American mountaineers Adrian Ballinger and Corey Richards are at a base camp on the north side of Mount Everest preparing to make their final summit. The two are attempting to reach the top of Everest without supplemental oxygen – a first for both experienced climbers.
Richards recently shared a photo of himself at base camp on Snapchat, a mobile app where users share photos and videos with followers for just 24 hours before they expire.
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"Day 41," he scrawled on top of the photo in red. "Good morning EverestNoFilter! Back in basecamp resting … thick air feels good."
In other videos shared on Snapchat, Richards explains that the two have climbed up to 26,000 feet, and have now returned to base camp. This is to allow their bodies to acclimatize to the thin air on the mountain, and rest before their final summit push.
As well, they have to monitor the weather conditions and crowds to ensure that the conditions are just right when they make their attempt to reach the top, he says.
The two have been sharing their trek up Everest on Snapchat to give people a raw, unfiltered look at what it takes to climb the world's most famous mountain.
Ballinger, founder of Alpenglow Expeditions, is an experienced expedition leader and veteran climber. He has summited Everest six times in the past.
Richards, a photographer and documentary filmmaker, is also an experienced adventurer who previously climbed one of the tallest mountains in Pakistan.
The two have travelled to Tibet to climb Everest after back-to-back devastating years in the Himalaya .
In 2014, 16 Nepalese Sherpa guides were killed in an avalanche. Then, just one year later, a massive earthquake struck Nepal, killing more than 8,000 people. The quake triggered an avalanche on Everest that killed at least 22 people.
Ballinger told CTVNews.ca that it's a critical time for Mount Everest and its surrounding communities.
"I really believe Everest is at some sort of a crossroads as it becomes more and more popular," he said.
"Ethical and moral dilemmas on how to climb the mountain have been arising, especially in light of the last two years…We want people to understand more, so they can think more about those issues."
Ballinger and Richards are hoping their snaps help create a dialogue about the many issues facing the mountain -- issues like the economic impact climbers have on the surrounding communities, the fair treatment of guides, overcrowding and safety, and the removal of garbage and human waste from the mountain's peaks.
"I think the general public is becoming much more aware of Everest, certainly, most people know something about the accidents of the last two years," Ballinger said. "But a lot of times I think it's difficult to have any deeper understanding of the complexities of these issues."
Ballinger said Snapchat is the ideal tool to spark a fuller conversation, because unlike other social media, it doesn't permit users to heavily alter their content. It also doesn't allow users to upload photos or videos that they've taken in the past, meaning they must share them when they take them.
As a result, it will allow the two climbers to share a more "authentic” view of their summit, he says.
"It creates this much more instant and raw look into what an Everest expedition is all about," he said. "That's what we want to share with people, not only the beautiful views, but also the suffering, the hard work, and the boredom."
Since landing in Nepal and travelling to Tibet, the two have posted photos and videos showing everything they've encountered along the way, from short interviews with other climbers; stunning photos of their ascent so far; and "slice of life" images depicting how they spend their days when not climbing.
In one set of videos, the two showed viewers what they were eating for breakfast.
“Bad American breakfast: hashbrowns, cheese, eggs, bacon, coffee…Patron, Pringles!” Ballinger said, laughing and pointing to the bottle of tequila and a canister of chips on the table.
Another recent set of snaps showed how they struggled to enter Tibet, as they encountered flight cancellations and border closures.
In another shared video, they pointed out a sea of trash left on the mountain from previous expeditions and waves of climbers.
The two are also inviting other Snapchat users to send them video and photo messages, and are welcoming any questions followers want to ask.
Ballinger says after two relatively quiet years on Everest, the public appetite to climb the Himalayas has returned. And, as ambitious climbers from around the world return to Everest, it's worth taking time to reflect on the future of the mountain.
"This sort of pause is an opportunity to breathe and take a minute to think about how to allow climbing on the mountain to grow in a smart, responsible way."
Follow Ballinger and Richards as they make their final summit on Snapchat (EverestNoFilter).
