The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All Women’s Ascent of Denali

Abrams Books

Grace Hoeman dreamed of standing on top of Denali, the tallest peak in North America. A doctor and mountaineer in Alaska, Grace had come close to the top, only to be turned back by altitude sickness and a storm that took the lives of seven fellow climbers in one remorseless blow. Other expeditions denied her a place because of her gender, and when a letter arrived from a fellow climber who’d also been barred from expeditions—unless she stayed in base camp and cooked for the men—Grace came up with a defiant idea: she would organize and lead the first ever all-female ascent of the frozen Alaskan peak.

Everyone told Grace and her team that it couldn’t be done. Men had walked on the moon; women had still not stood on the highest points on Earth. Popular belief held that they were incapable of withstanding high altitudes, savage elements, and carrying heavy loads without men’s help. But these six women were unwilling to be limited by sexist beliefs. Then, when disaster struck at the worst time on their expedition, the team’s actions would decide not only their fate, but how the world would judge them—and all women’s ability to climb and survive the fiercest mountains.