Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The epic account of the storm on the summit of Mt. Everest that claimed five lives and left countless more—including Krakauer's—in guilt-ridden disarray.
“A harrowing tale of the perils of high-altitude climbing, a story of bad luck and worse judgment and of heartbreaking heroism.”—People
A Los Angeles Times Best Nonfiction Book of the Last 30 Years
Reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion, Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996. He hadn’t slept in fifty-seven hours. As he turned to begin the perilous descent from 29,032 feet (the cruising altitude of an Airbus jetliner), some twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly toward the top, unaware that a furious storm would soon engulf them from below. . . .
This is the terrifying story of what happened that calamitous day at the top of the world, during what would be the deadliest season Everest climbers had ever seen. In this harrowing narrative, Krakauer takes the reader along with his ill-fated expedition, step by precarious step, from Kathmandu to the summit where—plagued by a combination of hubris, terrible judgment, and bad luck—they would fall prey to the mountain’s unpredictable violence.
With more than three million copies in print, this extraordinary book is considered a paragon of the narrative nonfiction genre. Brilliantly written and supported by unimpeachable reporting, Into Thin Air will by turns thrill and horrify.
“A harrowing tale of the perils of high-altitude climbing, a story of bad luck and worse judgment and of heartbreaking heroism.”—People
A Los Angeles Times Best Nonfiction Book of the Last 30 Years
Reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion, Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996. He hadn’t slept in fifty-seven hours. As he turned to begin the perilous descent from 29,032 feet (the cruising altitude of an Airbus jetliner), some twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly toward the top, unaware that a furious storm would soon engulf them from below. . . .
This is the terrifying story of what happened that calamitous day at the top of the world, during what would be the deadliest season Everest climbers had ever seen. In this harrowing narrative, Krakauer takes the reader along with his ill-fated expedition, step by precarious step, from Kathmandu to the summit where—plagued by a combination of hubris, terrible judgment, and bad luck—they would fall prey to the mountain’s unpredictable violence.
With more than three million copies in print, this extraordinary book is considered a paragon of the narrative nonfiction genre. Brilliantly written and supported by unimpeachable reporting, Into Thin Air will by turns thrill and horrify.
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Readers say Jon Krakauer's *Into Thin Air* is a gripping, detailed account of the 1996 Everest disaster, praised for its honesty, vivid storytelling, ...
slow to start but overall fascinating
i really like krakauer’s writing style, journalistic but also engaging. similar to into the wild, this book gives me the effect of the wikipedia deep dive i would do about the event (if that makes sense).
listened to the audiobook over 2 days (like i did with into the wild). both audiobooks were read by philip franklin, and i really like his reading style. he did all the accents. very good.
i really like krakauer’s writing style, journalistic but also engaging. similar to into the wild, this book gives me the effect of the wikipedia deep dive i would do about the event (if that makes sense).
listened to the audiobook over 2 days (like i did with into the wild). both audiobooks were read by philip franklin, and i really like his reading style. he did all the accents. very good.
I am surprised by how I felt about this book and the events that took place. I had knowledge of this incident but mot all the details. Into Thin Air maps out what led Jon and the others on the mountain during his expedition--those in and outside of his particular camp. Threaded in between these details we lean the history of Mountain Everest and the lives of those who perished over the years.
Knowing what I know now about the expedition, I feel agree with some of the loved ones left behind by people in his camp. Jon's feelings and guilt were valid and I recognize the effects that altitude has on a person's body and mind. But I don't think he could speak on what those who died on the mountain could have been feeling.
And regardless of the unspoken "understanding" climbers have whist on the mountain about the bodies left along the trail, it is extremely haunting to even imagine.
Knowing what I know now about the expedition, I feel agree with some of the loved ones left behind by people in his camp. Jon's feelings and guilt were valid and I recognize the effects that altitude has on a person's body and mind. But I don't think he could speak on what those who died on the mountain could have been feeling.
And regardless of the unspoken "understanding" climbers have whist on the mountain about the bodies left along the trail, it is extremely haunting to even imagine.
An unbiased as it could be account of the 1996 Everest disaster where many climbers lost their life during a storm at the summit of Everest due to last minute poor decisions.
Written by Jon Krakauer as a climber on the expedition there is plenty of details, rumination, and heart in the retelling of the events. Krakauer did his best to remain unbiased and the account feels very informative, even a little dry at times but the honesty and attention to details is appreciated.
I find anyone trying to climb Everest has a few screws loose so this was a very interesting book to read. If you’re into wrested in Everest of the 1996 disaster I highly recommend this book and I plan to read more by others that survived this expedition.
I re read this book after originally reading 25 years ago and it was amazing. I am glad I stopped my dream of climbing everest when I was 5. Got to be crazy to climb this!
Cookies: 6.8. Oreo (would’ve been Girl Scout without having to learn mountain lingo). Easy but captivating read that got better as it went. Left me with questions, frustration and sadness…signs of a solid read imo. Fav characters were the sherpas
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