DRAMATIC CLASSICAL MUSIC I'm Kevin Biggar. I'm Kevin Biggar. And I'm Jamie Fitzgerald. And we're modern-day adventurers, who have travelled all over NZ. In the past few years, we've traversed some of the most dangerous mountains,... I left my ice axe! ...wildest rivers and rugged trails. Oh! Now we're stepping back in time, retracing the footsteps of early pioneers,... Whoa! bringing the past back to life with tales of heroic rescue attempts,... (GROANS) Just take it slow, Kev! ...shipwrecks... Oh no! ...and deadly pursuits,... It's getting deep! ...where human endurance is pushed to the absolute limit. GROANING This week, we're on the eastern base of La Perouse in the central Southern Alps. Two guides and two clients are climbing the hardest peaks of the area. The two clients ` millionaire's daughter Ruth Adams and a young beekeeper by the name of Ed Hillary. Watch for the sink below me, mate. But at 3000m, and hanging from a single rope, Ruth Adams' luck runs out. While the others go for help, it's left to Hillary to keep her alive. Just try and go in a little bit longways, cos then you'll give us a roof. But when help arrived, why did they choose to carry on toward the summit,... Oops! Just take it slow, Kev! ...with the lives of the whole party put at risk? Yep, keep it going. You all right, Kev? You all right, Kev? I'm good. Long before Everest, this Hillary tale may be the most improbable of all. Oh! Oh! LAUGHTER Copyright Able 2014 ELECTRONIC MUSIC We're flying towards Aoraki Mt Cook, NZ's highest mountain. Nestled around Aoraki Mt Cook are 18 other 3000-plus-metre peaks. And one of them, towering above the Hooker Glacier, is La Perouse. In early February, 1948, both peaks were to make headlines, and the same climbing party was to be involved both times. First, it was Aoraki Mt Cook on Waitangi Day. The climbing party ` two guides and two clients ` made the first ever ascent of the rocky and difficult South Ridge. The guides were Southern Alps veterans Harry Ayres and Mick Sullivan. Harry Ayres was considered NZ's greatest climber of the time, and prior to the South Ridge climb, he'd already climbed Aoraki Mt Cook nine times. Sullivan was a young, strong West Coaster, the son of his namesake, Mick Sullivan, the man who bought the hotel at Fox Glacier. The clients were Ruth Adams ` the daughter of baking magnate Ernest Adams ` and a young climber recently demobbed from the air force, with a name of Ed Hillary. On February the 9th 1948, just three days after their successful ascent of Aoraki Mt Cook's South Ridge, Ayres, Sullivan, Hillary and Adams set off to climb the remote La Perouse. But near the summit, Adams was involved in a terrifying fall. And so was set in motion one of the most incredible rescue missions attempted anywhere in the world. Brr! It's a bit of a cold start. Brr! It's a bit of a cold start. I know. Look at the bags already! Brr! It's a bit of a cold start. I know. Look at the bags already! The bags are all frozen over. Our old friends the boots. Oh yeah. Oh, check this out ` modern mountaineering techniques that, uh, moved to the times, and they had the old karabiners too. Sounds like a great improvement in our safety. Sounds like a great improvement in our safety. Oh yeah. What have we got here? Old World War II army pants. That makes sense. It was 1948. Looks like these ones might have seen a bit of action. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) Oh no. Oh yeah, here we go. The old Ed Hillary hat. Famous. Oh yeah, here we go. The old Ed Hillary hat. Famous. The rope. What do you think, Jamie? Looks in pretty good shape. What do you think, Jamie? Looks in pretty good shape. BOTH: Um... No tent. There's no sleeping bags. No stove. They were only planning on an up and back, weren't they? Unfortunately, it's gonna be a bit longer than that. In a party of some of NZ's greatest ever climbers, Ruth Adams may appear to be the odd one out. But she could more than hold her own, being one of the best female climbers and alpine skiers of the day. Yeah, I'll just keep that rope on your side with me. With a combination of good conditions and the skill of the climbing party, the four had made good time and reached the main divide at 7 in the morning, three hours after setting off from Gardiner Hut. Gee, that reflection on the ice is gorgeous, eh? Gee, that reflection on the ice is gorgeous, eh? Beautiful. (PANTS) Here the ridge composed of snow and ice, and it broadened out before dropping off steeply into the west. But the travel along the easy ridge soon gave way to something much harder. As they made their way cautiously up the ridgeline, they found the rock was very unstable. Quite large pieces were just ready to topple, one way or the other. Not so bad if you're in front, but, uh, not much fun if you're in the back. (GRUNTS) Oh yeah. Dropping away, eh? That