A few weeks after Scott Fischer returned victorious from Everest in 1994, I encountered him in Seattle. I didn't know him well, but we had some friends in common and often ran into each other at the crags or at climbers' parties. On this occasion he buttonholed me to talk about the guided Everest expedition he was planning: I should come along, he cajoled, and write an article about the climb for Outside. When I replied that it would be crazy for someone with my limited high-altitude experience to attempt Everest, he said, "Hey, experience is overrated. It's not the altitude that's important, it's your attitude, bro. You'll be fine. You've done some pretty sick climbs - stuff that's way harder than Everest. We've got the big E figured out, we've got it totally wired. These days, I'm telling you, we've built a yellow brick road to the summit."
 Scott had piqued my interest and he was relentless. He talked up Everest every time he saw me and repeatedly harangued Brad Wetzler, an editor at Outside, about the idea. By January 1996, thanks in no small part to Fischer's concerted lobbying, the magazine made a firm commitment to send me to Everest - probably, Wetzler indicated, as a member of Fischer's expedition. In Scott's mind it was a done deal.

 A month before my scheduled departure, however, I got a call from Wetzler saying there'd been a change in plans: Rob Hall had offered the magazine a significantly better deal, so Wetzler proposed that I join the Adventure Consultants expedition instead of Fischer's. After a trusted climbing buddy confirmed Hall's sterling reputation, I enthusiastically agreed to go to Everest with Adventure Consultants.

 One afternoon in Base Camp I asked Hall why he'd been so eager to have me along. He candidly explained that it wasn't me he was actually interested in, or even the publicity he hoped my article would generate, particularly. What was so enticing was the bounty of valuable advertising he would reap from the deal he struck with Outside.

 Hall told me that according to the terms of this arrangement, he'd agreed to accept only $10,000 of the usual [$65,000] fee in cash; the balance would be bartered for expensive ad space in the magazine, which targeted an upscale, adventurous, physically active audience - the core of his client base. And most important, Hall said, "It's an American audience. Probably eighty or ninety percent of the potential market for guided expeditions to Everest and the other Seven Summits is in the United States. After this season, when Scott has established himself as an Everest guide, he'll have a great advantage over Adventure Consultants simply because he's based in America. To compete with him we'll have to step up our advertising there significantly."

cjr  |  archive  |  resources  |  contact  |  search  |  subscribe