On the night of 10-11 May 1996, eight climbers perished in what remains the worst disaster in Everest's history. Following the tragedy, numerous accounts were published, with Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air becoming an international bestseller. But has the whole story been told? A Day to Die For reveals for the first time the full, startling facts that led to the tragedy. Graham Ratcliffe, the first British climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest twice, was a first-hand witness, having spent the night on Everest's South Col at 26,000 ft, sheltering from the deadly storm. For years, he has shouldered a burden of guilt, feeling that he and his teammates could have saved lives that fateful night. His quest for answers has led to discoveries so important to an understanding of the disaster that he now questions why these facts were not made public sooner. History is dotted with highprofile disasters that both horrify and capture the attention of the public, but very rarely is our view of them revised to such devastating effect.

About the Author

Graham Ratcliffe was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1955. He made his first attempt to climb Everest in 1993, but it was not until his second attempt in 1995 that he reached the summit. He returned again in 1996, with the aim of being the first British climber to have successfully climbed Everest from the northern and southern routes, but the ascent was aborted because of the worst disaster in Everest's history. In 1998, he was award an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, a Paul Harris Fellowship by Rotary International, and made Ambassador of Sport by Sport England. Married with two daughters, Graham now divides his time between his homes in North Shields and the south-east of France.

Prizes

The truth about the 1996 Everest disaster by one of its survivors