It's too late in the day.

My hands are F*ked.

I'm frozen.

Yeah.

Yeah, we'll -- we'll dig a snow hole here, go for the summit in the morning.

♪ And may you never lay your head down ♪ ♪ Without a hand to hold ♪ May you never make your bed out in the cold ♪ ♪ You're just like a great and strong brother of mine ♪ ♪ You know that I love you true ♪ ♪ And you never talk dirty behind my back ♪ ♪ And I know that there's those that do ♪ ♪ Oh, please, won't you So, they literally dig a hole in the snow and use it like an igloo.

It must be freezing.

Well, it keeps out the wind.

Snow is actually quite a good insulator.

♪ And may you never lay your head down ♪ Without a hand to hold ♪ May you never make your bed out in the cold ♪ Brew?

Ta.

Whew!

♪ A good close sister to me ♪ And you know that I love you true ♪ Joe: Ahh.

Simon: Hey.

That's the last of the gas.

Yeah.

We'll get down tomorrow.

♪ And I know that there's some that do ♪ Wow.

Look at that.

Moonlight over the Andes.

So many mountains.

Hey, Si.

What?

Nobody's ever seen this before.

Nope.

No.

It's just us.

Just us.

[ Laughs ] It really is beautiful.

It is, but...

But what?

Simon: Here, roll us a fag will you?

Joe: No.

I've quit, mate.

Yeah, I know, but there's baccy and papers in my bag.

Would you mind rolling me one?

What is it, my -- my superior rolling technique?

No.

What then?

Fingers are a bit stiff.

Sarah: Frostbite.

Richard: Two middle fingers.

s*t. s*t. Everything in alpine style weighs an advantage against a risk.

Climbing without tents saves weight, so you move faster up the hill, but snow caves take a lot of digging.

Yes, the boys are cozy now, but they it took them two hours to build that cave.

In that two hours, they got very cold.

That has a consequence.

We'll be at the summit first thing.

Should be fine.

Yeah.

What then?

We get back down.

[ Chuckles ] That's not what I meant.

What did you mean?

Well, I just meant we've -- we've given months of our lives for this.

And tomorrow we'll be there, the -- the top of a new route in the Andes.

But by the time we're back down there on the glacier, we'll have already started to forget.

We'll be dreaming of the next hill, a harder one, a higher one.

I mean, I can already feel it, a hunger, a -- a great mountain-shaped void.

We're supposed to be healthy outdoors types, you and me, but do you never think to yourself this is just like any other addiction?

And if we didn't get this from mountains, we'd have to get it from bank robberies.

We'd have to get it from heroin.

He didn't really say that, did he?

No, but it's what he was thinking.

What did he actually say?

We'll be at the summit first thing.

Should be fine.

Yeah.

What then?

We get back down.

[ Chuckles ] That's not what I meant.

♪ I know.

I know.

♪ So, what happened?

I mean, did they make it to the top?

Yeah.

Yeah, they made it to the summit at about 3:00 the next afternoon.

[ Whooshing ] [ Wind whipping ] ♪ Chocolate?

Chocolate!

That's the last of the food.

Yeah.

It's getting late.

We'd better move.

[ Whooshing ] Richard: Things are starting to go wrong.

The weather gets suddenly worse, so they have to make an emergency bivy on the summit ridge, but they have no gas left, so they can't melt snow.

They're -- They're gonna have to get down the mountain before they dehydrate, and they're gonna have to hurry.

This is day four.

Now, meanwhile, I was at base camp, making my way along a more philosophical ridge.

I was making a fire and gazing at the vast, implacable face of the mountain, wondering, "Who am I?

"Where am I?

What am I?"

Richard, Richard, I don't understand.

If they made it to the top, what went wrong?

I mean, surely getting down is the easy bit?

Yes, you would think.

But, see, one thing every climber knows is that 80% of accidents happen on the descent.

Coming down from the summit was tricky.

It's like shaving foam!

They tried to move fast, but soft snow was piled thick along the ridge line, huge, overhanging cornices... [ Simon gasps ] ...hung right out If they picked the wrong line, they'd step out into 1,000 feet of emptiness.

So they traversed slowly, roped together.

And they had to concentrate, for if one of them were to fall, then the other would immediately jump down the other side so as to take each other's weight on either side of the ridge.

F*k!

F*k!

Ahh!

Whoa!

[ Breathing heavily ] Safe!

Safe!

Note to self -- check the descent line next time!

Yeah, note to self -- if there is a next time.

Richard: They thought the ridge ran smoothly all the way down to the col, but it didn't.

There was a big notch.

s*t. Ice cliff!

Looks like about a 50-foot drop!

Have you ever read "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau?

Sarah: No.

It's really good, Sarah.

It's actually been really useful for this book -- Look, Richard!

I can't see a way around!

Joe couldn't abseil down the notch because the snow at the top was too soft.

He couldn't take that secure anchor point.

So he decided to climb down.

Downclimbing is harder than climbing up.

Yeah.

Well, you don't have the same ability to see ahead, and you never know where you're putting your feet.

F*k!

Also, the ice was s*tty.

And they were in a hurry.

I'm gonna go!