one's heading to the West Coast. As the party worked their way along the ridge, their way was blocked by a large crevasse, which forced them off the tops and on to the slope. Ed and Harry led the way. The more they made their way down the slope, it got steeper and steeper, till it became almost impossible to cut steps. As they looked up, they could see there was a much simpler way. There was just a rocky outcrop which you could use to, uh, throw a rope around and then let someone down. So they caught up to the other two to start doing that. Sullivan had a high-quality rope that he used only for important clients, such as a millionaire's daughter. But what no one knew was that the rope inside was slowly rotting. Hillary was the first to be lowered on that same rope into a crevasse. The future conqueror of Everest hanging over a 1000ft drop on just a few decaying threads. Then it was Ruth's turn. Below her, down at the bottom of the ice slope, was a 1000ft drop to the glacier below. Now, in any of these kind of circumstances ` you know, it's critical ` you've got to trust your teammates and your equipment. And 99.9% of the time, it works out. Except in this case, Ruth just took a couple of steps and the unthinkable happened. The rope snapped, and they could only just watch, horrified, as she hurtled out of control down the steep slope. She tumbled over some rocks and some big chunks of ice, kept on going, but just before she flew over that 1000ft drop, one thing stopped her ` a rock that stuck out of the ice. As she lay on the rock, they didn't know if she was alive or dead, but what they did have to do is get down to her as fast as they could. Sir Ed said it was the fastest 100yds done on crampons in the Southern Alps. Now, we've been wanting to do the Ruth Adams story for years, but we've just really struggled with understanding how we can add in a patient to rescue. And finding someone who wants to do it. And finding someone who wants to do it. (LAUGHS) But we've come up with a fantastic replacement for Ruth Adams. We've got her niece Ximena Nelson. Now Ximena, mountaineering's pretty much in your blood. Your aunt Ruth was obviously a keen mountaineer, Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Your mother was a skier. You were put on skis at 2, weren't you? Yeah, I was. Yeah. Yeah, no, I was brought up on mountains, that's for sure. Tell me, what was Ruth's state when they found her? She was pretty bloody and bruised. She had a broken arm. Uh, and it turned out later on that she had a broken back as well. So at this point, Ruth is covered in blood, she's concussed, she's in a lot of pain. The first thing to do is get her to a safe spot. We can't leave her here. We've got to get you to the top of the slope. We've got to get you to the top of the slope. So you just relax a minute. You're in good hands. You're in good hands. You've got nothing to worry about. You're in good hands. You've got nothing to worry about. (LAUGHS) I might have preferred Ed Hillary, Harry and Mick. I might have preferred Ed Hillary, Harry and Mick. BOTH LAUGH Good call. Had the party set itself a task of finding the most inaccessible spot in the high central alps in which to have an accident, it could hardly have done a better job. (GROANS) Right. (GROANS) Right. Light as a feather. Are you gonna be able to stand up, Kev? And I'll put my arm under. Hillary wrote that they got Ruth up the first slope only with great difficulty. MEN PANT, GROAN MEN PANT, GROAN It's soft, eh? One, two. And it seems he's not one to exaggerate. You had a step? You had a step? Nah, nah. (GROANS) Got her? Got her? Yeah, I've got it. Have you got a step? Uh... Uh... I'm on a knee. (GROANS) MEN GRUNT OK, she's on my knee. (PANTS) (PANTS) There you go around, Kev. There you go around, Kev. MEN GRUNT MEN PANT Man, I'm glad to get to the top. Man, I'm glad to get to the top. That was exhausting. One thing what's clear for me, after doing that, was that as close as The Hermitage is, there's no way they were gonna do it with three people. They were gonna have to get more in to help, and that was gonna take time. First of all, they had to get Ruth safe. Speaking of Ruth... Hey, Ruth, how do you feel? Well, if she was in pain beforehand, I think she would have been in agony going up there, so I hope she was unconscious most of the way. so I hope she was unconscious most of the way. You talking about the chairlift? It looked comfy to me. It looked comfy to me. (LAUGHS) Sorry guys. Sorry guys. ALL CHUCKLE OK, let's get her safe. Let's get her safe. With Ruth unable to walk and the party hours from Gardiner Hut, they would now have to spend the night out in the open. History told them that, with her injuries, she was unlikely to survive until morning. We're in a remote part of the Southern Alps, exploring the dramatic 1948 rescue attempt of climber