Wild Love: Jake Norton and Wende Valentine

Wild Love is a series about the romantic relationships of outdoor athletes and adventurers. This episode features the marriage of Jake Norton, a renowned alpinist for First Ascent and his wife, Wende Valentine, who works with Water For People. As this synopsis was being written, Norton was on Everest, attempting to summit the mountain via the West Ridge, first climbed by Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld on the famous 1953 American expedition. The film explores how the risks of Norton’s chosen profession, along with the distance and time away from home, pose extra challenges for Valentine and their two young children.