Such a provocative read. Makes one question the stupidity and selfishness of the climbers, that makes them forsake all others in the name of glory. Not to mention those climbers who only made it to the summit because they were virtually carried by the Sherpa's, but still get the glory. There are always going to be glory hunters it is imprinted in our DNA.
One would hope that there have been significant changes to the regulations regarding permitting climbers up the mountain, but I'm guessing that the almighty dollar wins out in such a poor country.
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Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Everest Disaster Kindle Edition
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Length: 316 pages | Word Wise: Enabled | Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled |
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Product description
Review
... he has produced a narrative that is both meticulously researched and deftly constructed. Unlike the expedition, his story rushes irresistibly forward. But perhaps Mr. Krakauer's greatest achievement is his evocation of the deadly storm, his ability to re-create its effects with a lucid and terrifying intimacy. --Alastair Scott, The New York Times Book Review This is a great book, among the best ever on mountaineering. Gracefully and efficiently written, carefully researched, and actually lived by its narrator, it shares a similar theme with another sort of book, a novel called The Great Gatsby. --The Washington Post Into Thin Air ranks among the great adventure books of all time. --The Wall Street Journal Krakauer is an extremely gifted storyteller as well as a relentlessly honest and even-handed journalist, the story is riveting and wonderfully complex in its own right, and Krakauer makes one excellent decision after another about how to tell it.... To call the book an adventure saga seems not to recognize that it is also a deeply thoughtful and finely wrought philosophical examination of the self. --Elle Hypnotic, rattling.... Time collapses as, minute by minute, Krakauer rivetingly and movingly chronicles what ensued, much of which is near agony to read.... A brilliantly told story that won't go begging when the year's literary honors are doled out. --Kirkus Reviews Though it comes from the genre named for what it isn't (nonfiction), this has the feel of literature: Krakauer is Ishmael, the narrator who lives to tell the story but is forever trapped within it.... Krakauer's reporting is steady but ferocious. The clink of ice in a glass, a poem of winter snow, will never sound the same. --Mirabella Into Thin Air is a remarkable work of reportage and self-examination.... And no book on the 1996 disaster is likely to consider so honestly the mistakes that killed his colleagues. --Newsday A harrowing tale of the perils of high-altitude climbing, a story of bad luck and worse judgment and of heartbreaking heroism. --People In this movingly written book, Krakauer describes an experience of such bone-chilling horror as to persuade even the most fanatical alpinists to seek sanctuary at sea level. --Sports Illustrated
--This text refers to the paperback edition.
From the Back Cover
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 guideAnatoli 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 afterchallenging 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." --This text refers to the paperback edition.
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 guideAnatoli 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 afterchallenging 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." --This text refers to the paperback edition.
About the Author
Jon Krakauer is the author of eight books and has received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. According to the award 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. www.jonkrakauer.com
--This text refers to the paperback edition.
Review
'Ranks among the great adventure books of all time.' (The Wall Street Journal)
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
From the Author
Jon Krakauer is the author of Eiger Dreams, Into the Wild, and Under the Banner of Heaven, and is editor of the Modern Library Exploration series. He lives in the USA.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.From the Inside Flap
kauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. As he turned to begin his long, dangerous descent from 29,028 feet, twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly toward the top. No one had noticed that the sky had begun to fill with clouds. Six hours later and 3,000 feet lower, in 70-knot winds and blinding snow, Krakauer collapsed in his tent, freezing, hallucinating from exhaustion and hypoxia, but safe. The following morning, he learned that six of his fellow climbers hadn't made it back to their camp and were desperately struggling for their lives. When the storm finally passed, five of them would be dead, and the sixth so horribly frostbitten that his right hand would have to be amputated.<br><br><b>Into Thin Air</b> is the definitive account of the deadliest season in the history of Everest by the acclaimed journalist and author of t
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
Jon Krakauer's acclaimed account of a disastrous expedition on Mt Everest
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Product details
- ASIN : B0080K3NHE
- Publisher : Macmillan; Main Market edition (1 November 1999)
- Language : English
- File size : 2102 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 316 pages
-
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4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
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Reviewed in Australia on 5 May 2017
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One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in Australia on 24 November 2018
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Excellent description of the tragic events that occurred at Mt Everest. Although he had disagreements with other people who were on the mountain at the time after the book came out, the book feels balanced and the criticisms he makes seem reasonable. If you want to find out what happened on the mountain, this is the book, not the more recent one by Beck Weathers. The Weathers book dealt with his personal redemption after the mountain more than the mountain and suckered people in because it came out at about the same time as the movie.