Ruth Adams. Traversing a snow slope, Adams' rope snapped. Falling hundreds of metres, she struck a boulder that stopped her plummeting to her death. With a suspected broken back, her only hope now lay with her alpine guides, Mick Sullivan and Harry Ayres, and her climbing companion, Ed Hillary. The choices the three men now made would be the difference between life and death. When they left Gardiner Hut that day, they were only prepared for a day tramp, so they had no stove, no sleeping bags and no tent. So if the weather turned against them, like it has done on us, their only chance of survival was to build a snow cave. Oh yeah, this looks good. > Their plan was for Sullivan to head back to Gardiner Hut to try and get some supplies and for Ayres to head all the way back to The Hermitage to try and raise the alarm. But of course, for Hillary, that meant that he had to build an ice cave and keep Adams nice and warm. OK, I've got you, mate. OK, I've got you, mate. Ooh, it's just new snow here. Is it? Is it? Hopefully there's an ice bridge. Is it? Hopefully there's an ice bridge. OK. Just try and kick in some sort of stance or just test it all as you go in. Soon after Hillary started, the weather turned, the mist started to roll in. He began to freeze, cos he'd taken his jersey off, as had the others, to put on Adams to keep her warm. The good news was that she, uh` she became conscious and even started to make jokes about how she'd been missing out on all the fun in the last couple of hours. She was in a huge amount of pain, though. For Hillary, he would have surely been doing the maths. It was at least six hours for Sullivan back to Gardiner, six hours back at least, and that didn't account for the time it took Ayres to get to The Hermitage, raise the alarm and for rescuers to get here. Hillary must have realised they were up here for at least two nights. It took Ed about six hours to build a cave just 6ft deep, 4�ft wide and 4ft high, cos he was chipping it out of ice like this. The good thing is, having weather as lousy as this really incentivises you to go fast. Just try and go in a little bit longways, cos then you'll give us a roof! It's a good way to keep warm! As difficult as Hillary's task was, it was nothing compared to the guides. Sullivan was facing a 12-hour trek to Gardiner Hut, and then back to the snow cave. Ayres' journey was even more epic. He would need to race down the dangerous and heavily crevassed Hooker Glacier. In normal circumstances, it would be a hard two-day slog. Meanwhile, high on La Perouse and with the weather rapidly deteriorating, Hillary was intent on doing everything he could to keep Ruth alive. (GRUNTS) What, are you gonna sit her`? Should we`? (GRUNTS) What, are you gonna sit her`? Should we`? Lean next to me. Get up here. (GRUNTS) There you go, Ximena. You all right? You all right? How's that? (PANTS) (PANTS) Oh my God. (PANTS) Oh my God. (LAUGHS) (GRUNTS) Must have been a huge relief for Hillary to get out of the` the bad weather. But it was still pretty cold, though. But he said he tried this other trick which worked very well. He lit a candle, and that made a big difference. Come on. I don't want to breathe. I don't want to breathe. I still don't. I don't wanna breathe. Don't breathe. WHISPERS: Hold it upside down. So, what do you think? Is it making a difference? So, what do you think? Is it making a difference? (SIGHS) Maybe a tiny bit. I dunno. If Ed was really pleased about this, maybe he had a bigger candle. Or a lot more of them. So now it would have been a pretty anxious time for Ed, just waiting to see if Sullivan would return. Yeah, I mean he was on his own. He could have had an accident halfway down the Hooker. And at best, it wouldn't have been until, what, 11pm? Right. Right. If he was gonna get back that night. After dark. After dark. After dark. But at 10 o'clock, after a superhuman effort, Sullivan, he found them in their snow cave. And with him, he brought some things. He brought some food. He brought a sleeping bag for Ruth. CHUCKLING CHUCKLING Excellent. But unfortunately, mate, didn't bring a sleeping bag for himself and Ed. What have we got? Oh. Oh. Some oilskin covers. (SCOFFS) I suppose it's better than nothing. I think we're all gonna be fighting over the candle. I think we're all gonna be fighting over the candle. (LAUGHS) Don't breathe. Don't blow it out. Without Ed's snow cave, it's doubtful that Ruth would have lasted more than a few hours in the bitterly cold conditions. Snow can be a surprisingly good insulator. Outside it can drop as low as minus-40 degrees, while in the cave, it's a balmy and survivable zero. We've done this a few times before, Jamie, but this one's a bit different. A little bit different. Hello, everybody. You're looking a lot better now. You're looking a lot better now. Yeah, I've recovered