Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster

Almost twenty years ago, journalist Jon Krakauer joined a guided expedition to the top of Mount Everest, led by accomplished high-altitude climber and guide Rob Hall. Ostensibly on assignment to write a magazine piece on the increasing commercialization of Everest, as outfits like Hall's made it possible for climbers with more disposable income than actual mountaineering experience to have a go at the summit, Krakauer knew this might be his only chance to fulfill his own boyhood dream by standing atop the highest mountain on earth. An enthusiastic climber since childhood - though with no experience whatsoever at very high altitudes - he was one of the most technically proficient clients on Hall's team, and on May 10, 1996, he made it to the summit. On the way back down the mountain, however, Hall's group was one of several expeditions caught up suddenly in a violent snowstorm. Krakauer, farther down the mountain than most of his teammates when the storm hit, made it safely back to the tents before he collapsed in exhaustion. He woke to discover that triumph had given way to terror and tragedy: several guides and clients, including Hall, were still out there in the storm, their bodies becoming increasingly vulnerable to the subzero temperatures as their supplemental oxygen supplies dwindled. "By the time I'd descended to Base Camp," Krakauer reflects in the Introduction, "nine climbers from four expeditions were dead, and three more lives would be lost before the month was out." "Into Thin Air," written within six months of Krakauer's return from Everest, is the product of his attempts to process exactly what happened up there, how things could go so very wrong and so many very experienced climbers, some of whom had summitted Everest several times before, could have lost their lives: "I thought that writing the book might purge Everest from my life. It hasn't, of course. Moreover, I agree that readers are often poorly served when an author writes as an act of catharsis, as I have done here. But I hoped something would be gained by spilling my soul in the calamity's immediate aftermath, in the roil and torment of the moment. I wanted my account to have a raw, ruthless sort of honesty that seemed in danger of leaching away with the passage of time and the dissipation of anguish." Thanks perhaps to the years spent honing his craft as a writer and his discipline as a journalist with deadlines to meet, Krakauer succeeds brilliantly in what he has set out to do. His account is nowhere rushed, hysterical, or lacking in polish; rather, it's a well-told story, supported by carefully researched background and dozens of interviews with other participants in the events, and Krakauer is so much in control of his narrative that it comes almost as a shock how much of a genuine emotional wallop it packs. Perhaps only a man who stood on the summit of Everest after years of dreaming, only to regret afterwards that he'd ever gone, could tell this story the way Krakauer does, neither glossing over the dangers of the mountain or the waste of good human lives, nor denying the challenge it poses the human spirit simply by being the highest spot on the earth's surface, simply, in the words of a man who died on Everest decades before, "because it is there." "Into Thin Air" is a thrilling, if sobering, tale of adventure. Let's be honest, reading a book like this is as close as most of us are ever going to get to climbing the great mountain - and Krakauer describes so well the challenges of the terrain, the moments of astonishing beauty, the plodding determination that carries the exhausted body ever onward, the effects of high altitude on the body and mind, that our vicarious ascent in his company is thoroughly satisfying. He brings his fellow climbers alive for us, too, in brief but vivid verbal portraits. We are told not only of their mountaineering prowess, but their determination, their amiability, their families, their human faults and foibles. Even though we've known pretty much all along who dies and who lives (the book is dedicated to the memory of those who died, and a photograph of the mountain between the introduction and first chapter is labeled with a map of their route indicating where major events took place, including several deaths), by the time the storm sweeps in we've come to care about these people, to hope without hope, to mourn their deaths, to celebrate every time a survivor makes it to safety. Some readers have labeled Krakauer arrogant and accused him of placing blame on everyone but himself, but I didn't find this to be the case. He comes down against the practice of guides leading commercial expeditions of clients without the skills or experience to make the climb without constant hand-holding, but he acknowledges that he himself didn't rightly belong there, and has nothing but praise for the skills of Rob Hall and the other guides he knew personally. He doesn't hesitate to point out errors of judgment that might have facilitated or compounded the perils of the situation, but it's more in the nature of pointing out the fallibility of human nature and the general unreliability of the human brain in a state of hypoxia (which, 8000 meters above sea level, supplemental oxygen can only partially mitigate) than pointing fingers or placing blame. There are no villains (except perhaps Ian Woodall, literally the only one of dozens of people he met on Everest of whom Krakauer had nothing good to say whatsoever, who for no apparent reason denied the use of his radio to help maintain contact with survivors and coordinate rescue attempts), but plenty of heroes: men and women who risked their lives venturing exhausted into a storm to rescue