I'm gonna go!

I'm gonna go!

So he fell.

♪ Ahh!

In "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau, the author says that to find the truth of ourselves... F*k!

...we must test ourselves against nature.

Ohh!

That it's only by experiencing the wilderness alone... ...that we discover life... Ahh!

...in its purest form.

[ Groaning ] We find ourselves reflected in the glorious mirror that is... F*k!

Ahh!

...nature.

Cock!

Piss!

Simon: Joe!

Joe!

It's really quite profound.

Richard, what's happening to Joe?

When Joe fell, he hit the steep slope and slid 20 feet into a rock.

His lower leg went up into his knee like this and smashed it open.

Ahh!

His thigh fractured near his groin.

[ Cracking ] His perineal nerve was crushed.

[ Cracking ] Ankle was smashed.

[ Cracking ] Joe can't walk a step...

Please.

Please.

...let alone climb.

Simon: What happened?!

I fell!

I feel!

You okay?

No.

My leg's broken.

Leg broke.

Are you sure?

Yeah, I'm sure!

I'm sure.

Okay, wait there!

[ Breathing heavily ] No worries.

When Joe says "No worries," that's climber talk for "really, a lot of worries."

These two men are at 19,000 feet, with no possibility of rescue, on a snow slope this steep and a kilometer high.

[ Gasps ] Simon can't carry Joe.

And if he even tried, he'd probably end up killing himself.

Look, Sarah, this really is the worst possible situation imaginable.

In climbing terms, Joe's basically dead.

[ Both breathing heavily ] Paracetamol?

Ta.

Now Joe thinks... Oh, God.

I'd just leave me here to die, mate.

You don't have to make a big thing of it.

Just -- Just say, "Wait here, mate.

"Stay warm.

I'll -- I'll go and get help.

"I won't make a thing of it.

I promise.

I -- I promise.

I promise."

But he doesn't say it because he doesn't need to.

Simon already knows this.

Simon: You secure?

Yeah, I think so.

F*k!

My rope jammed on the abseil down.

I'm gonna have to climb back up and get it.

Okay.

I won't be long.

No worries.

Richard: Yeah, Simon free-climbed back up the cliff to release his rope.

And this was the most dangerous bit of climbing he'd ever done in his life.

[ Grunts ] It was virtuosic.

And Joe was moving, but he knew he'd never be able to climb back up that cliff, so he decided to contour across the face to avoid the notch and reach the ridge where it came lower down.

He was unroped, kicking steps into a wall on one leg.

If he fell, he was gone.

And Simon watched all this.

He half-wanted him to fall because at least then it would all be over.

But he didn't.

He kicked and kicked and kicked.

And eventually... Joe!

Joe!

Joe!

Joe!

Joe!

[ Both grunting, panting ] You made it!

I made it!

And this is where Simon said something extraordinary.

Okay, what we're gonna do is this.

We're gonna get you down.

How?

I'm gonna lower you.

There's nothing to hold you onto the hill!

I can dig a bucket in the snow, and we'll tie the ropes together.

What about the knot?!

♪ When the knot approaches I'll stop lowering, and you take your weight and tug on the rope to let me know you're secure.

Okay.

Yeah, yeah, okay.

Okay.

Three pulls.

Three.

Yeah.

I'll unhook from the belay device, get past the knot, and we can go again, eh?

Rope length by rope length.

Richard: 3,000 feet down.

How steep?

This steep.

Constantly swept by wind and spindrift.

No shelter.

No anchors.

Simon: No worries.

It's 4:00.

I don't like the look of the weather.

Well, we could dig a snow hole.

No.

No, we've no gas.

We've no water.

If we stay here, it'll kill us.

Ah, no gas.

You see, alpine style -- it's beautiful, but it's dangerous.

So, what do you think?

Sooner we go, sooner it's over.

Okay.

So, the plan was this.

Simon would anchor himself in the bucket seat, take Joe's weight, and lower him.

And they both knew Joe was gonna slide, clattering over steep ice and rock, his limp leg jagging again and again into the cliff face, causing agonizing pain.

You ready?

Ready!

Go!

Joe: Hand over hand, Simon holds me.

Hand over hand, he takes my weight.

Hand over hand, the rope burns into me.

Hand over hand, my leg digs into the snow.

[ Indistinct shouting ] Hand over hand, the rope is finished.

Simon has to change the knot.

Three pulls on the rope.

I call, "I'm steady!"

I'm steady!

Three pulls back.

I brace my weight.

Hand over hand, Simon holds me.

Hand over hand, he takes my weight.

The sky is gray, the mountains white.

Hand over hand, Simon holds me.

Hand over hand, he takes my weight.

The snow seems pure, untouched, a blank page on which we are writing together.

Hand over hand, an epic poem, a poem about an epic.

Hand over hand, and down we go.

Most times you meet an epic poem, it's a story that's been written many hundred years ago.

And all you can do is try and imagine what it was like to be the hero.

But what's this now on Siula Grande?

What's this now with Si and Joe?

An epic poem being written right now, by us, here in the snow.

Three tugs on the rope.

Okay, go.

Okay, go!

