‘Hell On Ice’ Final Script Two friends set out on the adventure of a life time,
to cross a frozen neck of land at the bottom of the world. Gambling on their own strength and determination,
they’ll cheat death more than once. Pete Bland and Jay Watson will risk everything to
cross the Antarctic Peninsula and only one
will make it to the other side. The Antarctic Peninsula
has lured explorers into danger for over a hundred years. Now it beckons farmer Pete Bland and photographer Jay
Watson. The two Australians plan to make what they believe
will be the first unassisted crossing of its rugged terrain. They almost didn’t make it this far. A sponsor
pulls out. By the time another is found they are later into the summer season
than they planned. The ice flows they have to cross will be eroding in
the Antarctic sun. The weather more volatile. It is the unpredictability that makes the Antarctic Peninsula one of the most dangerous places on
earth. Sync – Skipper: See you later guys. They stake their lives on their experience. Pete has navigated expeditions to both South and North
Magnetic Poles and Jay has participated in 5 Antarctic expeditions. This is a journey they have plotted since their school
days. A dream they have a passion to make come true. Sync - Pete Bland: Be back a shadow of my former self. No matter how tough the going. No matter how stacked against them the odds may me be. Sync - Jay Watson: Well, we just made it up to the top of the
glacier here. Sync - Pete Bland: Why we do this stuff I don’t know. Sync - Jay Watson: Hopefully we’ll get a bit of a ski
in on the opposite side after all this up hill hauling - that’s the hope.
Pete and Jay are alone. They do their own filming,
haul their own supplies and equipment and have only each other to rely on. The
challenges they face are immense. Their route weaves through every kind of tortuous
terrain the Antarctic can offer. Approximately 300 kilometres of sea-ice, glaciers and
mountains. They can’t afford to skirt around danger. Their
tight budget and a delayed start means they have just 23 days to complete the
journey and make their agreed rendezvous. They don’t have the funds to keep the yacht
Tooluka a day longer. More than just transport, Tooluka is Pete and
Jay’s lifeline. They will check-in with the Skipper by radio at
regular intervals and there is a mountaineer aboard to lead a rescue party
should something go terribly wrong. That’s the only insurance policy they have. Pete
and Jay can’t afford the two hundred thousand US dollars it costs for
comprehensive rescue insurance. Australia’s
Antarctic Authorities have advised them not to undertake the journey. But their confidence in themselves and their equipment
is unshakeable. 10:04:17 MWS Pete PTC Sync - Pete Bland: Whew, what a day. Well the weather’s
cleared up. Which is great. We made camp last night and it was complete
white-out. But woken up this morning and there’s the most beautiful view.
We’ve got 7.9 miles to get across to View Point. It’s across this here bay here, or the Ducet Bay
as they call it here. And um you can see there’s open ice leads through
the back of the tent there’s open ice leads. So it’s going to be a
day I think were we are going to be using our kayaks. It’s a good thing that they are sort of
aquphibious we can go both on the land and in the water and I can see us having
to do that later on today if we are going to get to the other side. Any way, on
with the day. 10:04:33 WS view across bay 10:04:42 MWS Pete PTC 10:04:57 MWS skiing and pulling kayak 10:05:09 WS skiing and pulling kayak Their early progress is good and their spirits are
high. 10:05:23 WS icy bank 10:05:26 WS icy mountain 10:05:30 But things are about to change as they must cross a
bay of broken sea ice. 10:05:36 MWS Pete looking down into sea ice MWS Pete PTC Just getting down to it will be a challenge in itself. 10:05:37 Sync - Pete Bland: It’s a fair way down still. Have to
go around. 10:05:50 MWS Pete and Jay carrying kayak 10:06:00 MWS Pete lowering kayak over the edge 10:06:04 MWS kayak entering water Jay is an experienced sea kayaker. 10:06:07 MWS Pete in kayak Pete’s used to river rowing - its a very
different technique. Sync - Pete Bland: Edge of my boat above waterline? Sync - Jay Watson: Just. 10:06:14 MWS Pete in kayak and ice And Pete has good reason to be extra careful. He has
already brushed with death in the Antarctic’s icy waters. 10.06.22 MWS yacht 3 years ago, on a 2000 kilometre expedition to the
Magnetic South Pole, the yacht Pete navigated was crippled by a rope around its
propeller. 10:06:31 MS Pete and crew helping him put on protective
clothing Sync - Mag South Skipper: That’s it. 10:06:34 MWS Pete in water over side of yacht Mag South Crew Member: Off you go son. Don’t get
tangled with the line. Don’t go cutting the trench line off. For 5 days they drifted through iceberg-strewn sea
until Pete volunteered to go over the side. 10:06:47 Pete coming out of water Sync - Mag South Skipper: Great man. Pete Bland: You’ve confirmed its ok - Roy? His brave act freed the propeller, but Pete paid an
awful price for his heroism. 10:06:59 MS Pete in bed with monitors The extreme cold triggered a potentially lethal heart
defect. Surgery could have left Pete a paraplegic. Even if successful, he faced
a long and difficult recuperation. Pete took his chances and won. 12 months later, he walked 650 kilometres in 28 days
to the Magnetic North Pole. 10:07:17 Still: WS Expedition to North Pole 10:07:21 Still: MWS Pete at North Pole 10:07:25 MS Pete in kayak 10:07:29 MW Jay in kayak Pete and Jay have been friends since childhood. But on
this expedition, they have decided should an accident strike one, the other must
carry on and not put his own life at risk. It is a decision that will be put to the most extreme
test. 10:07:38 MWS view from kayak 10:07:42 WS Pete in kayak and ice 10:07:51 COMMERCIAL BREAK 10:07:52 MWS Jay in kayak and ice 10:07:53 MWS Pete in kayak and ice Trekking over the sea ice seemed a great idea, when
Pete Bland and Jay Watson plotted their journey from the comfort of their
Australian homes. In the harsh Antarctic it takes a day and a half just to get
to a large iceberg that may be solid enough to carry their weight. 10:08:10 MWS Pete PTC Sync - Pete Bland: Well we’ve made it across this side.