others, who held their own grief at bay to console the dying, who handed over their own precious bottles of oxygen to those in greater need, who calmly coordinated communications and rescue efforts during a time of crisis, or who simply managed to keep breathing when it would have been so much easier and less painful to fall asleep forever in the snow. That some of these fine, heroic men and women made the occasional mistake or bad decision says more about the risky nature of their undertaking than about them as individuals. Krakauer doesn't exempt himself from folly or fallibility, either, and in fact he's far harder on himself than he is on any of the others who were with him on the summit that day, living or dead. And granted that the fortitude, endurance, determination, and self-confidence necessary to tackle Everest tend to come hand-in-hand with a certain swagger and cockiness, Krakauer doesn't come across as particularly arrogant. This is a man who lets his readers see him, in the last chapter, broken by grief and survivor's guilt, lying across a bed naked and high on cannabis, with thick sobs "erupting out of my nose and mouth in a flood of snot." There's enough controversy surrounding the events on Everest in 1996, and particularly Krakauer's accounting of them, that readers who truly wish to understand what happened on the mountain that sad day probably shouldn't rely on this book alone. Fortunately, a number of other books on the subject exist, including at least four other memoirs by survivors of the disaster. "Into Thin Air," however, remains in any case a good place to start - and a thrilling, if ultimately haunting, read.

As a nature enthusiast and semi-avid hiker, I have always found the prospect of climbing very high mountains interesting. Having no mountaineering experience, I decided to read Mr. Krakauer's chronicle of the 1996 Everest disaster. I feel obligated to preface this review by declaring that I have done no exhaustive research on this event aside from reading Into Thin Air. With that said, the reporting in this book comes across as meticulous, factual and honest. Based on the text, it seems to me as though Jon Krakauer endeavored earnestly and indefatigably to find the facts and portray them with objective veracity wherever possible. He does not blush away from self-admonishment regarding actions of his own part that many perceive as negligent; as such, this lends him credibility when examining the actions of his fellow climbers. He goes so far as to include some of the most scathing criticisms he received after the event within his own book. There are two very important lessons that I will take away from this book, and to Mr. Krakauer I am eternally grateful because he allowed me to learn them from the warmth of my home, rather than in a -150F gale on top of the world. The first lesson is that the Himalaya are not to be taken lightly. They represent, perhaps, the most extreme physical and mental challenge that Nature can conjure. It is not a question of whether they will make you pay for your mistakes, there is no question. The mountain does not care how wealthy you are, if you are a good or bad person, or if you make it to the summit. If you make rash decisions (and you will, Krakauer notes repeatedly thought this work that lucidity is nigh impossible above 28,000 feet) it is very likely that you will die. I feel that a lack of respect for this simple truth is the reason so many are drawn to mountains like Everest, and part of the reason why so many die in the attempt. The second lesson this book has taught me is that the commercialization of Everest is an unnatural event, and one that the governments of Nepal and Tibet probably should, but surely will not, revisit. Hundreds of horrifically under-qualified individuals attempt this climb without specific glacier navigation experience, relying on the skill and knowledge of world class guides to make up for their considerable shortcomings. The lack of experience shared by enthusiastic clients coupled with the unpredictability of the weather and the extreme dangers of attempted survival above 28,000 feet place everyone, including the guides, in mortal danger. Then there is also the unsavory practice of exhausted climbers leaving tons upon tons of garbage and excrement upon the face of the mountain. The ethics, morality and experience of climbing Everest are all themes Mr. Krakauer examines in this book. The most gripping (and controversial) topic, however, is his portrayal of the men and women on the mountain during the disaster. Indeed, several family members of the deceased have decried Krakauer's prose, both in private and through the media, as speculative, misleading and downright slanderous. Much of this is a matter of perspective, but for my part it seems as though this book's narrative was written by an objective observer who reported his perceptions with as little subjective judgment as possible. Krakauer's narrative is excellent. It is so visceral and descriptive that sometimes it's easy to forget that he is telling a story of nonfiction. Several times I caught myself thinking I was reading a novel rather than an historical account. I came to care about these people, to cheer for them and, ultimately, to mourn the passing of those who did not make it off the mountain. I believe that this book is an exceptional piece of journalistic writing that anyone who has an interest in mountaineering or the outdoors owes it to themselves to read. It contains education about the rich history of the dangerous sport of mountaineering, cautionary advice for prospective mountaineers, and a story about brave men and women fighting tooth and nail, first to realize a dream, and later for the right to live to tell about it.

