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.

A review of summit day photographs will show that I was clothed in the latest, highest quality, high altitude gear, comparable, if not better, than that worn by the other members of our expedition.

I offer my expertise and experience for hire in order to help a group of people reach the summit.

Honestly, I do not experience fear in the mountains. On the contraryI feel my shoulders straightening, squaring, like the birds as they straighten their wings. I enjoy the freedom and the altitude. It is only when I return to life below that I feel the world's weight on my shoulders.

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.

This year my role is clear: I am a coach, a coach to sportsmen.

Mountains are not stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion.