High Crimes
By Michael Kodas

CRIMES ABOUND ON MOUNT EVEREST

Michael Kodas' book is HIGH CRIMES: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed (Hyperion; May 5, 2009; Paperback reprint; $15.99)

As technological advances have put the summit of Mount Everest within reach of even amateur climbers, the big money and media attention surrounding Everest have caused the peak to become a magnet for corruption and violent crime. HIGH CRIMES offers a shocking exposé of Everest's dark side: drugs and prostitution in Base Camp; con men who sell faulty oxygen tanks to climbers whose lives depend on them; climbers who steal rather than buy their supplies; guides, Sherpas, and mountaineers alike who step over dying climbers to reach the summit.
Author Michael Kodas has firsthand experience of these dire conditions prompted him to investigate the underworld that preys on unsuspecting climbers on major peaks around the world. May 29 marks the 56th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary's ascent of Everest. Kodas can speak to the drastic changes that have occurred on the world's highest peak since Hillary's visit.