(upbeat music)
- Did you ever realize, children,
for thousands of years, people feared mountains?
It was an irrational fear of the unknown.
Afraid of mountains that created
impossible barriers dividing Europe,
even mountain passes were crossed
with superstitious fear.
What devil, what demon was lurking there
to catch the frightened traveler?
- Huh?
(shrieking)
(screaming)
- That was dumb, being so scared.
Yeah, we wouldn't have been scared.
- What, me scared?
No way.
(laughing)
- Mountain climbing really started
being practiced in 1492.
Anyone remember that date?
What does it remind you of?
(laughing)
- 1492, Columbus goes to America.
- You're right, all right, but now
I'm speaking about France.
One day, King Charles VIII summoned
one of his gallant captains, a certain
Antoine de Ville.
- It is not our pleasure to be
confined behind unexplored mountains
that make my subjects cringe before them.
And you have been chosen to aid us in this task.
It is our wish that you lead an expedition
to explore the summits and inform us of the situation.
A royal notary will accompany you
and record your experience.
- Your Majesty, hello.
- [Storyteller] And here's the expedition underway
in the Isere region of France.
As you see, their clothes bear little resemblance
to those of modern mountain climbers.
There's a stone cutter, because who knows,
they may find material for building churches.
A ladder maker, who knows, maybe
they'll need the ladders to climb up.
And all sorts of artists and craftsmen.
Men-at-arms to ward off danger.
Members of the clergy in case evil spirits
have to be dealt with.
- Hey wait, slow down, wait.
- What's surprising is that some of them
actually made the summit of Mount Aiguille
over 2,000 meters high.
- I'm gonna write it down.
I'll write down everything.
What's happening, what's happening?
- The captain's all the way up
and you gotta go up there write it.
- Who me, up there?
- If you want, take my ladder.
(laughing)
- No, no need, I'll attest to it right here.
I, royal notary to the king, I do
herewith swear upon oath in June of 1492,
Captain Antoine de Ville reached the top
of Mont Aiguille in the Dauphine mountains,
thus climbing to a height of 2,000 meters.
- And that was the start of people
confronting the slopes and conquering them.
Time went by, and over the centuries,
men climbed higher and higher,
conquering mountains more and more difficult.
Naturally, there were sometimes tragic incidents,
but nothing could stop these adventurous climbers.
(ominous music)
(yelling)
In 1950, two Frenchmen, Maurice Herzog
and Louis Lachenal, set off to conquer
a mountain in the Himalayas
and they reached the summit of Annapurna,
the first time had climbed 8,000 meters.
But the highest in the world, Mount Everest,
had yet to be conquered, 8,848 meters.
In 1953, a British expedition arrives at Kathmandu, Nepal.
(plane engine roaring)
- Tenzing Norgay, I am your Sherpa.
- Edmund Hillary, a mountaineer.
- John Hunt, British Army.
I'm in charge of the expedition.
- These are some betters who will accompany us.
(cackling)
We will set off tomorrow.
You have time to visit Kathmandu.
You will find it interesting.
(adventurous music)
(chattering in foreign language)
(giggling)
Oh.
(cackling)
- What is that?
- The hair of yeti, it's a very bad.
- It is a genuine yeti scalp.
Most rare, very few in the world,
but most reasonable for you because you are connoisseurs.
Have a close look.
- Curious.
Real hair, stiff and short.
I've already a head this shape in drawings.
Tell me, where did this come from?
- A valley at the foot of the Himalayas
near the monastery of Beling.
Rare but for you I will make a special price.
- Ahh.
- 1,000 rupees, just a pittance.
- I'll pay half that.
- Impossible, now hear sir, yetis are rare.
They are almost non-existent.
It could be yours for 900.
- 600. - Why even discuss it.
We must buy this skull.
- 800 is the price, it's unique.
- 700.
- 750 that is what I paid for it.
- Here you are. (laughing)
- Patel I must now have another yeti skull.
- That will be easy.
(light upbeat music)
- That's fine, now I will turn it into a yeti skull.
(laughter)
There we are, a genuine yeti skull.
(light soft music)
(children crying)
(light soft music)
(pail banging)
- That is one thing you must never do sir.
Here people fear yetis.
- Come on it's time we started our preparations.
(cars zooming)
(light soft music)
- The road ends here, we now start walking.
(light soft music)
- This is really fabulous scenery.
- We still have a long way to go.
(light soft music)
(heavy breathing)
(snoring)
- Ah ah, let's go, everybody up, we're leaving.
