I sat and listed to him tell incredible stories of combatting -60c temperatures in winter while attempting and succeeding on 8000’ers over the years.

The repeated stories of getting frostbite due to the extremely harsh climate were especially impressive considering he still has 10 fingers and 10 toes. He recounted how one year after an especially difficult winter expedition he returned home with frostbite on his fingers and used a sheep stomach in combination with appropriately warmed water to heal his extremities.

Ali’s life is the mountains and I hope that his profile is raised even higher, beyond the realm of the great mountaineers who are all familiar with his reputation as one of the greats mountaineers of our time.

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