miraculously. You're looking a lot better now. Yeah, I've recovered miraculously. This is so strange. Sorry to cramp your style. No, it's good. It's certainly good to be out of that weather. That was rough outside, that blizzard. And from what it was before that, it's just such a change. When we were coming through that crevasse, wind and snow was circulating all around. It was horrible. But this is just the weather that Ed was hoping they wouldn't get up at 10,000ft in the ice cave. Yeah. Yeah. And I don't know if it's really struck him in his book Nothing Venture, Nothing Win when he talks about the despair he felt, being left alone up the top. I mean, there was every chance that they wouldn't make it. What about your aunt? What do you think she was feeling? Well, she was... She'd climbed a fair bit, so she probably knew that they were in a bit of a pickle. She was also a med student, so she probably had some idea of what kind of stuff was wrong with her, um, and I know she was in a lot of pain, so she would have been, I suspect, feeling a bit lonely, quite frankly. Despite the illustrious ` or soon to be illustrious ` company. (LAUGHS) Despite the illustrious ` or soon to be illustrious ` company. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) > TENSE MUSIC In 1948, Ed's snow cave had done its job, but they were still in deep trouble. But then from overhead came a steady drone that made their hearts leap. There he is! This was great news. It was the first sign that Harry Ayres made it back to The Hermitage and managed to raise the alarm. and managed to raise the alarm. And that a rescue must have finally started. This was a great opportunity to send a message to the outside, so they jumped up and started to scratch the words 'OK, all well' into the snow. There was one thing they noticed about the plane ` it started looping around and around them. And another thing, it was coming in low and slow, as well as being buffeted heavily by the wind. Then it did something very surprising. Oh! Muz! Come on, Muz! CHUCKLING: Wow. CHUCKLING: Wow. Wow, look at that! It's amazing it stayed all in one piece. It's amazing it stayed all in one piece. Yeah. Oh, it did great. Looks a bit like they've flown in a corpse or a mummy. Fantastic flying. Ah, sleeping bags! What's this? Oh, we've got a tent. What's this? Oh, we've got a tent. That's a big improvement over the snow cave. Oh yeah, they would have loved that. Drink bottles. Got a few bits and pieces. They were delivered some food and some painkillers. Although she may not have been thinking about it, Ruth would have been very happy about. Rope, so now you've got some options when it comes to getting Ruth out. Rope, so now you've got some options when it comes to getting Ruth out. Oh yeah. Now the great thing about having the food is it meant if the weather did turn against them ` remember, they're up higher than 9000ft ` that they could survive a storm. What else? What else? Here we go. This looks like a bit of torture/picnic table. A stretcher. A stretcher. Wow. Perfect, though, cos now four people or six people can` can take a rope each and get her out. The rescue of Ruth Adams was now underway. Two men, and an injured woman, stuck on a mountain top at least six days' travel from civilisation. In their way, some of the most dangerous terrain known to man. Just how would they get a stretcher through sections that even an able climber would find demanding? Ruth may have made it through the night, but it would be a million-to-one shot for her to ever see home again. DRAMATIC MUSIC There are many remote spots in the Southern Alps, the great chain of mountains that forms the spine of NZ's South Island. And the place where Ruth Adams fell is one of the remotest. At almost 3000m, the accident had happened on a narrow, unstable ridge bordered on both sides by steep, icy cliffs. There was, quite simply, no easy way out. But then just before sunset, Harry Ayres and a team of climbers arrived to help with the rescue. They'd travelled fast, with basic gear and little food, but they did bring with them a completely outrageous plan. The simplest way down was to go up. Instead of heading back towards The Hermitage and down the Hooker Glacier, they'd end up having to go up towards almost the summit of La Perouse, and then around and down the slightly gentler slopes towards the La Perouse Glacier and out toward the West Coast. It's an extraordinary call, isn't it? So much longer, with The Hermitage just over the hills. Yeah, almost within sight. Yeah, almost within sight. You would want to be heading there. They had 17 people in the camp by the time they left. We don't have 17, uh, to get us down, but we're gonna try and have a crack with four. So we've got our two climbing mates here, Mountaineer Mark Watson and experienced mountaineer and member of the Wanaka Search