"This brings back memories of when I was little." "Remember climbing the Aiguille d'Entrève and the Tour Ronde?" "I could only have been 13 or 14." "How old were the kids?" "Eight?" "Between 8 and 12." "You were 11 the first time you came." "A 400-metre wall." "Then we came here to climb 300 to 400-metre granite routes." "It was..." "I wanted to do a bivouac on a big wall, on the Morzinoise." "Crazy!" "That's still a dream." "We could, if you want!" "That was for the kids!" "Remember the storm we had up there?" "Pushing our luck!" "It brings back so many memories." "Shall we go?" "Start when the rope comes tight." "Look at that!" "You can see it even better from here." "You don't realise until you're right at the foot." "I don't know why it does that." "It's 350 metres high!" "But every time I go up the Grand Cap, from a distance I think, "It's not so big!"" "But close up you realise how enormous it is." "You think, "Will I be able to get up it before dark?"" "It's impressive." "It really is big." "I like being in the mountains when there's no stress." "Take your time..." "It's a bit tricky because it's wet." "OK, on belay." "Delicate, isn't it?" "It's not a jug." "Welcome to the shower!" " The sack not too heavy?" " It's OK." "OK, blue." "Sorry." " Watch me." " OK." "Go for it!" "Take!" "Shit!" "OK." "Climbing!" "Go on!" "The sack will get in your way there." " What will?" " The sack." "Yes, it's heavy." "Jam your left foot in the crack." "It's hard." "Put your toe in, then you'll he in balance." "There's nothing there." "You have to move your hands up a bit." "And get your foot as high as possible." "You've cracked it." "I'll get out of your way." " Is there room for me?" " Of course." " OK?" " Yeah, I slipped." "I'm going to have to do it again." "I'm knackered!" "It's hard." "Been training in secret?" "No." "But perhaps I should have!" "We made a good little team." "It was nice." "We did the Rébuffat..." "I belayed you." "You were 6 or 7 months pregnant." "I did the Rébuffat pregnant?" "Yes!" "It put a lot of pressure on me." "I'd forgotten that detail." "I remember." "I wasn't allowed to let go of the rope!" "This is the last pitch that's a bit... difficult." "Go for it, Catherine!" "You can't go straight up?" "Go on, Catherine..." "Go!" " There's a belay here." " OK." " You can feel the altitude." " Yes." "Makes you puff!" "You have to use the arête." " It's OK for now." " A bit cold on the hands." "This wind is strange." "This cold wind on the arête." "Yes, it's a bit chilly." "Cold right hand, warm left hand!" "A bit higher up there's a big bucket for your right hand." "Then use it as an undercut." "There's a little edge for the left hand." "I used it for..." "Lower down..." "Yes, there!" "Good holds." "Well done." "Great pitch!" "OK, Catherine?" "Yes." "I'll belay here." "This bit below the summit is great." "A little staircase..." "You wouldn't want to lose your balance!" "I've done it!" "Great!" "We're going to abseil down there." " Should I sit here?" " Yes, there." " I'll clip you in." " It's fabulous!" "Well done!" "Congratulations!" "Mega!" "A kiss?" "Like when you were small." "Remember?" "But it was when we got back." "No time at the top." "True." "It's so beautiful." "I can feel the altitude." "Can you?" "A bit." "We're quite high here." "OK, let's get down." "There's still a way to go!" "OK, get ready." "I'm going to unclip." "When you're ready." "Don't pull!" "Sorry." "OK?" "Yes." "Fine." "Fabulous!" "It's great to be here." "Wait, I'll clip you in." "It was a bit tricky." "The start's not easy." "I think you've done the hardest part." "What have you done on granite, since...?" "The last time was with you, about ten years ago." "We did the Rébuffat route." "The Rébuffat." "Then we did the Ticket on the Peigne." "Yes." "And I did a route with..." "And you did something stupid, remember?" "I was livid." " You remember?" " Yes, I remember." "I didn't realise at all." " What?" " That I'd done that." " I'd forgotten..." " You belayed on that, there!" " No, I didn't do that!" "Yes, you did!" "I remember forgetting to clip into the belay." "You clipped into that too." "Sorry!" "Or were about to." "Right, let's go!" "Wait!" "Doesn't this matter?" "It goes under..." "No, it's OK." "Keep giving me slack." "Wait, wait!" "OK." "Right, that's OK." " Don't pull me." "Yes, OK." "Watch me here." "The next bit's quite hard." "Please." "OK, I'll belay here." "Yes, that's right." "Well done!" "You've done the hardest bit." "After that it's all over." "It's a bit slippery here." "Look at the little flowers, waving at you." "Have you seen them?" "Yes, the little flowers!" "There it's all on your feet." "All a question of balance." "Traverse across." "You'll see, it's