I am very picky when it comes to reading books. When I am looking for a new book to read there are a few certain things that I look for because if I pick something that doesn’t accommodate the criteria I most likely won’t finish the book. The first thing I look for is: The book Looks interesting and exciting. When I am looking for a new book to read I look for something that stands out to me that I think I’m going to like. I like to read books that are fast paced and have a lot going on because I am not much of a reader and I get bored easily. Second: It is about something that I am interested in (something I can relate to). Like I said earlier, if i am not interested in a book I most likely won’t read it. When I'm looking for a new book I look to see if it has things in it that I find interesting or they do things i also like to do. I think this is probably the most important thing to me when I'm looking for a new book. Lastly: It’s not extremely long. I’m really busy and to be completely honest reading books are not at the top of my list when it comes to things to do. I like to read books under about 300 pages because if I don't finish a book quickly I will most likely end up not finishing it at all. These are some of the things I look for when I'm looking for a new book. As you can tell I'm not an avid reader although I love to read when I find something I like. I’ve found that by using the criteria above to pick out a book, I tend to find books I like to read. I read the book “Into Thin Air’’ by Jon Krakauer. I thought this was a great book overall and I will be using the criteria below to rate this book. When I rate a book I like to have 5 categories I look for and give it one star for every time it meets that criteria. The 5 Things I look for are: 1. The book is interesting and exciting This book was very interesting although there were some parts that got a little boring at times. It was necessary for him to talk about the things he did but I was excited to get into the action of climbing the actual mountain. 2. It is about something that I am interested in (something I can relate to) This book could not have been any better in terms of things I am interested in. I’m not much of a mountain climber, but I love to learn about the outdoors and it was really cool to learn in depth about Mount Everest. 3. It stays on topic and doesn’t get too side-tracked I thought this book did a good job of staying on track and and it all seemed to flow and fit perfectly into the story. 4. The plot is easy to follow It was really cool reading this book and being able to refer to the map of the ascent as his group made there way up the mountain. This made it easy to know where they were at all times in the story so you never get confused. 5. It’s not extremely long This book had 291 pages making it the perfect amount. it was enough to get his point across but not so long that I got bored. In Conclusion I would rate this book 4-5 stars according to my rating system. It met all the criteria except for one. Towards the beginning of the book he spends a lot of time talking about what got him interested in wanting to climb Everest and about all the invites he declined because of other obligations. I was eager to get into the exciting climbing and disaster portion of the story and it made it hard to continue reading at the beginning. Other than that, this was an incredible book that told an amazing story and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys climbing or the outdoors.

