Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster image number 0

National Bestseller

A bank of clouds was assembling on the not-so-distant horizon, but journalist-mountaineer Jon Krakauer, standing on the summit of Mt. Everest, saw nothing that "suggested that a murderous storm was bearing down." He was wrong. The storm, which claimed five lives and left countless more--including Krakauer's--in guilt-ridden disarray, would also provide the impetus for Into Thin Air, Krakauer's epic account of the May 1996 disaster.

By writing Into Thin Air, Krakauer may have hoped to exorcise some of his own demons and lay to rest some of the painful questions that still surround the event. He takes great pains to provide a balanced picture of the people and events he witnessed and gives due credit to the tireless and dedicated Sherpas. He also avoids blasting easy targets such as Sandy Pittman, the wealthy socialite who brought an espresso maker along on the expedition. Krakauer's highly personal inquiry into the catastrophe provides a great deal of insight into what went wrong. But for Krakauer himself, further interviews and investigations only lead him to the conclusion that his perceived failures were directly responsible for a fellow climber's death. Clearly, Krakauer remains haunted by the disaster, and although he relates a number of incidents in which he acted selflessly and even heroically, he seems unable to view those instances objectively. In the end, despite his evenhanded and even generous assessment of others' actions, he reserves a full measure of vitriol for himself.

This updated trade paperback edition of Into Thin Air includes an extensive new postscript that sheds fascinating light on the acrimonious debate that flared between Krakauer and Everest guide Anatoli Boukreev in the wake of the tragedy. "I have no doubt that Boukreev's intentions were good on summit day," writes Krakauer in the postscript, dated August 1999. "What disturbs me, though, was Boukreev's refusal to acknowledge the possibility that he made even a single poor decision. Never did he indicate that perhaps it wasn't the best choice to climb without gas or go down ahead of his clients." As usual, Krakauer supports his points with dogged research and a good dose of humility. But rather than continue the heated discourse that has raged since Into Thin Air's denouncement of guide Boukreev, Krakauer's tone is conciliatory; he points most of his criticism at G. Weston De Walt, who coauthored The Climb, Boukreev's version of events. And in a touching conclusion, Krakauer recounts his last conversation with the late Boukreev, in which the two weathered climbers agreed to disagree about certain points. Krakauer had great hopes to patch things up with Boukreev, but the Russian later died in an avalanche on another Himalayan peak, Annapurna I.

In 1999, Krakauer received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters--a prestigious prize intended "to honor writers of exceptional accomplishment." According to the Academy's citation, "Krakauer combines the tenacity and courage of the finest tradition of investigative journalism with the stylish subtlety and profound insight of the born writer. His account of an ascent of Mount Everest has led to a general reevaluation of climbing and of the commercialization of what was once a romantic, solitary sport; while his account of the life and death of Christopher McCandless, who died of starvation after challenging the Alaskan wilderness, delves even more deeply and disturbingly into the fascination of nature and the devastating effects of its lure on a young and curious mind."

Item Information Item Information

Format: TradePaperback
Author: Krakauer, Jon
ISBN: 9780385494786
Condition: Used
Dimensions: 8.00 x 0.85
Number Of Pages: 368
Publication Year: 1999

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Loved It

Micah M. - 4 years 6 months ago

Loved the book - Krakauer really told the story of his experience in a way that captures the reader’s attention.
awesome

michael k. - 4 years 11 months ago

a wonderful read about a real disaster story. This takes you into the depths and heights of mountaineering, but is so much more about the human drama involved #SpringPicks
Great read

evan w. - 5 years 6 months ago

Very gripping story told from the inside. Great read.
#SummerReading

cynthia b. - 5 years 10 months ago

#SummerReading If you want an insiders view of what is is to be on Mount Everest, this is it. A harrowing account of the worst climbing accident on the world's highest peak. Blame is assigned, excuses are given, and a lot of butter and tea are consumed. Oxygen tanks rattle, ropes are fixed and sherpas go above the call of duty when one literally carries a climber to the summit. A cautionary tale about people with too much money and not enough climbing experience who should keep their heads out of the clouds.
A climbing trip Gone Horribly Wrong

Will S. - 8 years ago

Anyone who knows anything about Mt. Everest knows it's just about the most prestigious climb a mountain climber can attempt. It is also, even with all the necessary equipment, with trained guides and calm weather, extremely hazardous. Under the very best of circumstances, summiting the giant of a mountain is a dangerous endeavor. When conditions are not ideal, during which freak weather and decision making addled by days without sufficient oxygen, rest, or nourishment abound, things are... worse. Into Thin Air recounts the story of the 1996 Everest disaster, during which several teams all attempt the climb at once and twelve people lost their lives. It is far from a cheery, uplifting read, but it is a suspenseful, tense look at the world of climbing and the oft-repeated idea that man trying to conquer the natural world can have severe consequences. Great for sipping hot cocoa and crying into it.
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Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster

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Loved It

awesome

Great read

#SummerReading

A climbing trip Gone Horribly Wrong