Mike and I spent four months walking 1,500+ kilometres of the Great Himalaya Trail. We had high passes, river crossings in full monsoon and more dahl bat than I can count. We also had Som, and later Mingma, two Tamang guides who got us through it and turned out to be the kind of people you keep for life. My long-time friend Ang, who has spent his whole life in the mountains, put the team together.

I didn’t set out to make a film. I filmed on my iPhone with no microphone like a complete amateur, capturing the landscapes and whatever caught my eye. Then we all started chatting on the trail as you do, and the conversations with Som and Mingma made me realize their stories were worth sharing. One of my bugbears is people who want to go to Nepal but don’t want to pay for a guide. I hope this film shows why supporting Nepal’s tourism industry can change a life, a family and even a whole community.

Som Waiba Tamang

Som is sincere, kind, determined, and funny. He loves to sing and dance, and he’ll make you join in. He has two daughters, a wife, and his mum, and he wants business to bring prosperity to his community. He has big dreams and works hard to make them a reality. I also wouldn’t have made it over Amphu Labtsa without Som’s strength and support.

Mingma Tamang

Mingma is cheeky, strong, and has summited Everest four times and Manaslu once. He’s also the reason we made it through Dolpo. His sense of humour kept us going, and his instinct for navigating some of Nepal’s most remote country was uncanny. He lives in Kathmandu with his wife and supports his family and their farm and home in Rasuwa. He first came to Kathmandu at 14, and got his start in the mountains because someone was willing to take a chance on a kid.

Ang Tshering Lama

Ang is a legend. He has summited Everest 7x, holds a record for the highest rescue, spent time doing search and rescue at Denali, the Tetons and Rainier, and has led two Sherpa women to summit Everest after their lost their husbands to the mountain. He loves to white water raft, and I am proud to know him from my first trek in Nepal in 2006 where he was the trip leader. He has built a solid business and knows exactly how to cater for foreigners of all abilities in the mountains.

A Way Up is the 13-minute film that came out of those months. You can also see Mike learning Tamang songs

I entered the film in the Banff Mountain Film Festival. It wasn’t selected (610 films were submitted and 83 were chosen), but I’m proud to have made something I could submit. Putting something you’ve made out into the world takes more courage than I expected, and I have a lot more respect now for the effort behind any kind of art.

Hope you enjoy it…