The Mountain

Originally Aired: November 1, 1955 Suspense #622, "The Mountain," a climbing expedition faces both natural peril and human tension as they attempt the first ascent of an unconquered peak. At Camp 4, 22,000 feet above sea level, expedition leader Bob divides the six remaining climbers into two teams. Despite reservations about team member John Eldridge's volatile temperament and lack of experience, Bob chooses him along with Norman Perucci for the first assault on the summit. As the three men push toward the peak through brutal conditions, disaster strikes when the snow beneath Eldridge's feet gives way at the edge of a crevasse. In the desperate struggle to save him, Perucci plunges into the dark depths below. Now alone in their tent at 24,000 feet, Bob and Eldridge face a critical decision: retreat to the safety of Camp 4 or continue the deadly ascent. As tensions mount in the thin air, Eldridge's simmering resentment about being the last man chosen for the expedition threatens to turn their survival situation into something far more dangerous than the mountain itself.