Product Description

Everest - the highest mountain in the world and the ultimate climbing challenge. In 2006, 11 people died attempting to reach the summit, the most fatalities since 1996. But unlike 1996, 2006 saw no surprise blizzard, only the constant dangers posed by unstable ice, merciless cold, thin air - and human nature. Nick Heil tells the shocking true stories of David Sharp, a young British solo climber, who was passed by 40 mountaineers as he lay dying on the slopes of the mountain, and Lincoln Hall who was left for dead yet miraculously survived, and asks: What does climbing the world's highest peak really mean for those who take on the challenge? And how far will they go in their single-minded pursuit of the ultimate mountaineering prize?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14576 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Peter Athans, seven-time Everest summiter and The North Face athlete
'If you couldn't put down Into Thin Air, you must read Dark Summit to understand what it means to climb Everest today and why anyone might accept the risk.'

Hampton Sides, author of Ghost Soldiers and Blood and Thunder Hampton Sides, author of Ghost Soldiers and Blood and Thunder
'Authoritative ... Through rock-solid reporting and vital prose, Heil leads us up into this rarefied world, step by hypoxic step.'

Bob Shacochis, author of The Immaculate Invasion
'I consider this book not a sequel to Krakauer's Into Thin Air, but an equal.'

Customer Reviews

Fantastic Book
Really enjoyed this - honestly is the best book I've read in a long time. Very well written, fascinating book, mixture between the history of the mountain and the events of 2006. I read it twice in one week. Highly recommended.

Not just black and white
This is an extremely well written book, that doesn't simplify the story into 'heroes and villains' as the mainstream media do. Unlike 'into thin air' or 'the climb', this isn't a first person account, which enables a more rounded and objective view of the circumstances and benefits from Heil's journalistic approach.
Those who have seen the Discovery 'Everest' series featuring Russell Brice will also find it an interesting companion piece, as it gives behind the scenes details regarding the expedition featured in the programme.
Highly recommended.

Great read, impossible to put down
This is a well written account of an amazing year on Everest but climbing the highest peak on the planet is only half of it. This book opens the door into the darkest recesses of the human mind and shows the extraordinary determination, mental strength and overriding will to survive that we as humans are capable of. Perhaps strange but it made me want to climb a mountain!