Where the Air Grows Thin: Memoir of a Mountaineer

Summary

For listeners of Cheryl Strayed and Anthony Doerr, a lyrical adventure memoir tracing one woman’s Seven Summits quest while caring for her mother through ALS—a story of endurance, love, and the cost of coming home changed.

“An incredible work of art.”—Alison Levine, New York Times bestselling author of On the Edge

When Nicole LoBiondo set out to climb the Seven Summits—the highest mountain on every continent—she never imagined that her hardest climb would be the one waiting at home.

As Nicole pushes through extreme expeditions—from Antarctica’s frozen plateau to the thin air of Everest—she returns home between climbs to care for her mother through a devastating illness. These parallel journeys reveal a story of grit, love, and the emotional cost of choosing strength when life demands everything at once. With clear-eyed honesty and vivid, cinematic detail, LoBiondo captures the reality of high-altitude mountaineering, the toll of long-term caregiving, and the universal struggle to survive what breaks us. Ultimately, she discovers that endurance is not just the ability to keep going up a mountain but also the courage to face loss, reshape identity, and rise again.

A gripping blend of adventure story and intimate family memoir, Where the Air Grows Thin is a powerful story of adventure, caregiving, ALS, and the journey of a daughter fighting to hold on to her mother while learning how to let go.