In the Zone: Epic Survival Stories from the Mountaineering World

* Colby Coombs on Alaska's Mount Foraker

* Scott Fischer and Ed Viesturs on K2

* Author Peter Potterfield on Chimney Rock in the North Cascades



To climb is to risk, and nowhere is that more evident than in these true-life accounts of three men who faced the ultimate challenge in passionate pursuit of their sport. Veteran journalist with 25 years of climbing experience, author Potterfield is a master craftsman who has himself been in the zone. These stories, the result of extensive interviews, reveal that the keys to averting tragedy lie in the head and heart as much as in technical proficiency and physical strength.



There is the story of Colby Coombs' disastrous experience on Alaska's Mount Foraker, which ranks with Joe Simpson's Touching the Void as one of the greatest survival stories of the genre. On K2, experienced climber Scott Fischer (who lost his life in the 1996 Everest tragedy) and partner Ed Viesturs battle for the summit in the face of numerous setbacks, severe injuries, and harrowing weather conditions. Peter Potterfield recounts his own riveting tale of hope and desperation after a climbing fall that left him trapped and badly injured on a narrow ledge in Washington's North Cascades.