A Buchlyvie filmmaker battled sub-zero temperatures more than 6000 metres up in the Himalayas alongside paraplegic climbers with no food, water or sleep.
Alexander ‘Beetle’ Campbell and a team had earlier broken the altitude record for climbers with spinal cord injuries, reaching 6900m on the 7126m peak of Himlung Himal in north west Nepal. The previous record was 6000m.
One member of the expedition is paraplegic and another an incomplete quadriplegic.
On their way down, along with most of the group, Alexander suffered altitude sickness - and to add to their worries, their Nepalese guide fell into a crevasse suffering a leg injury.
Since rescue helicopters do not operate in darkness, due to the danger involved, the team had to spend the night on the mountain at a height of 6100m in temperatures of -30C.
Edinburgh-based Alexander (26) said: “We didn’t know what the outcome was going to be. We were in a frightening situation with no food, water or sleep.
“Filming in Nepal was a life-changing experience, but even for someone who loves adrenaline this was a little too close for comfort.
“Spending the night out on the mountain for 18 hours in -30C before being rescued by helicopter was interesting to say the least.
“We’re lucky not to have lost all of our fingers and toes to frostbite and get off the mountain unscathed.”
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The expedition had been raising funds for a spinal unit in Kathmandu with the charity The Millimetres2Mountains Foundation.
Alexander, a former Buchlyvie Primary School and Beaconhurst School pupil, now lives in Edinburgh. His parents Alastair and Rosie live in the village.
He started making videos as a hobby and took part in the 17-day expedition after being asked to join it through social media.
Alexander is currently talking to Channel 4 and Universal Studios about a 40-minute documentary about the expedition. Before going to Nepal the highest mountain he had climbed was Ben Nevis.
He said: “My childhood growing up around the hills of Stirling and the Loch Lomond area was preparation for embarking on a trip like this.
“It stood me in good stead, although Nepal’s mountains are far bigger than anything home to Scotland.
“I’ve climbed Dumyat more times than I can count, but Dumyat standing at 1371 feet felt like a mole hill compared to Himlung Himal at 23,379 feet”
“However, I’m grateful to be back on home turf and the future with this 40-minute documentary is very exciting.”
