Everest: The Summit
By Varun Aysola T3
Everest: The Summit
Everest: The Summit, a realistic fiction book, was written by Gordon Korman. It is the third and final book in the Everest series, and takes place on Mount Everest in the present time.
The cover of Everest: The Summit
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the tallest mountain above sea level on Earth. It's pinnacle stands at 29,028 ft above sea level. It is considered a great accomplishment to scale this mountain. It is located in the Himalayas: on the border of Nepal and Tibet.
Mount Everest, shown above, is the tallest mountain above sea level on Earth.
The Death Zone
The Death Zone is the name of the place where there is not enough oxygen for people to survive.
Above the dotted line is the Death Zone.
SummitQuest
SummitQuest, sponsored by SummitAthletic, a large sportswear company, is a mission to put the youngest people on the summit of Mount Everest.
This was the logo of the SummitQuest Expedition.
The Route Taken By SummitQuest
Characters
Dominic Alexis
Dominic Alexis is the protagonist of the story. He is 13 years-old, and looks like a fifth-grader. He is the youngest climber on the SummitQuest Expedition. Despite his appearance, Dominic is a very experienced and talented climber. Dominic becomes the youngest person to climb Mt. Everest.
Norman "Tilt" Crowley
Tilt Crowley is the antagonist of the story. He is the second-youngest climber on the SummitQuest Expedition at 14 years-old. He desires to be the youngest person to scale Mt. Everest, so he constantly tries to get Dominic off the team. Unfortunately, Tilt loses his life on the beautiful yet treacherous mountain that is Mount Everest.
Perry Noonan
Perry Noonan is a 15 years-old boy. His interests don't lie with mountain climbing. However, his billionaire uncle, Joe Sullivan, is also the founder of SummitAthletic: the company which sponsors SummitQuest. Thus, Perry was forced into trying out for SummitQuest by his uncle. As is turned out, Perry was chosen to be a part of the team.
Samantha "Sammi" Moon
Sammi is a 15 years-old girl. She is the only girl on the SummitQuest team, and has a passion for anything that can be classified as "extreme." Her second favorite activity (second only to mountain climbing) is deep-sea scuba diving.
Cap Cicero
Cap Cicero is the leader of the Summit Quest, He is a experienced climber, and is an idol for Dominic.
Ethan Zaph
Before Dominic, Ethan Zaph was the youngest person to reach Everest's summit at 17 years-old. He climbs Mt. Everest the same time as SummitQuest, but goes on This Way Up, a different expedition.
Major Events
SummitQuest Team Tries to Reach the Summit
After unsuccessfully summiting Everest once before, the SummitQuest expedition tried to go for it once more, even if the winds were a little bit too fast. There is an almost constant jet stream blowing on the tip of Mt. Everest. Whenever it moves off, multiple teams rush to try to reach the top of the world. Unfortunately, when they reached Camp IV, Cap decided that the wind were too strong for a go at the summit. The SummitQuest expedition reluctantly returned to Base Camp and awaited another window of time where they could satisfy their climbing needs.
The constant jet stream is prominent in this image.
Governement Officials Visit Cap Cicero
Nepalese government officials came to Base Camp a few days after SummitQuest's failed summit attempt. They were looking for Cap. Their was message to him was that Dominic wasn't allowed to climb Mt. Everest with SummitQuest because he was too young and could easily be killed. If he didn't listen, then Cap would be banned from climbing in Nepal for life. Cap ignored them, but Dominic took it to heart. He decided that he wasn't going to climb Everest, for if he was caught, then Cap wouldn't get to climb some of the tallest mountains in the world.
As seen in the image, the majority of the Himalayan Mountains are in Nepal. It would definitely be a tragedy for a hard core mountain climber to be banned from climbing in Nepal.
I wasn't surprised by Dominic's decision to not climb with SummitQuest. Dominic is a very selfless kid. Plus, Dominic sees Cap as a hero, and he would hate to ruin Cap's climbing career.
Dominic meets Ethan Zaph and This Way Up
The jet stream moved off of Mt. Everest's summit for three days, so the SummitQuest team said their farewells to Dominic, and set off for the summit. Just when Dominic was about to leave Base Camp, Ethan Zaph told him that he could climb with This Way Up, his expedition. The officials only said that he couldn't climb with SummitQuest. Dominic accepted the offer, but forgot to tell Cap.
This was the logo used for the This Way Up expedition
SummitQuest Reaches the Summit
While Dominic joined the This Way Up expedition, SummitQuest reached the top of the world, and Tilt became the youngest person to climb Mt. Everest. Although they didn't set any records, Sammi, Perry, and Cap all felt accomplished too. Unfortunately for Tilt, his record doesn't stand long.
Two climbers at the pinnacle of the world.
Dominic and Ethan Reach Summit
In order to prevent him from breaking his record, Tilt sabotaged Dominic's air supply before he had left for the summit. Tilt was expecting Dominic to turn back. However, Dominic didn't want to give up after coming so close, so he went to the summit without his air supply. Because of his determination, Dominic became the youngest person to climb Mt. Everest. While returning to the Base Camp, Ethan and Dominic were separated from the rest of the This Way Up expedition in a ferocious blizzard. Fortunately, they managed to take refuge in a cave.
The youngest person in the world to scale Mount Everest at the summit.
Tilt's Demise
Tilt got worried because Dominic didn't return before night. He thought that he might be lying on the ground in the Death Zone just waiting to die. So, he set out in the deadly blizzard in search of Dominic. Unlike Ethan and Dominic, he doesn't find a place to hide. In consequence, he freezes to death.
Exciting Scenes
Dominic on the Summit
When Dominic reached the summit without any bottled oxygen, he became very happy and optimistic. He thought that they could do anything in the world if they could summit the tallest mountain in the world. Plus, his thoughts create a beautiful image in the reader's mind.
The view from the summit of Mt. Everest
Perry and Uncle Joe
Perry sent an email to his Uncle Joe telling him that he "wasn't a climber," and that all the gifts that he had given Perry were just used to get him fun of. When Joe read the email, he told Cap to send Perry back to the Kathmandu Airport and send him back home. However, Perry declined, and decided that he would climb the tallest mountain in the world.
Perry has changed drastically. At the beginning of the book, he didn't have the gut to refuse anything. Furthermore, he let Tilt bully him. Conversely, toward the end of the book, he stood up to Tilt.
The Climber's Rolex was one of the many gifts that Joe Sullivan gave Perry.