Everest — West Ridge

The British Army mounted a 2006 attempt on the West Ridge of Everest — a route no British team had ever climbed. Only a handful of climbers have ever summited via the West Ridge and Hornbein Couloir. More people have died attempting it than have reached the top.

Twenty-two soldiers. Years of preparation. They turned back 800 metres short of the summit. In that context, how far they got matters.

The expedition was filmed for television and served as a national Army recruitment campaign. I was the on-mountain producer at 5,600 metres for twelve weeks, responsible for all filming and live satellite broadcasts from the mountain.

It was a pivotal project. Twelve weeks at altitude, cut off from the world, working with people who had committed everything to a single goal. The friendships it forged have lasted twenty years. Directed by Rupert Day.