Big mountains are a completely different world: snow, ice, rocks, sky, and thin air. You cannot conquer them, only rise to their height for a short time; and for that they demand a great deal. The struggle is not with the enemy, or a competitor like in sports, but with yourself, with the feelings of weakness and inadequacy. That struggle appeals to me. It is why I became a mountaineer.

I don't know what being an Everest guide means. I am a coach, not a guide.

I cannot say to be glad or not glad to be on Everest. It is my life. I have opportunity to be here, so I am here.

I travel to Jakarta, I see what an important country it is. I've been working with them for a year.

I think that people ran out of oxygen and don't really know what happened up there, maybe some of them just made things up because they weren't sure what had happened.

Mountains have the power to call us into their realms and there, left forever, are our friends whose great souls were longing for the heights. Do not forget the mountaineers who have not returned from the summits.

People respected my experience, they hire me, they pay me what I am worth to coach their team.