The master of high altitudes: starting a business on Mount Everest | SLICE

[Music] thank you [Music] get back quickly get back alive get back in one piece run and say to your wife I'm back don't worry I'm here [Music] the Expedition went well they've paid me quite well but Nema does worry she doesn't want him to set off again with the money he's earned German has installed a TV in the launch and they're starting to make a profit [Music] with their family's help they've even been able to send their children to school in Kathmandu guys [Music] but this Prosperity comes at a price the shepherds are employed as Porters at high altitudes by Himalayan climbers these Sherpa guides do not always come back down 's brother did not come back and Nema is haunted by nightmares and horror stories [Music] thank you the sick and injured are piggybacked down Everest Valley the helicopters don't fly in fog and are too costly for the Sherpas [Music] as for the ax they won't tolerate people on their backs um German has a bold idea to help his family's finances but before launching into the project he consults The Village's senior llama his madcap idea came to him when he was looking at the horses on prayer Flags he wants to buy a horse which has been broken in and hired out to tourists to earn his living [Music] he first asks the Llama to bless a roll of prayer flags with images of the wind horses [Music] halfway through the ceremony he confides his Secrets the Llama kindly gives him encouragement he prays for his protection and for the arrival of a horse in the village a living windhorse a real-life no one has ever thought of riding a horse here before the valley is far too steep outside the scent of burning Juniper fills the monastery German eager to set off in search of his horse Waits with the other believers llamas in hats leave for Far Away ceremonies sharper Women Part to sow seeds and Sherpa guides get ready to tackle the heights none of them would do this without having received a Qatar of beige silk thrown blessed rice or inhale the intoxicating sacred smells bolstered by these rituals they go their separate ways following their own destinies [Music] the wind horses and their prayers are carried off in all directions prayers for the dead brother and thoughts of hope the sound of the wind horses fluttering in the wind signals the arrival of a real horse for Nema and German a horse which government will go to find in another Valley a horse he hopes to hire out to foreigners passing through a horse which will carry the sick and save lives now they have made the decision the government can go to the Valley of the horses the animals which Scamper around the monastery are not for sale they are sacred incarnations horses without a master left to roam freely foreign [Music] goes pounding along for 10 hours on the trot [Music] 2 000 meters below he flies along [Music] thank you one thought preoccupies him how to find the money German has brought with him all his savings and some valuable objects to sell apparently a domestic horse can cost 50 times the price of his plane ticket he'll have to borrow money in Kathmandu German is counting on the support of a cousin tawang who has gone into selling mountaineering equipment thank you he finds the capital of Nepal balancing on a knife edge on the one hand the revolution of pachanda's maoist party which promises democracy to the people and social justice to the poor on the other the Unseen monarchy which continues to parade along in front of an astonishing cavalry [Music] as if to goad the royal family travels along in a carriage with Pomp and contempt [Music] in the tamel district items are bought and sold made and copied especially equipment offered to the Sherpas by the Expeditions German's cousin is there he's welcoming but careful to check the authenticity of German's items [Applause] offers [Music] government spent his childhood in a Buddhist monastery that was what his father wanted today the young Sherba has mixed feelings you would like to say thank you and enjoy the Here and Now but he remembers the demanding days of his childhood the monotonous chanting having to sit still for hours specially remembers The Runaways the ruckuses bunking off games and dreaming of freedom he remembers moments of sharing and then finally leaving with Nema to follow his chosen path [Music] he often remembers the restrictions of monastic School knife and he remembers the pleasure of discovering the world through books [Applause] [Music] he also remembers the interminable ceremonies which made his head spin with exhaustion [Music] [Applause] from this strange time at the monastery a Nostalgia for the Miracles of light has stayed with him and an inclination to pray [Music] he has also retained a taste for these extraordinary rides on horseback [Music] these imaginary gallops on Raging creatures which drove away evil spirits and Scattered demons to the wind [Music] oh [Music] the Valley of the horses is not so far away it threads its way towards the more accessible mountains packed with tourists in the summer months a week's walk from Kathmandu the Mustang and Tibetan horses went over the Annapurna pass they are bred here and crossed with Indian horses and