The Last Mountain

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Olivia Lichtenstein

Julia Nottingham

Chris Terrill

Christine Hall

Fergus Haycock

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BBC Two - The Last Mountain

The fateful story of climber Tom Ballard who perished on Nanga Parbat in 2019.

The unforgettable story of the 30-year-old climber Tom Ballard who disappeared on the so-called killer mountain, Nanga Parbat, in 2019.

The compelling story of 30-year-old climber Tom Ballard who disappeared on one of the Himalayas' most deadly mountains, Nanga Parbat, in February 2019. Tom was the son of mountaineer Alison Hargreaves, who perished on K2 in 1995. Mother and son, two of the greatest climbers of all time, died at almost the same age in neighbouring mountain ranges, both doing what they loved best. They now lie forever encased in the ice of two of the world’s highest mountains. Left behind to cope with the enduring tragedy are Tom’s sister, Kate, and their father, Jim.

In 1995, Jim Ballard took his children, six-year-old Tom and four-year-old Kate, on an expedition to K2’s basecamp to say farewell to their mother. The result was a BBC film, Alison’s Last Mountain. Now, The Last Mountain follows Kate Ballard on a parallel trip to say goodbye to her brother on Nanga Parbat. Using archive material from 1995 and Tom's own extraordinary footage taken up until the days before his death, the film explores what made Tom continue his ascent with Italian climber Daniele Nardi after the other two members of the expedition turned back.

The film features revealing interviews with those left behind. Combining 25 years of intimate, unseen family archive material with footage of the family that director Chris Terrill has shot in the years since, the documentary tells the unforgettable story of a family who lived - and were prepared to die for - the love of scaling the icy heights of the world’s highest peaks. It explores what it is that drives people to pit themselves against nature at its most ferocious and unforgiving.

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