See if the ice is solid enough to walk on. Looks pretty good. 10:08:18 WS men on ice plain But looks are deceptive. The sun is now high and cloud is thinning. 10:08:29 MS skiing across ice The sea ice is melting from beneath their feet. 10:08:40 MWS Pete crossing some thin ice Sync - Peter Bland: We have to be so careful we don’t
break the top. 10:08:48 MS melting ice What makes it so dangerous is that it is hard to see
where the fault lines are . They have to find another way. 10:08:56 WS Jay on ice plain 10:09:00 MS Pete PTC Sync - Peter Bland: Thought it was challenging getting onto this bay
yesterday when we crossed that ice lee, looked like a river. Well, this little
ice lee here looks like a ocean and hum, we have to it to get off this bay now.
So it’s back into the kayaks. We better ski-daddle. The wind and current are so strong, they don’t
have a hope of paddling against them. 10:09:08 MWS Jay in kayak with bird 10:09:13 MS Pete practising paddling 10:09:16 MWS Jay pushing off from ice into water 10:09:27 MS Pete looking over at the water Sync – No way. 10:09:31 MWS Jay trying to paddle against current 10:09:33 What they don’t notice is that the gap between
the iceberg and the land is widening. They are stuck on a rapidly melting iceberg that is
being dragged by the current out to sea. 10:09:48 MS Jay PTC Sync - Jay Watson: Not going to work so we’re going to have to find
another way round. We’re going to have to hook around the bay. 10:09:54 MS skiing across gap in Ice 10:09:58 MS Pete trying to pull kayak across ice The melt is now so rapid they experiment with the
kayaks, hoping to scoot across the ice. It’s not a success. 10:10:11 MS skiing on ice 10:10:15 MWS Pete climbing over ice There is no choice but to go on. Out running the melt
is impossible, it’s like quicksand sucking them in. And Pete is about to
relive his worst nightmare. 00.10.38.20 MWS Pete trying to get out of water Sync - Pete Bland: I’ve got take my skis off. Jay Watson: You’re tied in? Pete Bland: Pull it tight. Jay Watson: Ok, yep. Pete’s clothing is limited protection against
the minus 1 degree Celsius seawater. Jay must get him out before the cold
triggers another heart trauma or hypothermia kills him. Sync - Pete Bland: Pull it up. I’ll come up at the end. Jay Watson: One more then. Pete Bland: That’ll teach me for being ... Jay Watson: One more burst ... Pete Bland: ... 20kgs heavier. Jay Watson: Your feet out? Pete Bland: I’m out. Fuck’n ay! Jay Watson: Fuck’n ay! Jesus. Enough of that. Pete Bland: I’m not that hot I can tell you. 10:11:45 MWS tent and kayaks The close call is a sobering reminder that one slip
can be fatal. 10:11:50 MCU Pete PTC Pete Bland: Thank God Jay was there, with a rope. Hum, I
don’t think there’s ever been a moment in my life where I could say
I actually owe somebody my life but I think I can say that today. My friend
Jaysie. Then again I’ve saved his arse many times. Jay Watson: Yea, we’re even I think. 10:12:09 WS ice plain with seals Pete Bland: We’ve hauled out, walked on for a bit and kept
on sinking, kept on sinking. There’s water flowing underneath us, we just
camped on a bit of ice. Going to have a brew, going to have dinner then get up
at three in the morning. 10:12:21 WS Pan ice plain by tent 10:12:26 WS Pan Pete walking off pulling kayak 10:12:37 WS water and Ice 10:12:40 MS Pete PTC, pan to land Pete Bland: We’ve made it to the edge of the water on this floating ice berg, now what we’ve got to do is
paddle across this bit of water here and that is terra firma - that is land. Land it certainly is. 10:12:55 MS Pete preparing kayak But it is not where they want to be. 10:13:03 MWS Pete in kayak Pete Bland: Hey, this is the way to go Jay. No more
hauling on the ice, just paddle. 10:13:10 CGI – Route over Antarctica Every step they took forward the drifting iceberg pushed
them 2 steps backwards. They should be coming ashore at the foot of the Peninsula’s Victory Glacier. They are 50 kilometres
off course on rugged Vega
Island. 10:13:25 WS Pete at campsite 10:13:31 WS Jay washing in water They clean up, rest and regroup. The forced detour has cost them 3 of their precious
23-days in which to complete the traverse before they loose their pick-up yacht
