Climbing High

On May 10, 1996, Lene Gammelgaard became the first female Scandinavian climber ever to make it to the top of Mount Everest. By nightfall, however, treacherous weather and human error conspired to turn triumph into catastrophe. Eight climbers, including her team leader and longtime friend, Scott Fischer, would ultimately perish. This gripping account, illustrated with photos, recounts vividly the author's experiences on Everest -- including the horrible night she spent huddled in the death zone with seven other climbers -- and puts the 1996 tragedy in a new perspective. Unlike Jon Krakauer, Gammelgaard was part of Fischer's team, and she sheds new light on this legendary climber's larger-than-life personality and leadership during the ascent. And unlike other climbers who wrote about the tragedy, Gammelgaard was an amateur whose only agenda was to conquer Everest.