Introduction

In 1996, Lou Kaciske is within striking distance of the summit of Mount Everest. He's stuck above 28,000 feet behind a group of climbers who are making excruciatingly slow progress. If he gives up, he thinks to himself, he'll regret it for the rest of his life. John Tasky ignored his own turnaround time and pushed on to the summit. They tried to descend, but ran out of oxygen; they both died.