NARRATOR: THE HIMALAYA...

THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN RANGE ON EARTH... TOWERING NEARLY 30,000 FEET INTO THE SKY.

HIDDEN IN THESE MOUNTAINS IS A MAGICAL WORLD, SECLUDED FORESTS WITH EXTRAORDINARY CREATURES...

ANCIENT CULTURES WITH MYSTERIOUS TRADITIONS... DESERTS TRAPPED IN HIGH MOUNTAIN PASSES...

RAGING RIVERS THAT FORM UNDERGROUND KINGDOMS... AND LOST VALLEYS THAT HIDE ELUSIVE ANIMALS.

IN THE HIMALAYA, THE AIR IS THE THINNEST, THE WIND THE STRONGEST, THE PEAKS THE HIGHEST, THE GORGES THE DEEPEST.

BUT EVEN HERE, THERE ARE AN INCREDIBLE FEW THAT FACE THESE EXTREMES DAY IN AND DAY OUT... OVERCOMING THE IMPOSSIBLE ODDS TO CARVE OUT A LIFE... ON THE ROOF OF THE WORLD.

ACROSS THE PLANET, THE STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE CONTINUES IN GREAT MOUNTAIN RANGES THAT TOUCH THE SKIES...

HOSTILE, UNFORGIVING WORLDS THAT SPAN CONTINENTS AND PUSH LIFE TO ITS LIMITS... WHERE AGAINST ALL ODDS, A FEW EXTRAORDINARY ANIMALS AND REMARKABLE PEOPLE MAKE A HOME IN THE HIGHEST PLACES ON EARTH.

NARRATOR: THE HIMALAYA STRETCH ACROSS ASIA FOR 1,500 MILES.

THEY EXTEND FROM PAKISTAN IN THE WEST THROUGH NORTHERN INDIA INTO NEPAL, CLIMBING TO THE HIGHEST POINT ON EARTH, MOUNT EVEREST, BEFORE PUSHING ON THROUGH BHUTAN AND INTO CHINA.

HERE, IN THE PROVINCE OF YUNNAN, AT 8,000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL, IS A FROZEN FOREST.

LIVING HERE IS A REMARKABLE ANIMAL...

RARELY SEEN...

THE YUNNAN SNUB-NOSED MONKEY.

NO OTHER MONKEY IN THE WORLD LIVES AT A HIGHER ALTITUDE.

THEY HAVE NO NOSE TO GET FROSTBITTEN...

PINK LIPS TO HELP THEM STAND OUT IN A WHITE WORLD... FUR 6 INCHES LONG... AND THEY NEED IT.

TEMPERATURES CAN DROP TO MINUS-20.

THEY ENDURE THIS HARDSHIP TO HAVE ACCESS TO THEIR FOOD... LICHEN...

IN WINTER, THE ONLY THING THAT GROWS IN THIS FROZEN WORLD.

TO PREVENT FREEZING TO DEATH, THEY MUST HUDDLE TOGETHER FOR WARMTH.

FOR THAT, THEY NEED FAMILY.

BUT THIS YOUNG 3-YEAR-OLD MALE IS ALONE.

HE WAS RECENTLY THROWN OUT BY HIS FAMILY WHEN HIS MOTHER HAD A NEWBORN.

COME NIGHTFALL, THE TEMPERATURE WILL PLUMMET, AND IF HE DOESN'T FIND OTHERS TO HUDDLE WITH, HE WON'T SURVIVE LONG.

HE HAS ONLY ONE OPTION... TO BE ACCEPTED INTO A GANG OF MALE EXILES.

[MONKEYS CALLING] LIKE HIM, THEY HAVE ALL BEEN THROWN OUT OF THEIR FAMILY TROOPS.

[MONKEYS SCREECHING] THEY FIGHT TO DECIDE THEIR RANK.

HUGE CANINES, NOT FOR EATING, BUT FOR BITING.

AND THEY'RE RULED OVER BY A FEROCIOUS LEADER.

