Peak Survival

Jake, Peter and Moses are thrilled to spend their spring break helicopter skiing in the mountains. Jake, already a junior guide, is helping to train Peter. Moses, the helicopter pilot's son, is along for the fun. At the same time, Fiona, a snowboarding fanatic from England, is embarking on a snowboarding adventure on a nearby peak. Soon after takeoff, Fiona's helicopter crashes, killing the pilot and guide. The three boys -- themselves stranded due to unexpected weather conditions -- realize they must try to help her. Minutes after they rescue her, an avalanche rips the group apart and buries Jake. After rescuing Jake, the four recognize that they must save themselves. Thus begins their perilous ten-day descent. Faced with everything from finding shelter and surviving the cold, the group must use their skills to help each other survive. Do they have what it takes to make it out alive?

Jake, Peter and Moses are thrilled to spend their spring break helicopter skiing in the mountains. Jake, already a junior guide, is helping to train Peter. Moses, the helicopter pilot's son, is along for the fun. At the same time, Fiona, a snowboarding fanatic from England, is embarking on a snowboarding adventure on a nearby peak. Soon after takeoff, Fiona's helicopter crashes, killing the pilot and guide. The three boys -- themselves stranded due to unexpected weather conditions -- realize they must try to help her. Minutes after they rescue her, an avalanche rips the group apart and buries Jake. After rescuing Jake, the four recognize that they must save themselves. Thus begins their perilous ten-day descent. Faced with everything from finding shelter and surviving the cold, the group must use their skills to help each other survive. Do they have what it takes to make it out alive?

Rollie Welch - Alan Review

Visiting British Columbia during spring break, 15-year-old Peter Montpetit, a type-A personality, is stoked to be with friends Jake Evans and Moses Wilson as they embark on a ski/snowboard adventure. Eagle Heli-Ski Tours will helicopter them to a remote peak, where they will test their skills hoping to become Junior Guides. Before they begin skiing, the boys spot a rival company's helicopter and watch in horror as its rotors clip a cliff, and the aircraft makes a spiral slide down the mountain. Zooming to help rescue the passengers, they uncover two bodies and one survivor, Fiona, a teen girl from Britain, who happens to be a champion snowboarder. From this initial disaster, the four teens survive an avalanche, sit out a blizzard for two nights in a snow cave, and must escape from a plunge into an ice crevasse. Although this short book accentuates a number of death-defying scenes, the story is balanced when the teens are forced to cooperate and use their talents to survive the freezing wilderness. Teens, especially reluctant readers, will enjoy this fast-paced action novel marked by cliffhanging chapters and realistic snowboarding and skiing action. 2004, Walrus Books, 155 pp., Ages young adult.

Pam Withers is as passionate today about outdoor adventure as she was while growing up in Wisconsin and the Dakotas. Throughout her career as an editor, journalist and associate publisher, Pam has pursued her passion for adventure sports as a whitewater raft guide and kayak instructor. She has been an associate editor of Adventure Travel magazine in New York. She currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband and son.