they are hired out to Trekkers at a good price [Music] Sona earns as much in a few hours as a porter usually earns in a month and it doesn't look that hard [Music] Garmin throws himself into his search he is untroubled by the 40 kilometers of mountains and passes on his journey but he is constantly stricken by fear he worries whether he'll be able to convince any Trader to sell a horse to a novice who knows nothing about them he'll just have to ask and keep on asking me [Music] what's up all along the way tourism is changing the face of the valleys stonemasons are hard at work everything is in motion religion is also caught up in the Whirlwind The Nepalese and their prayers are carried Along by a new rhythm [Music] here's one he likes the look of it [Music] come on [Music] [Applause] all right [Music] this time the horses are for sale the horse trainer shows German his three horses is he getting a bargain or being sold a pup the first Contact is tough for a beginner finally the gray mayor ledgerman approach she seems to be sweet natured and in good health maybe she'll make a good Horseman out of him foreign The Horse Trader is amused by how unsure and apprehensive German is and by his lack of skill he helps his client to mount the horse [Music] Garmin may have climbed Everest three times but mounting a horse is a different matter altogether [Music] [Music] come on the negotiation is done Tibetan fashion for a win-win outcome government names his prize [Music] [Music] [Applause] everybody [Music] cannot possibly return to the village and present his horse without a full complement of tack she must at least have a collar with bells and a tassel and a Tibetan saddle blanket like [Music] [Music] [Music] he would like to call his beautiful mayor Karma Karma means destiny but he knows it's not up to him to decide he'll call her karma for the time being tomorrow Buddha and the llamas may decide otherwise [Music] [Applause] near lukler airport German feels sure he will find some foreigners he offers his services to the lodge nearest The Landing Strip there's sure to be a well-heeled rider who would like to ride Karma the reason Kathmandu has been blockaded the people are demanding for the king to be deposed planes are carrying only bags and fresh hopes [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] flies ahead for German Hill Cross Rivers without getting his feet wet and climb at Karma's pace he'll have to accept looks of astonishment and have faith close to the edge take incomprehension refusals and disinterest in his stride he'll be part of the march of History [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] foreign at this rate the cousin in Kathmandu won't be getting his money back for some time [Music] [Music] can't get network coverage and he promised to contact his cousin Sawan in Kathmandu just in the last week that it has been possible for someone to receive emails in his shop the internet is the new Wind Horse and the Cyber Cafe it's monastery [Music] [Music] oh come on [Music] as they climb higher Karma becomes less and less sprightly smallest obstacle makes her stall the more German pulls on her leash the more she refuses she's paralyzed and shaken by a caravan of yaks passing her and freezes [Music] thank you the coolness of the gorge encourages her to set off again with renewed vigor [Music] but once again she is not so sure-footed and she hesitates and falters [Music] [Music] [Applause] now German is no longer thinking about hiring out his mayor but whether they will ever get back to the Village will she crack before they do they are at a height of 3500 meters and maybe Karma can't tolerate the altitude when they finally arrive on the high plateaus government drags Karma to the gates of a Veterinary Hospital the only one in the kumbu valley [Applause] she has small wounds which are infected probably knocks from other animals horns the vet is not happy foreign the village is still two days away two days on the edge of the Void no one has ever tried this before [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] not anymore thank you [Music] The Raven wouldn't dare do this with the yak but tries its luck with the horse front right [Music] karma is better again [Music] now when she has to be pulled it's because she's resisting but German has his doubts they will arrive back at bangbosh without any money and what's more without having done anything or helped anyone [Music] up until now Garmin had heard of this disabled Sherpa he was one of the best guides on Everest lakpar an exceptional Sherpa [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] for example he was asked to carry a radio transmitter to the top of Everest so that the conquerors could Proclaim their Victory the next day um [Music] dodging me is going to see his son in dingbosch It's a Long Way along a very steep route he takes advantage of a ride on Karma who this time walks on without showing any resistance finally it's home sweet home even at four thousand meters there's nowhere quite like home a nice stall [Music] home sweet home a place where secrets are shared Tales are told and new plans are made [Music] all right Nema and German's plan is to prepare a special Meal which they