Tooluka Sync - Pete Bland: Shit. Everything is, everything is absolutely
saturated. We are freezing cold. We’re open like this to try‘n get
the air going over us. It is drying, all this gear. Oh man I’m so glad to
be here. For a while there I didn’t think we were going to make it. Like
I never really believed it, but it just starts to cross your mind. 10:13:35 MS Jay drinking 10:13:38 MCU wringing out clothes 10:14:06 WS land They allow themselves just 3 days to cross the island
to a point where kayaking to the Peninsula is
feasible. 10:14:14 WS Pete towing kayak To allow any more time will leave zero margin for the
rest of the traverse. Sync - Pete Bland: This is just great. What a camp site hey. End of day
seven and it’s all looking a little bit better now. Pete’s optimism is premature. 10:14:27 MWS Jay walking with ski poles They walk into a storm that coats the rocky terrain
with freezing snow, while cold and fatigue start to take a toll on their
bodies. 10:14:35 MS Pete PTC Sync - Pete Bland: So we’re past this bluff, which is the centre of
Vega Island. Now we’ve just got to go down an hour or so and
make camp because we’ll get a rock fall if we camp here as tempting as it
is. We’re both pretty knackered, I’ve got to say. 10:14:41 MWS Pete climbing icy slope 10:14:53 WS Jay walking across icy slope It is so cold breathing is painful and joints ache 10:14:58 WS Kayak sliding down slope 10:15:06 WS Pete pulling kayak on skis Despite the setbacks and lost time, all it takes is a
spell of good weather to recharge their confidence. 10:15:13 MS Pete PTC while skiing Sync - Pete Bland: This is absolutely fantastic. We’ve got to the
bottom of this bay now. All we’ve got to do is scoot down here, make
camp. I’ve got to say this is one of the most beautiful things, apart
from my darling wife, that I have ever, ever seen. 10:15:29 WS bay and icy hill 10:15:33 MWS penguins on rock 10:15:36 WS bay and coastline, Jay on rock Beyond the bay, on the Peninsula, lies Victory
Glacier, the route that leads to the Peninsula’s
plateau. If they can get across today, they’ll have just
15 days to complete the first unassisted crossing of the Antarctic
Peninsula. It’s possible, but they have no leeway. From now
on it’s either success or disaster. 10:15:43 MWS Pete in kayak by icicles 10:15:48 MS Kayak moving through water 10:15:54 MWS Pete in kayak and ice 10:15:59 MS Pete beside iceberg The closer they get to the glacier however, the colder
it gets, the denser the sea ice packs around the bergs. It looks less likely they can cross the bay in a
single day. Sync - Pete Bland: Ok, well, I’m onto this one. I’ll pull the
rope in, pull yours across. 10:16:04 MWS Pete hacking away at the ice 10:16:34 But they are not about to give in without a fight. Taking turns to lead, roped kayak to kayak, they haul
each other from iceberg to iceberg. 10:16:51 MWS Pete walking down ice slope The icebergs are unstable, the current is picking up
and despite near exhaustion they can’t afford the time to stop and rest. 10:16:59 Sync - Peter Bland: Well, there is way off. it’s over
here, to the southwest, but we’ve got to get off pretty quick because
there’s icebergs coming, they’re going to block our exit route. So
we better ski-daddle. Jay Watson: Don’t upset the iceberg. 10:17:15 MWS Pete walking over ice pulling kayak Beast of a piece of plastic. 10.17.33 MWS Jay pulling kayak towards him 10:17:37 MS Jay PTC Jay Watson: See how the sun’s going down it’s about
midnight. We’re still trying to haul across this busted up sea ice. But
we’re nearly in sight of land and we’re just pushing hard now.
There’s no point in stopping so - just got to keep hauling these yaks -
we’ll get there. 10:17:45 WS Pete pulling kayak across ice 10:17:55 MS Jay PTC 10:17:58 WS Jay in kayak hacking at the ice 10:18:17 MCU Pete PTC Pete Bland: So we’re only about 100 metres from Victory
Glacier and we’re into this pack ice zone. It’s the end of the day.
We’re very tired and cold, and all we want to get ashore and get onto
land. Jay’s there taking the lead now, trying to get to the next shelf,
little plate of ice and then what we do is haul ourselves across it and then we
go to the next one and then do the same again, and again and again and again.
