Regions of the Heart

Alison Hargreave's 1995 solo ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen cemented her reputation as one of the most gifted and accomplished mountaineers of her generation. Just 3 months later, she was dead - killed during a violent storm on the world's second highest peak, K2. In the media battleground after her death her achievements were minimized, the press unable to look beyond whether, as a mother of two, she had effectively abandoned her children by taking such extraordinary risks.

In Regions of the Heart, experienced climbers and journalists David Rose and Ed Douglas examine the morality of risk-taking and explore the tensions and drama of Hargreaves's groundbreaking climbs. With vivid descriptions of the intense toughness, skill, and courage demanded of climbers at the sport's highest level, their account paints a vivid portrait of Hargreaves's passion for climbing, and the complexities of her family life.

Regions of the Heart is adventure writing at its best - a remarkable story of bravery, passion, and commitment that captures the spirit of climbing and reclaims Alison Hargreaves's life from the tragedy - and controversy - of her death.