I took this photo on 19 May while climbing from Camp III toward Camp IV on Mt Everest. At that moment, I never imagined it would go viral across the world. I was simply doing my job, documenting the mountain as an expedition photographer and photojournalist.
This season, the Khumbu Icefall route was delayed for several days due to the serac block above the route. The delays also affected acclimatisation rotations for many teams, forcing climbers to adjust their schedules and wait longer than planned. Because of this, a huge number of climbers targeted the 20 May weather window at the same time, and you can actually see that buildup in this photo: a line of climbers moving high above the Lhotse Face toward Camp IV.
What followed became one of the biggest summit days from the Nepal side in Everest history, with 274 climbers successfully reaching the summit in a single day.
Sometimes, one frame captures far more than a moment, it captures an entire season.