Blind Descent book cover

On May 15, 2011, Brian Dickinson stood alone on the summit of Mount Everest. No one was with him. His guide had become ill and turned back roughly 1,000 feet below the top, and Brian had made the decision to continue by himself.

Within minutes of reaching the summit, his vision began to fail. Snow blindness — his eyes burned, his sight blurred and then went. He was at 29,035 feet, alone, low on oxygen, with a descent ahead of him that takes most climbers hours with their eyes open.

Blind Descent is the true story of how he got down: seven hours, hand over hand along the fixed ropes, relying on the rescue training he had received in the U.S. Navy, on his instincts, and on his faith. It is the highest solo blind descent ever recorded.

The Story

Brian came to Everest with a background few climbers have. He had spent six years in the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Rescue Swimmer, including two deployments to the Persian Gulf — a job built around going into the water, in the worst conditions, to bring people back alive. That training teaches you how to function when your body wants to shut down and the situation is deteriorating around you.

The expedition unraveled near the top. Above the South Col, in the death zone, his Sherpa guide became ill and could not continue. A climber alone at that altitude faces a plain choice: turn back, or go on solo. Brian went on. He reached the summit alone, took his photographs, made his radio call — and then his vision started to go.

What followed is the core of the book. Snow blindness at the summit means descending the steepest, most exposed sections of the route — the Hillary Step, the fixed lines, the ice — essentially by feel. His oxygen ran low. The descent to high camp should have taken two to three hours. It took seven.

Brian is direct in the book about what carried him through: his training, his determination, and his faith. He does not dress it up. He writes about the mistakes, the fear, and the long month it took for his vision to fully return. Blind Descent is an adventure story, but it is also a book about what a person does at the exact moment the plan is gone.

What Readers Say

Reviewers have taken the book on its own terms. Together We Served (January 2025) called it a must-read for anyone who climbs mountains, especially those thinking of summiting Everest. Rebecca Hamilton, writing at Public Catholic / Patheos (October 2025), called it “a fascinating story of faith, courage and resilience.”

Inside the Book

The book follows the expedition in order: the decision to climb and the long road to Nepal; the trek through the Khumbu villages to base camp; life at altitude as the team acclimatizes; the push into the death zone; the solo ascent; and the descent on faith that gives the book its name, ending with the escape from the death zone and the return home. Along the way Brian weaves in his Navy rescue swimmer training — where the habits that saved him on Everest were actually built.

Formats and Where to Buy

Blind Descent is available in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and audiobook (Tyndale Momentum; first published 2014; paperback 272 pages).

About the Author

Brian Dickinson is a bestselling author, former U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer, and Everest mountaineer. He served six years in the Navy, including two deployments to the Persian Gulf. He is also the author of Calm in the Chaos (with JoAnna Dickinson) and the novel Bloodline of Redemption, and he hosts the Calm in the Chaos podcast. Brian speaks to corporate, military, university, and faith audiences on leadership, resilience, and performing under pressure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Blind Descent a true story?

Yes. It is Brian Dickinson’s firsthand account of his May 15, 2011 Everest expedition: the solo summit, the onset of snow blindness at the top, and the seven-hour solo descent to high camp. The summit and the record descent are documented in mountaineering records, and Brian’s biography is a matter of public record.

What is the book about?

It is about a summit that went wrong at the very top. A Navy rescue swimmer climbs Everest, loses his guide to illness near the summit, summits alone, goes snow-blind, and has to get himself down the mountain with his training, his instincts, and his faith.

Where can I buy a signed copy?

Autographed paperbacks are available directly from this website — see the formats section above. Unsigned copies in all formats are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers.

Want the wider shelf? Brian’s guide to the best books about Mount Everest rounds up the essential Everest reading — the classics, the 1996 disaster accounts, and the survival stories — from the perspective of a climber who has been there.

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