and Rescue Al Uren. Gidday, guys. Fancy pants. Yeah. Yeah. I'm liking it. Hey, so, guys, they had to go up and almost to the summit of La Perouse, and then around down the La Perouse Glacier and out towards the West Coast and not to The Hermitage. I mean` Does it make any sense? Does it make any sense? Yeah. Does it make any sense? Yeah. Makes quite a lot of sense. It was a big decision for, uh, for rescue leader Mick Bowie to make. But um, heading out via the Hooker would have given a much more extended period of time in the` up in the snow and ice, more crevasse hazard. up in the snow and ice, more crevasse hazard. So their main concern` They're up very high, almost 10,000ft, their main concern was to get down before the weather turned. their main concern was to get down before the weather turned. Yeah, down as quickly as possible. What do you think, Al? You've been involved with plenty of search and rescues around the Wanaka region. Is carrying a stretcher and heading up towards the summit of a mountain` I mean, that can't be common, right? Uh, very very rarely, but we do do it. But you need lots of people, and, um, it's` it's hard, nasty, dangerous work. The plan certainly involved more physical risk for the rescuers, and they would need to push themselves to the limit to get her off the mountain. The most urgent issue was to get Ruth Adams off the tops, where they were most exposed. OK, Ximena, how do you feel in there? OK, Ximena, how do you feel in there? Oh, I feel all right at the moment, but the thought of five days in here like my aunt just fills me with dread. One, two, three. One, two, three. Yep. Oh, that's better. So they ended up using a range of techniques depending on the slope. In fact, sometimes they'd even tow the stretcher like a sled. I think it's not a bad idea. Yeah. Yeah. How does it feel? It's reasonably squeezy if I have a sore back, as my aunt did. Not entirely straight on my back either. Are you bouncing around a bit horizontally? Are you bouncing around a bit horizontally? A little bit. Oh well, I think it's gonna get a lot worse. DRAMATIC MUSIC Progress was painfully slow. After more than five hours, the rescue team had travelled less than 500m along the ridge. Doing good. But there was a problem ` the weather looked to be changing. Sefton and Cook were now covered in heavy cloud, and the rescue team was now more exposed than ever. DRAMATIC MUSIC Oh my word. One of the first obstacles that the rescuers faced with Ruth in the stretcher was a huge icefall. So the plan was they sent somebody up, cut steps in to get to the top, then he lay down a rope with loops, the others used that to climb up, and then when they had enough people at the top, they could pull the stretcher up to the top. They left one person at the bottom to guide them up. So that's what we should try. Well, you're already closer to the iceface, so... Well, you're already closer to the iceface, so... < Well, I'm not so fast. That's nearly impossible. That's nearly impossible. That's tough. That's nearly impossible. That's tough. All right, loser goes. You ready? Ooh! Ooh! (LAUGHS) Ooh! (LAUGHS) Come on! Oh! Oh! Oh! It's a very bad toss to lose. Are you gonna see if you can just get over that little notch? See what's happening at this bridge here. Give it a good bash, mate. You might be able to straddle it. This has gotta be the one of the more frightening things we've had to do on this show. Oh shoot. It's just a wall of ice. It's actually worse than it looks, and it looks pretty bad. A large crevasse sits at the foot of the ice wall. Fall and you disappear a further 30m into a narrow tomb of ice. It's just best not to think about it. I'm gonna go for steps. I'm gonna go for steps. < Yeah, good idea. (PANTS) Yeah! Yeah! Now you're cooking, mate. Come on! The higher I go, the softer the ice gets. It makes the steps much more likely to give way. You're almost out of sight. Are you just gonna keep going and put an anchor? Yeah. Yeah. OK It's been scary for Kev. I can only imagine how Ximena is going to cope. You ready to do it? You ready to do it? Mh-hm. I'm ready as I'm ever gonna be. You're a trooper. OK, mate. OK, Kev! OK, we're ready to go! (GRUNTS) You're doing great! Just take it slow, Kev! I'm not sure I would be quite so calm if it were me strapped into a 70-year-old stretcher being hauled up a 100m cliff. (GROANS) She's starting to dig in a bit! It seems nerves of steel do run in the Adams family. