Into thin air

In March 1996, Outside magazine sent me to Nepal to participate in and write about a mountain-guided climb of Mount Everest. I went on it as one of eight clients of the expedition, led by a well-known leader from New Zealand, Rob Hall. On the 10th of May I climbed to the top of the mountain, but the summit was very expensive. Four of my five teammates, including Hall, died in a severe storm that broke without warning while we were still high on the peak. By the time I descended to base camp, nine climbers from our expedition were dead and three more were due to die by the end of the month. They said about the title "In an engaging, personal and adventurous way, Jon takes listeners to the top of the world's highest mountain to take part in one of the most tragic climbs. " - Ocean Written Reads