The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All Women’s Ascent of Denali

Abrams Books

Grace Hoeman dreamed of standing on top of Denali, the tallest peak in North America. A doctor and mountaineer in Alaska, Grace had come close to the top, only to be turned back by altitude sickness and a storm that took the lives of seven fellow climbers in one remorseless blow. Other expeditions denied her a place because of her gender, and when a letter arrived from a fellow climber who’d also been barred from expeditions—unless she stayed in base camp and cooked for the men—Grace came up with a defiant idea: she would organize and lead the first ever all-female ascent of the frozen Alaskan peak.

Everyone told Grace and her team that it couldn’t be done. Men had walked on the moon; women had still not stood on the highest points on Earth. Popular belief held that they were incapable of withstanding high altitudes, savage elements, and carrying heavy loads without men’s help. But these six women were unwilling to be limited by sexist beliefs. Then, when disaster struck at the worst time on their expedition, the team’s actions would decide not only their fate, but how the world would judge them—and all women’s ability to climb and survive the fiercest mountains.

Praise for Thirty Below

“An entrancing tale of a harrowing adventure.” –Kirkus Reviews STARRED Review

“Fast paced, with incredible characters who make you appreciate how far mountaineering (and society in general) has progressed in the last fifty years.” —Alex Honnold, professional climber and author of Alone on the Wall 

“The saga of how these six athletes pulled off their historic feat, while upending a host of ingrained perceptions that had long suffused this most macho of sports,is an immensely enjoyable read—part Into Thin Air, part Thelma and Louise.”  —Hampton Sides, NYT bestselling author of In the Kingdom of Ice and The Wide Wide Sea

“I couldn’t put it down.…The stakes are as high as Denali itself, and Cassidy Randall’s prose carries the reader with the unstoppable force of an avalanche.” —Melissa L. Sevigny, author of Brave the Wild River 

“Captivating. You’ll wonder what will happen next, why the world didn’t seem to notice, and how any of us might have chosen to show up in the same situation.” —Kit DesLauriers, professional ski mountaineer and author of Higher Love

“A gripping portrait of cutting-edge alpinism and complicated sisterhood, Thirty Below recalls climbers pushed to the limit, and beyond.” —Caroline Van Hemert, author of The Sun is a Compass

“Rivals the best mountaineering writing in existence, including that of Jon Krakauer and David Roberts.” —Buddy Levy, award-winning and bestselling author of Empire of Ice and Stone, Labyrinth of Ice, and Realm of Ice and Sky

“Highly recommended.” —Booklist

“A story worth telling and, for the reader, an incredible adventure in itself.” —Melissa Arnot Reid, mountain guide and author of Enough