Everest 2003

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Chris Booher gazes at the sweeping North Face of Mount Everest, Tibet, from the North Col (Camp IV).

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Phuru Sherpa steps off the ladder and onto the face proper of the Second Step at 28,400 feet on Everest's Northeast Ridge, Tibet.

Michael Brown stands beneath the massifs of Tengkangpoche (Tengkangboche) and Bighera-Go Shar while trekking above the village of Khumjung, Solu Khumbu, Nepal.

The upper North Face of Everest from the North Col (Camp IV).

Mark Whetu climbs the North Ridge of Mount Everest, Tibet, with the upper North Face of the mountain visible above.

Kellas Rock Peak, a 7,071 meter peak named after famed climber and physiologist Dr. Alexander Kellas, rises high above the East Rongbuk Glacier of Mount Everest as viewed from the North Col. Kellas was a member of the 1921 Everest Reconnaissance Expedition, but died from dystentery at Khampa Dzong, Tibet, en route to the mountain. The peak was named and climbed that year by George Mallory.

The sweeping North Face of Mount Everest, Tibet, taken from the North Col (Camp IV).

The North Face of Mount Everest at sunset from Rongbuk Basecamp, Tibet.

The upper North Face of Mount Everest, showing the Northeast Ridge from the Pinnacles to the summit, at sunset from Rongbuk Basecamp, Tibet.

Tents perched at Camp VI on the north face of Mount Everest at sunrise. Visible above are the First, Second, and Third Steps and summit pyramid. On the right, the first rays of dawn are illuminating Cho Oyu and Gyachung Kang.

Jesse Rickert tops out on the First Step on the Northeast Ridge of Mount Everest. The top of the Pinnacles are clearly visible behind, and Kellas Rock Peak (Lixin) rises behind.

Phuru Sherpa at Mushroom Rock (28,300 feet) on Mount Everest's Northeast Ridge at sunrise on May 30, 2003.

Gazing up the sweeping cornices and rock steps of Mount Everest’s Northeast Ridge from Mushroom Rock at 28,300 feet. Lhotse rises behind and left.

Looking east at sunrise toward Makalu and Kangchenjunga from near Mushroom Rock on the Northeast Ridge of Mount Everest, Tibet.

Ted Mahon enjoys the splendor of sunrise from Mushroom Rock, 28,250 feet, on Everest's Northeast Ridge, Tibet.

Climbers pick their way to along the Northeast Ridge of Mount Everest to the base of the Second Step. The North Col (Camp IV) is visible far below on the left.

Climbers pick their way to along the Northeast Ridge of Mount Everest to the base of the Second Step. The North Col (Camp IV) is visible far below on the left.

The Second Step headwall at 28,300 feet on the Northeast Ridge of Mount Everest, Tibet. The Second Step is considered the crux, or most difficult part, of the climb on the Northeast Ridge, and is a central point to the controversy of Mallory and Irvine's disappearance in 1924. The ladder was installed on the final bit by a Chinese expedition in 1975.

A climber approaches the base of the Second Step on the Northeast Ridge of Mount Everest, Tibet, while other climbers below navigate the Corkscrew Chimney.

Jesse Rickert approaches the base of the famed Second Step at 28,350 feet on Everest's Northeast Ridge, Tibet. Ted Mahon is topping out on the Corkscrew Chimney below.

Climbers ascend the Triangle Snowfield of Mount Everest above the Third Step en route to the Dihedrals and on to the summit. The Northeast Ridge stretches out below, with the Kangshung Face on the right of frame.

Climber Phuru Sherpa at 28,750 feet on Everest's Northeast Ridge Route, Tibet. Pumori, Cho Oyu, Gyachung Kang, Shishapangma and the crest of the Great Himalaya rise in the distance.

Looking north from 28,750 feet on the North Face of Everest, just below the Dihedrals and the final summit slopes. Clearly visible, from R to L, are the Northeast Ridge crest with Lhakpa Ri and Khartaphu behind; the East Rongbuk Glacier, the North Col, Kellas Rock Peak, Changtse, Chang Zheng peak, the Central Rongbuk Glacier, and the Rongbuk Valley heading north.

The view from the 29,035 foot summit of Mount Everest at 8:00 AM on May 30, 2003; visible peaks are Lhotse (far right), Makalu, Chomo Lhunzo, and Kanchenjunga (far distant). The Fantasy Ridge - considered Everest's last great problem - is visible in the lower left of the photo, while the upper American Buttress is visible in the center left, below the prayer flags.