I climbed the North Col route (in yellow on the picture to the left). The North Col was discovered by George Mallory while searching for possible routes to the summit of Mount Everest during the first British reconnaissance of the Everest region in 1921. On 8 June 1924 George Mallory and Andrew Irvine made an attempt on the summit via the North Col/North Ridge/Northeast Ridge route from which they never returned. On 1 May 1999 the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition found Mallory's body on the North Face in a snow basin below and to the west of the traditional site of Camp VI.

The North Col route begins from the north side of Everest in Tibet. It is a long approach from Base Camp to the summit. Technically, it is more challenging than the South side but does not have the ice fall danger. One of appealing aspects of Everest North Ridge route is that it offers a great view of Everest on virtually the whole route from the base camp.

I 2014 and 2015, I joined the team of Kobler & Partner (http://www.kobler-partner.ch/en-home.htmll). There was no indication at a young age that Kari once would be one of the leading organizers of eight thousand expeditions until the age of 23 when he got infected with the mountain virus because of a women. "Women," says Kari, "have always been path breaking in my life." Thus began his meteoric career: in 1985 he made the mountain guide diploma and gathered out the first experiences as an expedition leader. Until now, Kari has been expedition leader of over 100 expeditions in Asia and South America, among others, five-time ascent of Mount Everest (8850m) and twice to K2 (8611m). In the Himalayas he has summited many 8,000m peaks such as Broad Peak (8047m), Gasherbrum (8035m) Manaslu (8125m), Shisha Pangma (8012m) Cho Oyu (8201m) more than10 times Muztagh Ata (7546). Kari is today the most experienced and successful organizer of Mount Everest expeditions on the North Side.

Kobler & Partner have a long-lasting and supportive partnership with the Sherpa community. Kari works with the Sherpas and trains them in many aspects of mountaineering since many years and besides providing them with good work conditions, Kobler & Partner also support families in need with educational support through the Kobler & Partner foundation.

In 2011 and 2012 I worked closely together with Fur Geljen Sherpa. Geljen is the Managing Director of World Records Expeditions and he does excellent work mostly behind the scene. He supported me during the last few years while I was in Nepal and Tibet in a professional and efficient manner. He is the one who organizes and manages the complicated logistics for this long expedition. Without him, the material and food would never make it to Tibet and back. Beside his operation job, he also works as a mountain guide in Nepal and Tibet.

In 2011, I reached 8,600m/28.380ft on the Everest North Side with Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa before we had to turn back. Lhakpa has reached the summit of Everest fourteen times and has scaled many other high peaks in the Himalaya and abroad. Lhakpa Gelu was also known for holding a world speed record on Mount Everest, climbing from base camp to the summit in just 10 hours, 56 minutes, 46 seconds, on May 26, 2003. Besides that, he is the Co-founder and Chairman of World Records Expeditions and Treks Pvt. Ltd. (WRET) and also works as a mountain guide for Alpine Ascents International.

I strongly believe that we should create more awareness of the fact that Sherpa guides, Sherpa climbers and strong Sherpa porters as well as the local Yak drivers receive the recognition they deserve for their extraordinary work on the mountain. Until now, the recognition and publicity went mostly to foreign guides and climbers in the West. There would be no expedition possible without the help of these extraordinary people.