Anyway, hopefully the next update is from the land. 10:18:43 WS Jay hacking at ice in kayak 10:18:50 MS pulling kayak across ice They make land just in time to see the sunrise. 10:18:56 WS tent Though desperately tired, the two friends are still in
good spirits and take time to record their thoughts before hard-earned sleep. Sync - Jay Watson: Some of the early explorers have been and like Otto
Nordenskjold, Wally Herbert and been around these areas and. Pete Bland: Yes, somebody’s dirty socks 10:18:59 MS Pete and Jay in tent 10:19:15 Jay Watson: Dirty socks hanging around. Pete Bland: My poor diary but, a photo of my little daughter.
Little thing. And we’re the first ones to do it unsupported. 10:19:30 Jay Watson: I can see why. Pete Bland: I can see why too. I wouldn’t say no to a bit of
support right now. Jay Watson: Exactly. We need the dogs now. Pete Bland: Dogs and the helicopter. Jay Watson: You bring the chopper in. Pete Bland: There it is. I can hear it. In a few hours they face an 1800 metre climb of
Victory Glacier. 10:19:51 WS tent in snow 10:19:54 COMMERCIAL BREAK 10:19:54 MCU end of kayak Pete Bland and Jay Watson wake to a white-out
obliterating their route to the Antarctic Peninsula Plateau. They should sit it
out but have 3/4’s of the journey to complete in just 15 days. 10:20:04 MWS kayaks covered in snow 10:20:11 Pete packing gear into pack Jay Watson: We’ve got to get up the top of the mountains
here, so we’re just, hum, loading all our gear. Basically putting them
all in packs. Pete Bland: There’s that sock I was looking for. 10:20:26 MS putting on snow spikes Jay Watson: We’re do an hour up. Takes about 1/2 to get back
down again. Take another load up and hopefully on the third load we’re be
able to just take the kayaks straight up. We’re have a path - and a safe
route up, hum, we’re just keep coming back and forth until we get it
done. They choose the least steep route to ascend and
navigate by a hand held global positioning system. It locks onto a satellite
that confirms their location to within 10 metres. In whiteout, on a glacier, up
a sheer mountain face - 10 metres is a wide margin for error. They drift off
course. When they finally realise it, they are faced with a far steeper route
to get back on track. 10:20:32 MS Jay PTC 10:20:36 MWS Pete climbing snowy hill 10:21:19 MS Pete PTC Sync - Pete Bland: There’s some weight in that baby. Oh boy, at
least we’re heading in the right direction. 10:21:37 WS men climbing snowy slope 10:21:41 Ws men climbing snowy slope – closer to Cam 10:21:44 WS men climbing snowy slope – closer to cam 10:21:50 MS men take a break Oh, we’re doing it by rope length by rope
length. That was one rope length. I cold have gone a couple more, I
wasn’t really puffed at the end of that one. Jay Watson: You whimped out. You piked it. Pete Bland: So, we’re going to go back and get the other
yak. The reason we’re going rope length by rope length is that it’s
such a white-out, it’s only probably about 2 rope lengths and you
couldn’t even see the yaks, the kayaks, and that that’s got all the
tent and food in it. We’d be lost without ‘em, so we’re lost
with ‘em. 10:22:37 WS mountain, Z/O On the fifth day since commencing their ascent up
Victory Glacier, they climb through the white-out and onto the Antarctic
Peninsula Plateau. 10:22:39 WS men walking across plateau 10:22:47 MWS men walking across plateau, PTC Sync - Jay Watson: Be on this plateau where we ... Pete Bland: We’re home and hosed now. Jay Watson: Should be traversing down hill. Pete Bland: Don’t want to speak too soon but we have got to
the top of the Antarctic Peninsular. And, I’ve got to say ... Jay Watson: Never thought we’d get here. Pete Bland: Oh, there were times. There were times. Holy cow. Jay Watson: Awesome view isn’t it? Pete Bland: That is just amazing. 10:23:21 CGI – pan over route across Antarctica They will follow the plateau as it weaves through
mountain peaks to where the Peninsula falls
away to the opposite coast. 10:23:29 WS track through snow The snow is packed and flat. The best travelling surface
they have had so far. It gives them a chance to reflect. 10:23:43 THOUGHT TRACK Jay Watson: I think you need an inner energy an inner, inner
spirit that can handle these sort of conditions and these sort of environments
and sort of battling every day to get ahead and hum, in difficult terrain. I
feel confident in my environment I guess. 10:24:05 MS Pete walking and looking at compass THOUGHT TRACK Pete Bland: You do anything to keep your mind occupied. I count to
three hundred, and then look at my compass, and then do it again. Keeps my mind
