In 1963, Willi Unsoeld became an international hero for conquering the West Ridge of Everest. He was a fearless climber and a charmismatic philosopher and speaker who profoundly influenced the generation of the sixties and seventies. But the darker consequences of Unsoeld's philosophy emerged during an expedition he led on the slopes of Nanda Devi in 1976, the loss of his daughter during that climb continues to fuel one of the great debates in the world of mountaineering. FATAL MOUNTAINEER is an unusual narrative that blends action with ethics, fame with tragedy, and a man's ambition with a father's anguish.