Hand over hand, such fierce descending Skin on snow and wind in eyes.

Hand over hand, we're F*king doing it!

Glacier 4,000 feet below.

The pain is easy.

I can take it, like swimming in a freezing sea.

The pain is easy, F*king fills me.

I am pain and pain is me!

I am pain and pain is me.

Cold snow, hot blood, hot rope, cold fear.

We have never been more alive.

In rope, in snow, we write these five words -- "Joe and Simon will survive."

♪ Simon: You okay?!

Joe: Tip-top.

You?

Yep.

Tip-top.

[ Wind whistling ] I reckon we might make it.

I reckon we might.

Richard: They've lowered Joe 2,500 feet, down a sheer ice cliff.

It was brilliant.

Nothing like this had ever been done before.

It was -- It was testament to their teamwork and strength.

♪ They were just a few rope lengths from the glacier.

Again?

Again.

Fuuuuuuck!

Joe would have felt the cliff coming.

Simon, stop!

But he slid over it... Stop!

No!

...into space.

Stop!

Stop lowering!

Stop, Simon!

Simon: [ Grunts ] Come on, Joe!

Come on!

We're F*king doing it, Joe!

Come on!

Come on!

Just a little bit further!

[ Wind whistling ] Joe?

Joooooe!

I held him, but something was wrong.

I'd stopped lowering, but I wasn't getting three tugs back from Joe.

He -- He must have hit an overhang and he couldn't take his weight.

But I thought, "Give him time.

Maybe he can get himself secure."

Joe!

Nothing was happening.

Joe!

My bucket seat was crumbling.

Joe!

Couldn't he try to climb His hands were in a worse condition than mine.

So, what did he do?

What could he do?

He just hung in the wind.

How long did he hang for?

For an hour and a half.

And then?

Yes.

How could you do it?!

It wasn't emotional!

It was practical!

How could it not be emotional?!

Sit here.

You be me.

What?

You be me!

[ Wind whistling ] Okay.

[ Grunting ] [ Wind continues ] [ Breathing heavily ] ♪ The rope is pulled taut with the full weight of a man hanging.

It's dark, and there's a storm is raging round you.

You haven't eaten or drunk for 24 hours.

And frostbite's taking you.

Oww, F*k!

You try to pull him up, but, ah, you're slipping.

s*t!

Frostbite's getting worse.

Joe!

You're gonna have to do something.

Joe!

What are you going to do?!

I'll hold on till morning!

At least then we can see!

No, morning's eight hours away.

You'll be dead by then.

F*king hell.

Joe!

He can't hear you.

♪ I'll walk him down.

Kick steps.

Try it!

Joe!

The rope's slipping!

Joe: Simon!

Simon, stop!

Stop!

You s*tty s*tty F*king s*t... Simon!

The knot!

What are you going to do?

What are you going to do?

What are you going to do?!

s*t!

F*k!

If you do nothing, you'll die!

I don't have another choice!

You have a knife!

Ahh!

♪ Ahh!

Ahhhhh!

[ Sobs ] ♪ It's over.

He's gone.

Let him go.

It's not over.

It's not over.

Joe?

Joe!

Joooooe!

[ Whooshing ] ♪ [ Echoing ] Simon!

[ Echoing ] Simon!

[ Echoing ] Simon!

[ Groaning ] [ Echoing ] Simon!

♪ [ Breathing heavily ] So, you are alive.

Ahh!

F-- Oh, God, it's you.

Bro.

What are you doing here?

You're dreaming me.

Great.

Now, what happened?

I don't know, must have fallen, crashed through that hole up there, into the crevasse.

How are you?

I've had better nights.

You should be dead.

Yeah, I wish I was.

I know.

You've been lying here dreaming your wake.

Was it good?

Not really.

Typical you, dragging us all to the Clachaig Inn... forgetting to provide sandwiches.

[ Both laugh ] And what about you?

You okay?

Yeah, I'm alright.

Bit mad.

No change there, then.

No change there.

♪ Sis, I think I've still got some of -- some of Simon's tobacco.

Roll us a fag, will you?

I can't.

But my hands are frozen to F*k. I thought you'd given up.

Oh, come on, sis, I am dying here.

I can't roll you a cigarette, Joe, because I'm not really here.

Yeah, I guess I'd better roll it myself, then.

Yeah.

♪ No, no!

[ Clattering ] F*k. [ Laughing ] Sis.

What?

I don't want to die.

♪ I have acres of land ♪ I have men at command ♪ I have always a shilling to spare ♪ ♪ So be easy and free ♪ When you're drinking with me ♪ I'm a man you don't meet every day ♪ Look, there must be something you can do.

No, I'm out of options.

Up?

It's an overhanging ice wall.

Try.

Oh, Sarah, I already did.

My leg's broken.

It's -- It's pointless.

Okay, okay.

Sideways.

Where does this ledge go?

Its runs out in both directions.

What about the other side?

The opposite wall is about -- about 20 feet away.

This is a F*king tomb.

Maybe you could send up a signal?

What sort of signal?

I don't know -- a flare?

A flare?

What, from my little flare bag?

From the little bag of flares that all climbers carry around?

This is ridiculous.

Simon!