not..." "Good!" " Don't pull." " I'm not pulling." " There's a chicken-head there." " A what?" " No, don't pull!" "The small holds." " Great!" " How about a short break?" " The weather's perfect." " Magnificent!" " Want to sit down?" " Wait." " What am I belayed to?" " On the rope." "I wouldn't have let go of you." "Sit down and we'll see." "OK, it's the right length." "Is it OK?" "Yes." "This is great." "Don't you like dried bananas?" " I hate them when they're black." " They're my favourite." " All soft." " They're too dry." "Perhaps I've eaten too many." "Remember the Ovomaltines we had when we were little?" "I loved them." "I hated skiing but I'd have done anything for an Ovomaltine." "I still eat them now and then." " I was disappointed." " What with?" "Ovomaltines." "They don't taste the same." " Now?" "Yes." "It depends on the day." "On the circumstances, I mean." "Can you see the Dent du Géant?" " I wanted to take dad up there." " Really?" "I thought it'd be a nice thing to do." "But it's a bit high." "The altitude." "I didn't want... to have problems." "Wasn't it irresponsible, letting you go off like that when your were 12?" "You'll have to ask them that." "Our parents had a huge influence." "I see that with others." "Other kids the same age didn't do the same things." "And at school I felt a bit different because I did things I couldn't even talk about." "They wouldn't have understood." " It couldn't have been easy." " It wasn't." "I was an outsider." "My friends were all..." "At 13, what do you do?" "Usual kids' things." "And I went away at weekends." "And you didn't tell our parents." "In fact, not many people knew what you were doing." "Yes, I always thought of that as reckless." "I don't think it was reckless." "Anyway, for me it was good." "I'd do it again if I had to." "OK, go slightly right and then left." " How's it going?" "OK?" "Yes, OK." " It's quite delicate here." " Yes, really pretty." "Don't move!" "Stay there." " Here?" "Yes." " All right?" " Yes, fine." "It'd be fun to stand on the top, like the photo of Rébuffat." " There?" "There, on the summit." "No!" "Yes." " Are you sure?" "Can we?" "Yes." " You'll take me?" "Yes." "We'll stand up." "Rébuffat did!" " Shall we, then?" "Yes." "We'll go and stand up..." "Up there." "Seeing as I've brought you here." " Is that it?" "Yes." "Corning up." "Bloody hell!" "Great here, isn't it?" "Like Rébuffat." "Put your arms out." "It's wonderful!" "Wonderful!" " It's steep." " It's exposed, yes." "I daren't move!" "It's really pointy." "The colour of the lakes on the glacier is extraordinary." "Turquoise blue..." " Look at those tracks over there!" "Ski tracks?" "Oh, yes." "In fact, I thought it'd be thinner than it is." " You wouldn't want to be too fat!" " No, but it's OK." "It's amazing to be here..." "Just amazing!" "Slack, Claire!" "I'm there." " Where did you bivouac in winter?" " In winter?" "On the Jorasses, over there." "When you're on a committing route, you think," ""I'd love to be down there." ""Some people are so lucky."" "I wouldn't say that now." "We're the lucky ones!" "The lights are starting to come on down there." "The kids should be in bed by now." "Did you see that?" "There was a bank of clouds blocking the sun." "Now it's clear." "There's only the dome of the sun left." "The cirrus." "See that?" "Those clouds over there." "They look like a mountain." " Did you sleep well?" " Yes, very well." "And you?" "Yes, but I had two Italians next to me..." "The one who said his name was Pierrot was singing his head off!" "I'll have a cappuccino for the first time." "Something new." "It'll give me a boost to get over the bergschrund." "Unless you want to go first." "No, I know how much you love bergschrunds!" "It won't be me, anyway." "Let's go." "Gentlemen..." "After you." "Clumsy git!" "Did you see?" "I slipped, Lothar." "Yes." " Honest!" "Yeah, I know you." "For once, I was sticking close to you..." "I thought you were steadier on your feet than that." "Imagine, after a 35-metre abseil in total darkness..." " well, almost total darkness - finding your climbing partner lying there lifeless..." "At first, I was convinced that she was... that she was dead." "But then I saw that she was breathing, so it was going to be OK." "I wrapped her in all my spare clothes, and she came to, saying, "Where am I?" "What's happening?"" "Be careful belaying." "No, Lothar, you belay her." "And I can back-belay Lothar." "I hate bergschrunds." "Whatever happens, the two of us make a good counterweight." "You can climb together." "The two of you haven't been up there for 35 years!" "We aren't in the first flush of youth, are we?" "No, but we..." "Lothar and I go a long way back." "In the mountains, at sea and..." "And