We use cookies to help us understand how you use our site, and make your experience better. To find out more read our privacy policy.
Play

00:00

/

00:00

Full screen
Video quality

Low 0 MB

High 0 MB

HD 0 MB

Captions
Volume
Volume
Hero image for The Great Achievement

The Great Achievement

Short Film (Full Length) – 1958

We get used to Ed Hillary’s lanky figure starting off at the end of a rope. In all this white expanse it’s a little hard to know which way to head to dodge the crevasses.
– From the narration
We always peer down any crevasse we fall into ... I don’t know why — it probably gives us a ‘might have been worse’ satisfaction.
– From the narration
There’s a touch of the unbelievable about this journey. Using tractors was never part of the original plan. All winter Ed Hillary and the other boys tried out the tractors in extremely low temperatures. They made changes, reckoned they’d work, and here we are.
– From the narration
... for Dr Fuchs a nine-year-old dream is coming true. What Shackleton hoped to do 40 years ago is almost within his reach.
– From the narration
It’s miles versus petrol and petrol’s losing.
– Derek Wright, on the dash to the Pole