The scientific name for the nubbins is Nubina (genus) atelerix (species). In the real world the four known species of hedgehog are in genus Atelerix.
One of Katharine Isabelle, Sophie, first roles was in an episode of MacGyver with Richard Dean Anderson, one of Amanda Tappings co-star in Stargate SG-1. Katharine was also in an episode of Stargate SG-1, with Amanda Tapping, but after Richard was no longer a regular.
The top of Tirich Mir is over 25,000 feet above sea level, and base camps for climbing Tirich Mir are usually at about 15,000 feet. If the crash site was between these two then our main characters were at least three miles up, where walking across the room is serious aerobic exercise.