Abstract

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On December 22nd 1972, the world discovered that sixteen of the forty-five passengers of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 that crashed in the Andes seventy days earlier were still alive. Pedro Algorta and his colleagues had survived an excruciating ordeal – stranded for 70 days in the middle of the snowcapped mountains, at 4000m in freezing weather, with no water or food, no equipment and no mountain expertise.

After his experience in the Andes, Pedro moved to Buenos Aires, where he went back to school, completing his education with a degree in economics. He then travelled to the US where he obtained an MBA from Stanford University. Upon graduation, Pedro embarked on a successful business career, culminating with his appointment as CEO of the largest brewery in Argentina.

Pedro Algorta has never spoken of his experience but he breaks his silence of over 40 years and gives a first-hand account of one of the most incredible stories of human survival and team spirit. He speaks about his own experiences of triumph against extreme adversity; of teamwork and leadership. Pedro believes that he and his fellow survivors were just ordinary people, and what they did to survive is a demonstration of how strong a human being can be to overcome the most difficult challenges. You just need a strong will to survive and a disposition for team work. He has studied his experiences and those of his colleagues from different angles and his testimony is powerfully delivered in order to help others to go through their own ‘mountains’ and achieve.

We invite you to hear Pedro’s story as he launches his new book Into the Mountains: The Extraordinary True Story of Survival in the Andes and its Aftermath.

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