One Man's Everest (The Autobiography of Kenton Cool)

Kenton Cool has summited Everest 11 times; is the first person in history to climb the three Everest peaks, the so-called Triple Crown, in one climb, a feat previously thought impossible; and was nominated for the prestigious piolet d'Or in 2004 for climbing a previously unclimbed route on Annapurna III. In 2012 he fulfilled the Olympic Games pledge of placing a 1924 gold medal on the Everest summit. His accomplishments are all the more extraordinary considering a 1996 incident when, while climbing in Wales, he broke a handhold and fell to the ground, shattering his heel bones. Initially told he would never walk unaided again, Kenton spent four weeks in hospital, had three operations, three and a half months in a wheelchair, and months of rehab. Today he is still in pain, and after a long day in the mountains it's not uncommon to see him struggling to walk or moving around on his hands and knees. Yet he still climbs. This book tells why.