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Cory Richards Snapchats His Way to Everest Summit, Leaving O2 Behind

Cory Richards, adventure photojournalist and high-altitude Snapchatter, has reached the summit of Everest from the north. His partner in crime for the ascent, Adrian Ballinger, turned around before the summit. Richards shared his climb through Shapchat in what could be dubbed a “Snap”umentary series. On social media he posted photos and videos to #EverestNoFilter. Richards and Ballinger’s Snapchat posts had several hundred thousands view per day.

While Richards spent a number of year living in Canmore and climbing new routes in the Rockies, he really made a name for himself by sharing what the climbing world really looks like through his emotionally charged film, Cold, which won the coveted Grand Prize at the Banff Mountain Film Festival in 2011. Richards became the first American to summit one of Pakistan’s 8,000-metre peaks, Gasherbrum II, in the winter during that trip.

“This experience has been extraordinary,” Richards said. “Emotion overwhelms me as I look at the path the last five years has led me down — or up, rather — and to be able to share that journey with the world, I’m humbled and very grateful. I owe immeasurable gratitude to Adrian without whom this journey would not have been possible.”

Ballinger has summited Everest a previous six times, but this particular trek was his first attempt at a summit on the north side, from China. “There are times on the mountain at this altitude that your body just says, ‘enough.’ And you have to listen. I am so grateful I was able to make that call for myself with help from our extraordinary support team, led by Dr. Monica Piris and Palden Namgye Sherpa, and hours later, we were able to celebrate my partner Cory’s summit.”

In the announcement of his Everest expedition and corresponding social media campaign on March 31, 2016, Richards revealed his goal to summit without the aid of supplemental oxygen. This year, National Geographic reported that the death rate for those climbing without oxygen above 26,000 feet is at least five times higher. While Richards has never set out to climb Everest without supplemental oxygen before, his first attempt was a success.

"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

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