Summit Murder Mystery Series

The World's tallest mountain belongs to the Nepalese and China border, nestled into the Himalayas, Mt. Everest rises 29,029 feet above sea level. It is an accomplishment tackled by few and finished even less. In 1865, Mt. Everest was given its official English name by the Royal Geographical Society. Andrew Waugh, the British Surveyor General of India at the time, named it after his predecessor in the post, Sir George Everest. Although the Tibetans still call it Chomolungma or "Saint Mother". Prior to Waugh, Mt. Everest was simply called Peak XV. Waugh also helped to define Mt. Everest as the tallest peak in the 1850's, taking the title from Kangchenjunga. Mt. Everest has two main climbing routes, the southeast ridge from Nepal and the northeast ridge from Tibet. The southeast ridge from Nepal is technically easier and is used more frequently. It was the route used by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on the first summit of Mt. Everest. There is a small win...

Among the Seven Summits, Mount Kilimanjaro towers as the highest mountain in Africa. With its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira, Mount Kilimanjaro is an inactive volcano in Tanzania. It stands 19,341 feet above sea level and is 19,298 feet from base to summit. Mount Kilimanjaro is also the highest freestanding mountain. Below is a video of a Mount Kilimanjaro climb performed by a father and son. It is a video journal showcasing the seven day adventure up the Machame route. This video was sent to Irion Books via Twitter from John Beede. Follow John Beede or Irion Books LLC and stay current with climbing updates!

The Summit Murder Mystery Series authors, Charles G. Irion and Ronald J. Watkins have some holiday fun with a JibJab "Disco Christmas" video. Happy Holidays ... enjoy!!! Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Arctic explorer, Eric Larsen, who has spent the past 15 years traveling the globe to some of the most remote places on Earth, spoke with Wisconsin students about his world record expedition and the effects of global warming. Larsen completed an expedition to both the North and South Poles and Mount Everest in 333 days. His mission was titled "Save the Poles" and he worked to bring attention to global warming. To the Superior middle school students Larsen gave the advice: "I often say just begin with one step and I think that's a way to solve not only problems on expeditions but other things in life, as well as the issue of climate change. That seems like a big problem that you almost don't want to do anything because you think what could I possibly do, and I think it's important to at least take that first step." For now, Larsen plans to continue his efforts in climate change, but hasn't ruled out another expedition in the future.

November was a busy month for Irion Books LLC, with a trip to New York for the 25th Anniversary of the Seven Summits to the K2 Adventures Foundation's First Annual Masquerade Ball in Arizona. In New York Charles G. Irion, founder of Irion Books and coauthor of the Summit Murder Mystery Series, attended the Seven Summits Silver Anniversary Celebration, hosted by the New York chapter of the American Alpine Club (AAC). The New York AAC commemorated the 25th anniversary of Dick Bass completing the Seven Summits. Dick Bass with Charles Irion at the New York AAC event. Bass completed the Seven Summits in just three years. Presentation at New York AAC event honoring Dick Bass and his accomplishments of reaching the summits of the highest mountain on all seven continents. Opening remarks by Philip Erard, section chairman for the American Alpine Club, New York section. Erard started the AAC black-tie event that has now become a fond tradition. The annual black tie event was held at the ...

Early in November more than 2000 tourists were stranded at Lukla Airport in Nepal due to bad weather canceling flights. Lukla is the starting point for trips to Mount Everest. The Lukla Airport is also known as the Tenzing-Hillary Airport, after the first men to summit Mount Everest. The Civil Aviation Ministry of Nepal announced flights were canceled all over the region, leaving over 3000 tourists stranded in the region due to bad weather. The ministry is working with the army of Nepal to rescue all stranded tourists. The ministry plans to bring all tourists from Lukla to Jiri with the help of helicopters and sky vans. After Jiri the tourists will be transported to Kathmandu by bus. At Kathmandu they will be able to take flights home. Stranded tourists are not the only problem caused by the flight cancellations. Planes are the only way to provide food in the region. The inability for planes to fly has created a food shortage for many parts of Nepal. The Trekking Agents Associ...