Peak

Peak is fourteen when the novel begins. He has been raised in both Wyoming and Manhattan by his mother Teri and his stepfather Rolf. His parents taught him to climb. Once he moves to Manhattan, however, he resorts to illegally climbing skyscrapers in the absence of mountains. Peak is skilled but impulsive, willing to take risks in order to feel the thrill that only climbing provides. He is a good person and a loving brother and son. Other than climbing, he seems to want nothing more than to have a stable home life. He is initially disillusioned when he realizes that his biological father has ulterior motives for helping him, but the pain is lessened when he is able to stop viewing him as a father figure. Peak knows that he does not want to be as selfish as Josh is, and he demonstrates this through his sacrifice for Sun-jo.

Josh is arguably the world’s best mountaineer. When his wife broke her back, their profitable climbing partnership ended. Josh continued to travel the world and give seminars, neglecting his wife and son in the process. When he bails Peak out of legal trouble, he does it for self-serving reasons. This is the primary clue to the eventual reveal of his betrayal.