Broughton Coburn is presently Special Projects Director for the American Himalayan Foundation. After graduating from Harvard in 1973, he moved to Nepal where he lived for nearly 20 years. Three of these years were spent in Khumnu, homeland of the Sherpas. His fascination with and respect for the region has inspired several books, including Everest- Mountain Without Mercy, published by National Geographic. In 1997 he was awarded the American Alpine Club's Literary Achievement Award. Coburn lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with his wife, daughter, and recently adopted Nepalese son.