One Step From Heaven: Climbing Mount Everest

In One Step From Heaven, Dubliner Derek Mahon provides a riveting account of his successful summit of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. An experienced mountaineer who has completed the Seven Summits Challenge – climbing the highest peak on each of the seven continents, the oldest Irishman to do so – Derek was well aware of the extreme challenge he was facing when he decided to join the Mount Everest expedition. Derek knew he needed to be ultra fit with great endurance, but also well organised and psychologically prepared for the unforeseen. From grappling with temperatures well below freezing, the perils of acute mountain sickness and the realisation that one slip on the mountain could be fatal, the Mount Everest climb is not for the faint-hearted. One in five climbers perish, a sobering statistic.

Derek describes in detail the preparations he made before he departed, including the difficult conversation he had with his wife Michelle negotiating his absence for eight weeks on a dangerous quest. She eventually acquiesced, but with one solemn condition: ‘Promise me you will come home alive’.

Thankfully, he did, but there were many close calls along the way, near death experiences that would have sent the less resilient back home. With over 170 colour photos of Derek’s journey, highlighting the dramatic landscape and the majestic Goddess of the Himalaya, One Step From Heaven is an unforgettable story about one man’s resolve to fulfill his dreams.

‘Derek’s book describes brilliantly life at camp, the altitude, the rotations and climbs, and of course summit success. Highly recommended.’ – Alex Abramoz, lead climber of Seven Summits

‘. . . a gripping high altitude memoir that captures the physical danger and emotional stakes of climbing Mount Everest. A must read for adventure lovers ...’ – Lynne Hanna, Mount Everest Double Summiteer