Devil in the Death Zone

The true account of what really happens when faced with a life-and-death decision on Everest.

Are you the hero who attempts a rescue against all odds, or do you leave someone behind to continue your selfish dream of getting to the top?

This controversial dilemma exists all too frequently in the world of high-altitude mountaineering and divides opinion.

Devil In The Death Zone is a deeply honest action-based account of a tragic tale of death that delves into the uncomfortable truths surrounding the motivations for climbing Everest and describes, for the first time, the real dark choices and deals made in pursuit of the highest point on Earth.

"This compelling account of Everest rolls along with pace and honesty, at times introspective and thought provoking while at other times side splitting funny. Dom captures well the fear and uncertainty that the climber faces, the deep seated ambition needed, and ultimately the joy of climbing to the highest point on Earth."
—Kenton Cool, renowned mountaineer and multiple Everest Summiteer

Available from April 7th, 2025 in eBook, Paperback, and Hardcover!

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Chapter 1 Preview:

I know I’m pushing too hard. I won’t last another hour if I keep this pace up.

But I can’t slow down. Fear and a desperate need to put this nightmare behind me drive me forward like a man possessed. Each pause to catch my breath only serves to remind me of the precariousness of my situation, a reminder made all the more agonising by the simple fact that I chose to be here.

Gazing upwards into the darkness, my flickering head torch barely illuminates the 300 ft near vertical ice gulley ahead. Systematically, I drive my ice axe and crampon points into the icy snow, inching my way up. As I pull myself over the rim, the jagged rock tears through my one-piece down jacket, sending a searing pain coursing through my torso. Ignoring the pain, I swing my right arm, planting my axe into the hard ice so as to secure myself. But something feels off this time; there’s an obstruction preventing the sharp point from penetrating fully."

I’m exhausted and gasping for breath. My oxygen mask is malfunctioning, and it feels like it’s smothering me. Desperate to breathe, I tear off the mask and inhale whatever I can from the thin air, trying to quell the fire in my lungs. The moisture around my mouth instantly freezes, and I feel the bite of the minus 30-degree temperature against my exposed face. I struggle to control my breathing, and as I do, I sense something beside me. Turning my faint headtorch to the left, I freeze. To my horror, the dim light slowly reveals a half-buried man in the snow. As I scan the partially submerged body, I find myself staring into the frozen eyes of a dead climber. I steady myself by tightening my grip on my ice axe, only to realise that its front point is lodged directly in his frozen stomach, hidden beneath the snow. After a few seconds, I gather myself and carefully wiggle the axe from side to side, freeing its cold steel point from the body.

I start moving upwards, eager to forget the horror I just witnessed. Then, about 50 metres ahead, I see a faint glimmer of red light. I approach, trying to determine what or who it could be. Suddenly, a shrill, strange scream echoes around the mountain, a sound that will haunt me forever.

Now high up in the Death Zone, I stare into the dark 3,000 ft abyss below me and mutter to myself through frozen lips, not for the first time on this Everest expedition, “Why am I here?”