"Into Thin Air" is a book that is hard to put down and, once it is put down, will be picked up again with much anticipation. It is a thrilling, scary, and tragic adventure of rival mountain climbing teams attempting to summit the highest mountain in the world in 1996. The disaster that transpired on May 10 produced the majority of casualties in the deadliest single year in the history of Mount Everest. Author Jon Krakauer was part of the New Zealand team lead by expert Everest guide Rob Hall. Krakauer was researching the commercialization of the world's tallest mountain for Outside Magazine. Although he had substantial climbing experience, he had never been near the altitude of even the base of Mt. Everest. His apprehension as he took Thai Air flight 311 to Kathmandu, Nepal was well-founded and; no doubt, the results turned out to be worse than expected. Krakauer had a long history of mountain-climbing before joining Rob Hall's Adventure Consultants to tackle Everest. His childhood heroes were Willi Unsoeld and Tom Hornbein who summited Everest in 1963 via the hitherto unclimbed West Ridge. In his youth, his life revolved around his next climb. He, therefore, brought much technological understanding of the art of climbing to this book. As a member of the close-knit climbing community, he also explained the esteem many climbers gave to Everest which, surprisingly, was not very high due, in large part, to the number of less experienced climbers able to scale the 29,028 feet with the help of guides and Sherpas. In addition to first and second hand accounts of the tragedy that unfolded in May 1996, Krakauer gives the reader some understanding of the Everest climbing culture and experience from the way of the life of the Sherpas to the effects suffered from high altitude. One disappointment is the lack of photos in this edition. There are only a handful at the front of the book and a color photo of the Adventure Consultants' crew on the back of the dust jacket with no names underneath. An illustrated issue of this book is available but it would have added much to this edition to have more photos included instead of the drawings that begin each chapter. Many times when reading about a climber or a section of the mountain did this reviewer wish there was a photo to which to refer. For those who do not know the story and do not wish to know what happens to the climbers beforehand, do not read the captions under the photos. Another important element missing from this book is an index. The lack of additional photos and an index will not detract from the score, however, because "Into Thin Air" is one of the most spell-binding books this reader has read in a long time. It is extremely well written and, aside from the captions to the photos at the beginning of the book, does not give anything away so those (like this reviewer) who do not know the story beforehand, will probably feel some emotions when it is revealed who survives and who does not. This reader was surprised by some of the twists in the story. Anyone interested in real-life adventure and the struggle to survive will enjoy this book. The many one-star reviews mainly focus on Krakauer's critical assessment of Mountain Madness guide Anatoli Boukreev who, before his death in another mountain disaster, wrote "The Climb" to give his side of the 1996 tragedy. Boukreev is given praise for his acts of heroism in this book; however, the points about his decision not to take oxygen and to leave the summit before his clients seem fair. Actually, Krakauer is much harder on the leader of the South African team, Ian Woodall. Krakauer also expresses much guilt for not helping certain climbers. Only with hindsight is it known how close some of these climbers in distress were or what lay ahead for other climbers on their way down the mountain. Also, one should not forget the effects high altitude has on a person's physical and mental capacity. This reviewer highly recommends "Into Thin Air" so that readers can judge for themselves.

Into Thin Air is a top notch survival story by author and successful Mt. Everest climber Jon Krakauer, about the 1996 Mt Everest expedition climb. A few survived but most perished. This is a riveting exciting story that draws the reader in learning about the extreme difficulty climbing the tallest mountain in the world Mt. Everest and the even more dangerous and deadly decent. I found this an exciting 295 a page burner. I read it in two days and couldn't put it down. We see in late April 1996 at the 17,600 feet base camp Ron Hall's group of paid clients, professional guides and native helpers(Sherpa) getting acclimated to low atmospheric pressure and setting up 3 camps further up for the assault to Everest's 29,028 summit. We see supplemental oxygen and DEX an injection medicine to help against brain and lungs swelling up with fluid because of only 1/3 atmospheric pressure at the summit. When going passed 25,000 feet we see that you enter the "death zone" where you start dieing. No one can live at these elevations for long and people only have a short period of time for their climb and the even more dangerous decent before brain cells die, fluids accumulate in lungs and in brain. Even the rugged Sherpa helpers are not immune to the low pressure. We see the Sherpa being low paid and very religious and superstitious to the mother mountain. Almost all were very loyal, gave their best effort and helped the clients as much as they could. We see a number of groups including a South African group,a Japanese group, a lone Swede, an IMAX $5 million paid group to video their accent, Ron Halls group and more.There was even a 27 year working postal worker named Hansen in his late 40s who saved money working two jobs for his second attempt at climbing Everest. There were some doctors and some in their 50s as well as a 97 pound woman,and a celebrity woman and others. Ron Hall was a businessman and an experienced Everest climber and so was his competitor Fisher. Many of his group paid $65,000 each to be guided to the summit. INMO he took too much risks with inexperienced high altitude climbers, a celebrity woman, who with others was unqualified for the accent and a danger and a drag to other members. Hall did try to have everything organised with the best guides and local rugged Sherpa helpers used to high altitude ( many did not use supplemental oxygen) and having the team acclimated to high altitude. Climbing Everest and the more difficult decent is no game, deadly serious and death is close at all times. Unfortunately an unforeseen weather front comes in with almost hurricane force winds and -70 below zero temperatures with snow and ice. The author Jon Krakauer and another make it to the top and just barely survive the decent. Most of the other members of the expedition make it to the top but are so weak plus having high altitude sickness INMO should of turned around and aborted the climb rather than trying to make it to the top. They are trapped because of the weather and can't come down and run out of time, supplemental oxygen and die in the "kill zone". We see the heroism others have to try to save members who are almost frozen with severe frost bite, massive lung fluid swelling problems and others dieing before their eyes. Krakauer saves a few but even to this day is haunted that he was only about 300ft from a member and was so exhausted and almost non functioning to try to save him. The reader learns the hardships of climbing Mt Everest and the even the more deadly part... the decent. An amazing store of inner strength, perseverance against odds but at times foolishness to continue without recognising the trouble you are in and the almost impossibility of the decent because of massive fatigue, no supplemental oxygen left and high altitude illness. The reader gains deep empathy for the troubled survivors and the people who perish. Some of the survivors lost body parts due to severe frostbite and were psychologically scarred for the rest of their life with nightmares and more. 5 stars on this amazing survival and adventure book.