IF HE'S REJECTED, HE HAS LITTLE CHANCE OF SURVIVAL.

HIS FIRST ATTEMPT AT BEING ACCEPTED HAS NOT STARTED WELL.

TO THE LOWER-RANKING MEMBERS OF THE GANG, HE IS SEEN AS A THREAT TO THEIR POSITION IN THE GROUP.

HE'S QUICKLY CHASED AWAY.

HE'LL HAVE TO FACE THE NEXT 12 HOURS IN THE BLISTERING COLD ON HIS OWN.

IT'S GOING TO BE A VERY LONG, COLD NIGHT.

BUT TONIGHT, CLOUDS COME IN, INSULATING THE LAND.

THEY KEEP TEMPERATURES FROM DROPPING TOO LOW.

IT'S GIVEN THE YOUNG MALE A LIFELINE... AT LEAST FOR ANOTHER DAY.

IF HE CAN GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE ALLOWED TO GROOM THE DOMINANT MALE, HE COULD SECURE A PLACE FOR HIMSELF IN THE GROUP.

HE SPOTS HIS CHANCE.

THE BOSS IS ON HIS OWN.

HE LETS THE YOUNG MALE CLEAN HIS FUR.

IT'S A SIGN OF ACCEPTANCE IN THE GROUP.

THE YOUNGSTER'S GAMBLE HAS PAID OFF AND SAVED HIS LIFE.

NOW HE CAN HUDDLE WITH A SURROGATE FAMILY.

HERE IN THE HIMALAYA, YOU RARELY GET A SECOND CHANCE.

THOSE THAT LIVE HERE MUST TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY THEY GET.

THE HIGHER YOU CLIMB IN THE HIMALAYA, THE TOUGHER IT GETS.

THESE MOUNTAINS CONTAIN SOME OF THE HARSHEST WEATHER EVER RECORDED-- 175-MILE-PER-HOUR WINDS... AND MINUS-40 DEGREE TEMPERATURES.

THEY ARE THE HIGHEST PEAKS ON THE PLANET, STRETCHING ALMOST 30,000 FEET INTO THE SKY.

BETWEEN THESE GIANTS LIE SOME OF THE MOST INACCESSIBLE VALLEYS IN THE WORLD.

COMPLETELY ISOLATED, IT CAN TAKE WEEKS ON FOOT JUST TO REACH THEM.

AND YET, ASTONISHINGLY, PEOPLE DO LIVE HERE.

THE VILLAGE OF KIBBER IN NORTHERN INDIA... ONE OF THE MOST ISOLATED VILLAGES IN THE HIMALAYA.

IN WINTER, SNOW AND ICE BLOCK THE ROADS.

IT CUTS THE VILLAGE OFF FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD.

THEY MUST BE COMPLETELY SELF-SUFFICIENT.

ALL THEY HAVE TO KEEP THEM ALIVE ARE THEIR LIVESTOCK.

BUT NOW, A MYSTERIOUS BEAST IS TAKING THEIR ANIMALS.

THE VILLAGERS CALL IT "THE GHOST OF THE HIMALAYA."

[SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE] NARRATOR: EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN TALE TO TELL.

NARRATOR: COME EVENING, THE VILLAGERS ARE FORCED TO LOCK UP THEIR LIVESTOCK IN THEIR OWN HOMES.

[SHEEP BLEATING] [SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE] [SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE] EVERYONE IS ON EDGE... BECAUSE WHEN NIGHT FALLS, THE CREATURE MAY COME INTO THE VILLAGE, LOOKING FOR FOOD.

[CATTLE MOOING] [HORSE NEIGHS] DAWN, AND THE VILLAGERS CAN BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF.

THERE WERE NO KILLS LAST NIGHT.

[SHEEP BLEATING] BUT THE MYSTERIOUS BEAST IS NEVER FAR AWAY, KEEPING AN EYE ON ITS PREY.

THIS IS NO LEGEND OF THE HIMALAYA, NO MYSTERIOUS YETI.

