I Respect Everest Very Much.

How Could The Adventure Seeker Of Today Find Satisfaction With The Level Of Performance That Was A Standard Set More Than 40 Years Ago ?

I Cannot Say To Be Glad Or Not Glad To Be On Everest. It Is My Life. I Have Opportunity To Be Here, So I Am Here.

I Respect Everest Very Much.

Big Mountains Are A Completely Different World: Snow, Ice, Rocks, Sky, And Thin Air. You Cannot Conquer Them, Only Rise To Their Height For A Short Time; And For That They Demand A Great Deal. The Struggle Is Not With The Enemy, Or A Competitor Like In Sports, But With Yourself, With The Feelings Of Weakness And Inadequacy. That Struggle Appeals To Me. It Is Why I Became A Mountaineer.

Honestly, I Do Not Experience Fear In The Mountains. On The Contraryi Feel My Shoulders Straightening, Squaring, Like The Birds As They Straighten Their Wings. I Enjoy The Freedom And The Altitude. It Is Only When I Return To Life Below That I Feel The World's Weight On My Shoulders.