The Climb Up to Hell

divIn the heart of the Swiss Alps stand the three majestic peaks of the Bernese Oberland, Europe's most famous mountain range. The highest, at 13,638 feet, is the Jungfrau. Next is the Mönch, at 13,465 feet. But it is the smallest, the Eiger, rising 13,038 feet above sea level, that is by far the deadliest. Called a living mountain for its constantly changing conditions-unpredictable weather, disintegrating limestone surfaces, and continuously falling rock and ice-its mile-high north wall is perhaps the most dangerous climb in the world. And that may be just what beckons elite Alpinists to scale the treacherous peak against the odds.brbrIn 1957, nearly forty years before the well-known Mount Everest tragedy, two teams of confident climbers set out to summit the north wall of the Eiger Mountain. Not long into their journey, onlookers could tell that the four men were headed for disaster. Soon rescue teams from all over Europe raced toward the Eiger-yet only one of the four climbers survived to face unfounded international accusations. In a story as fascinating as any novel, Jack Olsen creates a riveting account of daring adventure, heroic rescue, and one of the most baffling mysteries in the history of mountain climbing.br/divdivTo experience the Eiger one can climb the mountain, stand in the graveyard near the base of the North Wall, or readiThe Climb Up To Hell/i. Jack Olsen's account of the ill-fated 1957 mountaineering expedition is a chronicle so graphic that it will cause a visceral response in those who read it. --Ruth Anne Kocour, author ofiFacing the Extreme/ibrbrThis account of the most dramatic mountain rescue there has ever been is accurate enough to satisfy any mountaineer, and yet simple enough to enthrall anyone like myself who does most of his mountaineering from the bottom. --David Howarth, author ofiWe Die Alone/iandiD-Day: The Sixth of June, 1944/ibrbrOf all the stories of the Eiger there is