IT IS A REAL PREDATOR LIKE FEW OTHERS.

[BLEATING] A SNOW LEOPARD.

THEY ARE PERFECTLY SUITED FOR THE HIMALAYA...

THICK FUR TO FIGHT THE COLD AND LARGE LUNGS FOR THE THIN AIR AND A TAIL AS LONG AS ITS BODY FOR BALANCE.

BUT EVEN SO, IN WINTER, THE WEATHER GETS SO BAD IN THE HIGH PEAKS THAT IT PUSHES THE SNOW LEOPARD DOWN TO THE VILLAGE, TOWARDS FOOD.

IT'S HARD TO TURN DOWN AN EASY MEAL.

FOR THIS ISOLATED COMMUNITY, EACH ANIMAL LOST IS THE EQUIVALENT OF TWO MONTHS' INCOME.

YET REMARKABLY, THEY DON'T WANT THE SNOW LEOPARDS GONE.

HERE, THE BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY OF ACCEPTANCE STRETCHES BEYOND THE VILLAGE WALLS.

NARRATOR: WITH THE HELP OF LOCAL CONSERVATION GROUPS, THEY'VE COME UP WITH A SIMPLE BUT INGENIOUS PLAN.

HERE, IN THE REMOTEST PARTS OF THE HIMALAYA, THEY HAVE MADE THEIR OWN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY.

THEY'VE SET ASIDE AREAS WHERE THEY WON'T GRAZE THEIR LIVESTOCK.

THIS PROVIDES FOOD FOR WILD BLUE SHEEP...

THE NATURAL PREY OF THE SNOW LEOPARDS.

THIS ENTERPRISING COMMUNITY HAS REDUCED THE NUMBER OF LIVESTOCK LOST WHILE INCREASING THE NUMBER OF CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SNOW LEOPARDS.

NORMALLY A RARE AND ELUSIVE ANIMAL, KIBBER IS NOW A SAFE HAVEN FOR ONE OF THE RAREST BIG CATS IN THE WORLD.

[WIND BLOWING] THE MOUNTAIN PEAKS SURROUNDING KIBBER STRETCH UP INTO THE SKY FOR 20,000 FEET.

CLOUDS, HEAVY WITH RAIN, ARRIVING ON THE SOUTHERN SLOPES CAN'T CLIMB OVER THIS BARRIER.

THEY ARE FORCED TO DUMP THEIR RAIN.

[THUNDER] THE INDIAN MONSOON.

IN JUST 4 MONTHS, 3,000 BILLION TONS OF RAIN FALLS.

HIGH IN THE MOUNTAINS, THE RIVERS SWELL, GOUGING DEEP VALLEYS.

IN THE RIVER GANGES ALONE, 40,000 TONS OF WATER CAN RUSH PAST EVERY SECOND... WITH DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES.

IN THE FOOTHILLS OF MOUNT MACHHAPCHHRE IN NEPAL, THE WATER IS SO POWERFUL, IT BORES A HOLE INTO THE MOUNTAIN.

HERE, THE ROCK IS MAINLY LIMESTONE.

IT'S EASILY ERODED BY THE WATER.

IT CREATES A LABYRINTH OF CAVES AND TUNNELS UNDER THE MOUNTAIN.

GIANT STALACTITES BUILD UP OVER TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

THIS WATER HAS CREATED THE ONLY PLACE IN THE HIMALAYA WHERE NOTHING EVER CHANGES.

WINTER TO SUMMER, THE TEMPERATURE IS A CONSTANT 40 DEGREES...

IDEAL FOR THE MOST SURPRISING OF HIMALAYAN CREATURES.

GREATER HORSESHOE BATS CAN ONLY FLOURISH IN THE MOUNTAINS BECAUSE OF THESE CAVES.

[BATS SCREECHING] DOWN HERE, IT NEVER FREEZES, IT NEVER SNOWS, THERE'S NO WIND.