from wandering too far. You have to focus one step at a time. 10:24:14 MS kayak as it is pulled 10:24:23 MWS men climbing face of mountain 10:24:29 MWS Jay testing snow We’ve just come to a halt here because, well,
that’s why we’re roped up Jay just found a big cravasse. We would
have walked straight across that. 10:24:41 CU hole in snow See, that’s what you don’t want to fall
down. 10:24:51 WS yacht in icy bay 10:24:57 WS men climbing hill with skis Far below the Plateau, the Tooluka’s crew take
in the sights expecting in 7 days to collect Pete and Jay from Charlotte Bay. 10:25:04 WS view from boat Sync - Skipper: Jay, Pete, Jay, Pete, Tooluka, Tooluka, Jay, Pete. But there is a change of plan. 00.25.11 CGI – pan over Antarctica
map Instead of the gentle but slow decent to Charlotte Bay
Pete and Jay decide to make up time and take their chances descending a near
vertical mountain face to the closer Charcot Bay. 10:25:22 MWS men packing kayaks It is a fateful decision. 10:25:25 CU packing kayak 10:25:26 MS Pete PTC Sync - Pete Bland: We’re packing up now and we’re head down
over here, onto the Gavin Ice Pierre de Monte. From there we’ll veer
round to the west to our agreed pick up point which down there in Charcot Bay. So, we’ve agreed with the
yacht Tooluka that she’ll meet us there. So, today we head down. It will
be good to get out this cloud and actually have some visibility. So, Charcot Bay here we come. 10:25:57 CU rope running through caliper 10:26:00 MS pulling kayak on rope 10:26:06 MWS kayak on rope pull 10:26:14 WS bleak hazy conditions In the best of conditions this would be a difficult
descent, requiring all Pete and Jay’s ice climbing and abseiling skills. 10:26:21 MWS Pete in snowstorm In a snowstorm, with no more than basic equipment, it
is nerve wrecking. But once commenced there is no going back. 10:26:30 MWS Pete on snowy hillside 10:26:48 MCU Ice screw Sync - Pete Bland: We just secured this ice screw into this frozen sort of
ice block that’s vertically above us, then that is connected to Jay,
which we’ll then use as our security and we will have to leave that up
here as I lower myself down on it. ‘Cause you’ve got half this length again. 10:26:58 WS Jay on snowy slope 10:27:13 CU hand letting out the rope They lower the kayaks with their supplies and
equipment. 10:27:18 MCU Pete PTC Now it’s just me so I’ve gotta hook on
down there ah, to this ice screw here and that’s what’s going to,
supports me as I lower myself down. Here we go. But as pete descends, jay is unable to hold the weight
of the kayaks. Jay Watson: We got the kayaks to here and then I had to let them
go. Pete Bland: Oh, shit! Jay Watson Couldn’t hold onto them. There support
wasn’t, we did have enough support for them and its just too heavy. Pete Bland: Oh, Jaysie. Pete Bland: Gone, gone, gone ... 10:28:10 WS side of snowy mountain Jay Watson: It’s gone a long way down anyway. The kayaks plummeted with such velocity Jay risked
being dragged off the mountainside. 10:28:20 WS looking down mountainside Sync - Pete Bland: If you look down there you can see one of the kayaks -
oh there it is, already down there. And actually, down there I think is
something else, either my pack or the other kayak. Pete’s pack contains most of their food supplies 10:28:41 MCU pin and ropes Sync - Pete Bland: We’re all secured on one pin ‘cause
that’s all we’ve got left now. We only bought two pins on the trip. 10:28:48 MWS Pete abseiling down mountainside Got to find it before night fall. The kayaks contain their tent, sleeping bags and
stove. Without their equipment they face an icy death in Antarctica’s
freezing night winds. 10:29:03 MWS pack in snow Very good news, we’ve found my pack its down
there 10:29:11 WS Pete throwing rope towards cam 10:29:15 MWS pan around kayak and bags Jay’s kayak was lowered down pretty
successfully, no worries. Pete’s kayak, however, is smashed to pieces. Sync - Peter Bland: There’s half the kayak and all the contents are
strewn everywhere. 10:29:30 MWS pan across icy rocks They recover most essentials but with only one kayak
they will have to carry supplies on their backs. It’s not their only
complication. A massive crevasse, as deep as a ten-storey building is high,
cuts right across their route to the coast. 10:29:50 MWS pan across campsite Sheltering from the violent winds, they set camp below
a ridge and hope to find their way through in the morning light. 10:30:06 MCU Jay in tent writing Jay records the events of this dramatic day. 10:30:10 MWS outside of tent in snow Sync - Jay Watson: Tent was taking a battering and snow was building up.