- We're too tired.
We do all the work, we need our sleep.
Right boss, it was only a suggestion.
- Careful.
(light soft music)
His bite can bring death.
- Oh ah.
(light soft music)
- Halt, it is a very narrow log.
We all go one at a time.
Now next man.
- Ha ha.
(groaning)
(water splashing)
(laughter)
- Well it takes a little getting used to.
(light soft music)
- Let's go.
(light soft music)
Have a look.
(upbeat music)
Shumo Lumina, the goddess of snow.
For you Mt. Everest.
- The roof of the world and no one's gone to the top.
- Many have tried and many men have died.
- It's marvelous that we are at least here.
(laughter)
(goats baaing) (light soft music)
- Here take a bite, go ahead you'll like it.
Ah whatever you say.
Cut it out, it was only a suggestion.
- The triangle shape, there's the monastery, impressive.
(light soft music)
(children laughing)
- Please sit down children.
Today I shall tell you all about Shumo Lumina,
she's the mother of the snows.
And she rises higher
into the majestic sky than any mountain.
She is pure, only snowflakes can rise up
to her lofty height, a height no man can climb.
- And why is it master that no man
can go all the way up to the top?
- Nothing can live there, the air is too rare.
Only the vulture can approach
and breathe the air too thin for man.
Though I admit there is the yeti.
A creature impossible to catch.
100 times stronger than any man.
- The yeti?
- Yes that's him, I'll show you, here in this box
is the certain proof of the yeti's existence, absolutely.
- Let us look at it.
- No no no no, I don't want to scare you.
But when you're a little older.
- Yes come on show us.
- Go ahead open the box.
- We won't be scared.
- Mmm umm.
- It's just a crazy story.
I never spotted one yeti yet.
- Monks in the monastery saw him.
They even heard his call.
Now and again, I have visions of him.
(dramatic music)
(gasping)
Silence, I see strangers approaching.
Ah they are coming to conquer our mountain
as so many have tried to do before them.
These men may succeed.
Children you may go and see them.
- Now we are at 4,000 meters altitude.
The people here are friendly.
We can set up camp here and get accustomed to the altitude.
(children laughing)
- Gensing, you came back, Uncle Gensing.
- Come now I will introduce you to the llama.
(light soft music)
- I saw you in my dream where you are here to try
and climb Shumo Lumina, as you call it Mount Everest.
Many others have already tried to climb.
Why do you want to go up?
- Why do we want to climb this mountain?
Well because Everest is the highest one.
- According to my visions you may well succeed.
But I warn you, beware the cold,
beware the ice, beware the yeti.
- Is there such a creature?
- Umm.
(dramatic music)
The skeleton of a yeti's hand.
The yeti is half man, half ape and he is this big.
He shies away from man and lives on the animals
that he manages to kill.
- Have you seen him?
- Me, never, but Gupta observed one over there not far away.
Isn't that right Gupta?
- He is a big guy, walks like this, I saw him!
(upbeat music)
- What do you think Hunt, anything to this yeti business?
- I don't think we should dismiss it lightly Harry.
I think you have a right to see this.
Look a footprint that was found at 6,000.
- 6,000 meters? - Yes in the snow.
Look at the size of it.
See the big toe strangely turned outward.
This is a picture of the skull like the one we bought.
And that, that's a sort of composite portrait
based on reports of people claiming to have seen one.
The yeti measures a good two meters.
No wonder he always scares them.
- What I wouldn't give to meet one
and to take one home.
(laughter)
- A yeti rug before a crackling fireplace back home.
- Then you mean there really is a Himalayan yeti?
- Some say they've seen a yeti
at the foothills of the Himalayas.
Some call him the abominable snowman, really who can say.
- Hey come on, does the abominable snowman really exist?
I'm sure you know.
- In good time, you'll find out.
But remember these expeditions had only one objective.
To conquer Everest, the highest mountain in the world.
Not to hunt yetis.
The men organized their camp near the monastery,
making preparations for the assault.
For the Himalayas are dangerous.
More dangerous even than the what?
- More dangerous than the yeti?
(upbeat music)
- All the same, we can't be sure about the yeti.
(upbeat music) (laughter)
Tenzi, would you mind asking your nephew
about sighting the yeti?
- No I'll ask him, hey Gupta.
(speaking in a foreign language)
It was in spring last year.
He was gathering berries near the forest.
Suddenly he heard a growling behind him.
He was afraid, he dropped his basket and ran away.
Hiding behind a tree, he watched the yeti
pick up the basket and eat the berries.
