14 June 2007. North East Ridge, Chomolungma, Tibet. @leo_houlding and I were part of the @atlantic.productions expedition for the film "The Wildest Dream", a biography of George Mallory. We were late in the pre-monsoon season, waiting for the other expeditions to leave. With permission from the Tibet Mountaineering Association we removed the ladder that is connected to the Second Step. In this snapshot I'm resting before having a go at the Second Step. Having the ladder temporarily removed brought the cliff back to what Mallory and Irvine would have experienced on 8 June 1924. I led the pitch with a rope and protection that I carried up the mountain. The key piece was a #4 cam with a wood block as a stack. This is the old Yosemite trick used before jumbo cams on routes like Excalibur on El Capitan. While climbing the Second Step I slipped and the the makeshift cam held. Ends up the crack is pretty steep and the nature of the rock requires wide crack technique with edging skills. Could Mallory and Irvine have climbed the Second Step without carabiners & protection using a hemp rope? Plausible but unlikely. What remains is the dedication they brought to the climb. They were in a place where humans had never been. Between the thin air and the unknowns, they challenged what humans can do. Subsequent climbers benefited from their ability. When we move forward, every one benefits . If you climb you know. The second slide a quote from Tom Hornbein excerpted from his book "The West Ridge". Along with Willi Unseold in 1963 he climbed the West Ridge, traversing the mountain in the process. I always return to his words as to why we climb. With respect Tom. Photo by @kevin.thaw #chomolungma #everest #natgeo #8848 #neverstopexploring #climbing #freeclimbing @thenorthface @khumbuclimbingcenter