The fourth person in the world, and the first Australian, to have climbed the four highest peaks without the use of supplementary oxygen, Michael Groom's remarkable yet little known achievements are the equivalent of drug free Olympic wins.
Perhaps best known as one of only two survivors from his team in the 1996 Mount Everest tragedy in which eight climbers perished, Michael Groom has overcome extraordinary odds to pursue his great and all consuming passion for mountain climbing.
Having suffered severe frost bite following near death on Kangchenjunga in 1987, all his toes and half the balls of each foot were removed. While most people may have then remained in a wheelchair for life, Michael Groom slowly and painfully taught himself to walk again over three years before successfully climbing Cho Oyu, Everest, K2 and Lhotse.
In 'Sheer Will' he recounts the fascinating events of expeditions in relentlessly hostile environments on the highest mountains. In a world virtually devoid of adventure, Groom takes us into sub-zero temperatures, gale force jet-stream winds, and the heart of the ever threatening avalanche.
