Notes

Sheltered in a snow cave on Mount Elbrus, Dan Egan stares into the mouth of a storm on the tallest mountain on the European continent, a merciless mountain that claims more lives per year than Everest. In the belly of the beast, Egan takes stock of every moment that brought him here-the life of a Boston boy enthralled with self-determination and adventure.



Egan emerges from the white haze of the storm to summit a climactic arc of perseverance we see repeated across decades on skis, on sailboats, in personal relationships, in entrepreneurial endeavors, and in examination of self. The world-renowned pioneer of extreme skiing takes the story of his youth growing up in New England and artfully creates the stage for the simultaneous evolution of big mountain skiing and his personal journey on snow and sea.