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. OK, you're out of sight now. I can't see the stretcher! Taking someone on a stretcher up a slope has got to be very slow and painful. You can see why on some days they just made a few hundred metres. In one sense, the hardest part was now over, because as they began the descent off the western ridge, it was downhill all the way. But initially, the western side is much steeper and the weather is a lot more unpredictable. In just an hour, our fine day has turned bitterly cold. We just hope it's not going to get any worse. On their way down, they came across plenty of obstacles just like this in front of us ` a huge big steep slope, where it was impossible for them to simply carry Ruth down. So they would tie one of their longest ropes on, sometimes up to 400ft, on to the back of the stretcher, then one person would go down to stop the stretcher from turning into the snow, while the other three would slowly lower the rope down. How are you feeling, Ximena? I'm feeling pretty good, but a bit vulnerable, seeing as I depend fully on you guys getting it right. But before we begin the descent, it starts to snow. You ready? It's gonna make this section all the more dangerous. Yeah, I've got it. No problem. We've got you, Ximena. This time, Kevin will guide Ximena down the snow slope. It puts added pressure on the ropes, but in these conditions, we have little choice. Yeah. Now, it's the first bit that's the trickiest ` and the steepest. I'm really concerned that she's gonna hit these rocks. Yeah. Just be mindful, Kev. Below you there's a crack against the rock. I need to give the rock a wide berth. The snow has melted underneath, and it looks solid, but we're actually sliding on a thin layer of ice. When Ed came down he said during one of the lowers for them, it was a sunny day, but they could only get their ice axes in only a few inches. I suppose we should be pleased we've got the big rock, but I think it's snowing everywhere. You're doing good! > This weather suddenly changed. It used to be sunny just half an hour ago. This is just the sort of weather that they were racing down the mountain to avoid getting caught in. It's slow, back-breaking work. The rescue team soon realised if they were to use this technique for the rest of the descent, it would take them weeks. Back in the day when they were doing this, they found two safety ropes, they'd just hold on to the stretcher. That's a bit too sporty for me. I've made sure I'm tied on to this. Where she goes, I'm gonna go. Well, that makes me feel better. (LAUGHS) Well, that makes me feel better. (LAUGHS) We're in the same boat. Hey, great job! Yeah! It worked well. I was worried when we started coming around the corner there, I couldn't hear the guys, and the rope was starting to rub up on the rocks. Yeah, it was OK. It's a smooth curve. Hey, should we just lift her up on the rocks? Yeah. Yeah. OK, I'll bring her up. One, two, three. They've now been travelling for two days, and in that time, have moved even further away from civilisation. This plan, of course, limited the time they were exposed to the extreme altitude. It would work as long as the weather stayed fine. For them, it did, but for us, we have a problem. (PANTS) I think she's getting a bit snowed on. I think she's getting a bit snowed on. It's starting to get really heavy. OK if we cover you up? OK if we cover you up? OK, uh, we'll put her down. OK. OK, nigh-night. OK, nigh-night. (CHUCKLES) MUFFLED: Goodnight. You just shout if you're feeling a bit claustrophobic. You just shout if you're feeling a bit claustrophobic. Just wave your hand or something. OK? OK? On three ` one, two, three. GRUNTING Our race to get off the mountain has just got a lot more serious. We're in a remote part of the Southern Alps, trying to discover why the Ruth Adams rescue team chose the longer and more physically demanding route of a West Coast evacuation. You just don't know where the rocks are. For us, we've found ourselves to a snowstorm on the western base of La Perouse. It's now a race to get clear of the most dangerous part of the mountain before we get snowed in. For large parts of the journey, the team dragged the stretcher along the ice, finding it far less taxing, but as they descended the western face, that strategy came to an abrupt halt. Well, there's a fair bit of this rubbishy... You don't want any of that coming down on your head. You don't want any of that coming down on your head. No way. While they were still in the snow line, they were in danger of a storm that might wipe them out, so they were moving as fast as they could to get Ruth down the mountain. When they came to a bluff like this, the easiest way would just be to lower her down using a rope. It was a 90m drop at this point. Ruth was heavily sedated. Can you get out on to the ridge line? Can you pull it out? Ximena, on the other hand, is awake and aware of everything going on around her. On this pitch, though,... Just nice and slow, Kev! ...she probably wishes she wasn't. Whee. (LAUGHS) Yup, good stuff. We're gonna be vertical soon! < OK. < OK. I'm just gonna, um` We're gonna go out of sight! I'll just check for rocks as we go over. Are you dangling? Are you dangling? You're