An 8000-m peak bring challenges of extremes of hypoxia and weather as well as the normal hazards of climbing itself. These challenges have taken a severe toll: 604 mountaineers have died on those great peaks since 1950. Little is known about whether mountain height, use of supplemental oxygen, or team size might influence rates of death or of success. However, such information may provide insig...

During the 1960s, the northwest region of the United Kingdom (illustrated in Figure 1) became the home of several innovative design-based companies producing clothing and equipment for mountaineering and outdoor sports. This region borders on the Pennines. It includes north Cheshire, Manchester, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Sheffield and parts of what is now Yorkshire. From the early 18th century, t...

Edward Early ([email protected]) received his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is an associate professor of mathematics at St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX. His research is mostly in combinatorics, but he enjoys dabbling in number theory. He also likes spending time with his family and training in martial arts. Patrick Kim ([email protected]) is a senior at S...