It doesn't take long before the first unwanted interruption: "We've only been on the road for five minutes and it's already starting." Benedikt Böhm is standing on a muddy road in Nepal and is pointing in the direction of a landslide that is causing the mountaineer and his team the makes it impossible to continue driving in an off-road vehicle.

The day before it had rained “like crazy”, which worried him a little.

Simon Husgen

Editor on duty at FAZ.NET.

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Böhm still takes the forced break with humor.

"Welcome to the Expedition Himalaya," says the 45-year-old from Munich, laughing at the camera.

However, his concern that the blockade could cost him and his team five hours is quickly dispelled.

An hour and then the road will be free again, says a Nepalese who, like some others, has already set about removing the obstacle.

In fact, an excavator cleared away the mud and stones a little later and the way to Himlung Himal is free again.

The summit of this 7,126 meter high mountain is the goal of Böhm's expedition group, but even while driving in the off-road vehicle it becomes clear that the adventure doesn't just begin at the foot of the Himlung.

And so it goes on over the bumpy road, which is repeatedly criss-crossed by streams and winds past steep slopes in the direction of Koto.

When the team got out of the car in the small village last Saturday, relief prevailed: “We were lucky.

Everything went well.” Despite the rain.

But with the arrival in Koto, after two days in the car, Böhm, his companion Prakash Sherpa and the cameramen Alessandro d'Emilia and Luca Junior have only managed the first part of the expedition.

From here you have to leave your car and continue on foot in the direction of Himlung Himal.

The march via Meta to Phu Gaon, the last stop before the base camp, takes two days.

"In the beginning it went through a small, narrow valley, over steep paths - up, down, left, right," Böhm describes the first section of the walk.

The closer they get to Phu Gaon, the more the landscape changes.

"All of a sudden it opened up and you had high valleys and you see new things everywhere," the speed climber reported to the FAZ in a voice message.

And on this part of the journey, too, he remains true to his motto: "If you want to be fast, you have to slow down." His maximum pulse rate is 100 beats per minute.

However, it is not only the "breathtaking" nature that concerns and inspires Böhm.

The people who live in this remote area always cast a spell over him.

“The wood for the houses is sawn by the people themselves, the stones are broken with a hammer and chisel, all with minimal resources,” Böhm describes life in the Nepalese highlands.

"Thanks to Prakash, I'm also immersing myself in the culture." It's something special to go on a trip like this with a Nepalese.

Read here what Prakash Sherpa has the greatest respect for on the “Expedition Himalaya”.

The 29-year-old also shows how the role of the Sherpa has changed in recent years.

In the past, “the locals were always just Sherpas, always just helpers”, but in the meantime many have been developing their own mountaineering visions.

“There are two types of Sherpa: Some, like Prakash, are real mountain guides.

And then there are the Sherpas, who are more like porters and carry the oxygen, the tents or the luggage," explains Böhm.

"The Sherpas don't choose it because they enjoy it so much, they primarily became Sherpas to earn a living."

When the team reached the base camp last Tuesday, even the experienced alpinist was amazed.

“Prakash had the base camp set up with five stars.

Insanity!

I've never experienced that before," wrote Böhm in a message and a little later presented the cozy interior of a tent with warm towels and floral decorations on the table in a video, visibly enthusiastic.

A bit of luxury in this secluded area, a bit of "glamping" in the Himalayan variety, could still be beneficial to the atmosphere in the camp in the coming days.

Because: "Now things are going well."