doing good. Yep, keep it going. Yep, keep it going. < OK. DRAMATIC MUSIC BUILDS It's a nerve-racking feeling, having the life of someone so helpless so completely in my hands. OK, Kev, a little bit more ` another 3m! OK! Constantly at the back of their minds must have been the thought that had they chosen to take Ruth down the eastern face, they may have avoided vertical sections like this one. (PANTS) It's times like this you really wanna get your foothold right. OK, I'm jut bringing you over. (GRUNTS) But descending the steep bluffs meant that they had dropped altitude quickly. Ruth was now out of the danger zone. Problem was, they were even further from help. It was 15km to the nearest road, and in between them and it was some of the roughest country on Earth. At 8pm, after 10 hours of hauling the stretcher, the team finally reached a point where they decided to camp. It was a relatively flat section, but on a moraine shelf, with a huge drop heading away below them. And the plan had worked. They'd dropped down to nearly 2000m. They were in a much more survivable location, should the weather turn against them. It was exhausting work, but as hungry as they were, there wasn't any hot food for them. The only cooker that they had was put aside so that it could be used for making tea for Adams. It didn't mean they were completely without food though, Jamie. You're OK. Yeah? Yeah? This is what they had. Two slices of bread. I got a crust! I got a crust! I think you've got two crusts there. As much cold water from the lake as you could drink, and best of all, a lump of bullied beef. Now, this isn't all for you, though. This has to feed about four or five people. That could feed 20 people, so long as I'm not one of them. That could feed 20 people, so long as I'm not one of them. BOTH LAUGH SLOW PIANO MUSIC Wow. That's fantastic. On Friday morning, they were making their way down the river when they heard and saw a small plane. It dropped out a note saying, 'Wave a parka if all is well.' And so they did. But then to their surprise, the plane came around again. But this time, it dropped something out of it. BOTH EXCLAIM Whoo-hoo! Come on, Muz! Wow! (GASPS) (GASPS) Fantastic! (LAUGHS) Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Oh boy. You know, for the rescuers, when this landed, and they had the chance to have something that added to their supplies, they would be full of excitement. They'd been starving as they carried Ruth down off the mountain, and they would have just been imagining what was inside of this box. Phew, OK. Phew, OK. Here we go. Phew, OK. Here we go. Sacks? Must be more than that. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, this makes sense. Who was Ruth's dad? Ernest Adams. Ernest Adams. What's he famous for? Ernest Adams. What's he famous for? Plenty of cakes. So what would he have dropped off to his daughter? So what would he have dropped off to his daughter? (LAUGHS) Well, I mean, it's food. Oh, yeah. I mean, they would have loved it. They genuinely would have loved it. Did they stop for morning tea? It's not what they expected. It's kind of a 'let them eat cake' kind of moment, but yeah, no, great. I am looking forward to this, but it would be rude if we didn't let Ximena have some first. You've got a point. This might be the first time you've tried this. You've got a point. This might be the first time you've tried this. It will be. ALL LAUGH The fifth day started with a trek down the La Perouse Glacier moraine, then suddenly, almost 100 hours after Ruth's fall, the rescuers finally had her off the icy mountain and into the light scrub. Yeah, we're good? Yeah, we're good? Yep. Yeah, we're good? Yep. Let's go. Slowly. You could forgive them for thinking they'd been through the worst of it, coming down off the snow, but in fact, what lay ahead of them was a whole new ball game. Navigating the Cook River alone would rate as a great rescue. A whole different set of problems now faced the rescue team. Foremost was the very real possibility that if they got it wrong, Ruth could drown. OK, that white rope is behind you, Kev. I'm gonna lie down this rope. I'm gonna lie down this rope. Yep. The rescuers themselves were now nearing exhaustion. Part of the plan had been for a second West Coast rescue team to start from the road and to try and cut a track to meet the mountain team and take over. But as they grovelled their way down the river, there was no sign of them. The plan was slowly unravelling. Yeah, that's it. Yeah, that's it. That's better. Almost five full days have passed since Ruth Adams had slipped near La Perouse's summit. She suffered a concussion, broken arm and broken back. Just take it slow, Kev! A rescue team of 16 men had lowered her off ice cliffs, dragged her through deep snow, and then carefully cradled her down on to the La Perouse Glacier. Yep, keep