Everest: Man v. Mountain

The final push for the summit begins. The two teams have been selected, and all that stands between them and success are five of the most grueling days of their lives.

The army reaches the West Ridge at last and establishes Camp 4 at 7,600 meters. The effects of the high altitude really begin to kick in.

The weather improves enough for the team to get back on the mountain. As they push up towards Camp 3 at 7,200 meters, a Sherpa rebellion halts their progress.

The team has just started climbing the treacherous ice of the French Spur when hurricane winds start lashing the mountain. Deputy leader Dave Wilson calls everyone off the mountain fast before they're ripped off the exposed Spur.

The army has tried twice before to climb the West Ridge: once in 1988 and once in 1992, and they failed both times. Expedition leader Dave Bunting has spent three years planning the trip and has put together a crack team that he believes can beat the ridge, but an elaborate April Fool's joke threatens the future of the entire expedition.