When they were gone, the yeti threw down the basket
and returned to the forest.
- Yeti, yeti, yeti.
- Can I ask him if he'd like to join our expedition?
(speaking in a foreign language)
- He will if his good pal Topke can go along.
- Okay then it's all settled.
- We're here, foot of the place here.
We'll establish base camp one here, 5,100 meters.
Camp two, camp three and here's camp four
at about 6,500 meters, camp seven at 7,500 meters.
Camp eight, bottom of the spur
at 8,000 meters, then we'll see.
(upbeat music)
- Some hairs here.
- Oh the yeti, he passed by here.
Throw them away, they bring bad luck.
- The yeti yet again,
I'm going to end up believing in him myself.
(laughter)
If such a creature does exist,
it surely lives in the forest.
It forages on the mountain.
That footprint was in the snow.
- Thanks.
- Oh it's certain there is one.
- We'll find out, now a little shut eye.
(dramatic music)
- What is it?
What was it a storm or an earthquake?
- The yeti, it was the yeti.
(dramatic music)
- His prints lead that way.
Look!
- We'll check it tomorrow, it's on our way.
Not the slightest trace.
Let's go on up toward the mountain.
(upbeat music)
(chanting)
Let's go.
- No no no no, wait no.
- They won't go any higher, they're frightened.
- We don't care, we'll go alone.
Coming along with us of course.
- Right. - Thanks.
- Let's go, we'll go with them.
(upbeat music)
Yeti, yeti, there.
(upbeat music)
- Right we're here, we'll go on up and have a look.
Rope up, we'll go together.
- All set.
(upbeat music)
- Yeti.
- Right.
I don't see a thing.
Sun is setting, we ought to go down.
Come on let's go.
A bear cub and we thought he was the abominable snowman.
Put it in the cave, surely his mother can't be far off.
Don't play with him.
(bear growling)
Let go of the cub quick.
(bear growling)
Really lucky, let's go.
- You see the yeti?
Well this is the one.
- Not too sure about him but there's a large bear
around here, that I guarantee you.
(light soft music)
- Over that way we can get up.
- Let's try.
(light soft music)
(rocks falling)
- Too dangerous, better look for another passage.
(light soft music)
Whoa.
Have no choice, there's no other way.
We have to get across.
(light soft music)
(rocks falling) (man yelling)
- Are you OK? - Yeah I'm okay.
Can you pull me up?
- 6,500 meters, this is camp four.
We'll have to go down to get our equipment and provisions.
- Look, provisions left by a Swiss expedition last year.
- Chocolate, whoa, and Swiss quality guaranteed.
(dramatic music)
- Hello, 7,500 meters, they'd better put masks,
they need oxygen, otherwise you won't
be strong enough to make it.
- Ah ah ah.
(dramatic music)
(yelling)
(light soft music)
- We're there almost, you think we have a chance?
- We're at 8,700 meters.
It's near but it will be dangerous.
It'll take approximately three hours to the top.
Two more to return.
Not enough oxygen and we're both exhausted.
- Yes you're right, have to go back down.
(wind blowing)
- Hey!
- We're completely exhausted, can't go up.
We're going down, it's your turn.
(light soft music)
- Minus 25 Celsius, there's just enough oxygen.
The weather seems to be clearing up.
It's got to be now or never, Tinze.
- Well then it's now, but first we'd better eat something
to keep up our strength.
Hillary will do it.
(dramatic music)
- I'll bet that's Tibet.
- It is.
- We'll camp here.
(dramatic music)
See we can still breath at 8,500 meters.
- Yes but while we are sleeping, we need oxygen
and there isn't very much.
- We need one liter per minute, I hope we'll have enough.
(light soft music)
Nighty night then.
(wind blowing)
(light soft music)
Okay let's go.
(light soft music)
(hammer banging)
800 liters of oxygen, three liters per minute
means we can manage for four and a half hours.
- That should be enough but only just.
(light soft music)
- No chance.
- What do we do?
- Try over there.
(dramatic music)
Here I go.
(dramatic music)
Now you Tenzi, I'll hold the rope.
(dramatic music)
Look, the summit, 8,848 meters, Mount Everest.
(dramatic music)
(laughter)
- Top of the world. - Top of the world.
(dramatic music)
- You know what an achievement that was children.
What a magnificent triumph.
It was at the time.
Well because nowadays, it's not quite a Sunday outing,
but many tourists climb Everest, if not to the top.
Men will always find new Everests to conquer,
new challenges, you know that.
(upbeat music)