it going. Now they faced a 14km trek through thick, rugged bush alongside the Cook River. Uh, down` what, down my side? OK, whoa, just rest it there. The plan was for a team from the West Coast to cut a path towards the rescue party, but late in the day, there was still no sign of the track. I'll go first. I'll go first. Whoa, hold on. It meant that the mountain rescue team had to push on into the thick scrub. You guys right? It was the most physically demanding part of the rescue by far. There were seldom 50 consecutive metres of easy travel. Instead, the party had to negotiate through tree roots, hundreds of boulders, awkward bluffs and moss-covered rocks. OK, fellas. OK, fellas. Let's go down. OK, fellas. Let's go down. Uh, yeah, lower her down. We have to go under this. It's almost impossible to get a person, let alone a stretcher, through here. GRUNTING GRUNTING OK, underneath, underneath, got it? Yeah, a little bit down. Yeah, a little bit down. Yeah, whoa. PANTING Yeah, I got it, Mark. It had now been three days since they had left the snow line. While the western escape route sent them out of the danger zone quicker, an eastern escape route would have had no scrub at all to contend with. But just when all hope seemed to be lost, the rescue party heard the most wonderful sound. It was the West Coast rescue party, slashing a path toward them. DRAMATIC MUSIC They'd spent four days carving a track 4ft wide. PANTING It was still rough going, but after what they'd gone through before, it was like a road. (GROANS) Hey, there it is! Whoo-hoo! (GROANS) Hey, there it is! Whoo-hoo! OK, we'll put her down, fellas. Put her down. Down we go. (GROANS) The bridge! Good job, mate. The bridge! Good job, mate. Yeah, you too. Thanks, Al. Thanks, Al. Thanks, mate. Thanks, Al. Thanks, mate. No worries. Thanks, mate. Fantastic. Thanks, mate. Fantastic. Thank you so much. (SIGHS) Wow. Finally, seven days after setting off from Gardiner Hut on a day trip, Hillary, Sullivan, Adams and Ayres arrived safely at the West Coast. And when they arrived, there was a flatbed truck ready for Ruth, and they took her away to be treated at hospital. So, how was the journey for you, Ximena? It was, uh, very very revealing. Really interesting. It was, uh, very very revealing. Really interesting. ALL LAUGH The freakiest parts were, I think, the lowering. The freakiest parts were, I think, the lowering. ALL: Yeah. The, um` Actually, lifting me up the crevasse was also kind of interesting, the fact that you're just completely out of` I had no control over what happens, yeah. I had no control over what happens, yeah. Helpless the whole time. So what was the impact it had on Ruth? Well, it must have been pretty traumatising. She never did climb again, so yeah. It's been a pleasure having you here. Thank you so much. Thank you, guys. It must have been absolutely gruelling for you. Not at all. You're light as a feather. ALL LAUGH ALL LAUGH Yeah, turn it up. The success of the seemingly hopeless mission made newspaper headlines around the world. It was regarded as all the more remarkable, as in the history of alpine rescue attempts, no one before had been saved from such a high and remote spot. But then Hillary, Ayres and the others were not men who followed history ` they were men who made it. What do you think? Did they make the right decision, east or west? We're never gonna know. What we do know is that 30 people did manage to make their way out to the coast, and they rescued Ruth Adams. Yeah, and none of the rescuers got injured. Yeah, and none of the rescuers got injured. Oh, it's amazing. But what stands out? But what stands out? Easy, it's the superhuman effort that it takes to carry a stretcher. It's amazing. You couldn't make it more like a movie script. Right from the top of the Southern Alps, down through the snowfields, the glacier, then through the incredible West Coast bush, out to the road. It's easy to think that what these people went through, it wouldn't happen again, but I think it happens all the time up and down the country, the search and rescue teams who put in incredible effort to save people's lives. This has been a real window into all the effort they put into it. Oh, I take my hat off to them. There's one other person that deserves a big thank you. Who's that? Who's that? Ximena. Who's that? Ximena. Oh yeah. Wasn't she great? Wasn't she great? Fantastic. What we put her through! I think after all of stuff that we went through with her, I think she deserves a drink. And what better place to do it than here at Mick Sullivan's pub? I'm gonna watch his ropes, though. I'm gonna watch his ropes, though. Yeah. (LAUGHS) DRAMATIC ORCHESTRAL MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES Captions by Alana Cruikshank. Edited by Ingrid Lauder. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2014