Society of the Snow

On October 13, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 carrying a rugby team and their loved ones met with catastrophe when it crashed into the Andes mountains. What followed was an extraordinary test of human endurance that would become one of history’s most remarkable survival stories. Pablo Vierci’s compelling narrative brings this harrowing experience to life through the voices of those who lived through it, creating an intimate portrait of courage in the face of unimaginable circumstances.

The survivors faced brutal conditions on the glacier—extreme cold, dangerous avalanches, and complete isolation from civilization. With no rescue in sight and dwindling resources, they were forced to make impossible decisions to stay alive. Vierci masterfully reconstructs their daily struggles, the psychological toll of their situation, and the complex dynamics that emerged as they formed what they called “the society of the snow”—a community bound by shared purpose and desperate hope.

Drawing on exclusive interviews with all sixteen survivors, Vierci weaves together multiple perspectives to create a rich, multidimensional account. The narrative moves fluidly between 1972 and the present day, allowing readers to understand not just the survival ordeal itself but how this experience fundamentally reshaped the rest of these young men’s lives. The book reveals how they maintained their humanity while confronting the most extreme conditions imaginable.

At its heart, this is a story about the extraordinary capacity of the human spirit to endure. It explores themes of leadership, faith, friendship, and the unbreakable will to live against all odds. The survivors valued “nothing material, but intangible things like everybody being equal, thinking as a group, being brothers, lavishing affections and cherishing hopes”—principles that sustained them through seventy-two days of unimaginable hardship.

Society of the Snow stands apart as perhaps the most comprehensive account of this legendary survival story. Unlike other books on the subject, it gives equal voice to all sixteen survivors, revealing how each experienced these events differently while contributing to their collective will to survive. This definitive work captures both the physical and emotional dimensions of their journey, making it a timeless testament to what people can accomplish when pushed to their absolute limits.