After shooting hero shots of each of our team members with the epic K2 backdrop just after twilight, Shahid, who always makes a comedic appearance into the dining tent, often with just his head appearing through a small gap via the tent zipper, emerged in the sub-zero weather and I encouraged him to pose in front of K2.

I absolutely love that his instinct was to put on a big smile with two thumbs up, reminding the rest of us not to take ourselves so seriously.

Like Nepal and many other countries I’ve visited, the local people working some of the toughest jobs tend to have the most joyful spirits.