Tent was on such a lean and the pressure on the side of the tent that we
decided that we needed to reinforce the tent. Pete decided that he wanted to
head out which was good for me. 10:30:22 MWS inside of tent After several minutes, Pete fails to return. Jay
investigates. 10:30:28 WS snowy mountainside Sync - Jay Watson: I couldn’t see him at all and then I saw the
avalanche scar that had peeled away from the mountain. An avalanche, its rumble masked by the wind, has swept
past the campsite without touching the tent or Jay. 10:30:32 WS avalanche snow fall 10:30:51 MWS inside of crevasse Pete is not so lucky. 10:30:50 COMMERCIAL BREAK 10:30:50 MWS inside of crevasse, pan to WS Jay with ropes on
ice face Jay Watson’s best friend lies at the bottom of a
crevasse. Jay Watson: The avalanche took him out. He went down about 40
metres before going over a cliff edge, down into a crevasse which was another
40 metres, he was a long way down. 10:31:10 WS looking down into crevasse There is no one else to help. The yacht Tooluka and
her crew are still four days away. Jay and Pete have already agreed that should
an accident strike one, the other wouldn’t risk his own life to attempt a
rescue. But this expedition has been forged in comradeship and
a determination not to give in. Jay won’t turn his back on his friend. 10:31:30 MWS inside crevasse Jay’s rope is too short abseil down to Pete. He
must find his way into the crevasse on foot. 10:31:36 MS Jay abseiling 10:31:40 MS Ice in crevasse It leads to a maze of cracked ice, massive ice
boulders and fractures. 10:31:52 Sync - Jay Watson: The movement and crunching and noises in it, it just
felt alive really. These deep veins blues and whites and stalactites, ice
formations coming off the side of it. 10:32:09 MWS Jay with Pete in the crevasse It is 5 hours before Jay reaches Pete, impacted into
the ice and unresponsive. 10:32:14 WS Ice in crevasse 10:32:17 MS Icicle falling 10:32:19 MWS Jay with Pete in the crevasse Jay fears the worst. Sync - Jay Watson: I thought he’d broken his back then I
didn’t get any response. He couldn’t move his whole lower body.
That initial confronting look and stare of Pete an unknown and remote and
distant look in his eyes, that’s something I haven’t seen before. 00:32:31 MS Jay by Pete 10:32:36 MS skipper on yacht Skipper: Jay, Pete, Tooluka standing by. 10:32:40 MS men in yacht listening to radio Radio voice Jay: I’ve actually been with him. I had to climb down
for several hours myself to reach him. I have set up the tent. I have up the
tent. I’ve put a sleeping bag around him and a bivy. He is in great pain
when I move him. I think it’s fairly serious over. Skipper: Yea. Roger Jay. Over 10:33:07 MWS crevasse Since his massive heart trauma in Antarctica
three years ago, an artificial valve has kept pete’s blood circulating.
Jay has no way of knowing if the valve or Pete’s heart has suffered in
the fall. 10:33:11 MWS icicles 10:33:17 MWS tent in crevasse 10:33:25 WS yacht bow sailing through pack ice Skipper Roger Wallace takes the Tooluka through pack
ice on a moonless night seeking a site to land a rescue party. 10:33:32 MCU ice in water 10:33:36 MS skipper in yacht Roger resists calling for outside help which is bound
to be expensive and controversial. Pete and Jay are here against their
government’s advice and they don’t have rescue insurance. 10:33:43 MWS tent in crevasse 10:33:47 MWS ice in crevasse 10:33:54 MS Skipper in yacht If Pete survives the night the Skipper will
reconsider. 10:33:58 WS icy rocks 10:34:03 MWS tent in crevasse With Jay huddled beside him to impart body warmth -
Pete does make it through the night. Jay Watson: At this time Pete and I were in the bottom of the
crevasse, in the tent often getting avalanched on. Just noises all around us of
cracking great glaciers and more avalanche coming down on top of us. Pete
slowly was getting better, he was responding more but still could not speak and
move. He was in credible discomfort hum, but he was incredibly strong. The fall
he took was just phenomenal fall and the impact must have been incredible for
him to be even alive is a test of his strength and spirit. 10:34:21 MCU Pete asleep in tent 10:34:49 CGI yacht and map of Charcot Bay The Tooluka anchors in Charcot Bay.
It looks deceptively close to the crevasse on the map. But the terrain is steep
and thick with soft cloying snow that will make walking frustratingly slow. 10:35:06 MS men inside yacht The landing party is led by John Kelsal, a mountaineer
experienced in alpine rescue. With him are geographer and bush walker Nigel
Collins. And Jay’s brother Andy, an art teacher with limited trekking
experience. Andy is recovering from a chest infection, but insists on
participating in the rescue. 10:35:09 MWS rubber dingy over the side of the yacht 10:35:11 MWS 3 men in dingy 10:35:15 MWS man on boat with ropes 10:35:21 MWS Andy pulling ropes 10:35:25 MWS men on shore, dingy approaches 10:35:32 MCU skipper on the radio inside the yacht Sync - Skipper: Cruise Marco Polo, just standby. Roger decides to call in extra help. If Pete is to
survive, he needs all the help the Skipper can muster. Marco Polo, Marco Polo this is Tolooka 10:35:49 WS Marco Polo in distance The luxury cruise liner Marco Polo, responds. They
have a helicopter aboard. 10:35:54 WS rescue party on icy slope The rescue party only has a door from the yacht to use
as a stretcher. Their packs laden with supplies, they travel at less than a
hundred paces an hour. 10:35:57 WS rescue party on ice 10:36:02 WS Antarctica coast line 10:36:06 MS skipper on the yacht Skipper Roger Wallis goes on air again, a call he has
been dreading. Sync - Skipper: Hello Jules, it’s Roger. 10:36:13 MWS yacht by icebergs It’s to Pete’s wife, on the family farm in
Australia.