Simon!

Joe, he won't hear you.

He might.

He'll be up there looking for me.

Simon!

He won't hear you because he's gone.

What do you mean gone?

He wouldn't leave me.

Unless he's dead?

Oh, F*k, he's dead.

My weight will have pulled him off the slope.

Wait.

Wait, wait.

Wait, wait.

But if he's dead then -- then maybe the weight of his body will act as an anchor on the rope.

I -- I could use it to Prusik up the rope.

Pull the rope.

♪ ♪ ♪ It's cut.

He cut the rope.

Simon cut the F*king rope.

Where's Joe?

He's dead.

What happened?

He broke his leg on the hill.

We were coming down.

And he couldn't walk.

And... he was in awful pain.

We made a system.

And I lowered him.

And he slid on his bum 300 feet at a time.

Just sliding down the hill, his leg bumping into rocks and everything, but it was working, you know?

It was working well.

We were doing it.

Then a storm came in last night.

Just started to get hairy.

It was just really steep.

And, um... Joe was suffering.

And -- But we were gonna be alright.

And then...Then... Then what?

I killed him.

Simon killed me.

No, he didn't.

I cut the rope.

What?

He couldn't hold onto you forever.

He didn't know what was happening.

He didn't even know where you were.

He knew exactly where I was.

No, he didn't.

He knew I was on the other end of this F*king rope.

Joe: I shouted.

But there was no way he could have heard me.

I shouted and shouted.

But the wind was so loud and the storm was so close.

I listened.

I couldn't hear anything.

But I thought I heard him screaming.

But it was probably just the wind.

I could feel my strength going.

I could feel myself slipping.

And I didn't know what else to do.

So I held him for an hour and a half.

All Simon knew is that you were hanging over the edge of a cliff.

He couldn't pull you up because he didn't have the strength.

He couldn't lower you because there was no rope left.

Richard: It must have been awful.

You do not cut the rope.

I had a knife, so... You just don't do it.

...I cut the rope.

He fought all night, in the cold, in the ice, in the dark, he fought.

Like Toni Kurz.

He held you for as long as he could.

He fought until all his strength was gone.

What else was he supposed to do?

He had no choice.

-You had no choice.

-There's always a choice.

-There's always a choice.

Oh, F*k sis, I don't want to die.

Then choose something else.

I'm on a ledge 75 foot down a crevasse.

Half my bones are broken.

I have no food.

I have no water.

My hands are frostbitten.

It's minus-20 degrees in here, and there is no chance of a rescue.

Face it, sis.

I am F*ked.

Yeah, you may be F*ked, but you're not dead.

Now, if Toni Kurz were here now, what would he do?

Oh, F*k knows.

If you stay here on this ledge, you're going to die alone.

Now, there must be a way for you to drag yourself up there.

♪ Okay, what are you doing?

I'm putting in an ice screw.

Joe?

I'm going to clip the rope to it and descend.

I'm going down.

Down there?

It's the only direction left.

It's a bottomless pit, Joe.

If I stay here, it'll take days to die.

Frozen and helpless and alone.

At least if I go down, there's a chance that I might find something.

I feel sick.

You were right, sis.

Simon gave me a chance.

But it's not a chance unless I take it.

I need to keep making decisions.

But not if they kill you.

Even if they kill me.

If I keep making decisions, then there's a chance.

If I stop making decisions, then I'm already dead.

Wish me luck?

♪ Wait!

What?

Tie a knot in at the end of the rope.

No.

And what if it runs out before you reach the bottom?

If there's nothing down there, sis, I don't want to dangle.

No.

No.

I'll drop.

At least it will be quick.

Jesus, Joe.

It's alright, sis.

There is always a choice, and this is mine.

♪ ♪ ♪ May you never lay your head down ♪ ♪ Without a hand to hold ♪ May you never make your bed out in the cold ♪ ♪ Please won't you, please won't you bury me -- ♪ Richard... Could you not?

♪ ♪ Sis?

Sis?

Are you still there?

It's me, sis!

Sis, look!

Light!

♪ This must be the bottom.

I seem to be on the floor of the crevasse.

There's a snow slope about -- about 20 yards away which leads up towards the light.

If I can just crawl... along the floor... ...up the slope and eventually... [ Cracking ] I'll be able -- No, no, no!

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Shh, shh, shh, shh.

Sis.

Sis, the floor -- it isn't solid.

Oh, God, it's just a snow bridge.

It could give way at any minute.

God knows what's under it.

Maybe -- Maybe if I -- if I spread my weight I can just slide my way acr-- [ Cracking ] I can feel it going below me.

Sarah!

No, no, no.

Don't shout.

Don't shout.

You'll disturb the snow.

Shh.

♪ ♪ Oh!

Oh!

♪ Sarah!

Sarah, I made it to the snow slope!

Joe Simpson!

This calls for a tune.

♪ ♪ Oh, Christ, this looks really steep.

Well, maybe don't look at it, then.

But it must be at least -- at least 100 feet high.

That's a morning stroll.

Sarah.

I am going to have to pull myself up on my arms.

Piece of piss for a -- for a big strong boy like you.

♪ Hit.

