Everest Khumbu Panorama

Looking back over the numerous expeditions that I have made to The Himalayas during a lifetime of mountaineering and photography, the Khumbu Valley in Nepal undoubtedly features very prominently in my memories. I have visited Gorak Shep and climbed to the summit of Kala Pattar many times with a variety of cameras and, thankfully, always at a time of excellent weather. Most of these visits have been in late autumn or early winter, usually late in the afternoon but once in mid morning. On two occasions I have also been fortunate to have been able to stand on the summit of Kala Pattar alone, undistracted and undisturbed, free to enjoy the majesty of the scene and become 'at one' with the mountains and the environment.

This particular image was captured on one of those afternoon visits in December when all around was frozen; those visitors who had remained in the valley had retreated down to Lobuche, and I was left alone with my Fuji GX617 panoramic camera and a view of the Everest Khumbu Panorama before me. Sherpa Pasang joined me just after 4pm and he helped me switch lenses with my frozen and less nimble fingers. Punctuated between periods of frantic activity during which I took as many images as I could possibly manage, I left myself moments of tranquility to fully appreciate my situation and my surroundings.