that's all!" "We'll say no more!" " Off I go." " Go on." "Be careful belaying." "Like your husband." "Go on!" " Like a newlywed!" " Like a newlywed." "Go on..." "Shit, I'm terrified!" "There's a big hole here." " How deep is it?" "No idea." "I have no desire to find out." "The snow looks quite solid." "Done it!" "Oh, I hate that!" "That's it, it's done." "Be careful." "The snow could still break." "I'm going to use my knees!" "Good!" "I've done it." "You floated up it!" "I'm climbing as fast as I can!" "He used his knee, despite his legendary flexibility!" "Here, I'll put this around your..." " My ice axe." " Your ice axe." " I'll belay here." "What?" "Lothar's got a problem with his hearing aid!" "It's not bad being here together, is it?" "You OK, Lothar?" "I'll just copy you." "You haven't forgotten, have you, Lothar, that it's only my second ice climb?" "Right." "You'll be OK, even if the ice is very hard." "The last one wasn't that long ago... 35 years ago!" "That shows our age." "Your leg seems to be holding up OK." "Can you remember where the route used to go?" "Here, or further right?" "In the middle, but..." "I remember this bit." "I couldn't see to the left, because it was still dark." "In any case, we're OK here." "We haven't got lost." "Not like before." "We always used to get lost." "We're in the right couloir." "So, it's still my lead?" "Give me some slack." "You know how impatient she is." "Slack!" " I'll belay here." " You'll have to belay, yes." "I'll belay higher up in the ice." "Doesn't it get a bit steeper there?" "Yes." "So it's not just my imagination." "The ice is really hard." "It's not easy." "We'll get there in the end!" "A little break for me." "That brings back memories for Lothar." "He doesn't like talking about the past, but here he has to." "You were barely out of nappies the last time Lothar was here." "It's still a great pleasure to climb with such a beautiful woman!" "Come on, granddad, get your axes in properly." "The terrible trio are back!" " Here you are, Gaby." " Thanks, Catherine." "What's up?" "No, what I like is that it feels like a mountain." "It feels like a mountain!" "Even at the top." "And, perhaps at the bottom, a little more so." "Look at that!" "So, Catherine, how far up do you think we are?" " Halfway." " Halfway?" "Halfway?" "Blocks of ice in the face." "Great!" "No other woman climbs as well as she does... in the mountains, on crags and in competitions." "Even if she's eased off a bit and stopped doing competitions." "She did well in them, but she soon got bored." "After two or three years she'd had enough." "She could only think about climbing in the mountains." "Competitions weren't really her thing." "Every other competition, she'd say, "That's the last!" "I don't want to do any more."" "But she kept winning, in spite of herself." "It wasn't at all what you'd call the competitive spirit of sporting champions." "The Americans, for example." "When I see Lynn Hill..." "She really wants to win, she pulls out all the stops." "Catherine doesn't, it just happens." "That's the sort of climber Catherine is." "I think she's great." "You can't do better." "OK, I'll stop gushing." "Gaby, help me." "I'm helping." "You wouldn't still be in love, would you?" "I'm not saying anything else without my lawyer." "I get the feeling that I'm in an area here that's even worse than the rest." "Thanks, Gaby!" "Did you just fart?" "No, no..." "Where's that wind coming from, then?" "Italy?" "Natter, natter, natter!" "I even forgot we were in the mountains." "And now... a kiss!" "No, we're not at the summit yet." " The summit?" " We're not there yet." "So that's how you get me to keep going." "The kiss at the top!" "The great romantic!" "I'm glad to be at the top." "And you?" "My calves are exploding!" "Where's the drink you promised us?" "In the rucksack." "I don't know what you were saying, but you're real chatterboxes!" "We've done it." "We'll go over there." "It's a beauty!" "Thanks, Catherine." "I can feel a little tear." "Perhaps even two." "One each." "Listen, should we promise to do this again in ten years?" "I don't know if we'll be able to." "In ten years..." "How old will we be?" "Should we say?" " We'll be..." " Stop, it hurts!" "I won't be far off 82." "Lothar's always a bit coy, but he'll be... 78!" "He'll be 78." "And Catherine will still be young and beautiful." " How old will you be?" "56." "56?" "We never get enough kisses!" "Thanks, both of you." "You're the one who got us up here, though!" "It's a better climber than you." "Much better." "It can even eat upside-down." "Below an overhang." "It can climb and eat at the same time." " Incredible!" " Better than you!" "Subtitles:" "Howard Bonsor" "Subtitling:" "C.M.C"