"Scott Fischer from West Seattle, Washington, was coming to the mountain. Six foot four with a chiseled, symmetrical face and long, flowing blond hair, he ran his West Seattle, Washington-based adventure company, Mountain Madness, as an extension of his personal ambition: to climb mountains around the world and to have a hell of a time doing it" (Chapter 1, pg. 7-8.)

"For Boukreev it was a welcome invitation, and the offer of prospects beyond was promising. Boukreev had a great deal of confidence in Fischer's ability to handle the complexities of fielding an expedition and appreciated him as a climber" (Chapter 2, pg. 25.)

"Some expedition leaders, according to Henry Todd of Himalayan Guides, are not above suspicion for taking on marginal clients, pocketing their money and dreams while all the time strongly suspecting that they didn't have a prayer of making the top" (Chapter 4, pg. 46.)

"Boukreev took the acclimatization excursions...