My Life on the Ledge: Everest West Ridge, Winter K2, and a Search for Purpose

A Candid True-Adventure About Mountains, Mistakes, And Finding Purpose

At nineteen, Nick Cienski left college for the world’s highest peaks, climbing with no bottled oxygen, no Sherpa support, and plenty of hard lessons. He survived a hundred-foot fall, a night in the Death Zone with one boot, avalanches, and border standoffs. Between expeditions, he built a second life designing elite performance gear for Olympians, special operations, and even a commercial space suit.

Told in crisp, no-nons...