2024-06-03
33 分钟Beth Rodden was on a dream climbing expedition in Kyrgyzstan when she was kidnapped by Islamist militants. She and her friends spent days moving between hiding places in the mountains, fearing for their lives as food supplies dwindled. Then, six days in, the group found themselves at the edge of a cliff with a single young guard. They had a chance to escape, but it came with a huge ethical dilemma. Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Louise Morris Get in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784 Audio for this episode was updated on 6 June 2024.
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You know, Tommy came over and said, do you think I should go and push sue off the ridge, off the cliff?
I just remember this whirlwind going through my head and thinking that it sounded so nice to not starve and to not be scared and to be in safety, but at the same time, like, how could I ever ask somebody to go up and kill someone?
It's a moment that's haunted Beth Rodden, both the question and her response to it.
She and her boyfriend had been on a climbing expedition in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan when they were taken hostage.
And now her boyfriend was asking if he should kill their kidnapper.
It's Emily Webb here with Lives Less Ordinary, the podcast from the BBC World Service, where we explore the events that shape a person's life.
Beth Rodden would spend years trying to bury what happened that day.
She pushed herself and her body to the limits, wanting to prove that she was okay.
But when life started to unravel, she'd have to return to that question to release herself from its grasp.
What you need to know about Beth is that she's a climber, a really brilliant one.
Someone who's completed routes that no one thought physically possible.
It all started growing up in California.
How was it that you found yourself on a climbing wall for the first time?
Let's see, my dad was a recreational climber.