THESE BATS ARE PERHAPS THE ONE HIMALAYAN ANIMAL THAT DEALS WITH THE EXTREMES BY AVOIDING THEM.

A PERFECT SANCTUARY, CREATED BY THE WATER FROM THE MONSOON.

BUT 10,000 FEET UP, ON THE NORTHERN SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS, THERE IS NO WATER AT ALL.

THIS IS THE DRIEST PLACE IN THE HIMALAYA, THE NORTHERN INDIAN PROVINCE OF LADAKH.

THE RAIN CLOUDS STRUGGLE TO REACH HERE, KEPT OUT BY THE TOWERING PEAKS.

THE RESULT?

A HIGH-ALTITUDE DESERT.

FOR CENTURIES, THE FAMOUS TRADING PATH, THE SILK ROUTE, RAN THROUGH THIS HOSTILE DESERT AS TRADERS WENT FROM PERSIA TO CHINA.

[ANIMALS GRUNTING] TO TRANSPORT GOODS, THEY DEPENDED ON A CREATURE PERFECTLY SUITED FOR THESE MOUNTAINS...

THE BACTRIAN CAMEL.

[CAMELS GRUNTING] COMING FROM MONGOLIA, ITS TOUGHENED SPLAYED FEET CAN TACKLE BOTH SAND DUNES AND ROCKY PASSES.

THICK HAIR CAN GROW A FOOT LONG FOR TEMPERATURES OF MINUS-30.

AND BACTRIANS HAVE NOT JUST ONE, BUT TWO HUMPS, EACH HOLDING UP TO 100 POUNDS OF FAT FOR FOOD STORAGE.

THEY'RE SO WELL ADAPTED, THEY BECAME THE ULTIMATE MODE OF TRANSPORT OVER THESE HIMALAYAN PATHS.

THERE ARE SOME TRAVELERS IN THE HIMALAYA WHO WISH TO GO EVEN DEEPER INTO THE MOUNTAINS, DOWN AGE-OLD ROUTES EVEN MORE REMOTE.

12,000 FEET UP... LAMA DORJE IS A TIBETAN MONK.

HE HAS TRAVELED HIGH INTO THE HIMALAYA IN SEARCH OF SOLITUDE...

GUIDED HERE BY ANCIENT SCRIPTURES.

[MONKS CHANTING] [MAN SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE] BEHIND THIS DOOR IS A CAVE IN THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN.

FOR 8 MONTHS, THIS WAS DORJE'S HOME.

WITH ONLY CANDLES FOR HEAT, TOTALLY ALONE, HE SPENT EVERY WAKING HOUR MEDITATING.

[DORJE CHANTING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE] EVERY MONTH, FOOD WAS LEFT AT A DROP-OFF FURTHER DOWN THE MOUNTAIN.

HE SAW NO ONE.

DORJE USED THE SOLITUDE OF THIS EXTREME LAND ON HIS QUEST FOR ENLIGHTENMENT.

CLIMB HIGHER, TO 13,000 FEET ON THE SLOPES OF LASIAC MOUNTAIN, AND THERE'S ANOTHER HIMALAYAN RESIDENT THAT IS ALSO HIDDEN WITHIN THE MOUNTAIN.

BORN UNDERGROUND, HE IS ABOUT TO HAVE HIS FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

[SNIFFING SOUNDS] A BABY HIMALAYAN MARMOT.

AND HE HAS ONE BIG TASK AHEAD.

HE HAS TO TRIPLE HIS WEIGHT IN ONLY 12 WEEKS.

WHEN WINTER ARRIVES, HE WILL HIBERNATE FOR 8 MONTHS, AND FOR THAT, HE NEEDS BIG FAT RESERVES.

[MARMOT SCREECHING] HE HAS A LOT OF GRASS TO EAT, BUT THERE'S COMPETITION.

THERE ARE 50 OTHER MARMOTS LIVING HERE, ALL HUNGRY.

ON THIS, HIS FIRST DAY OUTSIDE, HE MUST STAKE HIS CLAIM.

