The Climb Up to Hell

"One mountain. Three men. No turning back."

In The Climb Up to Hell, master storyteller Jack Olsen delivers a harrowing true tale of survival, obsession, and the brutal cost of ambition. Set on the treacherous North Face of the Eiger—the most feared peak in the Swiss Alps—this gripping account follows an ill-fated 1957 climb where courage clashed with the cold, and hope dangled by a rope.

With the pacing of a thriller and the depth of a documentary, Olsen recreates the chilling hours when three climbers faced storms, avalanches, and near-certain death—all while the world watched. More than just a mountain story, it’s a psychological battle against fear, ego, and nature’s fury.

Perfect for fans of Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air or Joe Simpson’s Touching the Void, this is the classic that came first—and still climbs above them all.

The award-winning author of thirty-three books, Jack Olsen’s books have published in fifteen countries and eleven languages. Olsen's journalism earned the National Headliners Award, Chicago Newspaper Guild's Page One Award, commendations from Columbia and Indiana Universities, the Washington State Governor's Award, the Scripps-Howard Award and other honors.