The Annapurna Circuit is a trek in central Nepal that climbs to an altitude of 5,400m through Thorung La pass, one of the highest trekking passes in the world, below peaks that rise 6000-8000m in elevation from the Annapurna Range.

We attempted to complete the trek in about 15 days starting mid-December of 2013, when the shoulder season promised much smaller crowds but with it a risk of deep snow that early winter can bring to the Pass.