Kick.

Push.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Oh, I'm hungry.

So am I.

Hit.

What are you going to eat when -- Hit -- when we get back to camp?

I don't bloody know, sis.

I've got to get up this first.

I think I'm going to have -- Hit -- going to have beans.

Just a big -- kick, push -- bowl of beans with soft white bread to dip in them.

Grated cheese on top.

Hit.

Kick, push.

A bit of ham.

Oh, and a Twix.

Maybe an After Eight.

Oh, Christ, Joe Simpson, what is taking you so F*king long?

You've been climbing this slope for hours.

I thought you were supposed to be a climber.

Yes, Sarah, I am a bloody climber.

It's just this is hard.

Wait, wait, shh, shh, shh.

No.

No.

No, no, no, no, no.

It's technical.

I need to take it slow, sis.

Kick, push.

No, you don't, Joe.

You don't need to take it slow.

Hit, kick, push.

You don't need to take it slow because... because you made it!

[ Laughs ] I've made it!

I made it!

I'm alive!

I'm alive!

I'm alive!

Whoo-hoo!

Oh, it's a good feeling, isn't it?

It's a great feeling.

Oh, it's the best feeling in the world!

Look at this place, sis.

Isn't it glorious?

So many mountains.

You know, when I imagined the Andes, I thought it would be like the Lake District or something, you know, just scenery.

But it's not, is it?

Just like Windermere.

Slightly more crevasses.

I mean, these mountains go up to the F*king sun!

[ Crunch! ]

Ah!

What the F*k did you do that for?

It's not me, bro.

It's your leg.

But I need to stand to see a way through.

You can't stand, Joe.

Just pull yourself along on your ass in the snow.

No.

No, it'll be like crawling through a maze.

[ Rumbling ] Try it.

Joe: Dead end.

Crevasse.

Try again.

I -- I am.

[ Rumbling ] I can't.

Crevasse.

Try again.

Sarah, help me.

I can't.

Try again.

Sarah, I don't know which way I'm going.

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

What's that?

In the snow.

Look.

Look.

Footprints.

Are they yours?

They can't be mine, Joe.

It's not a yeti, is it?

That's the last thing we need.

A F*king yeti.

It's Simon.

He must have -- He must have bivvied here last night.

The footprints are fresh.

He'd have walked out this morning.

All I need to do is -- is follow the footprints and I'll find a safe way through.

Simon, you legend!

[ Laughs ] Come on, Joe.

Come on.

♪ Focus, Joe.

Focus.

♪ ♪ I made it!

Now you just need to cross the moraines.

Four miles of -- of massive rock, scree, slabs of ice, all piled up in heaps.

Any crevasses?

No.

There you go then.

Bloody marvelous.

Sarah, my leg is smashed.

How am I supposed to move over rocks?

Well, it'll to be hard work but -- Hard work?!

No, it'll be F*king impossible.

Oh, for goodness sake, Joe!

It's always glass half empty with you.

What?

One leg's smashed The other isn't.

So?

You can hop.

[ Laughs ] Hop.

You have got to be F*king joking.

I'm not joking, Joe.

I'm serious.

It's four miles, sis.

Four miles.

Well, what's the other option?

I mean, you're welcome to die here, if you'd prefer.

Have your eyes eaten out by condors.

Or you can hop.

What are you doing?

Karrimat.

Ice ax.

Okay.

Maybe I can make a splint.

This is good, Joe.

This is good.

What are you doing?

I'm burning Joe's clothes.

Why?

Don't need them.

What about his tent?

We can sell it in the market in Lima.

And the rest of his stuff?

What is there?

A couple of paperbacks, his notebook.

Put everything in a bag.

I'll take it to Sheffield.

Give them to his mum.

Ice ax... for a crutch.

A very small crutch.

It'll do.

Now -- Now place ice ax on rock.

Test it's stable.

Lift bad leg forward.

Lift.

Brace body.

Brace.

And hop!

Hop!

[ Screams ] [ Crunch! ]

F*k!

Okay, no, no, this is good, Joe.

This is all good.

Come on.

Come on.

Again.

Come on.

Again.

[ Groans ] Come on.

Come on.

Lift.

Brace, brace, brace.

Hop.

Lift.

Lift.

Brace.

Brace.

Hop.

Hop.

This is...

Lift.

...going to be... Brace.

...a breeze.

Hop.

Ah!

It's working!

It's working, it's working, it's working.

Okay, right, right.

Four miles of moraines.

One mile to base camp.

Five miles equals -- Sarah, Sarah, stop.

Stop what?

Stop what?

Stop what?

The -- The -- The numbers.

They're too big.

I can't think about it in miles.

But you need to break it down into achievable tasks.

Sarah.

So what are you That rock.

I'll make it as far as that rock.

Which rock?

It's all rocks.

That F*king rock.

The rock shaped like a -- like a dying elephant.

Dying elephant?

Yeah, I need to take it one rock at a time.

I'll make it there in -- in -- in -- in 30 minutes.

Alright.

There's nothing else in the whole world, Joe.

Just you, the watch, and the dying elephant.

Yeah.

Go!

Go, sis, go.

Go.

