An aspect of Mount Everest that has stayed well away from my sphere of reference – until now – is what happens to those who die in the effort of making it to the top and back down again

The harsh conditions far up the mountain make it impossible to bring down the bodies of those who fall. And so they stay there, frozen macabre signposts for the next groups who edge painfully up towards the summit looking for glory.

Warning: not for the faint-hearted, albeit with stories of true heroism