Blind and Alone on Top of the World

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

At ZocDoc, we know you care about your health. You wouldn't do that early morning cardio if you didn't. So the fact that your annual physical is overdue just shows how hard it can be to get seen by a doctor. Sorry, that doctor's not in network. Press one for more options.

John Hopkins (0:15)

You've reached us outside normal business hours.

SPEAKER_3 (0:17)

The next availability is in three months.

SPEAKER_1 (0:19)

But ZocDoc makes finding the right doctor easy. Download the app and search by specialty, insurance and availability. Read real patient reviews, then book instantly. ZocDoc, ready to be seen?

SPEAKER_4 (0:30)

From the studio that brought you WandaVision.

Brian Dickinson (0:32)

I was an Avenger, but I'm not a hero anymore.

SPEAKER_4 (0:38)

On October 14th, the Vision returns for the final chapter of the groundbreaking trilogy.

Brian Dickinson (0:42)

That family wasn't real.

Craig Stapleton (0:43)

You sure about that?

SPEAKER_4 (0:44)

I had a father called Vision.

Craig Stapleton (0:45)

How is this possible?

SPEAKER_4 (0:48)

Don't miss the two-episode premiere of Marvel Television's Vision Quest.

Nothing bonds a family together quite like Mortal Jeopardy! Streaming October 14th, only on Disney+.

John Hopkins (1:00)

It is late morning on the 15th of May 2011

Soaring above the clouds, 29,000 feet above sea level, the famous triangular peak of Mount Everest gleams bright white in the morning sun. This is the highest point of our planet, a whopping 9 kilometers up into the sky. Everest's historic Tibetan name, Chomolungma, means Mother Goddess of the World. The sky is a clear cerulean blue, and the white gold daylight illuminates a scene of snow and stone and peaceful emptiness. Today, the ridges and rock faces of the topmost section of the mountain, the upper 3,000 feet known as the Death Zone, are strangely devoid of climbers. This hot spot is often overburdened with individuals keen to reach the world's highest point, but right now it stands quietly, gloriously empty. Well, almost.

Just beneath the summit, inching along a razor thin ridge, a solo climber makes his way back down the mountain. He is edging along the famous Cornice Traverse, a thin crest of ice with deadly stomach-churning drops on either side. Were he to fall, it could be 10,000 feet or nearly two miles before his body came to rest.

But that isn't the only reason this climber is being particularly cautious and setting a particularly slow pace. Right now, his every tiny movement is laden with terror. For although 36-year-old Brian Dickinson has just completed the historic solo ascent of Everest, he is now suddenly in terrible peril. He isn't injured. He hasn't lost any equipment. It's something worse than that. Right now, Brian cannot see.

Brian Dickinson (3:00)

About 10, 15 feet into my descent, everything just went completely white and I went snow blind.

John Hopkins (3:09)

Brian is having to do everything by touch. He feels his way along the rope left by previous climbers, digging his feet in just enough to anchor himself without destabilizing the compacted snow.

Suddenly, his hands begin to move differently. The ground is flattening, then rising upwards, which is good news. It will be safer to climb up in this state than down.

Brian starts to haul himself gradually up the South Summit, a secondary peak he's already scaled once this morning coming the other way. He pauses at the top, breathing in and out, oxygenating his blood as best he can in the thinnest atmosphere on Earth. He turns his head, squinting, trying to pick out patches of darker rock against the sea of white in his vision. It's no good. He feels around for another handhold, something to grip onto before beginning his descent of the South Summit. And then, as he makes his move, the world seems to disappear beneath his feet.

Brian Dickinson (4:16)

Took one step and just slipped out, and I was just head over heels, just falling.

And that was the scariest thing I've still ever felt in my life. It's like go to your roof, close your eyes, and jump off. It's just, it's so helpless.

John Hopkins (4:37)

Ever wondered what you would do when disaster strikes? If your life depended on your next decision, could you make the right choice? Welcome to Real Survival Stories. These are the astonishing tales of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations. People suddenly forced to fight for their lives.

In this episode, we meet 36-year-old amateur mountaineer, Brian Dickinson. In 2011, Brian is attempting to scale his fourth major peak in just three years. The Navy veteran is taking on the highest mountain in each of the seven continents. And in May 2011, it's the turn of Mount Everest, the tallest of them all. By mid-morning, Brian has achieved something very few climbers have, a true solo ascent. But then, seemingly from nowhere, his whole world turns white, and his life hangs in the balance.