Lift, brace, hop.

Lift, brace, hop.

♪ Come on, Joe.

Come on, Joe.

Come on, Joe.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

Lift, brace, hop.

Made it!

I made it!

What's next?

Okay, uh, that rock!

Rock shaped like a sick dog.

30 minutes, go!

Sick dog.

Go.

Lift, brace, hop.

Sick dog.

Two sad hens.

Two sad hens.

Lift.

Broken heart.

Broken heart.

Hop.

Too F*king slow.

Thatcher's hairdo.

Thatcher.

Lift.

Made it.

Hop.

Sarah: Kidney bean.

Kidney bean.

Egg.

Lift.

Egg.

Stone.

You can do better than that.

It's just a stone.

If you don't name it, you can't focus.

It's just a F*king stone, sis!

It's not a stone, it's...

It's Terry Wogan.

It's Terry Wogan.

Oh, with a crack in his face.

Terry.

Ah.

Fist.

Eye.

Made it.

Tongue.

Skull.

Skull.

Skull.

Skull.

Skull.

Sk-- Richard: Uh, I found this.

In his notebook.

It's a letter addressed to somebody -- Sarah.

Is this girlfriend?

Sister.

Oh, yes, of course.

I'll take it.

Sarah.

What?

How long is it since I had something to drink?

I don't know, it's your mouth.

Three days?

No -- two days, three nights.

No, I'll die if I don't get water very soon I'll die.

There's water at Bomb Alley, just above the camp.

It's three miles away.

Yeah, you might reach it.

No.

No, there's no way.

F*k, sis.

I'm gonna die.

I'm gonna die of dehydration.

Yeah, not very Toni Kurz.

I don't have a choice.

There is always a choice.

Until you are dead.

And you are not dead.

Yet.

[ Screams ] Stop hurting me!

If there's nothing left, use the pain.

Okay.

-It's getting late.

-Is it?

-Have you eaten?

-I'm not hungry.

Thank you.

Look, Simon, if we're gonna go today, then we need to go before it gets dark.

We can't go yet.

Why not?

Joe's money.

What?

Before we left to climb the hill, Joe hid his wallet under a rock.

He showed me the rock so I'd remember, in case anything happened to him.

It had $100 in it.

Okay, fine, so where's the rock?

I can't remember.

Well, have you looked?

Of course I've looked!

All the rocks look the F*king same to me.

It's not like I was really concentrating.

I didn't think it was information I'd have to remember.

I was expecting him to come back.

It's only money, Si.

It's Joe's.

I just need to keep turning over stones.

Joe!

I can't move.

You have to!

I haven't eaten in five days.

So?

In an emergency, your body uses up its fat reserves.

Already gone.

Then it starts to eat muscle.

And guess what -- you have tons of muscle.

Tasty biceps, juicy thigh.

You have miles left in you.

Look -- here's a whole calf!

You s*thead!

I might be a s*thead, bro, but right now, I'm the only thing keeping you alive.

Without me you'd be lying on the glacier drying in the wind like a F*king pork scratching.

So listen to me, Joe Simpson.

I want to die.

Rock shaped like the door for the gents' at the Clachaig Inn.

No!

F*k no.

[ Grunts ] I know!

[ Jukebox turns on ] No.

No, no, no, no music.

But how about this one?

Oh, I like this one.

Oh, God.

I hate this song.

Oh, well, that is a shame, because this song's not stopping until you reach the next rock.

Sarah, please!

♪ Tra la la la la ♪ Come on, show me a motion ♪ What about The Clash?

No.

You like The Clash.

Sarah, I am sliding over broken rock a thousand miles from home.

I'm F*king dying.

The least you could do is sing me something I F*king like.

♪ Tra la la la la ♪ Brown girl in the ring ♪ I should've staying in that F*king crevasse.

♪ She looks like a sugar in the plum, tra la ♪ ♪ Show me a motion, tra la la la ♪ ♪ Come on, show me a motion ♪ ♪ Tra la la la la la ♪ Show me a motion ♪ Tra la la la la ♪ She looks like a sugar in a plum, tra la ♪ ♪ Brown girl in the ring ♪ ♪ Tra la la la la I made it!

I hate you.

Oh, if you don't like the music, bro, go faster.

Now, rock shaped like a coffin.

Oh, God.

♪ Tra la ♪ ♪ [ Screams ] ♪ In the ring Coffin.

Coffin.

Coffin, Joe.

The coffin.

Coffin, Joe.

♪ ♪ ♪ Brown girl in the ring ♪ Tra la la la la ♪ There's a brown girl in the ring ♪ ♪ Tra la la la la ♪ Brown girl in the ring ♪ Tra la la la la ♪ She looks like a sugar in a plum ♪ ♪ Tra la ♪ Show me a motion ♪ Tra la la la la It's the same rock.

They're all the same F*king rock.

I've been going around in circles.

No, Joe.

You have been going forward a day and a night.

We're at Bomb Alley!

Look.

Look!

Water.

[ Water running ] Damp gravel!

Some of the surface snow must have melted in the sun.

It puddled in some gravel.

Drink.

Drink.

[ Slurping ] Now... rock shaped like a table at the Clachaig Inn.

