Hillary | PBS | Ep2: Louise

Are you available for lessons? Why not? How's that? Not bad. For a beginner. I might go a bit higher. Suit yourself. G'day, Squire. George Lowe. Ed Hillary. This is easy. Tomorrow's gonna be a real bugger. You alright? You ever thought about the Himalayas? Here you go. Ed. You need to stop gallivanting about in the mountains and pull your weight in the honey business. I do my share. Only just. You need to start thinking about moving out too. You're over 30. It's a ridiculous age to still be living at home with your parents. Percy, please. Well, it is. June's married with two children. Rex is about to become a father again. You just need to find a nice girl and marry her. When was the last time you asked your girl out? Louise. That's Ed Hillary. He's the most amazing climber. He doesn't just cut steps. He builds staircases. Oh. Ah. Ed. Hi, June. Everest. Great terrestrial challenge on Earth. The roof of the planet has always traditionally been attempted from the north. The Tibetan side. But with... Shibden has been forced to look elsewhere. The previously closed mountain kingdom of Nepal is eroding her borders. So I'm mounting a reconnaissance expedition to see if the southern approaches will provide the key to the citadel of Everest. The permits came through, sir. Thank you. Glad to be of help. You're off to India next month? Yes. Mukurt Parbat's never been climbed. We're hoping to be the first. Everest is next. That's the one I'm gunning for. Join the queue, George. Well, it all sounds very exciting. Gentlemen, I'm taking my daughter out to supper. You're very welcome to join us. That's very kind of you, sir. Sounds good to me. Lights up, we can be the ticket. Ed, what do you think? Sorry, I've got an early start tomorrow. Oh, that's a shame. Maybe next time. Excuse me one moment. Ed. You alright? I'm good, George. We're nearly there, mate. What's wrong, George? I think my bloody foot's frozen. I'll have a look. She'll be right. I told you not to buy such cheap boots. It's going to be your own stupid fault if you lose your toes. Easy, easy, easy. Oh, Christ. Sorry, Ed. I don't think there's enough daylight for them to reach the summit anyway. Well, I wouldn't count on that. Hey, lads. Everything alright? Oh, bloody hell, George. Sir, long way coming. Summit close getting. Alright. We might carry on for a bit. Good idea. Take it easy, guys. Yeah, good luck. Hey, great steps, Ed. Thanks. Yeah, bloody good lead, Ed. Let's go. Look at Barbit we'll keep. Any sign of them? No, nothing. Bloody good work. Well done. Cheers. Good job. Congratulations. Thanks, Ed. Well done. Bloody beauty. Well done. We made it. Oh, we did it. Mate. Hey, misery guts. You're still not speaking to me. We're stronger than Ritterford and Cotter and we should have been the first to summit Mukit Pabit. I think we're frozen. You ever lost all feeling in your toes? It's not the mountain that you conquer, George, but yourself. If you're not scared out of your wits by something then you're not paying attention. I'm not getting any younger and this was my chance to bag a Himalayan peak and I've just let it slip through my fingers. I'm done. I'm done with climbing. I'm going to go home, settle down and get married. Marriage? Who do you find having a girlfriend is the minimum requirement for that? Casanova speaks. Ritterford, that's for you. I think you might have inherited another farm, mate. Cotter, that's for you. You have another woman heavy with child. Of course not. We know you're a virgin. Hilary, that's for you, mate. It's from your mum. And the bees, I think they miss you. Oh, and this is for me, from Louise Rose. Lovely. It's from a family. And your dreams. Gentlemen, I've got a letter from Shipton. What? Eric Shipton has written to me. Shipton? He's leading a reconnaissance to Ambrose. We know. What does he want? We are about to leave Darjeeling and head north to Nepal. Some of his climbers are unwell and they would like some more manpower. Wonderful! Provided we bring our own food and supplies, any two of our climbers are welcome to join them. Two of us? Correct. Obviously, I'll be going and I'll decide later who'll join me. Like hell you will. I did most of the organising for this trip. No, you didn't. You did most of the talking. Whose letter addressed to? It doesn't matter who the letter is addressed to, the point is that I only... Guys, guys, guys! Shipton has written to me asking... It's Everest, OK? It's something we've all dreamt about. Every