Point Of No Return

Mountaineer Hilaree Nelson shares the gripping story of leading a team of some of the world's elite climbers on a grueling attempt to climb a remote peak in Myanmar—and the physical and emotional toll they endured.

In the fall of 2014, a National Geographic team set out on what they knew would be a harrowing journey to the summit of Burma’s Hkakabo Razi to determine if it is indeed Southeast Asia’s highest point. What they didn’t realize was that the greatest obstacle wouldn’t be their dwindling rations, or the grueling jungle hikes, or the life-threatening hypothermia. It was the force of conflicting personalities that threatened to unravel the entire endeavor.

Hear Hilaree Nelson's harrowing story as she recounts the tough decisions she had to make to keep the team together, accompanied by photographer Cory Richard’s dramatic stills and clips from Renan Ozturk’s searing documentary Down to Nothing.