will offer to the nuns at the convent for Karma's presentation ceremony [Music] thank you [Music] thank you [Music] the meal of Barney fritters will be shared the Lodge's guests get to taste them that evening and the next day German and Nema will take the rest of them to the nuns at the conference only Nema and her parents accompany German to Karma's consecration ceremony German has said little about it in the village he's afraid of the evil eye on Karma he needs the reassurance of this ceremony because they don't know karma's place in the cycle of reincarnation [Music] [Music] the presents and food are discreetly placed at the entrance to the convents Nema serves tea made of yak's milk to the officiants [Music] their littonese link the animal to its name and so establish a favorable Destiny for karma and her owners [Music] the gifts of silver are there as backup simple thanks in advance Alexander [Music] [Music] [Music] oh I see [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] this animal is strange it has an odd get up we don't really know what it's for But the teacher will explain it to us then German asks a favor of these talented Observers he asks them to draw him a picture of a horse for hire to hang on his house [Music] thank you okay location [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] Dancy received a worrying phone call ER is asking for help his eyes have been burned by the Sun and because of the fog the helicopter has refused to go he wants to come down German says he will go [Music] foreign and two bales of hay [Music] Everest Base Camp is at 5400 meters [Music] it will take at least two days probably three to get there Karma slowly acclimatizes to the reduction in oxygen [Music] in fact Karma does not suffer from the altitude as long as there's food and sun but above 4 700 meters the stock of hay Runs Out the vegetation becomes sparse and the sky clouds over they merge into a world of snow and clouds The Refuge at low bush is not visible it has dissolved into the fog but for Tao's sake who is blinded and waiting for them at base camp they cannot give up they must go on no bush 5000 meters foreign [Music] [Music] at 5000 meters the bad weather can last for a day or two days or a week 10 centimeters or a meter of snow may fall but they stay cheerful in adversity Karma and German take the bad weather in their stride come on the following morning the sky clears Good Fortune seems to have returned a magical light gives shape to the icy Mass German is full of Hope though he is still penniless karma is not phased by the crevasses but the ground beneath her is unstable [Music] at the top of a sweep of ice the summit of Everest is a mirage a black triangle dominating the Frozen penitence and jumble of cerex where processions of climbers try to find their way must have come down this way too foreign [Music] experience at 5400 meters many people lose their Lucidity and their speech becomes incoherent dazed they keep quiet and look in silence at the person they have been waiting for and then walk away to perform Herculean tasks on the moving ground which is shrinking and each day sliding a little further towards the sea [Music] at high altitude the sun's rays are reflected of the snow this excess of light can burn your retina in just a few hours [Laughter] if you lose your glasses as dower did you must take great care because snow blindness is painful and such an attack can be irreversible I know the Sherpas helped Tower down the ice face but the Western team who employed him won't come down any further they have gone off up the mountain preoccupied with trying to reach the top despite her lack of food Karma fulfills her role superbly she doesn't shy or slip or jolt along it's as if she is aware of her responsibility after 18 difficult hours dower is safely backed down having rescued dower German will in due course receive a substantial sum of money from the expedition's insurance treated in good time dawa shouldn't suffer any serious consequences all right for German and his family things have taken a turn for the better in these few months Karma's success has set an example both the mayor and German's advice are much in demand it's not what he expected his good idea of a horse for hire quickly spawned others more and more people are becoming horse riders and hiring out horses improving life for some families and generating the first signs of prosperity the horse Traders come to check out the valley smiling broadly and more and more tourists are enjoying hiring horses [Music] [Applause] [Music] at last Gammon can reimburse tawang his cousin in Kathmandu [Applause] at last he can celebrate the Advent of the first Nepalese Republic which has just been announced at last he can meet his children from school and give them a nice surprise foreign [Music] thank you [Applause] [Music] thank you [Music] at last they can celebrate Buddha's birthday together [Music] everyone Behavior today it is the year 2000s 631 [Music] um [Music] pet pet [Music]

Channel: SLICE

Views: 196,918

Keywords: documentary, documentaries, shortdoc, shortdocs, slice, slicedocs

Id: HYUQ1TE76gA

Length: 51min 32sec (3092 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 19 2023