climber has. But if we can only send two, they should probably be our best. Absolutely. I don't know who second best is, but Ed's definitely the strongest. Well, I have been going OK at the moment. You wanted to go back to your bees yesterday. Well, I've changed my mind, George. I can keep up with Ed. Keep up? Who got to the top of Mukit Parbat, George? Elvis, beside the point, I am the better climber and you know it. Please, remind me. Who got to the top of Mukit Parbat? Mukit Parbat has nothing to do with it. Guys, guys, guys! You sort it out, OK? I'm going to get something to eat. Ed, who's the stronger climber, me or Earl? It doesn't matter. Do you have the money? Allow me to pay for these, gentlemen. Oh, it's fine. Dear Dad, I've been invited on Shipton's expedition to Everest. A chance of a lifetime for any climber. I simply couldn't refuse. Apologies for the short notice. I didn't mean to leave you and Rex in the lurch. It all happened very quickly. This is crazy. Ed! Do you realise by the time we get back, we'll have been away from home five months? Five months! We need our bloody heads read. Please forgive your erring son. Love, Ed. Go on, Earl. Full finger. Namaste! Namaste. Are you Kiwi? Yes, we're Kiwi. Shipton say we're waiting. Close to getting. Oh, thank God. Hold your horses, Earl. I stole a library book once. Well, I won't tell anyone if you don't. An NDTV. Why are you Eric Shipton? The man's a legend. What's he going to think of a couple of rag-arse Kiwis from back and beyond? Maybe this isn't such a good idea. Take a deep breath, Ed. For Christ's sake. Dom! Yes! Namaste. Eric Shipton. Glad you chaps could make it at such short notice. Riddiford. Earl Herbert Riddiford. Pleasure to meet you, sir. Likewise. Derek. Ed Hillary. Pleased to meet you, Ed. You too, Eric. Well, your chaps must have moated. Bush Telegraph said you were still days away. Charles Evans. Ed Hillary. Michael Ward. Tom. Ed. A toast, I think. To Everest. It's brewed downstairs. Doesn't travel. For 30 years, Everest has repelled a succession of assaults, including several of mine. It's as if there's an invisible barrier at 28,000 feet, beyond mere mortals are not permitted to tread. Could very well be the upper limits of human endurance. Who knows? What we do know for sure is we pay the ultimate price for the simplest of mistakes. In 1935, I was ascending the North Ridge when I found Paul Morris Wilson, vanished without trace the year before. His knees were drawn up. He was in the shreds of a jacket, flannel trousers. One of his boots was missing. I retrieved his diary. We wrapped his body in the remains of his tent, dragged it to the lip of a crevasse and tipped it in. He's up there still, moving in the belly of a glacier, slowly being ground to paste. His last entry was off again. Gorgeous day. Well, I'm glad he got that at least. Sherpas call her Chomolungma, Mother Goddess of the World. Tibetan monks believe that a golden sparrow and a turquoise lion stand guard at the summit. They believe Chomolungma is sacred. Out of bounds. Old wife's tale. An old llama's tale. Not quite the same thing. Tomorrow, Ed, you and I will team up to scout for a new route. Oh, my God! Ed! Ed, look! That's amazing. No one's ever seen this before. We're the first humans to ever lay eyes upon this vista. Not even the Sherpas? Not even the Sherpas. They don't come this far. Why would they? It's above the yak pastures, it's freezing, it's the abode of the gods. I think I can see a route up through there. Stay there. Dear boy, this is what we came for. This is the key to the Citadel of Everest. Mountaineering's greatest prize is within our grasp, gentlemen. Next spring, when the snow's right, we'll have a decent crack at Everest. I presume he's chaps at starters? Oh, you bet, if Jenny agrees. Rosemary's always pleased to see the back of me. Footloose and fancy free, that's me. Oh, Eric, dear boy, how splendid to see you again. Welcome to Kathmandu, gentlemen. Well, we're not all gentlemen. Some of us are just the Kiwis. Quiet. Mr. Summerhays, Bill Rediford. Pleasure to meet you. Excuse me. Could I have a word, Eric, in private? You made the front page. They used it. Good show. When I sent the story, I didn't think they would. It was front page news in Zurich as well. Really? Yes, fortunately. Is everything okay? The Swiss have applied for and have been granted exclusive access to Everest. Next year, using our route. They can't do that. Can they? They can and they are. So no