The Way Out (HarperOne, November 2025) chronicles a 2017 backcountry ski trip in the Colorado Rockies that ended in both tragedy and miracle—and changed a community forever. Set in small towns and towering mountain ranges, it is at once an ode to high-country life and a dissection of what that life costs. 

"On par with Into the Wild ... I couldn't stop reading it, and I can't stop thinking about it." — Bill Gifford, coauthor of #1 New York Times bestseller Outlive

"Gripping and at the same time deeply moving." — Daniel James Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Boys in the Boat

"One of those rare books that will both entertain readers and save lives." — Jonathan Franklin, author of 438 Days: An extraordinary true story of survival at sea

“A masterful telling.” — Jason Blevins, The Colorado Sun

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Devon O'Neil is a journalist based in Breckenridge, Colorado. He has written about doping on Everest, backcountry murders, and monster hurricanes for publications ranging from Outside to 5280 to ESPN.