450 meters.

Half an hour.

Go.

It's not far now.

The lake's not far away.

You could be there by dawn.

It's a beautiful night.

It's just the scree and the riverbed left and you'll be back at camp.

You can do it in three hours.

What are you looking for?

Sleeping bag.

No.

No, no, no, Joe.

Keep going.

Keep going.

Three hours.

Go.

You need to keep going, Joe.

I need to rest.

Just for a moment.

Rest, gather my strength, and then -- and then I'll go again.

Don't get comfortable.

I am so far from comfortable, sis.

Joe -- No, no!

No, no!

Don't -- Don't -- Don't -- Don't hurt me any more, please.

Okay, okay, okay, okay.

Just for a moment.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I just need to sleep.

No!

No sleep.

You have to move.

No sleep till Base Camp.

Oh, Base Camp.

You're losing time.

Move now, rest -- rest later.

Base Camp...

Yes, Base Camp.

No.

No.

No.

It's too late.

What?

There's no F*king point.

They've already gone.

Think about it.

Simon would have got back yesterday.

He would have rested and packed.

He thinks I'm dead.

There's no reason for him to wait.

They left.

They left this afternoon whilst I was still on the moraines.

But what if they didn't?

They did.

There's barely a mile to go.

And what if I crawl all night, get there just after dawn, call out into the mist, and no one answers back?

What if I crawl on and -- and come to the flattened grass where the tents had been, feel the warmth of them still on the ground?

Imagine that, sis?

The loneliness of that?

No.

Don't imagine it, Joe.

Don't imagine anything.

Just shut down your brain and crawl like a F*king animal.

No.

No.

Too late, sis.

It's over.

No, no, no, Joe.

Joe.

Joe!

Joe!

Joe!

Joe!

Joe Simpson, if you die here I will F*king kill you!

♪ I have acres of land ♪ I have men at command ♪ I have always a shilling to spare ♪ ♪ So be easy and free ♪ When you're drinking with me ♪ I'm a man you don't meet every day ♪ It's hard to -- It's hard to imagine Joe Simpson dying as I sit here in the warmth of the Clachaig Inn, drinking a neat Jack Daniels and waiting for the dawn.

I wonder what was it like for Joe in those final moments?

So alone, and yet surrounded by the vast implacable beauty of Siula Grande cradling him like a big Peruvian woman... No.

That's not quite right.

It's hard to imagine Joe Simpson dying -- ♪ Joe!

What the hell are you doing here?

I'm dying.

Mate, sit down.

How are you feeling?

Stupid question, isn't it?

Can I get you a drink?

Do you fancy a pint?

I'm writing my book finally.

It's research -- Toni Kurz in the Eiger.

God, it's such a compelling story.

Four young men, together they invent Alpine climbing.

Young and bold, they make an attempt on mighty north face.

Whole world watches, and then disaster!

Do you know it?

[ Laughs ] Yeah, of course you do.

While reading this, I keep thinking about you.

A young man, trying and trying and trying to survive but in the end... he can't.

[ Scoffs ] Life just so near and yet so far away.

I've actually been trying to imagine how lonely that might feel.

Did it feel lonely, Joe?

Yes.

Yeah.

Lonely.

Yeah.

Great.

Is that you over there, in your sleeping bag?

Yes.

Well, I suppose that's how you'll be when they find you.

All curled up, as if you've just fallen asleep.

[ Chuckles ] Actually looks quite peaceful.

Is it peaceful, Joe?

Yes.

Yes.

Great.

Peaceful.

Joe.

Oh, Si.

I'm sorry.

Well, I -- I tried.

[ Chuckles ] I really tried.

But, um... Well, ich kann nicht merr.

He can't go on.

Thanks.

Is that for me?

I am so F*king thirsty.

No, don't drink it.

If you drink it, you'll die!

Oh, Jesus, sis!

Sis, don't take it so seriously.

It's just a dream.

They say that when the oxygen leaves your brain, you -- you get great dreams.

I always wondered what mine would be like.

Turns out its the Clachaig Inn on a summer evening.

Attending my own wake.

Heaven.

It's ironic, isn't it?

What is?

Well, this whole adventure would make such a good story.

Siula Grande.

Rope, glacier, crawl, dreams.

Round the table at the Clachaig Inn.

A real epic.

But the only person who can tell the tale is going to be dead.

Hello.

Oh, F*k off, Richard.

Whoa.

Whoa, sis.

Sis, it's alright.

It's alright.

Richard can tell the story.

"Avoiding The Touch: An Incredible Story Of Survival."

It isn't a story of survival, Richard, if the hero didn't F*king survive.

No, but he did survive?

What?

He means me.

For F*k's sake, no!

Joe?

Wake up!

Wake up!

Wake up!

Why won't you fight?

Honestly, if I was in Joe's position, I would have given up ages ago.

No, you wouldn't.

I absolutely would.

You only think you would, Richard, because it's not your life you're thinking about.

It's his life.

And you don't value his life as much as your own.

It's got nothing to do -- No, you might be a nerd, Richard, but you're still an animal, and when the light is fading, you fight.

You fight with every ounce of strength you have.

