Meet the Guys Who Snapchatted Their Climb Up Everest

Cory Richards and Adrian Ballinger took the time during this year’s climb to document their trip on social media. The coolest part is undoubtedly their Snapchat #EverestNoFilter (the video clip above shows the “Best Of” reel), where they manage to capture the drama, the mundanity, and the goofy parts of climbing the world’s tallest mountain. The two also documented the trip on Instagram.

Snapchat surprised us today with an Everest Summit Live Story featuring loads of snaps from our climb. If you want just a little more #everestnofilter, check it out today in the Live section of the app. Meanwhile, I’ve been checking out images from the climb for some upcoming articles. This was one of the many of @coryrichards working hard and looking strong with the summit, 6000 feet above us, in the upper right. What’s next, Dick? @eddiebauer #liveyouradventure

A photo posted by Adrian Ballinger (@adrianballinger) on Jun 7, 2016 at 7:20pm PDT

@coryrichards and I are on a flight to NYC for the next adventure. Actually flying out of Kathmandu provides another moment for reflection on the events of the past two months. Success and failure are strange beasts, and I’ve certainly been spending time reflecting on both. At the end of the day though, its moments like this I will remember. Feeling great, laughing, almost flying over terrain on #Everest. Cory and I found something special on the mountain this season. I can’t wait for more. #everestnofilter #everest2016 #liveyouradventure @eddiebauer 📸 Dick Richards

A photo posted by Adrian Ballinger (@adrianballinger) on May 31, 2016 at 7:14pm PDT

Amazing what two days of warm humid Kathmandu city life will do. My nose is almost healed, and my mind is wandering back to the high places. #Everest has a few of those. 👻everestnofilter is done for now on Snapchat, but you can follow us on our personal accounts – 👻adrianjb and 👻crichardsphoto. #everestnofilter #everest2016

A photo posted by Adrian Ballinger (@adrianballinger) on May 30, 2016 at 9:00pm PDT

@adrianballinger dwarfed by the immensity of the Himalaya. Because of delays in border crossings, we acclimatized for eight days in the Khumbu before crossing to Tibet. In order to avoid the icefall and putting climbers and Sherpa through unnecessary risk, we’ve opted to attempt Everest without supplementary oxygen from the North this year. We are doing a live Snapchat story from Everest BC today on the north side. You can also follow our unfiltered 360 degree look at an Everest expedition at EverestNoFilter on snapchat (adrianjb and crichardsphoto personal snapchats) #everestnofilter @eddiebauer #liveyouradventure

A photo posted by Cory Richards (@coryrichards) on Apr 24, 2016 at 11:19pm PDT

Hey @adrianballinger What’s next? Sunrise at 28,800 ft on Everest. @eddiebauer #liveyouradventure

A photo posted by Cory Richards (@coryrichards) on Jun 1, 2016 at 5:44am PDT

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Aristotle I posted a similar image to this about two weeks and talked to the points of team work. That was the impersonal view…this one is about partnership. I’ve spent the past two months with @adrianballinger on the North side of Everest. That time Passed with a blink. His overwhelming and genuine psych, his deep level of respect and understanding of personal nuance and needs, and his true desire to act as a singular partnership are cornerstones of his personality…which has been one of the greatest experiences of partnership I can point to. Yesterday, AB made the incredibly hard decision to turn around before the summit. In some ways, I think he wanted this even more than me. But he knew that to keep going was to endanger himself and others. He also knew that as a partnership, splitting up was the best thing to do. It was a paradoxical decision that at once splinters conventional ideas of partnership, and in that moment, cemented ours forever. I couldn’t be more proud of him and the decisions he made with our Doctor, Monica. It’s sad to turn around after months of effort. It’s my job to know that and respect that. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t voice the idea that this was always a team effort and @adrianballinger is the stronger half of that team. EverestNoFilter #liveyouradventure @eddiebauer

A photo posted by Cory Richards (@coryrichards) on May 24, 2016 at 8:58pm PDT

In the end, Ballinger had to turn around before reaching the summit. It was a difficult decision, but one that he made to keep himself and others out of danger. Ballinger has summited Everest six times in the past. Richards, on the other hand, made it to the top. It was Richards’ first summit of Everest. He failed to make it to the top back in 2012.

It’s also interesting to note that both men were climbing without oxygen. Normally, climbers use oxygen tanks to get to the top of the mountain. It’s a much more elite club to go without oxygen, and it’s much more difficult to do.

Kudos to Richards and Ballinger: you put everyone else’s Snapchat game to shame.