Snapchatting Everest climbers reach crucial point in latest attempt
Two Snapchatting climbers have reached a new milestone in their latest attempt to summit Mount Everest together.
Adrian Ballinger and Cory Richards have been documenting every step of their journey on Snapchat.
This is the second time the climbing duo is trying to ascend the world's highest peak without supplemental oxygen.
The two are now at North Col, one of the mountain passes that leads to the summit, reports CBS News' Dana Jacobson.
Richards and Ballinger set off for Everest a month ago with two goals in mind -- the first, to make sure Ballinger reaches the summit and the second, to capture the moment on Snapchat.
Mount Everest looms overhead as the two skirt an altitude known as 'the death zone' where oxygen levels are so low, human survival is nearly impossible.
They reached the North Col Thursday with the Eddie Bauer Everest team. For most climbers, this rugged mountain pass is the closest they'll get to the summit.
Training for summit day is rigorous. Custom diets give them a metabolic kick to combat altitude sickness and their heart rates and oxygen levels are meticulously monitored as they move higher up.
It's a herculean effort to survive one of the world's most inhospitable regions.
It's estimated that nearly 300 people have died attempting to scale Everest.
Last month, Swiss climber Ueli Steck fell to his death in the same area where Ballinger and Richards had been training.
The pair braved a violent storm and sub-zero temperatures last year while acclimating to low oxygen.
Only Richards made it to the top though. With just over 1,200 feet to go, Ballinger's dream was cut short.
"Nothing really felt right, I wasn't hydrating that well, I wasn't eating that well and I definitely was really cold. I knew I was getting to that point where I wouldn't be able to get myself down alone," Ballinger said last year.
The pair expects to summit Everest together- an undertaking they hope to share with thousands from the top of the world.
Last year, Richards spent just three minutes at the top of Everest, but his cellphone battery died before he could Snapchat the moment.
This time, they plan on bringing an extra power source so their Snapchat followers won't be let down.
