In this extract from Stephen Venables' new book the author recounts the closing act of the drama of summit day on Mount Everest. As the reduced team of three mountaineers near the end of its task, can Venables summon up the determination to reach his goal? "The rope jerked falteringly across the black plateau and after about ten minutes I asked if I could take over the lead. Rhythm was our only hope, and for a while I managed a soothing pattern of 20 paces followed by a short rest. But as the slope steepened the rope jerked me back, breaking the rhythm.
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