[MARMOTS SCREECHING] THE FIGHT STARTS WITH A RITUAL POSE.

THEN THE RULE BOOK GETS THROWN OUT.

SECURING A PATCH OF GRASS IS JUST THE FIRST CHALLENGE.

UP HERE, MARMOTS ARE ON EVERYONE'S MENU.

TIBETAN FOX... HIMALAYAN BROWN BEAR... [BEAR GROWLING] [BIRD SCREECHING] AND GOLDEN EAGLES... ALL FEED ON MARMOTS.

EVERYONE IS ON HIGH ALERT, MAKING IT HARD TO CONCENTRATE ON EATING.

[SCREECHING] WHEN THE ALARM IS SOUNDED, THERE'S ONLY ONE COURSE OF ACTION.

[ANIMALS GRUNTING] THIS TIME, IT'S A HERD OF HIMALAYAN YAK.

THEY MAY BE INTIMIDATING IN SIZE...

BUT AT LEAST THEY'RE NOT HERE FOR THE MARMOTS.

THE MEADOW HAS BECOME THE STAGING GROUND FOR THE YAKS' ANNUAL RUT.

MALES COMPETE FOR THE RIGHT TO MATE.

BUT IT'S NOT EXACTLY CONDUCIVE TO FINE DINING.

LUCKILY, THE YAKS QUICKLY EXHAUST THEMSELVES, AND, IN FACT, THEIR PRESENCE ACTUALLY HELPS THE MARMOTS.

[SQUISHING] [THUD] THEY PROVIDE PLENTY OF...

FERTILIZER FOR THE GRASS.

THEIR GRAZING ALSO CREATES LOTS OF NEW GRASS SHOOTS RICH IN ENERGY AND PROTEIN... FAR MORE NUTRITIOUS FOR A GROWING MARMOT.

HE CAN NOW START TO PILE ON THOSE PRECIOUS CALORIES.

IT'S GIVEN HIM A FIGHTING CHANCE TO BE READY FOR WINTER AND HIS 8-MONTH HIBERNATION.

BUT THE MARMOT IS NOT THE ONLY YOUNG ONE TO FACE CHALLENGES HERE.

13,500 FEET UP... [GONG RINGS] AND IT'S TIME FOR SCHOOL IN THE HIGHEST VILLAGE IN THE HIMALAYA.

FOR TEENAGERS TENZING, PANMA, AND TASHI, TODAY IS THE BEGINNING OF THEIR EXAMS.

[SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE] NARRATOR: BEFORE THEY PUT PEN TO PAPER, THERE IS JUST THE SMALL MATTER OF GETTING TO SCHOOL.

A 650-FOOT-DEEP GORGE SEPARATES THEIR HOMES FROM SCHOOL.

IT TAKES 5 HOURS TO WALK DOWN AND THEN UP TO THE OTHER SIDE.

THERE IS, HOWEVER, A QUICKER WAY.

HALF THE SIZE OF A SHOPPING CART, THIS BASKET AND ZIP LINE WILL GET THEM ACROSS IN MINUTES.

ALL THAT IS LEFT TO DO IS JUST LET GO.

ONCE THEY REACH THE HALFWAY POINT...

THEY MUST LEAN OUT TO PULL THEMSELVES ACROSS TO THE OTHER SIDE.

BUT IN SPITE OF THEIR EXTREME COMMUTE, THESE ARE STILL STUDENTS LIKE ANY OTHERS, AND THERE IS STILL ONLY ONE THING ON THEIR MIND... [SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE] NARRATOR: GETTING TO THEIR EXAM ON TIME.

TWO HOURS LATER, IT'S PENCILS DOWN AND TIME FOR THE DAILY COMMUTE BACK HOME.

FACING EXTREMES IS JUST PART OF DAILY LIFE FOR THOSE THAT LIVE IN THE HIMALAYA.

14,000 FEET UP IS THE MOST BARREN AND UNFORGIVING LAND SHAPED BY THE HIMALAYA...

