Stok Kangri is a 6,153 m high peak in the Indian Himalayas of Ladakh, and up until 2017 (to the best of my knowledge) - it had never been attempted in the Winter. So in February of 2017 I decided to jump into the deep end, with a group of equally foolhardy strangers - to attempt the near impossible.

All the locals in the town of Leh thought we were crazy, asking us why we had come there to die. But there was magic in this madness. We were surrounded by a singular whiteness, and as each heavy step inched us away from both humanity and cellphone reception - we found ourselves increasingly alone, but undeniably infinite.

This expedition broke me in more ways than one, but I’ve learned that pain can be a privilege. Because the truth is - the world breaks everyone. And afterwards, some of us are strong at the broken places. And isn’t that all that we can hope for, really?