Reviewed in Australia on 16 August 2014
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I found the book a very informative expose on mountaineering .Particularly as it relates to Mt Everest .The dscription of the storm and its aftermath is gripping reading indeed.However, the long and rather detailed ,chapter on a dispute between the author and a fellow climber/guide was an unnecessary inclusion and should have left to a discussion in the relevant magazines on mountaineering.Also I felt the confession about smoking a couple of joints in Kathmandu was not necessary.Perhaps this was done as an adjunct to the dispute with the fellow mountaineer to show that the author was not hiding anything.Perhaps the fault rests with the editor for not ''cracking the whip'' and removing these items .Without them I would have given the 5 stars.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Made me fascinated with mountaineering and in particular the May 1996 Everest disaster
Reviewed in Australia on 29 October 2015Verified Purchase
I decided to read this book after the advertising for the new movie Everest based in the May 1996 events came out and Jon Krakauer came out saying the movie was bulls***. I have had no interest in mountaineering and hadn't really heard much about the 1996 disaster, clearly had my head in the snow. This book was great. The detail with which it is written really took me to Everest, it didn't glorify anything and provided a real account of the not so glamorous side of mountaineering and Everest. The journey Krakauer takes you on is so up and down emotionally, his feelings of blame, his insight that he was selfish at times and his heroism.
This book has made me want to read the books of the other survivors, I'm hooked on this event.
Downside is it is a little difficult to read in a kindle with all the end which you should read as they do add a lot to the book.
This book has made me want to read the books of the other survivors, I'm hooked on this event.
Downside is it is a little difficult to read in a kindle with all the end which you should read as they do add a lot to the book.
Reviewed in Australia on 4 October 2015
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The perspective of an honest man and journalist with nothing to hide. So easy to criticise when sitting, sipping a coffee in Spring many thousands of miles away, and several miles below the events of that day, but it is Jon's personal truth that is presented in his book. It is a brilliant expose of the whole expedition, warts and all and now, reading this 15 years after it all happened I am chilled to the core that people actually want to push themselves so such extremes. "Because it is there"? Not for me personally, but clearly for many, and many of those that should not.
Reviewed in Australia on 15 July 2016
Verified Purchase
I read that book as a friend of my Book Club absolutely wanted to know what happened on the Everest in 1996 that ended costing so many lives... I was not impressed at all by it. Though the first part is written like a report, the end part left me with mixed feelings about the author and his motives... I don't recommend this book.
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Reviewed in Australia on 21 November 2014
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just a fantastically entertaining read...enjoyed the authors tale throughout the whole book and has confirmed to me that I will never be going to the "top of the world"...far too dangerous...just buy it and enjoy..
Reviewed in Australia on 8 September 2016
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I really love this book despite it being a very tragic event. It was really well written, I actually felt cold when I read it because of the vivid description of the snow and surrounds. A Really good read
Top reviews from other countries

millhall
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tragedy on the top of the world.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 December 2018Verified Purchase
I have climbed all of the highest mountains in Scotland. I have been on those mountains in zero visibility and driving snow. I have been cold, frightened and found decision making difficult. That ocurred at around 4000 feet. Everest is more than 29000 feet. I think it unlikely that anyone can truly know what being on Everest is like without first hand experience. Krakauer paints a graphic picture in his book and yet my lasting memory will be the bitter disputes which followed the climbing tradedy. The account of the climb and the deaths is compelling reading, but I was left with a feeling of real sadness that an attempt to write an honest account met with such criticism. I have read several well known climbing books, and this is one of the most memorable.
14 people found this helpful
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Lady Doom
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting insight into the 1996 disaster
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 March 2018Verified Purchase
I first purchased this book after seeing the film Everest, that portrayed the 1996 disaster, as I wanted to know more about it. Why do people feel the need to risk their lives? What was it about this mountain that drew people? Was the film accurate?