THE TIBETAN PLATEAU.

IT RUNS FOR 1,800 MILES ALONG THE NORTH OF THE HIMALAYA, UNBELIEVABLY VAST, LARGER THAN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES.

FROST FOR 6 MONTHS OF THE YEAR... DRY AS A DESERT...

BUT SOME CREATURES DO MAKE THEIR HOME HERE.

THE CHIRU, WITH THE FINEST AND WARMEST WOOL IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.

IT CAN COPE WITH MINUS-40 DEGREE WINTERS.

THE KIANG, AN ANCIENT RELATIVE OF THE HORSE.

IT CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT DRINKING FOR WEEKS.

BUT THE STRANGEST CREATURE OF THEM ALL...

THE TIBETAN HOT SPRINGS SNAKE.

NO OTHER SNAKE LIVES AT ALTITUDES THIS HIGH.

HERE ON THE TIBETAN PLATEAU, THERE ARE THERMAL POOLS, HEATED BY MAGMA DEEP UNDER THE EARTH.

SNAKES ARE COLD-BLOODED.

SO WHAT BETTER WAY TO WARM UP THAN TO SIT IN A HOT TUB?

LIVING AND FEEDING IN THESE POOLS SOUNDS LIKE PARADISE.

BUT IN EVERY DIRECTION, THE SNAKES ARE SURROUNDED BY HUNDREDS OF MILES OF FREEZING-COLD WILDERNESS.

BATHING IN THESE HEATED POOLS ISN'T A CHOICE.

IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO STAY ALIVE, A HAVEN...

BUT ALSO A PRISON THEY CAN NEVER LEAVE.

ON THE VERY EDGE OF THE TIBETAN PLATEAU, THERE IS AN ENORMOUS MOUNTAIN, SO HIGH IT TOWERS OVER ALL OTHERS.

IT SITS ON THE BORDER BETWEEN NEPAL AND CHINA.

AN EVER-CHANGING RIVER OF ICE GUARDS THE ROUTE TO ITS SUMMIT.

THE TIBETANS KNOW IT AS CHOMOLUNGMA, MEANING "MOTHER OF THE UNIVERSE."

TO MOST, IT IS KNOWN AS MOUNT EVEREST...

THE TALLEST MOUNTAIN ON EARTH.

TODAY, AN ELITE GROUP OF ATHLETES IS GATHERING ON ITS SLOPES TO TAKE PART IN THE HIGHEST RACE IN THE WORLD...

THE EVEREST MARATHON.

FOR MIRA RAI, A NEPALESE RUNNER, THIS IS HER FIRST ATTEMPT.

NARRATOR: THE START OF THE RACE IS AT 17,000 FEET, BY EVEREST BASE CAMP.

IT TAKES 10 DAYS OF TREKKING JUST TO GET HERE.

BUT THAT'S NOT THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IN THIS EXTREME PLACE.

AS ALTITUDE INCREASES, THE AIR PRESSURE DROPS.

HERE, EACH BREATH CONTAINS ONLY HALF THE AMOUNT OF OXYGEN THAN AT SEA LEVEL.

MIRA AND THE OTHER ATHLETES ARE ABOUT TO STARVE THEMSELVES OF OXYGEN WHILE RUNNING DOWN THE SIDE OF THE TALLEST MOUNTAIN IN THE WORLD.

HERE, EVEN WHILE RESTING, THE BODY IS SUFFERING.

THERE'S HEADACHE AND NAUSEA.

BLOOD VESSELS START TO BURST.

THE PULSE RATE DOUBLES.

AND THAT'S BEFORE THEY EVEN START RUNNING.

THE DOCTORS' ADVICE IS NOT TO PUSH YOUR BODY.

[STARTER GUN FIRES] [CHEERING] MAN: GOOD LUCK, EVERYBODY!

NARRATOR: IMMEDIATELY THE ATHLETES FEEL THE FULL FORCE OF THIS ALTITUDE.

