Summit Murder Mystery Series

I thought I would share the prologue of Murder On Everest with those of you that haven't read the book.  Take a look!  I bet you can't stop there!     The wind whipped my face. I wiped my goggles with my gloves and stared directly into the blizzard, searching for shadows or any sign of life. We’d left Camp Five at midnight—more than seventeen hours earlier—and I was beyond exhaustion. My lungs were raw. Every breath I drew burned like cold fire. I fought a nagging cough that threatened to consume me. For two hours, I’d not climbed and my body temperature had fallen precipitously. Little feeling remained in my feet and hands and I was in danger of frostbite. I could sense my internal organs starting to shut down and a deadly lethargy engulfed me. I didn’t have long. The snow was so thick that I could scarcely see more than two feet before me. The wind howled with a ferocity I’d never experienced. To stand erect, I had to lean into the gale. If the wind sudd...

Scottsdale Healthcare published a really neat article about my hike on Mt. Kilimanjaro, and I thought I would share it with you below. Check it out, and for more information about my books, visit my website by clicking HERE! New hips help author conquer Mt. Kilimanjaro Writer celebrates 60 th birthday on seven-day climbing expedition to research new mystery novel SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Aug. 1, 2011) – Paradise Valley author Charles G. Irion didn’t let two artificial hips get in the way of his quest to conquer Africa’s Mt. Kilimanjaro last month. Irion re-booted his work hard, play hard lifestyle after consulting with orthopedic surgeon Stuart Kozinn, MD, who performed the hip replacement surgeries at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Medical Center. Irion reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro on July 5 as part of a trip to do research for his upcoming novel, as well as volunteer in Tanzania on a medical mission and celebrate his 60 th birthday. It was his first major climbing exped...

Over 200 days ago climber Richard Parks began his attempt at the 737 Challenge to raise one million euro in aid of the Marie Curie Cancer Care. The challenge includes becoming the first person to summit all three poles and the Seven Summits in seven months. The three poles include the geographical North Pole, the South Pole and the highest summit on earth, Mount Everest. The Seven Summits include: Mount Elbrus, Mount Everest, Mount Aconcagua, Mount McKinley, Mount Puncak Jaya, Vinson Massif and Mount Kilimanjaro. Today, Parks only has one mountain left to complete his challenge: Mount Elbrus. This week he arrived home from Alaska and Mount McKinley and will leave soon for Russia and Mount Elbrus. The Marie Curie Cancer Care organization was established in 1948. Now, more than 2,700 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals help provide care for terminally ill patients in the European community and hospices, while supporting the families of patients. The organization curre...

Apa Sherpa, Guinness World Record holder of the most summits of Mount Everest, has announced he will not climb the world's tallest peak again. He has been quoted that he will not climb above base camp in future visits to the mountain. Apa Sherpa first summited in 1990 and since then has climbed 21 times. The most recent summit was earlier this year. The 51-year-old mountaineer has been involved in the Eco Everest Expedition since the beginning of the campaign. Mount Everest has become increasingly filled with trash left behind by climbers. The Eco Everest Expedition works to clean the polluted mountain. Apa Sherpa has broken his own record of climbing Everest several times in the past and we can expect his name to remain in the record books for some time.

The highest mountain in Antarctica, Vinson Massif, stands 16,050 feet above sea level. It lies in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains. The massif extends between several glaciers, the most well known being the Hinkley Glacier to the east. Vinson Massif comprises both the high central Vinson Plateau and several side ridges. Vinson Massif was first seen in 1958 and first climbed in 1966. The current height, 16,050 feet, resulted from a GPS survey by the 2004 Omega Foundation team. The team was led by Australian Damien Gildea and comprised of two Chilean climbers, Rodrigo Fica and Camilo Rada. The climate on Vinson Massif is mostly controlled by the polar ice cap's high pressure system and creates reasonably stable conditions. As in all arctic climates, high winds and snowfall are still a possibility. Traditionally, the annual snowfall on Vinson Massif is low. The summer season of Vinson Massif is during the months of November through January and there are 24 hours ...

After Mt. Everest the second highest mountain in the Seven Summits is Mt. Aconcagua. At a striking 22,841 feet, Mt. Aconcagua lies among the Andes in Argentina and is the highest mountain in the Americas. The first attempt to climb Mt. Aconcagua was made by the German geologist Paul Gussfeldt in 1883. Gussfeldt bribed porters with the story of lost treasure on the mountain for their help. He made two attempts to reach the summit through what is now considered the normal route. The first recorded summit was a British expedition led by Edward FitzGerald. The youngest person to reach the summit of Mt. Aconcagua was Mathew Moniz of Boulder, CO at 10 years old in 2008. The oldest person to summit was Scott Lewis at 87 years old in 2007. Mt. Aconcagua was created by the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American plate, but is not a volcano. There are two theories to the origin of the name of the mountain. This first states it is from Arauca Aconca-Hue, which refers to t...