THE ASCENT OF A MAN
onquering Everest is, for many people, the literal and figurative peak of their life’s achievements. Doing so via Tibet’s north-east ridge is, as accomplishments go, on another plane altogether. But that’s the mission improbable that the American professional photographer and long-distance explorer Cory Richards embarked upon with his climbing companion, the Ecuadorean Esteban ‘Topo’ Mena, last year. After climbing for 12 hours on the first day, the weather conditions forced them to pause, and they had no tents; having endured a night of frigid temperatures, they pushed on for three hours — despite suffering from profound exhaustion — before the weather and common sense