NORMALLY, THIS LEVEL OF OXYGEN STARVATION HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE IS CRITICALLY ILL.

THE MOUNTAIN'S TOUGH TERRAIN FORCES THE PACK TO QUICKLY THIN OUT.

[WOMAN BREATHING HEAVILY] MIRA TAKES AN EARLY LEAD.

LIKE ALL WHO SPEND TIME HIGH IN THE HIMALAYA, HER BODY HAS TRANSFORMED TO TACKLE THE CONDITIONS.

SHE HAS UP TO 50% MORE HEMOGLOBIN IN HER BLOOD...

ALLOWING HER TO CARRY MORE OXYGEN...

BOOSTING HER ABILITY TO KEEP RUNNING.

[MIRA SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE] NARRATOR: ALL THOSE WHO LIVE IN THESE MOUNTAINS KNOW THAT ONE WRONG STEP COULD END IN DISASTER.

[MIRA SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE] NARRATOR: IN THIS RACE, THE FIRST 7 RUNNERS ARE ALL NEPALESE...

EVEN THOUGH SOME ARE LOCAL FARMERS COMPETING AGAINST HIGHLY TRAINED WESTERN ATHLETES.

IT'S IN THEIR GENES.

OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS, MANY HIMALAYAN PEOPLE HAVE ADAPTED, ALLOWING THEM TO COPE WITH CRITICALLY LOW OXYGEN LEVELS.

MIRA, TOO, WAS BORN IN THE MOUNTAINS.

SHE IS A NATURAL MASTER OF THIS WORLD.

THE END IS IN SIGHT-- NAMCHE BAZAAR, THE HIGHEST TOWN IN THE REGION.

[CHEERING] SHE'S NOT ONLY MADE IT... SHE'S WON THE WOMEN'S RACE.

ASCENDING PAST EVEREST BASE CAMP, THE MOUNTAIN BECOMES A DESOLATE WORLD OF ROCK AND ICE.

IT SEEMS LIKE AN IMPOSSIBLE PLACE FOR ANYTHING TO LIVE, BUT THERE IS LIFE.

AT 22,000 FEET IS AN ANIMAL THAT LIVES AT A HIGHER ALTITUDE THAN ANY OTHER IN THE WORLD, THE HIMALAYAN JUMPING SPIDER.

AT LESS THAN A QUARTER OF AN INCH LONG, HE MAY BE TINY, BUT HE HAS GIGANTIC SUPERPOWERS.

8 EYES GIVE HIM 360-DEGREE VISION.

HIS BODY CAN BE SUPER-COOLED TO MINUS-4 DEGREES WITHOUT FREEZING.

AND TINY HOOKS ON HIS FEET HELP HIM LEAP FROM ROCK... TO ROCK.

HE CAN JUMP 50 TIMES HIS BODY LENGTH.

BUT HIS GREATEST ASSET IS HIS SIZE.

BEING SO SMALL, HE HUGS CLOSE TO THE ROCKS.

THEY'RE CHARGED WITH THE SUN'S HEAT, CREATING A ONE-INCH LAYER OF WARM AIR...

THE PERFECT MICROCLIMATE FOR A TINY HERO.

[WIND BLOWING] BUT HE'S MISSING JUST ONE CRUCIAL THING.

UP HERE, THERE'S NOTHING FOR HIM TO EAT.

HE RELIES ENTIRELY ON STRAY INSECTS BLOWN UP ON THE WIND.

LITTLE TO EAT AND TERRIBLE WEATHER... [WIND BLOWING] IT SEEMS A STRANGE PLACE TO MAKE A HOME.

BUT THERE'S A GOOD REASON.

AS NOTHING ELSE CAN LIVE UP HERE, THERE IS NOTHING TO EAT HIM.

HE MIGHT BE TINY, BUT UP HERE ON EVEREST, HE'S THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN.

ABOVE THE SPIDER, AT 26,000 FEET, THERE IS A REALM WHERE NOTHING CAN LIVE.

