Review of THIRTY BELOW
A storm loomed below the record-breaking ascent of Denali in 1970
Sorry I was out last week to move and I forgot to schedule a post in advance of the busy week :)
Tl;dr – A fantastic adventure history of the first all-female ascent of Denali in 1970. Filled with drama, detail, and historic analysis of six height-defying women mountaineers. The irony is not lost that doubts about all-female team were in part fulfilled despite them achieving the summit.
There is no shortage of adventure stories of climbing the great peaks as expeditions of them really took off in the early 20th century. There are endless memoirs, history reconstructions, and industry analyses to read for years. I, for one, find them quite appealing as the only ‘great peak’ I will even conceivably climb is Kilimanjaro. So, I read about the high points on earth I will never stand on.
A big book that came out earlier this year that I was anxiously awaiting to come out on audio was Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All-Women’s Ascent of Denali. And I’d say the book lived up to its hype.
Women scaling mountains is not new but it’s not normal either. Pick up any book documenting an expedition to the top of a tall peak and it’s likely it’s an all-male team. At best there is one woman. For Grace Hoeman, this wasn’t good enough.
Grace put together an all-star cast of height-defying female mountaineers when she set the goal to be the first all-female team to reach the summit of Denali in 1970. Each of the other women involved – Margaret Young, Dana Isherwood, Arlene Blum, Margaret Clark, and Faye Kerr – had a long history of scaling exceptional mountains, but none ever did it with only women as teammates.
There were of course, doubts from the community. Women weren’t strong enough. Organized enough. Capable enough. There is no way. And besides, if an all-female team could make it to the top of a great peak, then the peak must not be so difficult. Moreover, an all-female team will be riddled with drama because, you know, women.
Well, only the last turned out to be true. The women did meticulous planning to climb Denali. Denali isn’t one of the tallest peaks (though it is the tallest in North America), but it is one of the hardest due to the extreme weather on the mountain. By all accounts they were successful – they literally made it to the top (see the book cover). But it was not without drama. And, in my opinion based on the book, it was due to the failure of leadership – as most things are. Grace, who organized and led the expedition, fell ill with altitude sickness and refused to stop her climb at the extreme risk to the safety of her team (and herself, obviously). The women were divided but ultimately deferred to Arlene who was put in charge when Grace was too ill to lead. They literally carried Grace to the summit and had to get help from another group to rescue Grace on the descent.
This book really is a wonderful adventure story. It also covers the additional barriers women face when breaking into a male-dominated space. It’s an ironic twist that the women incurred so much internal struggle over strategy, execution, and Grace’s decision to persist on the climb.
In another fitting outcome of the record-breaking summit was that… no one cared. No major news outlets picked it up. And a couple years later a Japanese team claimed to be the first all-female team to summit Denali because hardly anyone knew about the ‘Denali Damsels’ in 1970!
Overall, a great read. Add it to your TBR.
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Published: March 2025
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Format: Audio
If you think this sounds interesting, bookmark these other great reads:
The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest (2021) by Mark Synnott | Read my review
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon (2024) by Kevin Fedarko | Read my review
Great review! This one is on my list!
Its my absolute dream to visit Grand Cannon. Thanks for sharing