Regions of the Heart: The Triumph and Tragedy of Alison Hargreaves

Alison Hargreaves demonstrated her technical skill by climbing the six great north faces of the Alps (The Grandes Jorasses, Matterhorn, Eiger, Badile, Dru, and Cima Grande) all in one summer. In May 1995 Alison proved she was also a high-altitude mountaineer when she became the first woman to climb Everest solo and without supplementary oxygen. That same summer she went on to climb K2 where, tragically, she was killed in a fierce storm following her successful ascent. The resulting media frenzy questioned whether, as a mother, she should have been climbing at all. Here is a more complete picture of this exceptionally talented, responsible, and highly experienced climber.