CLIMBERS CALL IT "THE DEATH ZONE."

THE ONLY LIVING THINGS THAT CAN CLIMB THIS HIGH ARE HUMANS AIDED BY MODERN TECHNOLOGY.

PAST THIS POINT, THE OXYGEN LEVELS DROP SO LOW, THE BODY STARTS TO DIE.

BATTLING RELENTLESS EXHAUSTION...

THE CLIMBERS SUMMON THEIR LAST PIECE OF COURAGE... AND REACH THEIR PRIZE.

[CHEERING] THEY'LL STAND AT 29,029 FEET, THE HIGHEST POINT ON THE PLANET.

BUT BOUND BY THE MOUNTAIN'S EXTREME CONDITIONS, THEY CAN ONLY REMAIN HERE FOR 15 MINUTES.

FOR MANY, CLIMBING EVEREST IS THEIR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT.

BUT FOR THOSE THAT LIVE THEIR WHOLE LIVES IN THE HIMALAYA, THERE IS PERHAPS AN EVEN GREATER ACHIEVEMENT.

TO LIVE AMONGST THEM AND TO FACE THE EXTREMES OF THE HIMALAYA EVERY SINGLE DAY, ONLY THEN CAN ONE GAIN A TRUE UNDERSTANDING OF THESE MOUNTAINS.

NOWHERE IS THIS BETTER SYMBOLIZED THAN IN AN ANCIENT BUDDHIST RITUAL GOING BACK THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

AT THE CENTER OF THIS RITUAL IS THE VERY ROCK OF THE HIMALAYA, CALCITE...

FORGED DEEP UNDER THE MOUNTAIN MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO.

TIBETAN MONKS COLLECT IT FROM THE MOUNTAIN SLOPES.

IT'S CRUSHED INTO A FINE SAND... [CHANTING AND BELLS RINGING] AND MIXED WITH COLORED DYES.

GRAIN BY GRAIN, THE GROUND-UP MOUNTAIN ROCK IS PRECISELY PLACED.

THE MONKS GO INTO A STATE OF MEDITATION.

[MAN SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE] [WIND BLOWING] THE HUMBLE CALCITE HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A MASTERPIECE CALLED A SAND MANDALA.

FOR BUDDHISTS, IT IS A SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE, THE CENTER RUNNING RIGHT THROUGH THE HIMALAYA.

IT HAS TAKEN YEARS OF STUDY TO MASTER THE ART AND OVER 60 HOURS OF INTENSE WORK.

THERE IS JUST ONE LAST THING TO DO...

DESTROY IT.

THIS FINAL ACT REPRESENTS ONE OF BUDDHISM'S KEY BELIEFS, THAT NOTHING LASTS FOREVER.

NOWHERE IS THIS MORE EVIDENT... THAN IN THE HIMALAYA.

IN THIS LAND OF EXTREMES, EVERYTHING IS GOVERNED BY THE CYCLE OF CREATION AND DESTRUCTION.

EVEN THE MOUNTAINS THEMSELVES ARE NOT EXEMPT.

THE HIMALAYA ARE STILL BEING CREATED, RISING JUST UNDER HALF AN INCH A YEAR, AS THEY ARE ALSO CONTINUALLY BEING DESTROYED...

ERODED DOWN BY THE EXTREME WEATHER THAT THEY THEMSELVES HELP CREATE.

AND LIKE THE SAND MANDALA, THEY END IN THE RIVERS, BEING WASHED OUT TO SEA.

THOSE WHO CALL THE HIMALAYA HOME UNDERSTAND THE FLEETING NATURE OF LIFE IN THESE MOUNTAINS.

THEY KNOW THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO OVERCOME THE EXTREMES BY SEIZING EVERY OPPORTUNITY.

ONLY THEN CAN YOU CARVE OUT A LIFE... ON THE ROOF OF THE WORLD.

"KINGDOMS OF THE SKY" IS AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY AND DVD.

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