He provides just basic facts, unwilling to speculate on Pete’s odds of
survival. 10:36:20 MS ice in crevasse 10:36:27 WS Marco Polo sailing through the ice The Marco Polo sails to within half a nautical mile of
the Tooluka and dispatches her helicopter. 10:36:34 WS helicopter over icy water Sync - Radio operator Marco Polo: We’ve got your position so we’ll send up
the helicopter here now and we’ll see how far we can go. 10:36:43 WS icy crevasse The afternoon of the second day in the crevasse, Jay
hears the helicopter approach. Sync - Jay Watson: It was after three sometime, I think that hum, I heard
the first buzz of the helicopter and soon he spotted me and he was hovering
above me and the hole Pete was in, and ah, soon after he disappeared again. 10:37:11 MWS helicopter in the air The pilot fears setting off another avalanche with the
helicopter’s rotors. He seeks a site away from the crevasse to land but
low cloud makes it too dangerous. 10:37:25 MS skipper in the yacht Sync - Radio operator Marco Polo: So what’s the altitude of the clouds right now. Pilot Marco Polo: The ceiling is around 900 feet at the moment and
it’s quite moist. The ceiling if you touch it, the blades are going to
ice up and ah, I would be a little reluctant to go up above it even if I found
a small hole there appears to be a shower coming up from the north. here. So, I
think we’re just going to have to stand by and wait for this lot to clear
off a bit. 10:37:51 WS crevasse area As night falls, thick fog stops the rescuers in their
tracks. They know from their GPS Pete and Jay are just a frustrating 1000
metres away. 10:38:00 MWS foggy tent site 10:38:05 WS foggy mountainside They listen to the rumble of avalanches through the
night. 10:38:12 MWS helicopter flying They wake to the sound of the Marco Polo’s
helicopter. Again it is turned back by the weather - and it is unlikely to
return. 10:38:23 MS skipper in yacht Sync - Skipper: The situation at the moment is the Marco Polo is just
about to leave... 10:38:27 Skipper radios Jay the disappointing news. Sync - Skipper: and ah, it is possible that ah, the chopper
may still go up. Don’t be too hopeful at this stage. We have a back up
plan anyway, the Base Frey, over on King
George Island,
is coming in about 3 hours. Just hang in there. Help is on the way. 10:38:51 WS icy mountain side Though the fog is still thick, the rescue party
carefully edges towards the crevasse. 10:39:00 WS man walking in fog Then the fog thins just enough to see Jay walking
towards them. He has not slept, he has had little food - but he has kept his
best friend alive. 10:39:10 WS icy crevasse Now the challenge is to get Pete out of the crevasse. 10:39:14 MS skipper in yacht Sync - Skipper: Base Frey, Base Frey, Base Frey... Skipper locates further assistance, from a Chilean
Antarctic base. 10:39:24 Sync - Frey radio operator: Could you please tell us what kind of rescue equipment
are you using. 10:39:32 MWS Pete on rescue board Skipper: It is a flat board, approximately 2 metres by .5
metres. 10:39:39 MCU Jay pulling rope Pete’s rescuers have to accept that a helicopter
has no chance of getting close enough to the crevasse to winch him to safety.