For me, this book helped me understand why people enjoy 'extreme' mountaineering and did explain the draw Everest has on people. I actually found the history of it - from being named the tallest mountain on Earth, to her naming and the repeated attempts to summit, really interesting.
As to whether this book and the film accurately portray the disaster... I will say the film mostly matches this book, and the author makes it clear that this is how he viewed the events, that he was not operating at peak efficiency and that a lot of people made small mistakes which added up to make the disaster.
The book is well written, and for the most part is measured. It mixes analytical with personal to great effect. Though it isn't a happy read it is an interesting one and I'd recommend this to people interested in the film, the mountain, or the sport of climbing.
For me, this book helped me understand why people enjoy 'extreme' mountaineering and did explain the draw Everest has on people. I actually found the history of it - from being named the tallest mountain on Earth, to her naming and the repeated attempts to summit, really interesting.
As to whether this book and the film accurately portray the disaster... I will say the film mostly matches this book, and the author makes it clear that this is how he viewed the events, that he was not operating at peak efficiency and that a lot of people made small mistakes which added up to make the disaster.
The book is well written, and for the most part is measured. It mixes analytical with personal to great effect. Though it isn't a happy read it is an interesting one and I'd recommend this to people interested in the film, the mountain, or the sport of climbing.
11 people found this helpful
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Bev1
5.0 out of 5 stars
A haunting story. Five stars from a non climber.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2017Verified Purchase
I am not a climber and only bought this book because it was recommended on a radio programme. It is haunting, scary and brutal but I could barely put the book down. This must have been painful to write, and there is an honesty in the acceptance that neurological impairment has made all versions of honesty more questionable than the usual bias of individual perspective and view. This book speaks to questions that go to heart of people in extreme circumstances, even more intriguing because they choose to be there, driven perhaps, but stil a choice. I think the book was written with as open a mind as is possible and I hope I read it the same way.
16 people found this helpful
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Victoria
5.0 out of 5 stars
Riveting and Haunting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 October 2020Verified Purchase
I'm surprised at how riveted I was by Jon Krakauer's haunting account of the tragic events that took place on Everest in 1998. He recounts the minutiae of an Everest expedition, from arriving in Kathmandu to trekking to base camp, and explains in laborious detail how it really is to climb Everest - a subject I didn't realise I was so fascinated by until reading this.
Peppered throughout are references to mountaineers of yore which had me going down the Wikipedia rabbit hole more than once. Although climbing Everest isn't on my bucket list, I find stories of how people push themselves to their physical and mental limits compelling and inspiring. However, Krakauer's account of what happened on May 10 and how four climbers from his team tragically came to lose their lives - the crux of this book - was of course difficult to read.
Much has been made of his criticism of Sandy Pittman and Anatoli Boukreev, but I felt his portrayal of both of them was on the whole handled fairly. Many on the mountain that day made poor decisions in extreme circumstances that led to the final outcome. Krakauer himself doesn't shy away from his own culpability, although it clearly haunts him and must have been painful to write about publicly. If I were to have any criticism of this book, it would be that Krakauer's perception of his abilities and that of others came across at times as hubristic. Whilst I don't refute that many - too many - people attempt Everest without qualified experience (and the mountain has claimed many of those lives), the way Krakauer writes about his own abilities versus that of others felt a little arrogant to me. I also got a little lost later in the book on who was who, which left me puzzled for a while. However neither of these points detract from the fact that this book well and truly got under my skin.
I don't give five stars often and I'm not the most avid reader of non-fiction, but this has been one of my surprise reads this year and I would read it again. I'm considering reading Beck Weathers' book now - that truly is a story of survival.
Peppered throughout are references to mountaineers of yore which had me going down the Wikipedia rabbit hole more than once. Although climbing Everest isn't on my bucket list, I find stories of how people push themselves to their physical and mental limits compelling and inspiring. However, Krakauer's account of what happened on May 10 and how four climbers from his team tragically came to lose their lives - the crux of this book - was of course difficult to read.
