First published 2009
Norman Ollestad is eleven years old when the small aircraft carrying him, his father, his father's girlfriend Sandra, and their pilot crashes into the San Bernardino Mountains during a February morning in 1979. They were traveling to a ski award ceremony when thick fog caused the collision. Norman's father and the pilot die instantly. Sandra lies injured in the wreckage. Only Norman can find a way to get them rescued. He must descend 2,607 meters down the treacherous mountainside without proper equipment or help. Snow, ice, wind, and deceptive mist surround him as he navigates using only memories from his childhood. The story reveals both Norman's fight for survival and the complex relationship he shared with his father. This account captures a young boy's extraordinary ordeal while exploring the inspiring yet strained bond between a son and his demanding parent.
Genres: adventure, coming-of-age, biography-memoir, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, survival
Setting: San Bernardino Mountains
Period: 1979
272 pages · Hardcover · Ecco
Content warnings: death