It’s up to them to get him out. Sync - Jay Watson: We literally tied him down as solidly as we could to
the stretcher. It was a piece of wood that was, some handles and things had
been cut out of. It was the yacht stretcher. So we strapped him to that. We set
a pulley system up from outside the hole, 2 people were up top and 2 people
down below and we sort of guide him up the vertical slope - fairly roughly and
hauling him out obviously against the ice wall. 10:39:43 MS Pete on board 10:39:45 MCU Jay pulling rope 10:39:52 MS Pete on board 10:40:05 CU Jay’s hand guiding rope 10:40:08 MCU Pete’s feet on board 10:40:13 MWS helicopter flying Topside they hear the Chilean helicopter approach -
but it too decides that landing near the crevasse is risky. It turns and
leaves. 10:40:23 MWS men towing Pete on board Moving Pete to a safer landing site puts even more
stress on the injured adventurer. 10:40:28 MS Pete on board 10:40:30 MWS men towing Pete on board In a white-out. Strapped to Jay’s kayak, he
flips and is dragged face down 50 metres before his rescuers realise
Pete’s predicament.. The morning of the fourth day after the accident - the
weather finally gives Pete a break. Chilean Base Frey’s helicopter is
again dispatched. It has just enough fuel for the journey and back. 10:40:34 MS Pete on board flipping 10:40:38 MWS men towing Pete on board 10:40:45 WS view of land from boat 10:40:53 WS icebergs in water Sync - Base Frey radio operator: The helicopter, Galileo from the area, has only one
hour left from this moment. So I guess this is the only opportunity to make an
aerial evacuation, over. 10:40:59 MS skipper in yacht 10:41:07 WS view from yahct 10:41:10 WS helicopter over coast line 10:41:15 WS Jay packing gear beside tent Jay Watson: A perfect blue sky, which was the first one for quite
some time, so it was quite amazing it happened that way. But, obviously
thankful for it ‘cause it allowed a clear path and a easy flight for them
to get in and out. 10:41:27 WS mountain in sunlight, pan down to helicopter landed
on snow 10:41:40 Still: MS Pete by helicopter It takes just minutes to whisk Pete away from the
pick-up site. He has company. Jay’s brother Andy is suffering chronic
pain; the stress of the rescue has aggravated his chest infection and is
threatening his heart. But Jay remains. He has decided to complete the journey
on foot. 10:41:53 Still: WS Helicopter flying 10:41:57 MWS helicopter flying 10:42:07 MCU Jay PTC Sync - Jay Watson: He’s just been flown out, we’re just
packing our gear up. I’m going to haul out with the guys, take the last
of the gear and try and finish this epic crossing of the Antarctic
peninsula and Pete will be with me and we’ll finish this off
together and he’ll be with me in strength and spirit. 10:42:32 WS icy mountain side As Jay sets off, there is a rumble from the mountain. Jay Watson: There’s this big avalanche that sort of came off
the side of the mountain and billowed where the accident site was as if the
mountain was cleansing itself of what we’d just done. It was sort of
fitting finale. We turned around and wandered off. 10:42:46 MWS Jay towing kayak 10:42:52 WS Jay walking off towing kayak 10:42:59 WS icy mountainside It is early evening when they reach the cliffs above
the coast. Antarctica gives Jay one last
reminder that nothing can be taken for granted. 10:43:08 MWS Jay climbing over edge of cliff Jay Watson: I thought it would be just a nice sort of walk out and
we would be finished and things and I got to the edge of the cliff and looked
down at the yacht, the small speck of yacht and I then realised, you know, I
still had so much more to do to get down I wasn’t, my mind set wasn’t
ready to have to do that but, I regrouped and down climbed. 10:43:34 WS snowy side of mountain 10:43:39 MWS side of snowy hill, kayak free falling Half way down, out of sheer relief that this epic
journey is finally over, Jay releases his kayak to free fall to the sea. 10:43:56 MWS kayak free falling 10:44:02 MWS Men climbing down last part of mountain side 10:44:07 MWS Jay climbing down ice Jay: Woo-hoo we have coastline Skipper: Where have you been? Jay Watson: To hell and back, to hell and back. Jay Watson: Good to see you. Skipper: Welcome, well, done. Jay Watson: Sorry and thank-you. 10:44:39 MWS boats in dry dock 10:44:41 WS busy street scene 10:44:45 WS housing by coastline Two weeks later Pete’s wife Julia and daughter
Olivia await Pete’s arrival on the Chilean mainland. Julia has flown in
knowing Pete has regained consciousness at the Frey Antarctic
Base Hospital,
but knows little else about his condition. 10:44:47 MWS plane arriving at airport 10:44:52 MS Plane arriving 10:44:47 MS Pete lying inside the plane 10:45:01 MS plane on runway Julia also has the strain of meeting Pete’s
rescue and medical bills - she fears it will cripple the family financially. 10:45:04 MS Julia and baby waiting for plane 10:45:07 MS Pete on stretcher exiting plane 10:45:30 MS Andy waving to Pete Sync - Andy Watson: You’re a legend buddy. Well done mate.
I’ll see you at home. Jay’s brother Andy returns to Australia for treatment. It will be
14 days before Pete is fit enough to fly home for his further treatment. 10:45:37 MS Pete, Julia and baby reunited 10:45:42 MWS Julia entering hospital Sync - Pete Bland: I’ve had a lot of x-rays and
I’ve got 4 broken ribs. Hum, my whole left leg has been reset and my, ah,
my, my hip has been reset. So, I’m just taking that easy and I’ve
got a suppressed fracture in my mind - in my right side. 10:45:45 MCU Julia and Pete together 10:45:52 MS Pete, Julia and baby cuddling 10:46:01 MS Pete in bed PTC 10:46:07 MWS Pete and Jay in Antarctica
on mountainside Pete recovers steadily, his heart unaffected by the
ordeal. Pete's wife Julia says the Chileans refused payment for their part in
the rescue but she pays the medical bills. That the expedition was undertaken
despite the Australian Antartic Division's caution stirs controversy and the
presence of the rescue party menas Jay can't claim an unassisted journey. But they don’t consider themselves reckless.
They knew the risks and accepted them. They may not have earned a place in the
record books, but thanks to an unwavering self-belief Pete Bland and Jay Watson
have cheated death. 10:46:49 Credits 10:47:08 FADE TO BLACK