Facing the Extreme: One Woman’s Story of True Courage and Death-Defying Survival in the Eye of Mt. McKinley’s Worst Storm Ever

Name: Facing the Extreme: One Woman’s Story of True Courage and Death-Defying Survival in the Eye of Mt. McKinley’s Worst Storm Ever
Price: 11.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.4 (7 reviews)
Author: Ruth Anne Kocour

by Ruth Anne Kocour

Memoir Biography Memoir

4.4 (7)

278 pages~4.6 hr readPublished by St. Martin's Press

$11.9933% off peak

Last checked: Apr 15, 2026

Price history: $0.50 – $17.99

While not the biggest discount we've seen for this book, it's still a great deal and we recommend grabbing it before price returns to its normal range.

Price range: $0.50 – $17.99

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Perfect for you if...

You love survival stories with real stakes and genuine peril, especially those that avoid melodrama in favour of clear-eyed narrative.
You're fascinated by mountaineering and the people who push themselves to the absolute edge of human endurance.
You respect memoirs written in spare, beautiful prose that captures both the terror and transcendence of extreme environments.

Maybe not for you if...

You prefer survival stories where the protagonist emerges triumphant and transformed; this is grittier and more uncertain.
You need constant action and plot twists; much of this is internal struggle and waiting in a tent.
You're squeamish about frostbite, hypothermia, and the physical reality of dying in cold.

About this book

Ruth Anne Kocour, a world-class mountaineer, joined an all-male climbing team attempting to summit Mt. McKinley (Denali), North America's highest peak. Nine days into the ascent, which she undertook as a forty-fifth birthday present to herself, a record-breaking storm struck the mountain. Kocour and her group became trapped on an ice shelf at 14,000 feet for two weeks during what became the deadliest period in Denali's history. Facing wind chills of minus 150 degrees, blinding snow, hidden crevasses, and freezing conditions that threatened her feet, she was unable to assist other teams dying nearby. In this account, Kocour describes the mountain's violent and unforgiving environment while also reflecting on the beauty and courage that drive mountaineers to pursue the summit.

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Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

$0.50 – $17.99

Currently on sale at $11.99 — 33% off peak. Price has dropped 5 times over the last 6 years. Goes on sale roughly every 71 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

Currently around #2,366K in the Kindle store — a niche title.

Rating & Reviews

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Currently 4.4★ from 7 reviews

Review activity has been quiet recently. Rating has climbed from 4.1 to 4.4. Recent readers are rating it higher.

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This book is currently discounted at $11.99. It typically returns to around $17.99.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.