Everest, then? Mountain it. Thank you. Good to see you, Ed. Thanks for coming. Welcome home. I heard about the Swiss. Rotten luck, I'm so sorry. Ed, this is my wife, Phyllis. Hello, Mr. Hillary. Jim goes on about you so much, I feel I know you already. And this is my daughter, Louise, who I think you've already met. Yes, you came to the Alpine Club, but not to supper. You played beautifully this evening. Thank you. We're going on a tramp this weekend. You should come along. I think you should come this time. Slow down, you two. Not a race. Hello. Hi. What took you so long? That wasn't long. You're doing very well, Jim. Thank you, Ed. We were just saying, it'd be lovely if you'd come round and tell us about your adventures in the Himalayas. Thank you. I'd really like that. Terrific. Have you come for dinner? Later on in the week. You'll be good, darling. Yes. Is that you? That's me. Typical of the Brits to assume that Everest was theirs and nobody else would consider climbing it. Yes, well, I asked them to do it. You two? Oh, sorry, sorry, Ed. So what are you going to do now? Shipton's planning an attempt at Chuiou in the spring. George and I will tag along for that. Yeah, it's a ticket. Best to keep fit, isn't it? Just in case the Swiss don't actually, you know... I'd better be shooting off. Nice to see you, Ed. Drop by again. Thanks, Jim. Bye, Ed. Lovely to see you. I'll walk you outside. Everest is only 25 miles from Chuiou so I'll have that looming over me every day. And I'll probably spend every spare second tormenting myself about the Swiss. Try not to let that worry you. Just focus on the things you can control. True. Easier said than done, though. You'll be great. Good luck, Ed. The best chance of reaching the summit, Eric, is to go straight up the North Ridge. Now that's the route we have to take if we're going to have any chance. I can't allow that. We'd be crossing into Tibet. Chinese border guards are heavily armed, notoriously trigger-happy. The Red Army's not going to be patrolling at 22,000 feet, Eric. Come on. I'm not going to allow an international incident. Sorry. How are Tong and Charles? Still got the squitters. Earl might have pneumonia. Jesus. The Sherpas? Four down, three coming down, two on the mend. Are we on the Austrian front? That's what I want to talk to you about. The second batch are faulty as well. We're going to have to call this expedition off. Well, if that's the case, then George and I might scoot over to Everest and see how the Swiss are getting on. You two are gluttons for punishment. Namaste. Chomolungma. Swiss top. Everest. Sydney. Sydney, I don't... Swiss top. Seven side. Top getting. Seven side? How do they get seven to the top? No, they can't. That's not possible. Swiss sahib. Top getting. Swiss sahib, top getting. Not top. Shoulder. Shoulder getting. Oh, shoulder getting. Oh, Swiss sahib, shoulder, not top. Oh, they didn't make it. Thank you. Namaste. No top. Sahib getting winter. What? Sahib getting winter. Swiss. He'll be back this winter. Oh. This winter. Two guys. Bloody hell. Um, namaste. Thank you. Namaste. Oh, sounds like Louise is home. So what brings you up our way, Mr Lowe? Lectures at Teachers Training College. Oh, what are you studying? Oh, no, I'm not attending them, Mrs Rose. I'm giving them. It's far less taxing, I find. Oh, Louise would like to be a music teacher, wouldn't you, darling? Maybe. Would she have to go to training college to do that, Mr Lowe? Well, in the first instance, she needs to be a very talented musician, and she already is. I'll make another pot. Oh, I'll help you. I'll supervise. This is my forte. What went wrong on Chuiyohu, Ed? You mean apart from the poor planning? The poor food? The poor oxygen equipment? And the poor fitness of the English climbers? You put it like that, he's shipped in the best man to lead the British expedition to Everest next year. Assuming the Swiss fail again. You've got to be joking. Eric wrote the Bible on climbing in the Himalayas. He drove us mad at times, but Everest without Eric is unthinkable. Assuming the Swiss fail again. Thank God. Raymond Lumbier in Tenzing, Norgay. He's the Sherpa they call the Tiger of the Snows. Now, the Swiss made a tremendous effort. They got very high up on the Southeastern Ridge, and they had a terrible night up there. They had no sleeping bags, no food. They had no stove, so they couldn't melt snow, so they had no fluids. Lumbier, he shook and slapped Tenzing all night to stop him from falling asleep. Because he