Memories of Everest

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest. As a kid growing up in flat-as-a-pancake East Yorkshire, the story of that ascent, the incredible endurance and bravery of the men involved and the sheer size of the Himalayas was inspiring and made me want to see more of the world.

I took these photos in 1995 - a year in which I was fortunate enough to see Everest from both Tibet and Nepal. These are all from the Tibetan side. From Nepal it's actually pretty difficult to work out which one is Everest - the perspective makes it difficult to pick out at first, and it's surrounded by other massive peaks. But from the Tibetan side it rises alone, completely dwarfing the landscape around.

It is still one of the most incredible and amazingly beautiful things I've ever seen. The walk up to base camp in Nepal is more fun and certainly easier to organise, but when I think of Everest this is the image in my mind - a majestic snow-covered pyramid rising high above the plains of Tibet.