The second of the three passes we crossed on our trek was Cho La Pass. It sits around 5420 meters or 17782 feet. Having spent several days at higher altitude this pass felt easier than the first, but it was still not to be taken lightly. With 2 glacier crossings and some serious elevation gain it made for another very challenging day. Once you get up and over the pass and the glacier on the other side you are greeted with this view. It is the first time I got a good look of Ama Dablam, which aesthetically to me looks like the perfect mountain. If I told a child to draw a mountain, this is what I would imagine it to look like. A perfect triangle, with a snow capped peak, and rocky walls cascading down into the valley. After having a meal and getting a room in the little village of Dzhongla I spent the rest of the evening admiring and photographing Ama Dablam. I watched clouds swirling around its base in the golden hour. The light creeping further and further up the mountain until all that remained was a small red sliver at its very peak. Then the sky turned into a hazy pink glow encompassing everything around it. Satisfied, camera and mind full of beautiful images, I walked back to our teahouse in the dark for the coldest night I would have on our trip.

This image was photographed by Vincent Schnabl in 2017.

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