knew that if they nodded off, they would freeze to death. In the morning, they kept going for five hours. In a howling gale, crawling on their hands and knees. And they only turned back when they knew that if they carried on, then they would die. You'd turn back, wouldn't you? Well, if I was close enough, I might give it a nudge. Promise me you'd turn back. Even two steps from the top? Yes, even two steps from the top. Ed, do you dance? Ah, I have once. I think I've claimed more toes than frostbite. Well, I love dancing. And I bet you're really good at it too. A bunch of us are going to the Rock Scenic Saturday, and anyone can come. That sounds great. I like Ed. Me too. Do you think it matters that he's 31? No. Me neither. Watch where you're going. Parents usually wait outside. Sorry, I've just seen a friend of mine. Excuse me. May I have this dance? Excuse me, I've just seen a friend of mine. Excuse me, is there a taller, older gentleman in there? How old? 20, 25? 31. Over six foot? No, sorry. Hey, can I have the pleasure of your company in this dance? Oh, no, thank you. I've heard one or two things about it, but I don't know. I've written to Ed and George. Hercules Mustard. Eric, dear boy. Heard about Chew Yew. Rum business, eh? Had trouble with oxygen, they tell me. Sir Malcolm, there were... Yes, you're right. Damn filthy stuff. Ah, quick word, Eric. Alone, if I may? Excuse me. As you wish. Your report on the Chew Yew expedition is highly critical of the campaign. Yes, it is. A lot of things went wrong. Bit of a shambles, really. For God's sake, Eric. It was your expedition. You ran it. You've done yourself no favours with this. I have to warn you. There are moves afoot to replace you as leader of next year's expedition. The old notion of gallant failure on Everest is no longer acceptable. Our young queen will be crowned next year. And we owe it to her, and to Great Britain, to place the Union Jack on the summit. The French have booked it the year after. So this is our last chance, Eric. Our last chance. Which is why we've invited Colonel Hunt to join us today. He was chief instructor of the Commando Mountain and Snow Warfare School during the war. Top chap. You'll like him. Real mountaineering is about man pitting himself against nature on an equal footing. Only a rotter would resort to oxygen. Well, that's not how the Swiss and the French see it, sir. Why should we be any different? Because we're British. For my part, I'd much rather fail on a mountain without oxygen than succeed with it. I've been offered dual leadership of the expedition. What the hell does that mean? I'm to share command with a Colonel Hunt, who they assure me is a tremendous thruster. You can't have two leaders on a show like Everest. That's what I told them. Mr. British gentleman, good luck. Now, if Everest is to be climbed, it's absolutely essential we work together as a team. To that end, I will only be selecting men I have met and assessed in person. What about the Kiwis? It isn't possible to meet them in time now, so no, they won't be coming. Hillary and Lo are outstanding climbers. They know all about giant icefalls. We don't. I don't doubt that, but there can be no exceptions. You do that, Colonel. John, please. Call me John. You do that, Colonel, and you'll be gifting the mountain to the French. Good luck. They replaced Eric with a British Army Colonel, which makes me suspicious for a start. Don't be too hasty, Ed. You don't know the man. Exactly. That's my point. I told London I'm resigning unless they reinstate Eric. You can't do that. I have, Jim, and I'm sticking to my guns on this. Oh, we saved the time. Hello, Louise. How are you? I'm fine, thank you. Are you off somewhere? I'm going to Sydney. Sydney? Yes. She's won a three-year scholarship to the Conservatorium of Music. Congratulations. Come on, we'll be late. Louise. You left me on my own at the dance. I know, and I'm very sorry. I looked everywhere for you. I was worried about you. I saw how young everybody was. I thought you deserved somebody closer to your own age. Somebody with better prospects. George is keen on you. Well, I decide who's right for me. I decide. It's my choice. I tried so many times to pluck up the courage to ask you out. Well, you should have. Ed, you should have. Three years in Sydney? It'll pass quickly. You'll have Everest to think about. I'm not going. I resign. But it's what you've always wanted. It's not all I've always wanted. Will you write to me? Do you promise? I promise.