Explore the real-world places that appear in The Abominable by Dan Simmons. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Chamonix, Darjeeling, Gangtok, Kampa Dzong, Shekar Dzong and 7 more.
French Alps — Home of guide Jean-Claude Clairoux
Chamonix is the home of Jean-Claude Clairoux, the young French guide who joins the Everest expedition. Jean-Claude and the poet Richard Deacon, along with the American Jake Perry, form the core of the team. The climbers' training in the Alps and their experience here establish their bonds before the Himalayan quest.
Chamonix hosted the first Winter Olympics in 1924 and has been a center of alpine mountaineering since the 18th century. The Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix, founded in 1821, is among the oldest guide associations in the world.
Chamonix is a leading mountaineering and ski resort at the foot of Mont Blanc. Visitors can ride the Aiguille du Midi cable car and visit the town's alpine museum.
Visit: Musée Alpin de Chamonix (museum)
West Bengal, India — Staging point for Himalayan expeditions
Darjeeling serves as a gateway for the expedition, where the climbers gather supplies, porters, and permits while posing as a different sort of party to avoid official scrutiny. Here they prepare for the long journey into Sikkim and Tibet. The town marks the moment the story moves from the planning stage into the deep wilderness.
Darjeeling was developed as a British hill station in the 1830s and served as the starting point for early Everest expeditions in the 1920s and 1930s. The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute was later founded there in 1954.
Darjeeling is a famous tea-growing town with the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and its Everest museum draw visitors interested in climbing history.
Visit: Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (museum)
Sikkim — Last stop before the Tibetan border
The party passes through Sikkim on the way north, arranging the final logistics and gathering their caravan. The tension of secrecy builds as the climbers cross toward Tibet, bringing the cousin of the missing Bromley into the party.
Gangtok was the capital of the Kingdom of Sikkim, a Himalayan Buddhist kingdom under British protection in the 1920s. Trade routes via Nathu La led to Lhasa and Tibet.
Gangtok is the capital of the Indian state of Sikkim and a hub for Himalayan tourism. Rumtek Monastery and Enchey Monastery are among its notable religious sites.
Visit: Enchey Monastery (landmark)
Southern Tibet — Fortress on the route to Everest
The expedition travels across the high Tibetan plateau, passing the fortress at Kampa Dzong on the traditional British route to Everest. The bitter wind and thin air test the party as they move deeper into Tibet, where the sense of being watched and followed begins.
Kampa Dzong was a Tibetan fort and way station on the route used by the 1921 and 1922 British Everest expeditions. The surrounding plateau is wind-scoured and sparsely settled.
The old fort is a ruin on a hilltop in Tibet's Gamba County. Access is restricted and requires Chinese permits.
Tibet — Fortress monastery on the approach
The caravan reaches the hilltop settlement of Shekar Dzong, where the climbers rest and make final preparations before the push to Rongbuk. The local Tibetan officials and monks add a layer of intrigue as the party tries to hide their true purpose.
Shekar Dzong, meaning Crystal Fortress, was a major fort and monastery town on the route to Everest. It was heavily damaged during the Cultural Revolution.
Shegar has been partly rebuilt, and the hilltop monastery and fort ruins overlook the modern town. It is a common stop for tourists traveling to Everest base camp on the Tibetan side.
Visit: Shegar Dzong (historic site)
Tibet — The highest monastery near Everest
At Rongbuk, the climbers meet the monastery's lamas and receive warnings about the mountain's dangers. The monastery acts as the last outpost of the human world before the party enters the glacier valley, where they sense they are being stalked by something unseen.
Rongbuk Monastery was founded in 1902 and sits at about 5,000 meters, making it among the highest monasteries in the world. The 1920s British expeditions were received there by the head lama.
The monastery has been rebuilt after damage in the Cultural Revolution and is a popular stop for Everest visitors. Nearby is the Tibetan side Everest Base Camp.
Visit: Rongbuk Monastery (landmark)
North side — Base of the Rongbuk Glacier
The expedition sets up its base camp beneath the north face. Here Deacon, Jean-Claude, Jake, and the cousin plan the ascent, argue over strategy, and hear the first signs that they are not alone, as the climbers begin to search for the missing Bromley.
The north base camp was used by British expeditions in the 1920s and 1930s, including Mallory's 1924 attempt. It has been the standard site for Tibetan-side expeditions ever since.
The Tibetan base camp is accessible to tourists with permits, with views of the north face. Climbers still use it for ascents via the Northeast Ridge.
Visit: Everest Base Camp (North) (landmark)
Route to the North Col — Icefall and crevasse terrain
The climbers ascend the East Rongbuk Glacier, picking through towering ice formations and crevasses. The terrain brings the first deaths and the sense of being pursued through the night, as the party carries on in search of young Bromley and a hidden truth.
The East Rongbuk Glacier was the approach route used by early British expeditions to reach the North Col. Mallory's team threaded it in 1921, 1922, and 1924.
The glacier is retreating but still draws climbers heading for the north side. Trekkers can walk portions of it up to advanced base camp.
7,020 meters — Gateway to the upper mountain
The North Col is the stepping stone between the glacier and the high ridge. The climbers establish a camp here and face brutal weather and avalanche danger. It is also where traces of the lost 1924 climbers begin to appear, deepening the mystery.
George Mallory first reached the North Col in 1921 and it became the key staging point for northern attempts. Avalanches there killed seven Sherpas in 1922.
The North Col remains the standard camp for the Tibetan route. It is reachable only by experienced mountaineers.
About 8,170 meters — The last camp near Mallory's final position
High on the ridge, the climbers find signs of the missing 1924 climbers and confront the horrors of the death zone. Exhausted and short of oxygen, they pursue the truth about Bromley and the other disappeared men, while being hunted by whatever stalks them.
Mallory and Irvine were last seen heading toward the summit from near here on June 8, 1924. Mallory's body was found in 1999 at around 8,155 meters.
The area is used by modern climbers on the northeast ridge route. Few reach it, and it remains one of the most dangerous stretches of the mountain.
North Ridge — Crux of the final climb
The party struggles up the Yellow Band and the notorious Second Step, a rocky obstacle high on the ridge. Here the characters reach the limits of endurance in the death zone, and the final secrets about the 1924 disappearances come to light as the story builds toward the summit.
The Second Step is a rock cliff at around 8,610 meters whose climbing by Mallory and Irvine is still debated. Chinese climbers added a ladder in 1975.
A metal ladder is fixed at the Second Step, used by climbers each season. It is among the most famous features of the northeast ridge.
8,849 meters — Top of the world
The summit is the final goal for the poet Richard Deacon, Jean-Claude, and Jake Perry. In the thin air at 28,000 feet and above, they face the pursuers and the secret behind the 1924 disappearances, and their quest reaches its harrowing conclusion.
Everest was first confirmed climbed in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. The mountain straddles the border of Nepal and Tibet and is the highest on Earth.
Hundreds of climbers reach the summit each season from either Nepal or Tibet. It is a protected area within Sagarmatha National Park on the Nepal side.
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