Fight what?

Death.

Ay, but to die.

What?

It's Shakespeare.

My English teacher made me learn it at school as a punishment for smoking.

Ay, but to die, and go we know not where; You know it?

It's from "Measure for Measure."

Both: Ay, but to die, and go we know not where.

The weariest and most loathed worldly life that age, ache, penury, and imprisonment can lay on nature is a paradise to what we fear of death.

[ Laughter ] I can't believe you know that.

I don't.

You do.

[ Chuckles ] When do you think I'll get found?

Next climbing season.

You'll be dust by then.

I suppose we'd better...

Yes.

Let you get on.

Yeah.

Really nice to have met you, Joe.

Yeah.

See you, mate.

See you.

Come here.

♪ Sis?

You know its funny, sis, because after everything else, this bit, the actual dying, feels surprisingly nice.

No!

No, you're not gone.

Not yet.

Look.

You're still warm.

There still heat.

Still breath, Joe.

Still life.

Don't go.

Live.

You have to live.

Why?

Why?

To feel.

To rest your arm on a wooden table.

Roll a fag.

Watch the dust dancing in the sunlight.

Daydream.

Hear people talking in a Yorkshire accent.

[ Laughter ] Smell a woman's perfume as she passes.

Listen to a song.

Touch skin.

Dance.

Lose yourself.

Life, Joe -- if you have it, you have to live it.

Why?

Because it's there.

[ Whooshing ] [ Crying ] F*k. "Dear Sarah, If you're reading this letter, there must have been some kind of a F*k-up.

So the first thing I want to say is sorry."

"I'm writing this sitting on a rock in the Huayhuaca Mountain Range at the foot of a mountain called Siula Grande in what we laughingly call Base Camp.

It's basically two tents and a hippie called Richard who wears clown trousers and plays the guitar.

Two things which, as you know, I do not like.

Nevertheless, Richard has agreed to watch our tents for days whilst we're away climbing.

You know me.

Always doing things on a wing and a prayer.

F*k it.

Despite what everyone says, I don't have a death wish.

I very much did not mean to be dead so...

I'm sorry.

I know you don't really get climbing, but I want you to know it brings me joy."

"As I write this letter to you, snow is falling, dampening the writing paper.

I'm settling down for a brew and a sleep.

I just came back from a s*t." [ Laughs ] "The latrine's up among a rockfall about 100 yards from the tent.

You sit on a stone and you look out over a view of mountains and valleys stretching for miles.

It's the most beautiful khazi in the world.

And as I squatted there laying a cable, I just started laughing.

I'm on top of the F*king world.

So I'm sorry I'm dead.

I really am, sis.

But I want you to know I died laughing on top of the F*king world.

Your brother Joe."

No, Joe.

I do not accept.

[ Whooshing ] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ No!

[ Wind howling ] I... ...do not... ...accept!

No!

I... ...do not... ...accept!

[ Groans ] s*t. [ Sniffs ] [ Gags ] s*t. Human s*t. Beautiful human s*t. I'm in the F*king khazi.

Help... Help... Richard: Simon.

Simon.

Simon: Mm?

What?

Did you hear something?

No.

I swear I heard something.

It sounded like a voice.

It was calling.

What did it say?

It didn't say anything, it was more of a... [ Exhales ] Okay.

Richard, you're in the mountains.

You hear ghosts.

It happens all the time.

Does it?

There's nobody out there.

It's just the wind.

Okay, fine.

Richard.

What?

Do you mind turning your light off?

We need to sleep.

Oh, yeah.

I'm sorry.

Spinoza's coming with a donkey at 6:00, remember.

I know, Simon.

I'm sorry.

Simon.

[ Tent unzips ] Hello!

[ Joe whimpers ] Hello!

Joe: [ Crying ] Help me.

Joe!

P-P-Please.

Please, please, please, please.

You're alive!

You're alive!

I'm alive.

I'm alive!

♪ ♪ [ Cheers and applause ] ♪ And may you never lay your head down ♪ ♪ Without a hand to hold ♪ May you never make your bed out in the cold ♪ ♪ Just like greeting some brother of mine ♪ ♪ You know that I love you truly ♪ ♪ You never talk dirty behind my back ♪ ♪ Know that there's ways who would ♪ ♪ Oh, please won't you, please won't you bear it in mind ♪ ♪ Love is a lesson to learn in our time ♪ ♪ And please won't you, please won't ♪ ♪ You bear it in mind for me ♪ ♪ May you never lay your head down ♪ ♪ Without a hand to hold ♪ May you never make your bed out in the cold ♪ ♪ You're just like a good and close sister to me ♪ ♪ You know that I love you truly ♪ ♪ You hold no blade to stab me in my back ♪ ♪ And I know that there's some that do ♪ ♪ Oh, please won't you, please won't you bear it in mind ♪ ♪ Love is a lesson to learn in our time ♪ ♪ And please won't you ♪ Please won't you bear it in mind for me ♪ ♪ May you never lay your head down ♪ ♪ Without a hand to hold ♪ May you never make your bed out in the cold ♪ ♪ May you never lose your warmth overnight ♪ ♪ ♪