Time in the shadows of mountains will be forever capable of stirring something deep within us, their physical stature alone enough to simultaneously thrust a realisation of our own insignificance and of our place in Mother Earth’s bigger picture upon us. And all before you’ve even laid a foot on the lower slopes.
Serious ascent campaigns, however, bring another whole set of emotions with them. Having waited for a calm, stable weather window to green light your ascent, the serenity is rarely without an underlying layer of tension. The volatility of alpine weather ever present in the back of the mind, there’s no way you can really anticipate what’s ahead.
Here, Aleix Vilardebo’s video captures the early morning atmosphere as a small group of climbers leave Everest Basecamp, destined for high altitude camps.