Off Track in Colombia: A Tale of Action, Adventure, and Passion

Mountain climbing in Colombia ends up being about anything but sports.as college friends Sam and Ed set off to climb 20,000 feet up to the peak of San Cristobal Colon... From the minute they hit the beach town of Santa Marta they're too busy dodging drug-running outlaws, murderous would-be employers, mys?teri?ous government agents, and nefarious double-dealers to realize that each step toward the mountain top is more dangerous than the last. As they climb higher and rappel deeper into trouble-from calm ocean shores, through treacherous jungle dangers, to literal mountain top cliff-hangers, and back again, they face constant danger in this fast paced action adventure of intrigue and double-cross at dizzying heights. It will all end very badly unless they can figure out which, if any, of the players in the game are their friends. Arhuaco Indians, heavily-guarded marijuana fields, flying bullets, corrupt policemen and the prospect of unpleasant death are all along the way to the final and surprising denouement of this thrilling story. Doesn't anyone just climb in these mountains anymore! Hang on to your seat as Peter Gibbs, renowned explorer, climber, and inventor of the widely acclaimed climbing innovation, the"Gibbs Ascender," takes you for the mountainous adventure of a lifetime. Peter Gibbs was born in Salt Lake City, Utah 1943. During high school he held an amateur radio (ham) license, entered Science Fairs and lived a summer in Mexico City as an exchange student. He graduated from the University of Utah with a B.A. in physics and, in 1970, a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. From 1964 to 2002 Peter worked summers as a whitewater guide on rivers throughout the West. He rock climbedextensively in the Wasatch Mountains and has many first ascents listed in the guide books. Peter Gibbs founded Gibbs Products in 1965 to produce ascenders for spelunking and mountain climbing and is well-known for the Gibbs Ascender, a simply one-way rope clamp that is used extensively throughout the world. He has traveled extensively, most often with outdoor adventure in mind. He has spelunked, sea kayaked, river boated, mountain climbed, ski toured, fly fished, and scuba dived in exotic locales all over the world. Peter Gibbs sold Gibbs Products in 2001 and, a year later, retired from professional guiding. He still lives in Salt Lake where and you'll find him fly fishing and river running, though not professionally.