Matt Fioretti and Ama Dablam

A few years back my clients took an acclimatization hike toward a village called Dingboche.  I captured this photo on their return  and could not help but feel the immenseness of the mountains of the Himalayan range.  The mountain in the background is the Northern aspect of Ama Dablam.  To give you an idea of the size of these mammoth spirits………..   It would take about 4 hours to reach the base of the mountain from where they stand.  The summit is roughly another 3800 feet above the top of the photo or over a vertical mile from where the clients stand.  It takes an average of 22 days to climb to the summit from its base on the South West Ridge route the body working with 25% less oxygen.

  I have spent 105 days climbing this mountain over 3 different expeditions.  Thats 105 days in a tent, 105 days above 16,000 feet,  105 days without a shower?  HMMMMMM………………..

North Face of Ama Dablam.  Clients are standing at 16,000 feet.  click on photo to enlarge