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Why are people risking their lives to climb mountains?

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Everest, Kilimanjaro, Mount Rainier ... why people are risking their lives to climb mountains Just looking at Everest begs the question ... why? Source: AFP IT’S been the deadliest mountain climbing season in history, and it’s not over. With the tragedies on Mount Rainier in Washington and Nepal, one question remains: Why do they do it? Why do people regularly risk their lives to summit a mountain peak or scale sheer cliffs? “Because it’s there,” George Mallory famously replied in 1923 when asked why he was trying to climb Mount Everest. The quote caught the public’s imagination, as it expressed both the childlike whimsy of doing something just for the fun of it, and the adult heroic ideal of dedicating oneself to meeting any challenge, no matter how tall. Although Mallory perished the next year on Everest (and his body was not found for 75 years), his legacy of big mountain climbing remains. Last year, ...

2 Dead, 7 Missing After Mt. Everest Avalanche

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By Ed Payne, Manesh Shrestha and Dave Alsup , CNN updated 1:35 AM EDT, Fri April 18, 2014 Climbers and guides were preparing for the spring climbing season. STORY HIGHLIGHTS The deadliest year on Mt. Everest was 1996, when 15 people died More than 300 climbers have been given permission to tackle Everest this spring About 400 Sherpas will help them Climbers and guides had been preparing the route to the summit (CNN) -- Two Sherpa guides were killed and seven others were missing Friday after a high-altitude avalanche on Mt. Everest, officials said. A group of about 50 people, mostly Nepali Sherpas, were hit by the avalanche at more than 20,000 feet, according to Tilak Ram Pandey, with the mountaineering department of the tourism ministry. The avalanche took place just above base camp in the Khumbu Ice Fall. The climbers were accounted for, Pandey said. "Rescue teams have gone ... to look for the missing." Readying for clim b ...

Great Review!

Great Amazon review of the first book in my Summit Murder Mystery series, Murder on Everest. "Photogenic murder mystery with enough twists to keep you guessing. Mt Everest is really the main character, and you feel like you are on the mountain. Good character development for a book of this sort. I will read the next book in this series." Have you climbed Mt. Everest yet? Get your copy by clicking the link below. Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Murder%C2%A0-%C2%A0Everest-Summit-Murder-Mystery-ebook/dp/B003B3O5P4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408648489&sr=1-1&keywords=murder+on+everest For more information about the Summit Murder Mystery series,  CLICK HERE  To order your copy of Murder on Everest,  CLICK HERE  To order your copy of Murder on Kilimanjaro ,  CLICK HERE Follow Charles Irion on Twitter  HERE Friend Charles Irion on Facebook  HERE Visit Charles Irion's YouTube channel  HERE 

Volcano Climber from Denham Edging Closer to Record

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Volcano climber edging closer to record    A WORLD-RECORD chasing Bucks woman has just finished climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro as she edges closer to the overall finish-line. Sophie Cairns, is attempting to climb seven volcanoes in just four months, in memory of her late father. It is the second time she has reached the summit of Africa’s highest peak, after also scaling all 5,895m in 2009. She said: “I’m not sure if I was dizzy with exhaustion or happiness, but it was fantastic to reach the top. “All this in memory of my father – all donations go towards a cure for oesophageal cancer.” Sophie, 35, from Denham, is hoping to climb the highest volcano on every continent in just four months. Originally from Hong Kong, Sophie has got just two more volcanoes to climb and has until April 28 to finish, if she wants to do it in four months, which would slash the pre...

Trailer

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Welcome to all the new people stopping by the blog!  It's been a while since I've shared my Summit Murder Mystery series video and so I thought I would do that.  Take a look below!  Get lost in the climb...

9 & 11 Year Old Girls Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro

Hi Everyone!  Thank you for reading my blog!  Did you know that I'm the author of not just one, but thirteen books?  For more information, please visit www.charlesirion.com , www.irionbooks.com and/or www.summitmurdermystery.com 9 & 11 Year Old American Girls Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa With She Climbs TANZANIA, AFRICA-- Helen Simons "HS" Berenyi, 9 year old Silverton, CO resident  and Alexis "Lexi" Peats of Perrysburg, OH summited Mt. Kilimanjaro on January 10 th , 2014  at 10:08 am, Tanzanian time. HS and Lexi were 2 of 4 climbers who successfully summited with She Climbs , a non-profit organization whose mission is to build and strengthen the self-esteem of female individuals of all ages, one mountain climb at a time. This is both girls' first time climbing and living on a mountain for 7 days. Lexi Peats said shortly after the summit, "I learned that if I try hard enough, I can do anything!" While fact ch...

Murder on Everest - .99!

Scott Devlon is the hero of the Summit Murder Mystery Series .  Working for the Defense Intelligence Agency, he is sent on mission after mission to each of the world’s seven continental summits.  An avid adventurer and mountain climber, he continues to face each challenge head on and with determined perseverance to get off each mountain alive. Scott’s first climb up Mt. Everest was devastating due to the death of Derek Sodoc, Scott’s friend and fellow climbing enthusiast.  Following the climb, Quentin Stern wrote a “tell all” book about the climb, which resulted in Derek’s Father being convinced that foul play was involved in the death of his son, instead of due to the natural elements and dangers the mountain itself presents.  Mr. Sodoc gathers all the climbers from the first Mt. Everest trek to retrieve Derek’s body in which is told in Murder on Everest .  It becomes quite clear however, that Mr. Sodoc has more than just laying his son to rest...