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Great Lives

Helen Glover on Alison Hargreaves

Great Lives

BBC

Documentary, History, Society & Culture

4.21.3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 September 2018

⏱️ 28 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Olympic rower Helen Glover champions the life of mountaineer Alison Hargreaves.

Alison's short life was defined by her love of the mountains. She became interested in climbing as a teenager and devoted her life to pursuing ever greater challenges.

She was the first woman to climb Mount Everest without oxygen and unsupported - before losing her life on the infamous K2 mountain in Pakistan in 1995.

Presented by Matthew Parris - with the help of Alison's biographer, Ed Douglas.

Producer: Maggie Ayre

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2018.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hey, it's Doleepa, and I'm at your service.

0:04.7

Join me as I serve up personal conversations with my sensational guests.

0:08.8

Do a leap interviews, Tim Cook.

0:11.2

Technology doesn't want to be good or bad.

0:15.0

It's in the hands of the creator.

0:16.7

It's not every day that I have the CEO of the world's biggest company in my living room.

0:20.7

If you're looking at your phone more than you're looking in someone's eyes,

0:24.6

you're doing the wrong thing.

0:26.0

Julie, at your service.

0:27.8

Listen to all episodes on BBC sales.

0:31.4

This is the BBC. In many ways the subject of today's programme has become defined as much by her death as her life, which ended tragically in August

0:46.3

1995 when she, the mountaineer Allison Hargreaves and six others were killed as they tried to descend the treacherous slopes of the

0:55.4

K-2 mountain in Pakistan, the second highest peak in the world.

1:00.3

Looking up, K-2 way steeper than you think and the site up there, wow, it's a long way from here.

1:12.0

It's a great place to be. Looking forward to it.

1:15.0

My guest today is the Olympic gold medalist and was ranked top female rower in the world, Helen Glover, and she's chosen

1:25.2

Allison Hargreaves as her great life.

1:27.8

Allison Jane Hargreaves, born Darbasha 17th of February 1962, died age 33 K2 Pakistan, August 1995.

1:40.0

First solo climber to conquer all six north faces of the Alps in the summer of 1993

1:46.0

first women to ascend Mount Everest pure climbing solo and without oxygen May May 1995. Married two children.

1:55.0

Motto, one day as a tiger, is better than a thousand days as a sheep.

2:00.0

What a great motto. Helen, you're... sheep.

...

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