Endeavour: Everest

In 1976 a British expedition made mountaineering history, becoming the first kayakers to descend the Dudh Kosi river that runs off Mount Everest. High in the Himalayas, and at incredible speed, six Olympic-class canoeists battled with white water over rocks, waterfalls and treacherous whirlpools. As they struggled to negotiate a 30-pound canoe over a river with 30mph waterfalls, the threat of capsizing was ever present. Winner of over 25 international awards, this is a story of teamwork, bravery and individual brilliance.

In 1978, Italian and Austrian mountaineers Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler made mountaineering history, becoming the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest without the use of additional oxygen. Known as the death zone, above 8,000 metres in the Himalayas there is only a fraction of the oxygen at sea-level. Climbers suffer sickness and headaches and risk life-threatening oedemas. As they struggled up the route through the Khumbu icefall into the Western Cwm, then up to the South Col and summit, Messner and Habeler faced all these dangers and more. Award-winning filmmaker Leo Dickinson followed them through it all and his classic film is the real-life record of their ascent.

In 1991, in a field near the Nepalese hamlet of Gokyo, four men climbed into two fragile wicker baskets and poured flame into their hot air balloons. They were to become the first balloonists to fly over Mount Everest. For Leo Dickinson and Chris Dewhirst, the cameraman and pilot in one of the balloons, the flight was to settle old scores after three previous attempts and several life-threatening crashes. This documentary follows their successful flight over the finest panorama on earth in the oldest of flying machines, before their final crash landing in a remote corner of Tibet. Their voyage remains the only balloon flight over Everest to this day.