Much has been made of his criticism of Sandy Pittman and Anatoli Boukreev, but I felt his portrayal of both of them was on the whole handled fairly. Many on the mountain that day made poor decisions in extreme circumstances that led to the final outcome. Krakauer himself doesn't shy away from his own culpability, although it clearly haunts him and must have been painful to write about publicly. If I were to have any criticism of this book, it would be that Krakauer's perception of his abilities and that of others came across at times as hubristic. Whilst I don't refute that many - too many - people attempt Everest without qualified experience (and the mountain has claimed many of those lives), the way Krakauer writes about his own abilities versus that of others felt a little arrogant to me. I also got a little lost later in the book on who was who, which left me puzzled for a while. However neither of these points detract from the fact that this book well and truly got under my skin.
I don't give five stars often and I'm not the most avid reader of non-fiction, but this has been one of my surprise reads this year and I would read it again. I'm considering reading Beck Weathers' book now - that truly is a story of survival.
One person found this helpful
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Woolco
4.0 out of 5 stars
Haunting Tragedy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 February 2016Verified Purchase
'Into Thin Air' is a gripping, haunting account of the now infamous 1996 guided Everest expedition that went horribly wrong, resulting in 8 deaths. The tragedy has been brought to the fore again following Kormakur's recent blockbuster, 'Everest', which, in my view, is a pretty faithful re-telling of Krakauer's book.
Debate still rages about some differences in subsequent accounts of events that day. Particularly, the part Anatoli Boukreev (Fischer's chief guide) played in helping/hindering the unfolding situation. Krakauer offers some fairly mild criticism regarding Boukreev's decision to ascend without supplementary oxygen, suggesting his guiding performance would have been greatly enhanced with it; Boukreev, for instance, may not have felt the need to descend so urgently, ahead of the clients behind him.
It is somewhat damning criticism, I guess, however carefully phrased. And it does rather heap a lot of guilt on one man. A man who did, in the end, rescue 3 clients single-handed. Perhaps Krakauer could have left these sort of judgements to the reader, because the facts themselves, as Krakauer has documented, have not been substantively challenged.
The emphasis though, correctly, in my opinion, remains on the botched organisation and questionable decision-making of the two expedition leaders, Hall and Fischer. And, in fairness, Krakauer even goes on to acknowledge his own impact as client/journalist as another detrimental factor: the press coverage a massive incentive for Hall and Fischer to take risks to succeed.
It's a shame about the bitter, back-biting aftermath. Krakauer himself not immune to it - calling the film version, 'total bull'. Objecting, principally, to the scene where Krakauer refuses to assist Boukreev in the rescue effort due to exhaustion and snow-blindness. Krakauer claims it never happened.
Understandably, a raw and damaging experience to process for all those who survived - a crazy, ego bound, foolhardy quest, in the first place? Whatever your view, Krakauer's account is utterly compelling, demanding much pause for thought.
Debate still rages about some differences in subsequent accounts of events that day. Particularly, the part Anatoli Boukreev (Fischer's chief guide) played in helping/hindering the unfolding situation. Krakauer offers some fairly mild criticism regarding Boukreev's decision to ascend without supplementary oxygen, suggesting his guiding performance would have been greatly enhanced with it; Boukreev, for instance, may not have felt the need to descend so urgently, ahead of the clients behind him.
It is somewhat damning criticism, I guess, however carefully phrased. And it does rather heap a lot of guilt on one man. A man who did, in the end, rescue 3 clients single-handed. Perhaps Krakauer could have left these sort of judgements to the reader, because the facts themselves, as Krakauer has documented, have not been substantively challenged.
The emphasis though, correctly, in my opinion, remains on the botched organisation and questionable decision-making of the two expedition leaders, Hall and Fischer. And, in fairness, Krakauer even goes on to acknowledge his own impact as client/journalist as another detrimental factor: the press coverage a massive incentive for Hall and Fischer to take risks to succeed.
It's a shame about the bitter, back-biting aftermath. Krakauer himself not immune to it - calling the film version, 'total bull'. Objecting, principally, to the scene where Krakauer refuses to assist Boukreev in the rescue effort due to exhaustion and snow-blindness. Krakauer claims it never happened.
Understandably, a raw and damaging experience to process for all those who survived - a crazy, ego bound, foolhardy quest, in the first place? Whatever your view, Krakauer's account is utterly compelling, demanding much pause for thought.
12 people found this helpful
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