The details within this story are incredible. Jon explores each of the crew, sherpas, and fellow climbers’ lives in unexpected detail that elevated this story and made their lives unforgettable. Content & Insight: 5 Character Depth & Authenticity: 4 Writing Style & Clarity: 4 Emotional Impact: 5 Originality & Perspective: 5 Practical Value & Applicability: 5 Overall Impact & Satisfaction: 4.5 Final Rating: 4.7/5.0 (Exceptional - ★★★★★)

I have to say, before reading this book I had NO idea what climbing mountains entailed. It is how shall I say, "another world" - one I would be terrified to be a part of after having read this book. I agree with others that - perhaps also it is because it was written at such an emotional time, but Krakauer does seem to have a lot of emotional distress boiling inside of him, but I am certain it has to do with possible, survivors guilt, which he does mention and the fact that this feud brewed between him and Boukreev, and I agree - having read and reread many different POVs on this particular part of Boukreev not using oxygen, turning back before alot of the people but then saving 3, I agree that Krakauer has a particular amount of anger toward this man, who is deceased now, but the impression even with the ending of him ultimately coming to a certain amount of admiration for him, it seems as though a large amount of his distress stems from a seemingly small incident at the top of the mountain (but again I am no mountaineer) and from what I read, it wasn't such a small problem though to me almost seems irrelevant in regards to the rest of the book and the huge feat of ALL of the climbers, survivors or not, of what they accomplished, God Rest the Souls of those who did not survive. To have gone through what he had, being a journalist and not a mountaineer as they say, one can only imagine - there has to be a lot of pain in his heart about seeing people he went up with only to watch 10 of them I think it was? die, And at one point - (Im terrible with the names) there was a part where he sees who he thinks is Andy Harris but turns out to actually be another man who survived and it brought him a tremendous amount of pain that he originally thought the man was alive and in a camp, his significant other called only to have to call them back the next day to tell her that he was in fact dead. Again, the book was a HUGE undertaking for me as far as keeping everyone's names straight so I might be confusing that one point - I just know that Krakauer seemed to be emotionally terribly distraught by a lot of the events that happened. To debate this Boukreev using oxygen I think is pointless - what happened happened - to me, anyone who climbs mountains for a living or for sport I admire, I suppose, but I also think YOU ARE CRAZY LOL - (said as light heartedly as I can) my goodness, what possesses people to want to do this? It has to be a calling a true inner calling that I can just not fathom. It sounds like an awful lot of pain for a little gain but hey, the same can be said for life in general. I admire Krakauer and enjoyed the book thouroughly. I did not read the Climb and probably never will - one mountain book for me is enough. It was enthralling but scared me to a degree. Again, I cannot imagine the pain of being that cold and without oxygen, being asthmatic, and thinking back to my oxygen depleted youth NOTHING hurts worse than not being able to breathe so climbing any mountains for me is OUT OF the question, especially after reading this book WOW is all I have to say!!! And for anyone a part of the 1996 climb who is still alive - give yourself a break, you too, Krakauer, what you did was fine and I see no reason for you to feel guilty - let go of those negative feelings - at one point in the book a Sherpa gets hit in the back of the head with a stone several times and turns to tell Krakauer, WHAT have we done to make the mountain Gods so angry??? That part more than any other made me think....what INDEED????

One feels the icy blast of the Himalayan wind and the gut wrenching effects of altitude while reading this harrowing tale of the ascent of Everest.